Kampfgeschwader 1

''Kampfgeschwader'' 1 (KG 1) (Battle Wing 1) was a German medium bomber wing that operated in the Luftwaffe during World War II.

KG 1 was created in 1939 as the Luftwaffe reorganised and expanded to meet Adolf Hitler's rearmament demands. It was founded in May 1939 and by December 1939, had three active ''Gruppen'' (Groups). In August 1940 a fourth ''Gruppe'' was added. KG 1 operated the Heinkel He 111 medium bomber and later the Heinkel He 177 heavy bomber.

KG 1 served in the Invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 which began the war in Europe. It spent the Phoney War on reconnaissance operations and dropping propaganda leaflets over France. In May and June 1940 it fought in the Battle of Belgium and Battle of France. In July 1940, the force took part in the Battle of Britain and The Blitz.

In June 1941 it supported Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. Elements of the bomber wing remained on the Eastern Front for the duration of the conflict. KG 1 also served intermittently in the Italian Campaign from March–August 1943. All KG 1 ''Gruppen'' ceased to exist by September 1944 and were merged with other Luftwaffe units before the German capitulation in May 1945.

History

Kampgeschwader 1 (KG 1) was formed from ''Stab''/KG 152 'Hindenburg' at Neubrandenburg on 1 May 1939. ''Generalmajor'' Ulrich Kessler was its first commander (''Geschwaderkommodore''). The ''Geschwader'' (Wing) was named after the deceased General Paul von Hindenburg. The unit was assigned the Hindenburg family crest as its emblem.

I./KG 1 was formed from IV./KG 152 at Kolberg. The ''Gruppe'' (group) was assigned the Heinkel He 111 medium bomber. The first batch of aircraft were E variants, with traditional stepped-cockpit, in contrast to the widely recognised Stepless cockpit of the later He 111P and -H models. The ''Gruppe'' was placed under the command of ''Gruppenkommandeur'' (Group Commander) ''Oberstleutnant'' Robert Krauss.

II ''Gruppe'' were formed from the disbanded I./KG 152 at Breslau-Schöngarten (today Copernicus Airport Wrocław), Silesia. It is possible this ''Gruppe'' was to be used as I.(K)./LG 3 (''Lehrgeschwader''—Learning Wing). It was formed on 18 September 1939, with the war in Europe already underway. ''Oberstleutnant'' Benno Kosch was its first commanding officer.

Elements of I. and II. ''Gruppen'' provided the personnel for founding III./KG 1 on 1 December 1939. ''Major'' Otto Schnelle was given command. The Stab. and I. ''Gruppe'' were placed into training which lasted throughout the summer, 1939. KG 1, with only one full ''Gruppe'' active in September 1939, remained at Kolberg.

Operational history

Stab./KG 1 was assigned to ''Luftflotte'' 4, commanded by Alexander Löhr under the 2nd ''Fliegerdivision'' at Kolberg. I. ''Gruppe'', still with the He 111E was also at Kolberg, was subordinated to Löhr also. On 14 September 1939, both were transferred to 1st ''Fliegerdivision'', under the command of ''Luftflotte'' 1 headed by Albert Kesselring. The two commands combined fielded 47 He 111s, with 41 combat ready. Löhr began the invasion with 729 aircraft. All nine of Stab./KG 1's were operational. The command unit was equipped with the H variant.

Invasion of Poland and Phoney war

KG 1 was based on the Baltic Sea coast. Its mission was to support the 4th Army's invasion of the "Polish corridor", capture of Gdynia, and assist the 3rd Army, advancing from East Prussia, in destroying the Pomorze Army.

On the opening day, 1 September 1939, the Wehrmacht invaded. The Luftwaffe planned an enormous air attack on Warsaw, codenamed Operation ''Wasserkante'', while also destroying the Polish Air Force on the ground. The plan was revised after complaints from the General Staff of the Wehrmacht ( Oberkommando der Wehrmacht). ''Luftflotte'' 4 was impeded by severe mist which covered its airfields on that morning. Nevertheless, I./KG 1 were one of only four ''Gruppen'' to take off on time. The group struck at airfields in Puck, Rumia and Toruń. It also bombed Polish Army forces at Kościerzyna and Starogard Gdański. Polish forces at Bydgoszcz and Danzig, were also bombed on 3 September. The Bydgoszcz Główna railway station was probably the target. On 3 September KG 1 attacked the Polish Navy, in support of the Kriegsmarine. With II. and II./StG 2, IV(St)./LG 1, 3./KüFlGr 706 and 4.(St)/TrGr 186, it bombed the Naval Aviation ''Dyon'', the torpedo boat ''Mazur'', tender ''Nurek'', damaging the ''Wicher'' and the minelayer ''Gryf'', which were later finished off by 4.(St)/TrGr 186.

Polish targets in the Toruń and Bydgoszcz regions were attacked again on 4 September and the ''Gruppe'' moved to Ziethen, Brandenburg later in the day. From its new operating base it flew rail interdiction operations northeast of Warsaw on 5 September and Kutno the following day. Road and rail interdiction missions were flown against Polish traffic along the Rava-Ruska lines on 8 September. It moved back to Schongarten on 8 September and flew against targets east of the Vistula from 8–12 September. Along with II./ KG 26, I./ KG 53 and I./KG 2 it bombed Iłża, to break up the concentred forces of the Prusy Army, and operated in the Battle of Radom. Against, Löhr's objections, incendiary bombs rather than high explosive bombs were used.

KG 1 also bombed Polish troop concentrations in the Battle of Bzura. Piątek was targeted by KG 1 on 13 September. On 14 September KG 1 was placed under the command of Bruno Loerzer and 1st ''Fliegerdivision'', under the command of ''Luftflotte'' 1, to support the 14th Army's attacks in southern Poland, alongside KG 26 and KG 55. KG 1 bombed rail lines near Kowel on 15 September, and then it moved to Krosno. Its last recorded operations were flown against rail traffic between Kowel and Luzk on 16 September 1939. The group was taken out of operations no later 21 September.

I./KG 1 spent the Phoney War in training. It moved to Faßberg Air Base on 16 October 1939 and to Giessen on 10 November. At Giessen it trained in mine-laying until 2. ''Staffel'' (squadron) left to become the nucleus of KGr 126 on 21 February 1940. The unit was renamed III./KG 26. At that time, I./KG 1 replaced 1./ KG 4, which began to train on air supply missions. I./KG 1 began its training on 10 February. The reorientation to mine-laying occurred because Hitler refused Hermann Göring's request to attack ports in the British Isles until he had ordered Fall Gelb. Instead, Hitler issued Directive 9, which called for attacks on British sea communications. The Luftwaffe was to focus on mining operations until the land offensive began. 2. ''staffel'' was later refounded at Nordhausen. From 25 March 1940 I. ''Gruppe'' began dropping propaganda leaflets over eastern France.

II. ''Gruppe'' moved to Neubrandenburg on 21 September and on to Delmenhorst on 1 October. Until April 1940 it remained in training. From 16 October 1939 it was based at Lüneburg. From at least 20 April 1940, it began reconnaissance and leaflet dropping over France. After briefly transferring to Erfurt, it moved to Kirtorf/Hesse on 9 May 1940. III./KG 1 spent the winter, 1939–40 working up and training. It moved to Nordhausen and became fully operational on 2 February 1940. From 20 April 1940, it also flew night sorties, reconnaissance and leaflet dropping missions over eastern France.

The Stab./KG 1 flew operations on 1 September 1939 against targets along the Vistula River. Thereafter it was moved to Ziethen from Kolberg on 4 September. It was placed under the command of ''Luftflotte'' 4 at Breslau on 8 September. It may have taken part in the Battle of Bzura on 10 September but was moved to the 2nd ''Fliegerdivision'' on 14 September. After relocating to Neubrandenburg it was placed under 1st ''Fliegerdivision'', belonging to ''Luftflotte'' 1 on 20 September. It was based at Delmenhorst from 1 October, Lüneburg from 16 October, and then Giessen on 10 November 1939 under the IV. ''Fliegerkorps''. Over the winter the Stab./KG 54 was moved to I. ''Fliegerkorps'' ( ''Luftflotte'' 3) with five bombers, three operational, on 10 May 1940.

Western Europe

KG 1 was assigned to ''Fliegerkorps'' IV on 10 November 1939. The date at which it was transferred to ''Fliegerkorps'' I, subordinated to ''Luftflotte'' 1 by 10 May 1940. The ''Fliegerkorps'' was placed under the overall command of ''Luftflotte'' 3, commanded by Hugo Sperrle, just prior to the offensive. Based at Giessen Stab./KG 1 had three of five He 111H bombers operational. Ulrich Kessler had relinquished command on 17 December 1939 to ''Oberst'' Ernst Exss, who assumed leadership of KG 1 on 18 December. The command of I./KG 1 was taken over by ''Major'' Ludwig Maier in November 1939. All other ''Gruppen'' retained their commanding officers. I. ''Gruppe'' could muster 25 operational Heinkels from 35. II./KG 1, at Kirtorf, had 35 at its disposal with 23 operational. III. ''Gruppe'' at Ettinghausen on 9 May, contributed 27 serviceable bombers from 33. All three ''Gruppen'' possessed the H variant.

On the morning of 10 May 1940, ''Fall Gelb'' began. I./KG 1 took off and attacked the La Fère and Amiens – Glisy Aerodrome. It also bombed rail stations at Beaumont-Hamel, France and Philippeville, Belgium. II./KG 1 bombed four airfields: Cambrai-Niergnies Airport, Liège Airport, Albert – Picardie Airport and Valenciennes-Denain Airport. III./KG 1 bombed the same targets and an aircraft factory near Albert. No 60 Wing RAF engaged III./KG 1 with No. 85 Squadron RAF, and claimed three bombers shot down. 6. and 7. ''Staffeln'' lost a bomber each to No. 607 Squadron RAF, of the 61st Wing RAF with both crews. III./KG 1's attack on the Potez factory near Albert was met by Hawker Hurricanes and 607 claimed another three of the German bombers. German records shot show III. ''Gruppe'' suffered the loss of five on 10 May with another two seriously damaged. Two complete crews were killed and one captured. The biggest casualty was ''Major'' Schnelle. The ''Gruppenkommandeur'' was shot down and killed two miles east of Saint-Quentin, Aisne. In later operation, I./KG 1 flew more missions in the Ghent-Brussels-Antwerp area and it lost another bomber. The purpose was to support the 4th Army in southern Belgium. It continued to do so from 11 to 16 May.

II. ''Gruppe'' supported the 4th Army's advance over the same period. It was ordered to support the drive into the Loire Valley by attacking tank concentrations and rail targets along the line of the advance. The ''Gruppen'' switched to Cologne Butzweilerhof on 20 May. KG 1's activities in the intervening period are uncertain, but II./KG 1 operated over Cambrai on 17 and 18 May. I. and II ''Gruppen'' began night attacks on Boulogne in the battle for the port. All three ''Gruppen'' undertook bombing and armed reconnaissance operations as the Battle of Calais and Battle of Dunkirk. KG 1 began maritime interdiction operations to prevent the Dunkirk evacuation from 21 to 31 May 1940. On 27 May, the first full day of the evacuation, KG 1 bombed the east mole, with KG 54, though the latter probably sank the 8,000-ton French Navy steamer ''Aden''.

On 3 June 1940 II./KG 1 took part in Operation Paula as did III./KG 1. Six other bomber wings took part in the attack; KG 2, KG 3, KG 4, KG 30, KG 54 and LG 1. JG 2, JG 53, JG 54, JG 77 and ZG 26, provided fighter escort. The German bomber stream was sighted over Reims- Coulommiers, and Cambrai. A French Potez 630 from GC I/3 shadowed the formation. It reported the height and direction of the bombers via radio to the Eiffel Tower. The message was garbled and many French fighter units failed to understand it and scrambled too late. Large air battles developed but losses of KG 1 are unknown. 15 factories were hit, but only three suffered significant damage. 254 civilians and 652 were injured.

The airfields hit were damaged. On the 13 airfields, only 16 aircraft were destroyed and six damaged. Six runways had been put out of action, and 21 motor vehicles destroyed. Twenty-one military personnel were killed. The commander of KG 51, Josef Kammhuber, was shot down and captured during ''Paula''. He would later command KG 1, albeit for only five days. German bomber losses amounted to just four. Six German fighters were lost. 35 French aircraft were lost in total.

On 4 June I and II ''Gruppe'' moved to Amiens – Glisy Aerodrome, KG 1's target on the opening day of the offensive. III./KG 1 moved to Lille– Vendeville. II. and III. ''Gruppen'' supported the 4th Army's drive into the Loire Valley and the advance to Le Havre from 5–11 June in support of Fall Rot, the second phase of the offensive. I. ''Gruppe'' attacked targets in Orléans

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