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

[Peter Cornwell]

Doug,

I will be interested to learn what evidence exists to support your statement that ‘the greater part’ of III./StG77 was formed from I./StG76 with ‘a smaller part’ coming from II.(St.)/KG76. My question is prompted by an analysis of recorded personnel numbers of all casualties reported by III./StG77 throughout 1940 which reveals their origins to have been as follows:

Stab II.(St.)/KG76 (1 record), 4.(St.)/KG76 (4), 5.(St.)/KG76 (4), 6.(St.)/KG76 (1), 9./KG76 (1), 8./StG51 = 5./StG1 (1), 5./StG2 (1), 8./StG2 (1), and 5./StG77 (1).

Significantly no record of any personnel originating from I./StG76. So is it possible that some confusion has occurred between I./StG76 and II.(St.)/KG76 ? A similar analysis of all I./StG3 losses throughout 1940 confirms that all their casualties carried the same IDs as those of I./StG76 and no other unit is represented.

Major Walter SIGEL, Gruppenkommandeur of I./StG76, became Kommandeur of I./StG3 on re-designation of the unit – surely a simple transition ? And as previously mentioned, the Gruppenkommandeur of the newly-constituted III./StG77 was Hauptmann Helmut BODE.

Good luck with your book.

[Doug Stankey]

I checked against our notes and this “greater part” and “lesser part” stems from Larry’s notes.

In reference to III./St.G. 77:
“Formed 9 July 1940 at either Barly/17 km WSW of Arras in NE France or at Caen in Normandy from the main elements of I./St.G. 76. Elements of II./KG 76, that had commenced conversion to the Ju 87 on 1 February 1940, are also believed to have been incorporated into the new Gruppe.“

Larry’s notes are derived primarily from original Luftwaffe documents, so we can expect the information to be reliable. Particularly interesting was the passage about elements of II./KG 76 starting to convert to Ju 87s. This is made more odd by the fact that the Gruppe had only just been formed the previous month. This aspect is not mentioned in our Bomber Units book.

The info about origins of the personnel of III./St.G. 77 who became casualties is interesting. Where did you get this? Loss reports don’t mention their prior units. I noticed that several of these show they came previously from II./KG 76, which would tend to support our position. Could it be that your info source simply missed the brief period in which I./St.G. 76 existed?

Without a way to check the archival documents Larry examined, I cannot trace this further.

I hope this helps

[Andreas Brekken]

Hi.

I do not know if this will help, but I have browsed a bit in my document collection.

1. In the Vortrag zum Einsatzbereitschaft for 08.06.1940, under changes, the order to reequip the III./KG 76 with Ju 87B, replacing their Do 17Z aircraft is referenced.

2. This order is reversed and the Vortrag zum Einsatzbereitschaft for 15.06.1940 states that instead of the III./KG 76 being reequipped, the order is given that the II./KG 76 was to make this change from Do 17Z to Ju 87B. The strength report of this date show that the unit are redeploying to a new base, and that they have a strength of 36 Ju 87B's on hand, none operational.

3. The strength report of 22.06.1940 show a reduced number of Ju 87B's and a single Bf 108 on strength with the unit, which still retain it's designation as II.(St.)/KG 76

4. The strength report of 29.6.1940 show that the aircraft are now mostly operational, while the aircrew is not.... typically a result of the units aircrew undergoing conversion training and not yet at operational status. this would definitely suggest that the aircrew in this unit were transferred from a unit with other aircraft types on strength.

5. The strength report of 6.7.1940 (6th July) show the unit designation being changed from II.(St.)/KG 76 to III./St.G.77, and that 18 of their 25 crews now are operational.

During the same period, the I./KG 76 seems to have been operational in their bomber role, utilizing the Do 17Z, with no changes to the structure of the unit, or strength fluctuations that would indicate a transfer of major parts of their aircrew to the II./KG 76 later III./StG 77.

Also, it is of interest to note that a new Ju 88 equipped II./KG 76 is formed during the same period, by using the aircraft and crews that emerged after the III./KG 28 were reequipped with Ju 88.

Well, at least this is what the Luftwaffe Quartermaster General thought was going on at the time...

Regards,
Andreas B

[Peter Cornwell]

Doug & Andreas,

Thanks for the inputs. On the balance of evidence currently available I remain sceptical that the bulk of I./StG76 ever went to form III./StG77.

It is also clear from the information now provided by Andreas that II.(St.)/KG76 did not ‘commence conversion to the Ju87 on 1 February 1940’ but later. Beyond that I note that they recorded no loss or damage involving the type from that date, (a reasonable expectation if they were working up new equipment), while contemporary documentary evidence (Flugbuch & RAF Interrogation) indicates Do17s continued in uninterrupted service throughout the period which seems puzzling. GQM Returns also report Do17 losses daily from May 10. What is clear is that some of the original II.(St.)/KG76 crews underwent conversion training throughout this period pending its eventual re-designation as III./StG77 on July 6, 1940.

My information on the origins of personnel comes from an analysis of personal IDs contained in the original Namentliche Verlustmeldung of all units concerned and, as such, includes those of I./StG76.

[Doug Stankey]

Thank you Peter and Andreas!

This has been most interesting. In view of the info presented and the arguments raised, Larry and I have discussed this and, while still uncertain, we have modified our manuscript for Ground Attack Units to express the uncertainty over this matter of "greater part" and "lesser part". The text of our manuscript will likely be frozen by the fall so if there more to be said about this it will have to come before then.

Isn't amazing the twists and turns raised on this board?

Doug S. and Larry deZ

[INM@RLM]

Possibly all 'old hat' for everyone except myself, all of this can now be checked directly by anyone with the inclination since the Einsatzbereitschaftmeldungen for these events have been digitized by the Bundesarchiv and made available for all to download at RL 2-III/707b & RL 2-III/708a (via invenio).
These documents actually show the change of designation from III./KG 28 to II./KG 76 as happening in the period between 29 June and 6 July 1940, at which point the Gruppe was already in the process of exchanging its He 111s for Ju 88s, (The date shown on Michael Holm's invaluable site is as 9 July.)