Detachment Kuhlmey (german: Gefechtsverband Kuhlmey) was a temporary unit of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

's ''

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

'' during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The unit was commanded by

Oberstleutnant () is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedi ...

Kurt Kuhlmey Kurt Kuhlmey (19 November 1913 – 30 April 1993) was a general in the German Air Force, West German Air Force. During World War II, he served as ground-attack aircraft pilot in the Luftwaffe, commanding two air wings. Kuhlmey flew over 500 comb ...

and the detachment was built around the unit Schlachtgeschwader 3, which also was commanded by Kuhlmey.

Operational history

The unit participated in large battles in summer 1944, during the Finnish-Soviet

Continuation War The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrieg. A ...

. When the Soviet

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

launched its

fourth strategic offensive Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

on 9 June 1944

C. G. E. Mannerheim Baron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim (, ; 4 June 1867 – 27 January 1951) was a Finland, Finnish military leader and statesman. He served as the military leader of the White Guard (Finland), Whites in the Finnish Civil War of 1918, as List of reg ...

asked

for help. Among the help that arrived was a Luftwaffe unit that arrived in Finland on 12 June. The aircraft landed at the Immola Airfield on 17 June. The unit used the whole airfield from there on. The unit flew some 2,700 missions and dropped 770 tonnes of bombs. It destroyed over 150 Soviet aircraft, about 200 tanks, and dozens of bridges and transport vessels. Personnel losses included 23 pilots killed and 24 wounded in battle. The unit lost 41 of its aircraft. The detachment consisted of some 70 airworthy aircraft to support the 200 strong Finnish force,Bergström 2008, p. 58–59. but its operational strength varied due to losses, additions and troop movements. The unclear structure is partly explained by the

replacement programs, where older Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bombers were replaced by Focke-Wulf Fw 190 ''jabos (

fighter-bombers A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft. It differs from bomber and attack aircraft primarily in its origins, as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles, ...

). According to this, II./SG 3 was training at

Jēkabpils Jēkabpils (; german: Jakobstadt; pl, Jakubów) is a state city in Jēkabpils Municipality in southeastern Latvia roughly halfway between Riga and Daugavpils and spanning the Daugava River. Historic Jēkabpils lies on the left bank, in Selonia ...

, I./SG 5 in Pori, and III and IV./

JG 54 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 54 (JG 54) was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during the Second World War. JG 54 flew most of its missions on the Eastern Front where it claimed more than 9,600 aircraft shot down. It was the second-highest scoring wing in the Luftw ...

in Illesheim, and they could not participate in the fighting on the

Karelian Isthmus The Karelian Isthmus (russian: Карельский перешеек, Karelsky peresheyek; fi, Karjalankannas; sv, Karelska näset) is the approximately stretch of land, situated between the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga in northwestern ...

. I./SG 3, which was in Finland, received new Fw 190 aircraft as soon as they left Finland for Tartu.

Organisation

The following units and aircraft in Finland belonged to Detachment Kuhlmey: * I./ SG 3: 33 Junkers Ju 87 D-5 Stuka dive bombers *II./

: 29–62 Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-6 fighters *I./ SG 5: 16 Focke-Wulf Fw 190 F-3 and F-8 jabos at Alakurtti. *I./NaGr 5: 1–8 Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-8 reconnaissance aircraft The transport squadron TGr.10 of German aligned Italy's

air force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...

that operated in the theater also supported the unit, and it consisted of 35 Savoia Marchetti SM.81/AR transport aircraft and a number of transport, liaison and reconnaissance aircraft. The majority of the aircraft of the unit left Finland on 23 July, but I/SG 5 who stayed until 13 August. A memorial was raised at the Immola Airfield on 23 July 1994 in gratitude and in memory of the unit.

Notes

References

* * {{commonscat-inline, Detachment Kuhlmey Luftwaffe Special Commands Continuation War Military units and formations established in 1944 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944