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 opposin ...

. The unit was commanded by Oberstleutnant

Kurt Kuhlmey Kurt Kuhlmey (19 November 1913 – 30 April 1993) was a general in the 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 combat missions, and i ...

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. 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, after ...

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 Immola Airfield is an airfield in Imatra, Finland, about northeast of Imatrankoski, the centre of Imatra. History Planning of the airfield began in 1933, and the airfield was opened in 1936. Before and during the Second World War, the 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 The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from ''Sturzkampfflugzeug'', "dive bomber") was a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Con ...

"Stuka" dive bombers were replaced by

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' (" Shrike") is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, ...

''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, w ...

). According to this, II./SG 3 was training at Jēkabpils, I./SG 5 in

Pori ) , website www.pori.fi Pori (; sv, Björneborg ) is a city and municipality on the west coast of Finland. The city is located some from the Gulf of Bothnia, on the estuary of the Kokemäki River, west of Tampere, north of Turku and north-w ...

, and III and IV./ JG 54 in

Illesheim Illesheim, founded 1283 AD, is a municipality in the district of Neustadt (Aisch)-Bad Windsheim in Bavaria in Germany. The earliest leader affiliated with Illesheim's foundation was Götz von Berlichingen, known as "the Knight with the Iron Hand." ...

, 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 Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...

Organisation

The following units and aircraft in Finland belonged to Detachment Kuhlmey: * I./

SG 3 Schlachtgeschwader 3 (SG 3) was a Luftwaffe close air support Geschwader during World War II. It was formed on 18 October 1943 in Eleusis from the Stab/Sturzkampfgeschwader 3. A special detachment was formed 13 June 1944 to 13 August 1944 referr ...

: 33

D-5 Stuka dive bombers *II./ JG 54: 29–62

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 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...

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 a ...

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