Kampfgeschwader 27

'Kampfgeschwader' 27 ''Boelcke'' was a Luftwaffe medium bomber wing of World War II.

Formed in May 1939, KG 27 first saw action in the German invasion of Poland in September 1939. During the Phoney War—September 1939 – April 1940—the bomber wing flew armed reconnaissance missions over France. In May 1940 it fought in the Battle of Belgium and Battle of France through to the end of the campaigns in June 1940.

In July 1940, KG 27 fought in the Battle of Britain and The Blitz until June 1941. In June 1941 the unit's ''Gruppen'' participated in Operation Barbarossa and spent the next years on the Eastern front until 1944, until it was withdrawn to assist the evacuation of the German-occupied region. It returned to the Eastern Front until November 1944.

At this time, all three combat groups remained operational but were converted to fighter units for Defence of the Reich duties. It is not known when KG 27 was disbanded. An anti-locomotive staffel was known to have operated as a bomber unit into April 1945. The date given for Oberstleutnant Rudolf Kiel's relief of command is 10 April 1945. Kiel was the wing's final commanding officer.

Formation

Stab. (command staffel – squadron)/KG 27 was formed at Hannover- Langenhagen on 1 May 1939 from stab./KG 157. Oberst Hans Behrendt was appointed as the first ''Geschwaderkommodore''. On 1 September 1939 it mustered five operational bombers from six.

I./KG 27 was formed from I./KG 157 at the same base. ''Oberstleutnant'' Fritz Graumnitz was appointed as the group's commander. The group could field 31 from 35 operational bombers. ''Major'' Sigismund Freiher von Falkenstein led the group from 1 October 1940 to 21 May 1940. He was succeeded by Gerhard Ulbricht on 3 June 1940, with Konrad Aschenbrenner acting as commander in between.

II./KG 27 was formed at Wunstorf, with Major Arno deSalengre Drabbe in command on 32 (of 35) combat-ready bombers.

III./KG 27 was formed at Delmenhorst by the redesignation of III./KG 157. Otto Sommer was placed in the command. All three groups were equipped with the Heinkel He 111 and trained through the summer to reach operational readiness. Third group was the largest with 33 airworthy bombers from a total of 36. Sommer was replaced on 30 June 1939 with Oberstleutnant Andreas Nielsen until 24 February 1940.

War Service

KG 27 was fragmented and placed unto different divisions and air fleets. Stab./KG 27 was placed under IV Fliegerkorps under the command of Luftflotte 2 at Hannover- Langenhagen. I./KG 27 was based at the same location but was assigned to the 1st Flieger-Division, under Luftflotte 1 as did the second group. III./KG 27 also remained with this division but was based in Königsberg-Neumark.

Poland and Phoney War

On 1 September the Wehrmacht invaded Poland beginning World War II. All three groups attacked Warsaw in Operation Sea Side. KG 27 had to fly from bases in Hannover (450 mi; 725 km) for the most part and returned to forward landing grounds in Pomerania. The mission was largely ineffective. Colonel Stefan Pawlikowski's Pursuit Brigade offered fierce resistance but lost 17 percent of its strength as Messerschmitt Bf 110 destroyer groups protected the bombers. The objective was to destroy Poland's industrial base and political will. The army objected to the weight of the attack and persuaded Hitler to divert support to ground operations in the first crucial hours, reducing the impact of the attack and postponing it to later in the day.

On the third day the OKL decided to end the counter-air campaign and strike at Polish aircraft industry only for Hermann Göring to change his mind. KG 27 was held in reserve. Third group was assigned back to Albert Kesselring's air fleet and bombed rail targets around Warsaw. III./KG 27 remained with the 1. Flieger-division supporting the advance of the German Fourth Army pursuing the Army Poznań. It was moved to Luftflotte 4 on 6 September and III./KG 27 moved south.

Individually KG 27 bombed many targets in northern and central Poland. I./KG 27 struck at targets and cities in the Narew, Łódź ( Battle of Łódź) and Lublin escorts from 1 to 27 September. II. and III. operated in the same way but was withdrawn on 17 September, the same day of the Soviet invasion of Poland. The former transferred to Delmenhorst and the later to Wunstorf. Poland capitulated to the invaders on 6 October 1939.

KG 27 spent the Phoney War refitting. I./KG 27 was involved in leaflet dropping and armed reconnaissance in the Amiens, Lille and Arras area. 2. ''Staffel'' (Squadron) were involved in such operations on 19 November 1939. Second and third group also carried flew on such sorties. The latter also dropped leaflets on Bethune. The types of missions were flown until April 1940

Western Europe

By 10 May 1940 Stab. and I. groups were at Hannover while II. and III. remained at Delmenhorst and Wunstorf respectively. KG 27 was handed to the IV ''Fliegerkorps'' under the command of ''Luftflotte'' 2. All but one of first group's 36 He 111s were operational while second group could muster 25 from 35 machines and third group 32 from 38.

On 10 May Fall Gelb was put into effect, beginning the Battle of the Netherlands, Battle of Belgium and Battle of France. I./KG 27 was immediately in action over Lille, Antwerp, Brussels and Namur. II./KG 27 bombed targets in Norrent-Fontes and Dunkirk. KG 27 flew in small formations, to cover multiple targets. On the outward route it flew over the North Sea and down along the Dutch coast, but were soon spotted. The Luftwaffe hit 47 airfields in France on the first day. Boulogne, Abbeville, Berck, Saint-Inglevert and Cambrai were also hit. KG 27 and KG 54 spearheaded IV ''Fliegerkorps air assault in this sector.

Stab./KG 27 suffered the first loss in combat. The gunners accounted for four Hawker Hurricanes shot down; one from No. 3 Squadron RAF, one from No. 607 Squadron RAF and two from No. 85 Squadron RAF with injury to the pilots. Two other bombers were lost on this mission and four damaged—all from II./KG 27. IV ''Fliegerkorps'' destroyed 25 aircraft on the ground on 10 May. On this first day, seven of KG 27's aircraft were reported missing, two written off and five were damaged.

From 10 to 15 May II./KG 27 supported the German Sixth Army in Belgium attacking Lille, Antwerp, Brussels and Namur. II./KG 27 was in action over Gembloux on 11 May, prior to the Battle of Gembloux, and was engaged by French fighters over Calais. It flew in support of the advance in Flanders and Artois, but also the break-though to the English Channel. It lost an aircraft over Cambrai and Tournai on 18 May. The group lost its commander Major Reinhold Tamm shot down and captured. Tamm had replaced Drabbe on 29 March. Friedrich-Karl Schlichting assumed command of the group.

III./KG 27 bombed targets in the Lille, Antwerp, Brussels and Namur area in the same time frame and also attacked Wavre on 16 May. III./KG 27 and its operations are not well recorded. It is believed to have supported the Flanders advance in the Artois region and perhaps offered interdiction support at the Battle of Gembloux.

At this time, one recorded action on 14 May involved I and III./KG 27, which was supported by low-level Henschel Hs 123s from II(S)./LG 2 and escorted by II./JG 2. 607 and No. 242 Squadron RAF intercepted; 2, 7 and 9. ''Staffel'' lost one aircraft. Another 2. ''Staffel'' bomber returned with a dead pilot and bomber damaged. Another notable battle took place with III./KG 27 was intercepted over Lille while attacking targets in the Soissons and Compiegne sector. The 8. ''Staffel'' and two 9. ''Staffel'' bombers were shot down. Four were killed and the rest captured.

On 20 May Army Group A reached the Channel. I./ KG 27 flew in support of the Battle for Calais and the Battle of Dunkirk. II./KG 27 also bombed the port at Dunkirk until 31 May and attacked Diksmuide and Ostend in Belgium on 27 May. III./KG 27 supported the Siege of Lille and the capture of Roulers. It reported three losses on 22 May. One of them was the group commander Hauptmann Ulrich Schirmer.

On 3 June KG 27 flew in Operation Paula, the attacks against airfields and industry in Paris. On the first day of Fall Rot KG 27 lost five aircraft, KG 54 four, and JG 27 another five. I./KG 27 supported to push along the French Channel coast. It bombed Orléans, Rouen and in the Loire. Ports at Le Havre and Cherbourg were attacked. II./KG 27 supported first group and the advance into Brittany. Third group appears to have been withdrawn from operations to recuperate in May and June.

By 14 June Alfred Keller commanding IV ''Fliegerkorps'' sent out armed reconnaissance aircraft to find targets in an increasingly fluid situation. III./KG 27 dispatched 20 Heinkels on these flights.

On 28/29 June 1940, KG 27 began operations against ports in southern England and Wales. By the Armistice of 22 June 1940 the three groups had moved into their respective bases at Tours, Dinard and Rennes.

Battle of Britain

KG 27 replaced commanding officer Behrendt with ''Oberst'' Bernhard Georgi on 21 June. KG 27 began flying night operations over Britain on 28/29 June 1940 before the Battle of Britain started. These operations were restricted to southern England and Wales. All three groups remained with Fliegerkorps IV, now under the command of Luftflotte 3.

First group began the campaign with 22 of 32 bombers serviceable. The status of second group shows 21 of 34 bombers were available before the main attacks started on 13 August. III./KG 27 could field 23 operational machines from 31 on 13 August. Third group did not have a commanding officer, according to records, after the death of their commander on 22 May. At some point in early June Major Manfred Freiherr Speck von Sternberg took command.

KG 27 was a participant in the ''Kanalkampf'' battles. On 17 July Oberarzt Dr Zobel and his crew likely became the first fatalities. Stab./KG 27 and first group were out hunting for British convoys later that afternoon. Twenty miles south of Bognor Regis, Six Hawker Hurricanes of No. 145 Squadron RAF intercepted them and ''Geschwaderkommodore'' Georgi was killed. Oberst Dipl-Ing Gerhard Conrad replaced him.

On 30 July II./KG 27 was known to have attacked Bristol and shipping in the Bristol Channel. On 11 August I. and II./KG 54 attacked Portland while 20 He 111s from KG 27 bombed Bristol. Despite escort from I. and II./ZG 2 and III./JG 2, II./KG 27 suffered an early blow when its commanding officer Friedrich-Karl Schlichting was shot down and captured. Also on board was Hans-Jürgen Brehmer, adjutant of the Luftwaffe General Staff. No. 87 Squadron RAF claimed the victory.

On 13 August 1940—Adlertag—KG 27 flew against Bristol, Birkenhead and Liverpool. KG 27 abandoned most of its operations. III./KG 27 did attempt to make it through to the Bristol docks, for example, losing one He 111 to No. 87 Squadron RAF in the attempt. Little damage was done.

The following day unprotected bombers from the third group bombed Southampton where the main rail line was blocked. Three small formations of He 111s penetrated No. 10 Group RAF's fighter screen undetected and flew north to the West Midlands. The airfield at Colerne, Wiltshire, was bombed with little damage. Three managed to reach Sealand airfield in Cheshire where more damage was done, but had no lasting effect. Anti-aircraft gunfire betrayed their presence and No. 7 Operational Training Unit pilots scrambled and shot one down. No. 92 Squadron RAF and No. 43 Squadron RAF also intercepted; two bombers fell to each squadron. Of the five bombers lost, two crewmen were killed and the rest were reported missing and their fate is unknown. One squadron leader was among them.

KG 27 escaped the heavy fighting of 15 August without loss. The following day a full-strength raid, escorted by Bf 110s, was caught as it crossed the coast near Brighton. No. 1, 64 and 615 Squadron intercepted and the latter accounted for one bomber from I. and II./KG 27. One crew was rescued by a Heinkel He 59 air-sea rescue unit.

On The Hardest Day II./KG 27 attempted attacks on the Liverpool docks and lost one aircraft off Dungeness. 610 Squadron destroyed one raider and two others were damaged in forced-landings. In one incident, a KG 27 He 111, shortly before midnight, attacked the flying and training school at Windrush, in Gloucestershire, where night flying was in progress. The bomber crashed into an Avro Anson killing all five men involved.

On 19 August and 20 August, KG 27 attempted to strike at the Albert Dock, Liverpool. On the former date, one He 111 of third group was caught and destroyed by No. 66 Squadron RAF at 18:30 in the evening. In the early hours of the 20th, at least 30 tracks were reported over Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. Some crews did not persevere across country, and unloaded bombs on RAF Bomber Command flare paths. Five such airfields were hit and six aircraft destroyed. Apart from Liverpool, which was hit by 12 aircraft, Sheffield, Derby, Hull, Nottingham and Leicester were raided by a small number of bombers and there were 112 British casualties.

I./KG 27 flew mainly maritime patrol operations between Brittany and Ireland from mid-August to early September. The second group continued with night attacks on Liverpool, Birkenhead, London, Birmingham and Coventry until 29 August. Third group also engaged in night attacks and flew sporadic attacks on airfields. On 30 August it lost one bomber in a daylight raid over the English coast to 601 Squadron and another was brought damaged by ground-fire over the West Midlands.

By 7 September serviceability rates had fallen. I. ''Gruppe'' had only 13 of 35 bombers available while two group had 15 from 32 available. On this date, the emphasis shifted from attacking airfields, to attacking London.

Third group had been reduced to just 20 He 111s of which 13 were operational. Second and third group flew a few to a moderate number of attacks on airfields in September. On 13 September III./KG 27 flew against targets in the Bristol Channel area. On 18 and 19 September KG 27 was known to have operated for it suffered losses in accidents and combat. On 20th I./KG 27 lost ''Staffelkapitän'' Josef Fellinger, west of London. On 24 September, a first group aircraft in maritime patrol got lost and landed in Gijon in Spain. The crew were handed back and not interned.

The Blitz

In October the bombing campaign shifted to night, and became known as The Blitz. KG 27 was in action on 8 and 9 October. The 22 October was particularly costly. Three He 111s were lost; one struck a barracks after combat damage killing 13, along with the crew, and injuring 11 ground-crew. Two bombers crashed following in-air fires. One of the bombers was piloted by III./KG 27 commanding officer Manfred Speck von Sternberg. Hans-Henning von Beust replaced him formally on 31 October.

KG 27 flew throughout the Blitz, with all three groups operating. A full list of the targets, dates, and groups involved is known. KG 27 supported the attacks on major industrial cities: the Plymouth Blitz, Southampton Blitz, Cardiff Blitz, Manchester Blitz, Liverpool Blitz, Coventry Blitz, Birmingham Blitz, Sheffield Blitz, Portsmouth Blitz, Plymouth Blitz, Glasgow Blitz, Manchester Blitz, Bristol Blitz, Hull Blitz, Glasgow Blitz and Belfast Blitz.

Specific operations were also carried out. All three groups were involved in Operation ''Mondscheinsonate'' (Moonlight Sonata), which was the code word for the attack on Coventry on 14 November 1940. Most notably III./KG 27 was involved in the 29 December 1940 attack on the British capital, which became known as the Second Great Fire of London. The group was the first wave of bombers to hit London that night between 20:14 and 20:55 GMT.

KG 27 operated with multiple groups and which each group attacking several targets in one night. For example, on 6/7 November 1940, III./KG 27 struck Liverpool, Southampton, Bristol, Falmouth and Fowey.

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