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The Reichsverteidigung fighter-wing marking reference page
/ref> Under the cockpit, the rank of the air commander might have been indicated via a rank sign, with or without additional letters as mentioned above. For example: * An airplane codified "A", green in colour, with ''D/St.III/St.G.77'', indicated it was a member of ''Stab III'' of ''Stukageschwader'' (Dive Bomber Wing) No. 77. * An airplane codified "G", green in colour, with a little white tank (''Panzer'') painting near the cockpit, and ''S.G. 1'', indicated it was a member of ''Stab'' of ''Schlachtgeschwader'' (Ground Attack Wing) no. 1.
The German language
German ( ) is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is als ...
term ''Stab'' (literal translation: "staff
Staff may refer to:
Pole
* Staff, a weapon used in stick-fighting
** Quarterstaff, a European pole weapon
* Staff of office, a pole that indicates a position
* Staff (railway signalling), a token authorizing a locomotive driver to use a particula ...
") was used 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
to designate a headquarters unit of the German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
''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-Fliegerabt ...
'' (air force). There were ''Stab'' units at the level of a '' Gruppe'' or ''Geschwader
This is a list of words, terms, concepts, and slogans that have been or are used by the German military. Ranks and translations of nicknames for vehicles are included. Also included are some general terms from the German language found frequently ...
'' – units that were equivalent to wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is exp ...
s and groups in the air forces of the English-speaking world. ''Stab'' units directly controlled aircraft as well as controlling those belonging to subordinate units.
These command units used the mandated blue or green "staff aircraft" colour for the third character (the individual aircraft's letter) of their alphanumeric ''Geschwaderkennung'' wing code, to distinguish their aircraft from the rest of air units in the same unit. These units were divided in the following form, for the fourth and last character normally used to distinguish individual '' Staffeln'' (squadrons) from the letter "H" onwards in Luftwaffe wing codes:
*''Geschwader Stab'' = A (third letter blue)
*''Stab I Gruppe'' ("Staff Unit, I Group") = B (third letter green)
*''Stab II Gruppe'' = C (third letter green)
*''Stab III Gruppe'' = D (third letter green)
*''Stab IV Gruppe'' = F (third letter green)
*''Stab V Gruppe'' = G (third letter green)
On some occasions they also used letters Q, I, J, W and others, or numbers, but these were used less commonly. As day fighter Jagdgeschwader combat wings did not use the ''Geschwaderkennung'' four-character alphanumeric code system for aircraft identification, as one example, the all-jet Jagdgeschwader 7 ''Nowotny'' and piston-engined Jagdgeschwader 300 ''Wilde Sau'' fighter wings, these used the red-blue or blue-white-blue Reich Defense (German Reich metropolitan defense) rear fuselage bands of 90 cm total width respectively, for their ''Stabsschwarm'' units./ref> Under the cockpit, the rank of the air commander might have been indicated via a rank sign, with or without additional letters as mentioned above. For example: * An airplane codified "A", green in colour, with ''D/St.III/St.G.77'', indicated it was a member of ''Stab III'' of ''Stukageschwader'' (Dive Bomber Wing) No. 77. * An airplane codified "G", green in colour, with a little white tank (''Panzer'') painting near the cockpit, and ''S.G. 1'', indicated it was a member of ''Stab'' of ''Schlachtgeschwader'' (Ground Attack Wing) no. 1.
See also
*Organization of the Luftwaffe (1933–1945)
Between 1933 and 1945, the organization of the Luftwaffe underwent several changes. Originally, the German military high command, for their air warfare forces, decided to use an organizational structure similar to the army and navy, treating the ...
*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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
References