July 1940 - What really happened to II./KG 76 and I./StG 76 ?

[Christian Schulz]

Hi everyone!

I'm currently looking into my sources and somehow can't make head or tail of what happened to II./KG 76 and I./StG 76.

Our most favourite website (www.ww2.dk) says the following on II./KG 76 ...

On 9.7.40 redesignated III./St.G.77:

• Stab II./KG76 became Stab III./St.G.77
• 4./KG76 became 7./St.G.77
• 5./KG76 became 8./St.G.77
• 6./KG76 became 9./St.G.77

... and on I./StG 76:

On 9.7.40 redesignated I./St.G.3:

• Stab I./St.G.76 became Stab I./St.G.3
• 1./St.G.76 became 1./St.G.3
• 2./St.G.76 became 2./St.G.3
• 3./St.G.76 became 3./St.G.3

Usually I trust Michael Holm blindly, but now I got three books claiming something completely different.

1.) "BOMBER UNITS OF THE LUFTWAFFE 1933-1945: A Reference Source Volume 1" and "BOMBER UNITS OF THE LUFTWAFFE 1933-1945: A Reference Source Volume 2" claim that II./KG 76 did not become III./StG 77 but was absorbed into III./KG 28, which - almost immediately - was renamed II./KG 76 again. I mean to me it wouldn't make much sense to convert a battle-hardened Kampfgruppe to a completely different role just like that. The renaming to another Kampfgruppe sounds a lot more reasonable to me.

2.) "Ju 87 STUKA Volume 1: Luftwaffe Ju 87 Dive-Bomber Units - 1939-1941" claims that I./StG 76 did not become I./StG 3 but III./StG 77. That could be possible since StG 76 was also using the F1 unit code and it is known that III./StG 77 continued to use it until early 1941.

So what the Kark is correct here?

[Larry Hickey]

Christian,

I've had the same problems figuring out what was happening with both units. One bit of information is that during the Western Campaign of May-June, 1940, I./StG76 was using the code "S1." I've got photos which prove that.

I posted a similar inquiry about I./St.G76 a while ago and never got a satisfactory answer. It may be like I./ZG1 at the end of the WC, it's component staffels went to different units (NJG and ErprGr210) and the original unit was completely disbanded.

Hope this helps and that you get some definitive answers to your inquiry.

Regards,

[Christian Schulz]

That's not what I wanted to hear, Larry.

[Peter Cornwell]

Hello Christian,

The re-designation of II.(St.)/KG76 was not as straightforward as suggested. Certainly a number of its (possibly more experienced) personnel formed the cadre of the 7 and 8 Staffeln of the newly-formed III./StG77 at Argentan under Gruppenkommandeur Hauptmann Helmut BODE. But it is equally clear that III./StG77 aircrews were drawn from a wide variety of units and not all personnel from II.(St.)/KG76 were involved.

51920 Stab II./KG76 until June 1940
51921 4./KG76 = 7./StG77 July 1940 (IDs 150 + range) some crews to 3./KG76
51922 5./KG76 = 8./StG77 July 1940 (IDs 150 + range) some crews to 9./KG76
51923 6./KG76 until June 1940

A newly-constituted II./KG76 emerged from the re-designated III./KG28:

60551 Stab III./KG28 = Stab II./KG76 July 1940
60552 7./KG28 = 4./KG76 July 1940
60553 8./KG28 = 5./KG76 July 1940
60554 9./KG28 = 6./KG76 July 1940

Re-designation of I./StG76 appears comparatively straightforward:

71080 Stab I./StG76 = Stab I./StG3 July 1940
71081 1./StG76 = 1./StG3 July 1940
71082 2./StG76 = 2./StG3 July 1940
71083 3./StG76 = 3./StG3 July 1940

Hope this helps.

[Christian Schulz]

Helps immensely. Thanks, Peter!

[Larry Hickey]

Peter,

This explains the reports of III./StG77 Ju87Bs carrying the F1 code that the crews from II./KG76 would have been using in their old unit. Do we have evidence that the F1 code was used by BOTH KG76 and III./StG77 during the Battle of Britain? Certainly KG76 did. Did III./StG77 eventually change it's code from "F1" to "S2" as carried by the rest of the Geschwader, or did it retain the "F1" code throughout the war?

Thanx

[Doug Stankey]

Yes, this is a very confusing subject but we (Larry deZeng and I) think we have it sorted out. The most critical information comes from original Luftwaffe documents but there are other clues too.The comment about St.G. 76 having the “F1” code was common knowledge for decades but when I checked into it I found no actual evidence to support this anywhere!

According to our next book (to be titled something like “Ground Attack Units of the Luftwaffe, a Reference Source”) which should be released next year, we have concluded the following:

I./St.G. 76 transferred to Barly (17 km west-south-west of Arras) during 25-30 June 1940. The remains of Gruppe disbanded, with the greater part going into the creation of III./St.G. 77 and a smaller part going into the formation of I./St.G. 3 on 9 July 1940. The Kommandeur of the Gruppe during this time was Walter Sigel. (i.e. for BOTH Gruppen).

We postulate (in the absence of real evidence) that the unit codes for this/these Gruppen was actuallyS1+_B, H, K, L). Larry Hickey says he has evidence to support this but I haven’t seen any myself, so I would be most curious to see it.

As for III./St.G. 77:


We have that it was formed on 9 July 1940 at either Barly (17 km west-south-west of Arras) or at Caen /Normandy from the major part of the former I./St.G. 76 with a smaller part from the former II./K.G. 76.
Codes: up to July 1942 (F1+_C, M, N, P), then (S2+_D, R, S, T).

I hope this helps to clear things up.

[Larry Hickey]

Doug,

Post your email address in my private msg box on this site and we'll swap some photos. Did you get the corrections to the captions of your Bombers Vol I that I sent to Eddie Creek?

Regards,

[Christian Schulz]

Doug

There is a photo of a force-anded Stuka in Rolfe/Ketley "Luftwaffen Embleme". The authors associate the photo to I./StG 76, but only parts of the code are visible (the top of the unit code). It's a bit difficult to see but I think (Warning! Subjective impression incoming!) that the code is not F1 as the caption claims. The first character's upper edge is not horizontal as an F would suggest - it looks a lot more like S1 to me. *shrugs*

[Larry Hickey]

Christian,

I'm familiar with that photo and I'm certain that it is an "S1" code. I've got photos of at least 4 different I./StG76 aircraft during the spring of 1940 in my EOE Data Base, all with clearly visible "S1" codes. I've never seen a Stuka with an "F1" code expect ones that are clearly from III./StG77.

Regards,