''Schnellkampfgeschwader'' 10 (SKG 10) was a

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 ...

fast bomber wing of the

Second World War 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 initially created with three ''

Gruppen ''Gruppen'' (german: Groups) for three orchestras (1955–57) is amongst the best-known compositions of German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, and is Work Number 6 in the composer's catalog of works. ''Gruppen'' is "a landmark in 20th-century m ...

'' (groups) in December 1942 at

Saint-André-de-l'Eure Airport Saint-André-de-l'Eure is a commune in the Eure department in Normandy in northern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and te ...

and augmented by a fourth group on 10 April 1943. The ''

Stab STAB or stab may refer to: *Stabbing, penetration or contact with a sharp object *Stab, Kentucky, US *Stab (b-boy move), a breakdance technique *Stab (music), an element in musical composition *Stab (Luftwaffe designation), during World War II, a ...

'' (headquarters unit) was transferred on 18 October 1943 and formed the core of

Schlachtgeschwader 10 ''Schlachtgeschwader'' 10 (SG 10) was a Close air support wing in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Geschwader was formed on 18 October 1943 in Berdychiv from the Stab of Schnellkampfgeschwader 10. SG 10 was formed in Octo ...

. 10.(Jabo)/JG 2 and 10.(Jabo)/JG 26 were amalgamated into Schnellkampfgeschwader 10 which initially flew night bombing operations over southern England, operating under the authority of

Angriffsführer England IX. FliegerkorpsFor more details see Luftwaffe Organization (9th Air Corps) was formed in November 1940 in Jever from the 9th Air Division (Germany), 9. Flieger-Division and was redesignated as IX. Fliegerkorps (J)—the suffix "J" stands for '' ...

under the command of

Dietrich Peltz Dietrich Peltz (9 June 1914 – 10 August 2001) was a Nazi Germany, German World War II Luftwaffe bomber pilot and youngest general of the Wehrmacht. As a pilot he flew approximately 320 combat missions, including roughly 130 as a bomber pilot o ...

. The unit suffered heavy casualties from the RAF night fighters. On the night of 16/17 April 1943, four Fw 190s attempting to attack London got lost over Kent. Three of them tried to land at RAF

West Malling West Malling ( , historically Town Malling) is a market town in the Tonbridge and Malling district of Kent, England. It has a population of 2,590. Landmarks West Malling contains several historic buildings, including St Leonard's Tower, a Norma ...

: Yellow H of 7./SKG 10, flown by Feldwebel Otto Bechtold landed and was captured, his Fw 190 later being evaluated by the RAE at

Farnborough Farnborough may refer to: Australia * Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone United Kingdom * Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England ** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...

; a Fw 190 of 5./SKG 10 flown by Lt. Fritz Sezter landed minutes later. When Setzer realised his mistake and attempted to take off, his aircraft was then destroyed by an armoured car. A third Fw 190 undershot the runway and was destroyed, the injured pilot becoming a POW. A fourth Fw 190 crashed at Staplehurst, killing the pilot. The II. and III. ''Gruppe'' were transferred to Schlachtgeschwader 4 in October 1943, IV. ''Gruppe'' was posted to Schlachtgeschwader 10. In December 1942 III./

ZG 2 ZG, Zg, or zg may refer to: Arts and entertainment: * Z-G, a collectible action figure game * ZOEgirl, a pop rock band *Zubeen Garg, Indian singer and actor, known as ZG. Places: * Aspen and Pitkin County, Colorado (former vehicle plate code ZG) * ...

was redesignated III./SKG 10. The unit was transferred to Italy in July 1943, operating against Allied shipping between Sicily and North Africa, but with occasional audacious raids on Allied airfields. The I. ''Gruppe'' remained in France under the control of II. Fliegerkorps. Due to the lack of regular night fighters in France, it was decided in April 1944 to employ I./SKG 10 on

Wilde Sau ''Wilde Sau'' ( Lit. wild sow; generally known in English as "Wild Boar") was the term given by the ''Luftwaffe'' to the tactic used from 1943 to 1944 during World War II by which British night bombers were engaged by single-seat day-fighter airc ...

missions over North Western France and Belgium during full-moon periods. The group's most successful outing was on the night of 3/4 May, when Fw 190s of I/SKG-10 accounted for six victories in the air combat during the night raid against the panzer training center at

Mailly-le-Camp Mailly-le-Camp () is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France. History The town is mentioned as ''Mailliacus'' for the first time in 859 AD document. In 1902 a large military camp was built in its territory. On 3–4 May 194 ...

. I. ''Gruppe'' was put under the control IX. Fliegerkorps in 1944 and operated against the Allied troops during the

Normandy Invasion Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) with the Norma ...

in June 1944. Two Fw 190 pilots of I./SKG 10 were over the landings at dawn on a reconnaissance mission, and claimed four Avro Lancasters shot down. The I. ''Gruppe'' was transferred to

Kampfgeschwader 51 ''Kampfgeschwader'' 51 "Edelweiss" (KG 51) (Battle Wing 51) was a Luftwaffe bomber wing during World War II. The unit began forming in May 1939 and completed forming in December 1939, and took no part in the invasion of Poland which start ...

where it operated as its III. ''Gruppe'' and was officially redesignated as such on 20 October 1944.de Zeng, Stankey, Creek, 2007, p. 157.

Geschwaderkommodore

*Major

Günther Tonne The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The decoration was awarded for a wide range of ...

, December 1942 – 15 July 1943 *Major

Helmut Viedebantt The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary of Nazi Germany during World War II. The decoration was awarded for a wide range of reasons ...

(acting), July 1943

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * Bowman, Martin ''German Night Fighters vs Bomber Command: 1943-1945'' South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. (2016). * de Zeng, H.L; Stankey, D.G; Creek, E.J. Bomber Units of the Luftwaffe 1933–1945; A Reference Source, Volume 1. Ian Allan Publishing, 2007. {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017

Schnellkampfgeschwader 10 ''Schnellkampfgeschwader'' 10 (SKG 10) was a Luftwaffe fast bomber wing of the Second World War. The unit was initially created with three ''Organization of the Luftwaffe (1933–1945)#Gruppe, Gruppen'' (groups) in December 1942 at Saint-André-d ...

Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943