''Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost'' (EJGr Ost)For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see

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

(Supplementary Fighter Group, East) was a fighter pilot training unit of the German

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 ...

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 ...

. It was formed on 27 January 1942 in

Krakau Krakau is a municipality in the district of Murau in Styria, Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation ...

and renamed ''Jagdgruppe Ost'' (JGr Ost) on 25 November 1942. Its main purpose was to provide specialized training for new fighter pilots destined for the Eastern Front. Training was provided by experienced Eastern Front veterans, who were rotated in and out of this unit.

History

On 3 January 1942, the Luftwaffe ordered the disbandment of the various ''Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppen'', supplementary fighter groups attached to the various fighter wings. The order was carried out by 10 January and the subsequently released commanding officers and infrastructure was used to form new regular fighter groups as well as new training units. In consequence the following regular fighter groups were created: * a new III. and IV. '' Gruppe'' (3rd and 4th group) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 1 * a new I. ''Gruppe'' (1st group) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 * a III. ''Gruppe'' (3rd group) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 5 Additionally, three new training units were also formed, these were the ''Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppen West'', ''Ost'' and ''Süd''. ''Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost'' was created from the ''Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). In January 1942, ''Erg.''/JG 51 was based in

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. Wi ...

, France. In February, ''Erg.''/JG 51 was moved to

where it formed the nucleus of ''Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost''.

Commanding officers

Gruppenkommandeure

* ''Hauptmann'' Günther Beise, February 1942 – 12 May 1942 * ''Hauptmann''

Hubertus von Bonin Hubertus von Bonin (3 August 1911 – 15 December 1943) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during the Spanish Civil War and World War II, a fighter ace listed with 77 enemy aircraft shot down. He claimed four victories in the Spanish Civil ...

, May 1942 – 22 May 1942 * ''Major'' Werner Andres, 23 May 1942 – 31 January 1943 * ''Oberstleutnant''

Hermann Graf Hermann Graf (24 October 1912 – 4 November 1988) was a German Luftwaffe World War II fighter ace. He served on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. He became the first pilot in aviation history to claim 200 aerial victories—that is, 200 ...

, 1 February 1943 – April 1943 * ''Major'' Werner Andres, April 1943 – 30 June 1943 * ''Major''

Viktor Bauer Viktor Bauer (15 September 1915 – 13 December 1969) was a former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with ...

History

Commanding officers

Gruppenkommandeure

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography