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?