Tr.Gr 186

[Larry deZeng]

Sinisa/Sidney -

This might help a bit, although I have never seen a name for the Gruko during the brief period in 1938, but:

BLATTNER, Erich?
BODE, Helmuth?
GRASSMANN, Peter?
HEFELE, Hans?
ROTH, Gert (Ghert) Gustav Konstantin von?
SCHWENGERS, Wilhelm?
SEELIGER, Heinrich?
ZEZSCHWITZ, Wolfgang von?

The above are all possibilities, with HEFELE seemingly the most likely.

Trägerjagd-Gr. II./186
Trägerjagdgruppe II./186

also as: II.(J)/186 (T)

Formation and Organization. (Oct 39)
Formed 1 November 1938 at Kiel-Holtenau as a fighter (Jagd-) Gruppe for the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin, then under construction at Kiel. An earlier attempt to form this Gruppe had occurred on 1 August 1938 at Bug auf Rügen in the Baltic but was abandoned on 22 October. As formed, it consisted of 4.(Stuka)/186 (T) with Ju 87s followed on 15 November by 6.(Jagd) Staffel with Bf 109Bs and finally on 15 July 1939 a 5.(Jagd) Staffel came into existence. The Gruppenstab was not formed until 10 September 1939 and on the same date the Stuka Staffel was handed over to I.(St.)/186 (T). A new 4.(Jagd)/186 (T) was eventually set up on 29 February 1940 by renaming 2./Jagdgruppe 101.

Poland, North Germany, Belgium and Norway. (Sep 39 - Jul 40)
22-24 Aug 39: 5. and 6. Staffel transferred from Kiel-Holtenau to Brüsterort/NW of Königsberg in preparation for the attack on Poland.
1 Sep 39: operating under 1. Fliegerdiv. on the opening day of the campaign in Poland, flew cover for Stuka attacks on the Polish naval base at Hela. These escort missions continued around Danzig Bay until 3 September and then encounters with enemy aircraft rapidly diminished.
....................................

L.