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''Sturzkampfgeschwader'' 2 (StG 2) ''Immelmann'' 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-Fliegera ...
dive bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...
-
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 expres ...
of World War II. It was named after the World War I aviator
Max Immelmann Max Immelmann (21 September 1890 – 18 June 1916) '' PLM'' was the first German World War I flying ace.Shores, 1983, p. 10. He was a pioneer in fighter aviation and is often mistakenly credited with the first aerial victory using a synch ...
. It served until its dissolution in October 1943. The wing operated the
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 Co ...
''Stuka'' exclusively. Formed on 1 May 1939, StG 2 fought in the German
Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...
in September 1939 which started World War II. It formed part of
Luftflotte 2 __NOTOC__ ''Luftflotte'' 2For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organisation (Air Fleet 2) was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed 1 February 1939 in Brauns ...
in May and June 1940 and supported
Army Group A Army Group A (Heeresgruppe A) was the name of several German Army Groups during World War II. During the Battle of France, the army group named Army Group A was composed of 45½ divisions, including 7 armored panzer divisions. It was responsibl ...
in the
Battle of Belgium The invasion of Belgium or Belgian campaign (10–28 May 1940), often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' Campaign (french: Campagne des 18 jours, nl, Achttiendaagse Veldtocht), formed part of the greater Battle of France, an offensive ...
and
Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second Wor ...
. StG 2 remained with Luftflotte 2 during the
Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended ...
, before transferring to southern Europe to participate in the
Battle of the Mediterranean The Battle of the Mediterranean was the name given to the naval campaign fought in the Mediterranean Sea during World War II, from 10 June 1940 to 2 May 1945. For the most part, the campaign was fought between the Italian Royal Navy (''Regia ...
. In the south it mainly served in the
maritime interdiction Maritime Interception (or naval interdiction) operations (MIOs) are naval operations, that aim to delay, disrupt, or destroy enemy forces or supplies en route to the battle area before they do any harm against friendly forces, similar to air interd ...
role as it bombarded Malta from January to March 1941. The wing then fought in the
German invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was ...
and
Battle of Crete The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the islan ...
in April 1941 in the maritime,
air interdiction Air interdiction (AI), also known as deep air support (DAS), is the use of preventive tactical bombing and strafing by combat aircraft against enemy targets that are not an immediate threat, to delay, disrupt or hinder later enemy engagement of f ...
, counter-air and
close air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...
role alongside StG 1, StG 3 and StG 77. The Ju 87 groups were successful in the
Battle of Crete The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the islan ...
, the final phase of the Greek campaign. Elements of the wing fought in the North African Campaign until January 1942. The bulk of StG 2 fought on the Eastern Front from 22 June 1941, when
Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...
, the invasion of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
began. It fought in support of all three army groups, and served in major battles such as the
Siege of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad (russian: links=no, translit=Blokada Leningrada, Блокада Ленинграда; german: links=no, Leningrader Blockade; ) was a prolonged military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the Soviet Union, So ...
, the
Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January ...
and the
Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later r ...
in 1941 and 1942. StG 2 supported German forces in the
Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the la ...
, one of the last major German offensives on the Eastern Front in July 1943. The vulnerability of the Ju 87 and the loss of
air superiority Aerial supremacy (also air superiority) is the degree to which a side in a conflict holds control of air power over opposing forces. There are levels of control of the air in aerial warfare. Control of the air is the aerial equivalent of com ...
to the
Red Air Force The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
, precluded any further large-scale use of the aircraft in the traditional dive-bombing role. In October 1943, the Ju 87 units were renamed ''Schlachtgeschwader'', battle wings, with a mixed number of Ju 87s and
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, t ...
s operating in the anti-tank role. Stab., I., and III./StG 2 was renamed
Schlachtgeschwader 2 ''Schlachtgeschwader'' 2 (SG 2) ''Immelmann'' was a Luftwaffe dive-bomber wing of World War II. It was named after Max Immelmann, the first German pilot to earn the Pour le Mérite. This close-support ''Stuka'' unit fought principally in the ...
on the 18 October 1943, and ceased to exist. II./StG 2 continued, without redesignation, to operate until January 1944, when its ''staffeln'' (squadrons) were renamed and equipped.


Background

The dive-bomber is often associated with German aerial development in the pre-war era, but the type remained a low-priority for air planners who shaped the embryonic ''Luftwaffe''. This apparent regression from the practices and experiences of World War I stemmed from the belief among the
General Staff A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military u ...
(''
Oberkommando der Luftwaffe The (; abbreviated OKL) was the high command of the air force () of Nazi Germany. History The was organized in a large and diverse structure led by Reich minister and supreme commander of the Air force (german: Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaf ...
'') that army support aviation in 1917–1918 was purely a reaction to
trench warfare Trench warfare is a type of land warfare using occupied lines largely comprising military trenches, in which troops are well-protected from the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery. Trench warfare became a ...
. German air doctrine remained rooted in the fundamentals of ''Operativer Luftkrieg'' (Operational Air War) which stressed
interdiction Interdiction is a military term for the act of delaying, disrupting, or destroying enemy forces or supplies en route to the battle area. A distinction is often made between strategic and tactical interdiction. The former refers to operations whose ...
,
strategic bombing Strategic bombing is a military strategy used in total war with the goal of defeating the enemy by destroying its morale, its economic ability to produce and transport materiel to the theatres of military operations, or both. It is a systematica ...
(when and if possible) but primarily the
air supremacy Aerial supremacy (also air superiority) is the degree to which a side in a conflict holds control of air power over opposing forces. There are levels of control of the air in aerial warfare. Control of the air is the aerial equivalent of c ...
mission. The
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...
experience encouraged the General Staff to embrace the dive-bomber concept later in the 1930s, though the war's influence on German operational preferences remain ambiguous. On the eve of World War II, some German air planners regarded the dive-bomber as a strategic weapon to strike with precision at enemy industry. Even factored into the army support groups, only fifteen percent of ''Luftwaffe'' front-line strength contained specialist ground-attack aircraft in September 1939. The lack of specialist close support aircraft left the general-purpose dive-bomber, the
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 Co ...
''Stuka'', most suited to the close support role.


Formation

''Sturzkampfgeschwader'' 2 was formed on 1 May 1939 upon the establishment of all 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 ...
''. The ''Stabsstaffel'' (command unit) was formed at
Köln Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...
Ostheim on 15 October 1939. The ''Stab'' unit was predominantly equipped with
Dornier Do 17 The Dornier Do 17 is a twin-engined light bomber produced by Dornier Flugzeugwerke for the German Luftwaffe during World War II. Designed in the early 1930s as a '' Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") intended to be fast enough to outrun opposing ...
aircraft and a handful of Ju 87s for reconnaissance and personnel transport purposes. The ''Gruppen'' were equipped with the Ju 87 dive bomber. The wing's first commanding officer was Oskar Dinort. I./StG 2 was established in Breslau from I./StG 163. II./StG 2 in Stolp-Reitz, present day Słupsk-Redzikowo Airport in Poland, from I./StG 162, and III./StG 2 from III./StG 163 in
Langensalza Bad Langensalza (; until 1956: Langensalza) is a spa town of 17,500 inhabitants in the Unstrut-Hainich district, Thuringia, central Germany. Geography Location Bad Langensalza is located in the Thuringian Basin, the fertile lowlands along t ...
. Dinort led the wing and first ''Gruppe'' upon StG 2's creation. Dinort then relinquished command of I./StG 2 for control of Stab./StG 2. ''
Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' litera ...
'' Ulrich Schmidt and Ernst Ott commanded the first and second ''Gruppen''. ''Hauptmann'' Hubertus Hitschhold succeeded Dinort mid-way through StG's first major campaign. In August 1939 Dinort moved I./StG 2 to Nieder-Ellguth under the ''Fliegerdivision'' 2 (Flying Division 2) subordinated to ''Luftflotte'' 4 (Air Fleet 4). 38 Ju 87s were available to Dinort, only one was non-operational. An additional three
Dornier Do 17 The Dornier Do 17 is a twin-engined light bomber produced by Dornier Flugzeugwerke for the German Luftwaffe during World War II. Designed in the early 1930s as a '' Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") intended to be fast enough to outrun opposing ...
P reconnaissance aircraft were operational. Ulrich Schmidt commanded 38 Ju 87s, all but two operational with three Do 17P aircraft. Based at Stolp-Reitz, Schmidt was subordinated to ''Fliegerdivision'' 1 (Flying Division) and ''Luftflotte'' 1 (Air Fleet 1). III./StG 2 was assigned the same division and air fleet with second ''Gruppe''. 34 of 36 Ju 87s and the three Do 17Ps were available at Stolp-West, near Annafeld and Danzig by 1 September 1939.


World War II


Poland

On 1 September 1939 the German '' Wehrmacht'' began the
invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...
followed sixteen days later by the
Soviet invasion of Poland The Soviet invasion of Poland was a military operation by the Soviet Union without a formal declaration of war. On 17 September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east, 16 days after Nazi Germany invaded Poland from the west. Subse ...
. ''Luftflotte'' 4 supported the 14th Army attacking out of
Slovak Republic Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...
. ''Luftflotte'' 4's bombers dropped 389 tons of bombs on 1 September, 200 on Kraków in 1,200
sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare ...
s. ''Leutnant'' Frank Neubert and ''
Unteroffizier () is a junior non-commissioned officer rank used by the . It is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers in Austria and Germany. It was formerly a rank in the Imperial Russian Army. Austria , also , is the collective name to ...
'' Frank Kilnger from 1 ''Staffel'' are believed to have claimed the first aerial victory of the war against a
PZL P.11 The PZL P.11 was a Polish fighter aircraft, designed and constructed during the early 1930s by Warsaw-based aircraft manufacturer PZL. Possessing an all-metal structure, metal-covering, and high-mounted gull wing, the type held the distinction of ...
. Captain Mieczysław Medwecki, 121 Squadron,
Polish Air Force The Polish Air Force ( pl, Siły Powietrzne, , Air Forces) is the aerial warfare branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 16,425 mi ...
, was taking off from Balice airfield. Dinort led his ''Gruppe'' into action against airfields at
Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
and
Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popu ...
. Later in the morning Dinort led the group in the bombing of Wieluń, ostensibly to destroy a
Polish Army The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history str ...
cavalry unit reported in the town. German intelligence was wrong and Polish sources assert no Polish military unit was present. Dinort's I./StG 2 attacked the roads in the town; the bombing caused many civilian fatalities. Schmidt and Ulrich's ''Gruppen'' attacked other targets and were not involved. Schmidt was replaced by ''Hauptmann'' Claus Hinkelbein from 10 September. Counter air operations against the
Polish Air Force The Polish Air Force ( pl, Siły Powietrzne, , Air Forces) is the aerial warfare branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Until July 2004 it was officially known as ''Wojska Lotnicze i Obrony Powietrznej'' (). In 2014 it consisted of roughly 16,425 mi ...
failed since the Polish fighter force dispersed and succeeding in getting airborne. Along with elements of StG 77, I./StG 2 claimed the destruction of the
Wołyńska Cavalry Brigade The Volhynian Cavalry Brigade ( pl, Wołyńska Brygada Kawalerii) was a Polish cavalry brigade, which saw action against the invading Germans during the Invasion of Poland, a part of World War II. Raised from recruits in the area of Wołyń, the d ...
at the
Battle of Mokra The Battle of Mokra took place on 1 September 1939 near the village of Mokra, 5 km north of Kłobuck and 23 km north-west of Częstochowa, Poland. It was one of the first battles of the Invasion of Poland, during the Second World War ...
. Though it sustained 20 percent casualties the brigade was far from destroyed. On 3 September the Ju 87 groups under Richthofen's command contributed to the destruction of 7th Polish Division. Army Group North's operations were supported by the other ''Gruppen''. The
Polish Corridor The Polish Corridor (german: Polnischer Korridor; pl, Pomorze, Polski Korytarz), also known as the Danzig Corridor, Corridor to the Sea or Gdańsk Corridor, was a territory located in the region of Pomerelia (Pomeranian Voivodeship, easter ...
and its elimination were the initial priority for the 4th Army, supported by ''Luftflotte'' 1. The targets were harbours, roads and bridges in the Danzig. III./StG 2 supported the
Battle of Westerplatte The Battle of Westerplatte was the first battle of the German invasion of Poland, marking the start of World War II in Europe. It occurred on the Westerplatte peninsula in the harbour of the Free City of Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland). In the ...
and Battle of Danzig Bay. second and third group supported attacks on the Polish Navy, after ineffective assaults by the ''
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the ...
''. II./StG 2 fought in the Battle of Radom until 9 September but little of its further service in Poland is known. I. and III./StG 2 assisted in the destruction of the
Prusy Army The Prusy Army ( pl, Armia Prusy) was one of the Polish armies to fight during the Invasion of Poland in 1939. Created in the summer of 1939 as the main reserve of the Commander in Chief, it was commanded by Gen. Stefan Dąb-Biernacki. The word '' ...
at Radom. Two ''gruppen'' moved south toward I./StG 2. I. and III./StG 2 fought in the
Battle of the Bzura The Battle of the Bzura (or the Battle of Kutno) was the largest Polish counter-attack of the German invasion of Poland and was fought from 9 to 19 September.''The Second World War: An Illustrated History '', Putnam, 1975, Google Print snippet ...
. III./StG 2 attacked road and troop concentrations in the Battle of Lwów. From 2–6 September I./StG 2 repeatedly attacked
Piotrków Trybunalski Piotrków Trybunalski (; also known by alternative names), often simplified to Piotrków, is a city in central Poland with 71,252 inhabitants (2021). It is the second-largest city situated in the Łódź Voivodeship. Previously, it was the capit ...
rail station inflicting heavy casualties on detraining Polish infantry forces in the Battle of Piotrków Trybunalski. The 40 Ju 87s comprised elements of I./StG 2 and StG 76. Of the three ''gruppen'', III./StG 2 is known to have taken part in the siege of Warsaw. First ''gruppe'' fought in the
Battle of Modlin ] The Battle of Modlin was a battle that took place during the 1939 German invasion of Poland at the beginning of the Second World War. Modlin Fortress was initially the headquarters of the Modlin Army until its retreat eastwards. From 13 to 29 ...
as Polish resistance collapsed. The Polish campaign ended on 6 October 1939. On 15 October the ''Stabstaffel'' was formed and Dinort assumed command. Hubertus Hitschhold took command of first ''Gruppe''. Dinort's small command unit mustered three Ju 87s hich could attach themselves to any ''staffel'' or ''gruppe''and six Do 17 M reconnaissance aircraft. I./StG 76 was assigned to Stab./StG 2 in the winter, a practice common in the ''Luftwaffe''. I./StG 2 located to Cologne in October under ''Fliegerkorps'' VIII. During the
Phoney War The Phoney War (french: Drôle de guerre; german: Sitzkrieg) was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, during which there was only one limited military land operation on the Western Front, when French troops invaded Germ ...
I./StG 2 trained at
Hildesheim Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the Le ...
on attacking
Belgian Army The Land Component ( nl, Landcomponent, french: Composante terre) is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land Component is Major-General Pierre Gérard. ...
fortresses. In January the ''gruppe'' located to
Marburg Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...
. II./StG 2 spent the period near Cologne; little is known about its activity over the winter. III./StG 2's activities mirrored first ''gruppe''. II./StG 2 commanding officer Hinkelbein was replaced with Major Georg Fritze on 27 October and then on 16 December Walter Enneccerus took command.


Western Europe

Stab., I. and III./StG 2 were placed under the control of ''Fliegerkorps'' VIII, subordinated to Kesselring's ''Luftflotte'' 2 initially. Stab. gained I./StG 76 but lost II./StG 2 which was placed under the command of Stab./ StG 3 subordinated to ''Luftflotte'' 3 commanded by
Hugo Sperrle Wilhelm Hugo Sperrle (7 February 1885 – 2 April 1953), also known as Hugo Sperrle, was a German military aviator in World War I and a Generalfeldmarschall in the Luftwaffe during World War II. Sperrle joined the Imperial German Army in 1903. ...
. Hitschhold had 40 aircraft with 33 operational. Enneccerus was given 38 Ju 87s with 33 serviceable under StG 3 commodore Karl Angerstein. Major Clemens Graf von Schönborn-Wiesentheid took command of III./StG 2 on 15 April 1940 from Ott. Only 27 of the 38 machines assigned to him were combat ready. Despite the condition of the ''gruppe'', all units were committed to
Fall Gelb (Case Yellow), the invasion of France and the Low Countries , scope = Strategic , type = , location = South-west Netherlands, central Belgium, northern France , coordinates = , planned = 1940 , planned_by = Erich von ...
. Cologne hosted stab. and I./StG 2 at the beginning of the offensive. Nörvenich was home to III./StG 2. All of them were under the control of Richthofen. II./StG 2 located to Siegburg under von Griem's ''Fliegerkorps'' V. Hitschhold's ''gruppe'' were involved in the counter air campaign during the invasion of Belgium on 10 May 1940. A dive bombing attack at
Brustem Sint-Truiden (; french: link=no, Saint-Trond ; li, Sintruin ) is a city and municipality located in the province of Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium, and has over 41,500 inhabitants, which makes it one of the largest cities in Limburg. The mun ...
airfield destroyed nine Belgian Air Force Fiat CR.42 fighters of the 15. Belgian air defences were rendered useless. Dinort's StG 2 played a crucial role in supporting the Battle of Fort Eben-Emael by preventing Belgian reinforcements from counterattacking German paratroopers. III./StG 2 and I./StG 77, with elements of
LG 2 ''Lehrgeschwader'' 2 (LG 2) (Demonstration Wing 2) was a Luftwaffe unit during World War II, operating three fighter, night fighter, reconnaissance and ground support ''Gruppen'' (groups). ''Lehrgeschwader'' were in general mixed-formation uni ...
assisted with the fort's capture though the position remained under heavy Belgian fire. Hitschhold lost five Ju 87s attacking forts at
Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur ...
and
Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from ...
on 11 May to
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) a ...
fighter. III./StG 2 fought in the battles and engaged in combat operations during the
Battle of the Netherlands The German invasion of the Netherlands ( nl, Duitse aanval op Nederland), otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands ( nl, Slag om Nederland), was a military campaign part of Case Yellow (german: Fall Gelb), the Nazi German invasion of ...
at the
Battle of Maastricht The Battle of Maastricht was one of the first battles that took place during the German Campaign on the Western Front during World War II. Maastricht was a key city in order to capture the Belgian Fort Eben-Emael and split the allied armies in ...
. Road traffic at
Tirlemont Tienen (; french: Tirlemont ) is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises Tienen itself and the towns of Bost, Goetsenhoven, Hakendover, Kumtich, Oorbeek, Oplinter, Sint-Ma ...
and
Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
on 11 May. It aided the crossing of the
Oise Oise ( ; ; pcd, Oése) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,4 ...
in the initial days. 11 Ju 87s from I. and II./StG 2 were lost to 3, 87 and No. 607 Squadron RAF, despite fighter protection from ''Jagdgeschwader'' 27 during 11 May. Third ''gruppe'' lost four aircraft to French
Curtiss P-36 Hawk The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, is an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation ...
s on the 11 May and supported the battles at Gembloux by attacking French armour suffering a solitary casualty to RAF fighters on 12 May. Another was lost on 14 and 15 May at
Gembloux Gembloux (; wa, Djiblou; nl, Gembloers, ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 21,964 inhabitants. The total area is 95.86 km², yielding a population den ...
. I./StG 76, under Dinort's direct command, with Otto Weiß's II.(S)/
LG 2 ''Lehrgeschwader'' 2 (LG 2) (Demonstration Wing 2) was a Luftwaffe unit during World War II, operating three fighter, night fighter, reconnaissance and ground support ''Gruppen'' (groups). ''Lehrgeschwader'' were in general mixed-formation uni ...
, supported XVI Army Corps commanded by Erich Hoepner. During the course of the
Battle of Hannut The Battle of Hannut was a Second World War battle fought during the Battle of Belgium which took place between 12 and 14 May 1940 at Hannut in Belgium. It was the largest tank battle in the campaign. It was also the largest clash of tanks in armo ...
, and Battle of Gembloux Gap I./StG 76 lost seven Ju 87s to anti-aircraft defences. Some of Weiß's pilots flew eight sorties. Hitschhold's ''gruppe'' was engaged in support of the battles. StG 2 remained supporting the 6th Army against the K-W Line to the 12/13 May. Thereafter, StG 2 turned to the Battle in France. The wing contributed 200 sorties to the
Battle of Sedan The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and its allies, ...
, and the breakout to the
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or (Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
. Specifically second group were involved in the battle during the breakout phase on 14 May. StG 2 switched to support the 12th army for two days, south of
Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namur ...
from 18 May. Over 15–17 May, Hitschhold's group moved to
Saint-Quentin, Aisne Saint-Quentin (; pcd, Saint-Kintin; nl, label=older Dutch, Sint-Kwintens ) is a city in the Aisne department, Hauts-de-France, northern France. It has been identified as the ''Augusta Veromanduorum'' of antiquity. It is named after Saint Que ...
, then on to
Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Es ...
. III./StG 2 move through southern Belgium to
Bastogne Bastogne (; nl, Bastenaken, ; german: Bastnach/Bastenach; lb, Baaschtnech) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg in the Ardennes, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Bastogne, ...
by 15 May. Operating from forward airfields, it played a role in the defeat of
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (; ; (commonly abbreviated as CDG) 22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French army officer and statesman who led Free France against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government ...
's 4th Armoured Division at the Battle of Montcornet, on 17–19 May. It bombed the bridges over the Serre and destroyed French transport vehicles with towed artillery pieces. De Gaulle later remarked about III./StG 2's ''Stukas'';
They continued to bomb us until sunset and consequently they destroyed our wheeled vehicles, which were confined to the roads, and our supporting artillery, which had no cover.
The battle of Montcornet and Crécy-sur-Serre effectively destroyed the French Ninth Army. On 18 May the Ju 87s assisted in the defeat of the French 1st Arnoured Division outside St Quentin, and attacked troop trains in
Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital of ...
, which blocked the exits from
Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
. Their bombs also defeated a French tank attack at Laon. The ''gruppe'' joined II./StG 2 in the Cambrai area at Beaulieu. Both ''gruppen'' prepared for operations against the Channel ports from 22 May. Before turning to anti-shipping operations, the third group's notable contribution was the Battle of Arras, and the defeat of a British counterattack. I./StG 2 joined the attacks over Arras. The
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
began
Operation Dynamo Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
to evacuate the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...
. All three ''gruppen'' supported the army in its drive to the Channel ports. StG 2 carried out attacks on shipping in the Battle of Boulogne, siege of Calais and then the Battle of Dunkirk. At Boulogne, the
French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
lost and crippled by Ju 87s. Both have been credited to I. and II./StG 2, the former was beached and finished by German artillery. In a major action, Dinort led 39 Ju 87s from ''gruppen'' I. and II in an attack on
Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
James Somerville's forces off Calais on 24 May. The 10th Panzer Division requested air support against Royal Navy warships bombarding their positions as the division fought its way into Calais. The
light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...
s ''Arethusa'', ''Galatea'', and destroyers ''Grafton'', ''Greyhound'', ''Verity'', ''Wessex'', ''Wolfhound'', ''Vimiera'' and Polish Navy destroyer ''Burza'' were subjected to an intense dive bombing attack. ''Wessex'' was sunk, ''Vimiera'' and ''Burza'' were damaged. The Ju 87s suffered no loss in their unopposed attacks. Six of the ''Wessex'' crew were killed and 15 wounded. The Stukas survived an attack from
RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Britai ...
fighters operating from England without loss. StG 77 and StG 2 were instrumental in eliminating Allied resistance in Calais. Operations turned to Dunkirk. On 27 May the troopship ''Côte d' Azur'' was sunk by StG 2, which also bombed the harbour with 500 and 1,000-pound bombs. KG 2 and KG 3 followed up the attacks. Their bombing runs destroyed the oil tanks and contributed to the inferno. Around 15,000 high explosive and 30,000 incendiary bombs were dropped on Dunkirk by 300 German aircraft. Ju 87s continued to take a heavy toll of shipping; StG 2 and 77 were operating over the evacuation beaches. On 29 May the destroyer ''Grenade'' was severely damaged by a Ju 87 attack and subsequently sank. The French destroyer ''Mistral'' was crippled by bomb damage the same day. ''Jaguar'' and ''Verity'' were badly damaged while the trawlers ''Calvi'' and ''Polly Johnson'' (363 and 290 tons) disintegrated under bombardment. The merchant ship ''Fenella'' (2,376 tons) was sunk having taken on 600 soldiers. The attacks brought the evacuation to a halt for a time. The rail ships ''Lorina'' and ''Normannia'' (1,564 and 1,567 tons) were sunk also. By 29 May, the Allies had lost 31 vessels sunk and 11 damaged. On 1 June the Ju 87s sank the ''Skipjack'' (815 tons) while the destroyer ''Keith'' was sunk and ''Basilisk'' was crippled before being scuttled by ''Whitehall''. ''Whitehall'' was later badly damaged and along with ''Ivanhoe'', staggered back to
Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidston ...
. ''Havant'', commissioned for just three weeks, was sunk and in the evening the French destroyer ''Foudroyant'' sank. On 1 June the steamer ''Pavon'' was lost while carrying 1,500
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People ...
soldiers most of whom were killed. The oil tanker ''Niger'' was also destroyed. A flotilla of French minesweepers were also lost—''Denis Papin'' (264 tons), the ''Le Moussaillon'' (380 tons) and ''Venus'' (264 tons). StG 2 played a role in
Fall Rot ''Fall Rot'' (Case Red) was the plan for a German military operation after the success of (Case Yellow), the Battle of France, an invasion of the Benelux countries and northern France. The Allied armies had been defeated and pushed back in th ...
, the final phase of the French campaign. I./StG 2 supported the 9th army as it pushed towards
Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. In ...
and from the 8 June, the 9th and 6th army over the
Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributaries ...
and
Marne Marne can refer to: Places France *Marne (river), a tributary of the Seine *Marne (department), a département in northeastern France named after the river * La Marne, a commune in western France *Marne, a legislative constituency (France) Nether ...
. It supported the army in the battles of
Péronne, Somme Péronne () is a commune of the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It is close to where the 1916, first 1918 and second 1918 Battles of the Somme took place during the First World War. The Museum of the Great War (know ...
,
Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
, Roye, Chauny, and Nogent and the advances east of Paris over the
Yonne Yonne () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the river Yonne, which flows through it, in the country's north-central part. One of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's eight constituent departments, it is ...
and
Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...
. II./StG 2 protected the 5th Panzer Division in the capture of
Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the region of Normandy and the department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe, the population o ...
and ended the campaign in
Beauvais Beauvais ( , ; pcd, Bieuvais) is a city and commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise département, in the Hauts-de-France region, north of Paris. The commune of Beauvais had a population of 56,020 , making it the most popul ...
. III./StG 2's operations supported the same advances and ended the campaign in Auxerre. The
Armistice of 22 June 1940 The Armistice of 22 June 1940 was signed at 18:36 near Compiègne, France, by officials of Nazi Germany and the Third French Republic. It did not come into effect until after midnight on 25 June. Signatories for Germany included Wilhelm Keitel ...
curtailed any further moves south. The battles cost I./StG 2 at least 15 aircraft, II./StG 2 13 Ju 87s and III./StG 2 another 10 equating to 38 Ju 87s in total, the vast majority in combat with Allied
fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...
.


Battle of Britain

From 22 June to 10 July 1940 aerial skirmishes occurred over the English Channel between RAF Fighter Command and the ''Luftwaffe'', operating from airfields in German-occupied Belgium and France. The '' Oberkommando der Wehrmacht'' was planning for a possible invasion, codenamed
Operation Sea Lion Operation Sea Lion, also written as Operation Sealion (german: Unternehmen Seelöwe), was Nazi Germany's code name for the plan for an invasion of the United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain in the Second World War. Following the Battle o ...
. The aerial battles gradually escalated as German operations moved to destroying Channel shipping—termed the
Kanalkampf The (Channel Fight) was the German term for air operations by the against the British Royal Air Force (RAF) over the English Channel in July 1940. The air operations over the Channel began the Battle of Britain during the Second World War. By ...
phase—and then Fighter Command defences in what became known as the
Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended ...
. The ''
Oberkommando der Luftwaffe The (; abbreviated OKL) was the high command of the air force () of Nazi Germany. History The was organized in a large and diverse structure led by Reich minister and supreme commander of the Air force (german: Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaf ...
'' left the two German air fleet commanders, Sperrle and Kesselring to carry out attacks on targets of their choosing in June and early July for there was little direction from the OKL. On 2 July, German attacks caught convoy OA177G en route for
Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = "Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gibr ...
. StG 2 sank the British steamer ''Aeneas'' () south-east of Start Point, Devon; 18 crewmen died and the rest were rescued by the destroyer and later StG 2 damaged the British steamer ''Baron Ruthven'' (). I. and II./StG 2 moved to Laon and Lannion before moving to the
Pas-de-Calais Pas-de-Calais (, "strait of Calais"; pcd, Pas-Calés; also nl, Nauw van Kales) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which it borders. It has the most communes of all the departments ...
and III./StG 2 group moved to
Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Convoy OA 178 (''convoy outbound Atlantic'') as it passed through the Channel. 14 merchantmen left the
Thames Estuary The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain. Limits An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...
, bound for the west coast and passed
Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidston ...
on 3 July. German radar picked up the convoy and the ''Luftwaffe'' was ordered to intercept the ships. A
Junkers Ju 88 The Junkers Ju 88 is a German World War II ''Luftwaffe'' twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called '' Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") that would be too fas ...
reconnaissance aircraft from 1.(F)/123 flew over the Channel and reported that the convoy was south-west of
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
. I./StG 2 took off, led by Dinort with 24 Ju 87s, escorted by a ''Staffel'' of fighters from I./ JG 1. The attack was followed by 23 Ju 87s of III./StG 51. The ships were close to the French coast when ''Dallas City'' was damaged, engulfed in flames and collided with ''Flimson'' which was also hit and the ships took 15 minutes to disengage; ''Dallas City'' later sank. ''Antonio'' was heavily damaged. ''Deucalion'' (), ''Kolga'' () and ''Britsum'' () were sunk and '' SS Canadian Constructor'', was damaged for no German loss. Convoys "Booty" and "Agent" passed through on 11 July. Dinort's wing attacked shipping along the coast. The ''Stukas'' sank () with one casualty. 501 Squadron had scrambled but was engaged by the Bf 109 escort and lost one pilot shot down and drowned;
No. 609 Squadron RAF No. 609 (West Riding) Squadron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, originally formed as a bomber squadron and in the Second World War active as fighter squadron, nowadays provides personnel to augment and support the operations of the Royal Air Fo ...
arrived as the Ju 87s began their dives. The six Spitfires split, one section of three engaging the ''Stukas'' and the other taking on the escort. Overwhelmed by odds of 6:1, the squadron was routed, with the loss of two pilots killed for no loss to the Germans; none of the merchant vessels were hit. A second attack was ordered. At 11:00 GMT, Hawker Hurricanes from No. 601 Squadron RAF were scrambled to intercept a reconnaissance Do 17, missed it and stumbled into a formation from III./StG 2 escorted by about 40
Messerschmitt Bf 110 The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engine (Des ...
s, that British radar failed to locate. The escorts were too high above the Ju 87s to stop the first attack. Most squadrons in the
Middle Wallop Middle Wallop is a village in the civil parish of Nether Wallop in Hampshire, England, on the A343 road. At the 2011 Census the population was included in the civil parish of Over Wallop. The village has a public house, The George Inn, and a pe ...
sector were re-fuelling but six 238 Squadron Hurricanes were scrambled, with three more from 501 and 87 Squadrons and nine from 213 Squadron near
Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal c ...
. None arrived in time to stop the attack on
Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
at 11:53 GMT but little damage was done and only one vessel was damaged. A Ju 87 was destroyed and another force-landed; the light ''Stuka'' losses were a result of the Bf 110s bearing the brunt of the fighter attacks. Bf 110 pilot Hans-Joachim Göring, nephew of
Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...
, commander in chief of the Luftwaffe was killed protecting the ''Stukas''. The British steamer ''Kylemount'' () was damaged off Dartmouth and the steamers ''Peru'' () and ''City of Melbourne'' () were damaged in Portland harbour. ''Eleanor Brooke'' () was damaged off Portland and the
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People ...
steamer ''Mies'' () was damaged south of Portland Bill. On 29 July a further raid yielded success. At 19:25 III./StG 2 Ju 87s led by ''Gruppenkommandeur'' Walter Enneccerus sank the destroyer off Portland. The ship was crippled and on fire, as the ''Stukas'' left the scene unchallenged and the sinking ''Delight'' made for the coast off Portland. The destroyers and ''Broke'' rescued 147 men and 59 wounded but 19 of the crew were killed. The burning vessel remained afloat until 21:30, when there was a large explosion and it sank. The Admiralty withdrew all destroyer flotillas from the Channel and ordered no convoy to sail the Channel in daylight. This order had been given on 26 July before ''Delight'' sailed and some sources note that standing orders had been broken. Across the 7 an 8 August 1940 a large air-sea battle developed around Convoy Peewitt which involved ''
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the ...
''
E-boat E-boat was the Western Allies' designation for the fast attack craft (German: ''Schnellboot'', or ''S-Boot'', meaning "fast boat") of the Kriegsmarine during World War II; ''E-boat'' could refer to a patrol craft from an armed motorboat to a la ...
s. In the late morning StG 2, 3 and 77 from
Angers Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the prov ...
,
Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,LG 1, to attack the convoy south of the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...
, with about 30 Bf 109s from II. and III./
JG 27 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 27 (JG 27) "''Afrika''" was a fighter wing of the Luftwaffe during World War II. The wing was given the name "Africa" for serving in the North African Campaign predominantly alone in the period from April 1941 to Septem ...
for high cover. From 12:20, Spitfires of 609 Squadron and Hurricanes from
257 __NOTOC__ Year 257 ( CCLVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Valerianus and Gallienus (or, less frequently, year 10 ...
and 145 squadrons attacked the German formations, joined later by 238 Squadron. The Ju 87s severely damaged SS ''Surte'', MV ''Scheldt'' and SS ''Omlandia'' and sank SS ''Balmaha'' soon after. SS ''Tres'' was sunk by StG 77. SS ''Empire Crusader'', in the lead, was hit by StG 2 and sank several hours later; four ships were sunk and four were damaged in the attacks. From 20 to 30 RAF fighters attacked the German aircraft and I. and II./StG 2 suffered one damaged Ju 87 each. On 13 August
Adlertag ''Adlertag'' ("Eagle Day") was the first day of ''Unternehmen Adlerangriff'' ("Operation Eagle Attack"), which was the codename of a military operation by Nazi Germany's ''Luftwaffe'' (German air force) to destroy the British Royal Air Force ...
began to destroy Fighter Command. Targets for the day were the Portland area and airfields specifically RAF Middle Wallop and neighbouring radar station and RAF Warmwell. 52 Ju 87s from StG 1 and StG 2 took off RAF Warmwell and
Yeovil Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somerset's southern border with ...
. I./ JG 53 flew a fighter sweep ahead of the bombers from
Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counci ...
to
Lyme Regis Lyme Regis is a town in west Dorset, England, west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dorset–Devon border. It has noted fossils in cliffs and beaches on the Herita ...
in order to tempt the RAF into battle. I./JG 53 made landfall at 16:00. The sweep failed to attract and divert RAF squadrons. Instead, all it succeeded in doing was to alert the RAF defences a critical five minutes earlier. When the main wave of LG 1 and StG 2 arrived over the coast, they were greeted by 77 RAF fighters. II., and III./JG 53 and III./
ZG 76 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) ...
flew escort for the Ju 87s. ZG 2 and JG 27 flew escort for LG 1. In response the whole of No. 10 Group RAF intercepted. One ''staffel'' II./StG 2 was badly hit by 609 Squadron; six out of nine Ju 87s were shot down. StG 1 and 2 gave up on their original targets owing to clouds. Both headed for Portland. I./StG 2, with 29 of 35 aircraft operational, was ordered to bomb an airfield near
Rochford Rochford is a town in Essex, England, north of Southend-on-Sea, from London and from Chelmsford, the county town. At the 2011 census, the civil parish, which includes the town and London Southend Airport, had a population of 8,471. History ...
but abandoned the mission due to bad weather. Enneccerus' II./StG 2 turned back when the formation of 27 was intercepted and promptly lost six Ju 87s rom an operational total off 33 from 39 Enneccerus and his ''gruppe'' were tasked with destroying
RAF Hawkinge Royal Air Force Hawkinge or more simply RAF Hawkinge is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Ashford, north of Folkestone, Kent and west of Dover, Kent, England. The airfield was used by both the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal ...
on 15 August, a date known as "black Thursday" in the Luftwaffe. He lost four Ju 87s in the process. On 16 August StG 2 was involved in a large-scale attack on airfields in southern England.
RAF Tangmere RAF Tangmere was a Royal Air Force station located in Tangmere, England, famous for its role in the Battle of Britain, and one of several stations near Chichester, West Sussex. The famous Second World War aces Wing Commander Douglas Bader, a ...
was the target. Dinort's wing encountered strong fighter opposition over the target area near
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dense ...
. Hitschhold lost five crews and three aircraft damaged from I. ''gruppe''. Brücker's III./StG 2 bombed Tangmere and radar station at
Selsey Bill Selsey Bill is a headland into the English Channel on the south coast of England in the county of West Sussex. The southernmost town in Sussex is Selsey which is at the end of the Manhood Peninsula and ''Selsey Bill'' is situated on the town's s ...
. He lost four aircraft and three damaged. From 16 August 1940 it was non-operational. Two days later, the ''Stukas'' suffered a comprehensive defeat in " The Hardest Day" battles and were subsequently withdrawn from air superiority operations. StG 77 lost 22 aircraft destroyed or damaged on that day. For the ''Stuka'' wings spent the rest of their time on the Channel front idle. StG 2 carried out training exercises and occasional "special" missions which amounted to low-level attacks against coastal shipping at dusk. Hitschhold's group provided crews and aircraft for the Karl Ritter propaganda film ''Stukas'' with III./StG 2. The film was a box-office hit in Germany. ''Quartermaster General'' of the ''Luftwaffe'' reported significant losses for StG 2 from 4 July to 18 August 1940. StG 2 lost 25 Ju 87s with five more damaged. 19 were killed in action, four
wounded in action Wounded in Action (WIA) describes combatants who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during wartime, but have not been killed. Typically, it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing ...
and 18
missing in action Missing in action (MIA) is a casualty classification assigned to combatants, military chaplains, combat medics, and prisoners of war who are reported missing during wartime or ceasefire. They may have been killed, wounded, captured, exec ...
. I./StG 2 suffered the loss of ten aircraft, four damaged, eight killed, one wounded and five wounded. II./StG 2 lost also lost ten aircraft, seven dead, one wounded, seven missing and two captured. III./StG 2 lost five ''Stukas'' and one damaged. Four men were killed, two wounded, six missing. Total Ju 87 losses from 3 July to 24 December 1940 amounted to 101 destroyed, 84 damaged to all causes.


Malta and North Africa

I. with III./StG 2 moved to
Otopeni Otopeni () is a town in Ilfov County, Muntenia, Romania, some north of Bucharest along the DN1 road to Ploiești. It has 15,850 inhabitants, of which 99.0% are ethnic Romanians. One village, Odăile, is administered by the city. Henri Coandă ...
north of
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
,
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
under Richthofen in January 1941 after the cancelation of
Operation Felix Operation Felix (german: Unternehmen Felix) was the codename for a proposed Nazi German invasion of Spain and seizure of Gibraltar during the Second World War. Subject to the co-operation of the Spanish dictator, Francisco Franco, the operation ...
. II./StG 2 remained with Stab./StG 3. It staged southward to
Sicily Sicily ( it, Sicilia , ) is the list of islands in the Mediterranean, largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. The Strait of Messina divides it from the region of Calabria in Southern Italy. I ...
in December 1940 to interdict shipping between Sicily and
Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...
. Walter Enneccerus and II ''gruppe'' began operations supporting the Italian Siege of Malta. The group was in action on 10 January. The British Operation Excess was launched, which included a series of convoy operations by the British across the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
. On 10 January they were within range of the Ju 87 bases. II./StG 2 sent 43 Ju 87s with support from I./StG 1. Some 10 Ju 87s attacked the carrier unopposed. Witnessed by Andrew Cunningham, C-in-C of the
Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...
from the battleship , the Ju 87s scored six hits. One destroyed a gun, another hit near her bow, a third demolished another gun, while two hit the lift, wrecking the aircraft below deck, causing explosions of fuel and ammunition. Another went through the armoured deck and exploded deep inside the ship. Two further attacks were made without result. Badly damaged, but with her main engines still intact, she steered for Malta. ''Warspite'' was also damaged. The attack lasted six minutes; killed 126 crew members and wounded 91. Within sight of Malta, Italian torpedo bombers also attacked the carrier, but were driven off by intense anti-aircraft fire. Cunningham remarked of the ''Stukas'';
There was no doubt we were watching complete experts. Formed roughly in a large circle over the fleet, they peeled off one by one when reaching attacking position. We could not but admire the skill and precision of it all. The attacks were pressed home to point-blank range, and as they pulled out of the dives some were seen to fly along the flight deck of the ''Illustrious'' below the level of the funnel.
On 11 January 1941, 10 more Ju 87s were sent by Enneccerus to sink ''Illustrious''. They chanced upon the light cruisers and . Hits were scored on both; ''Southampton'' was so badly damaged her navy escorts scuttled her. Over the next 12 days, the workers at the shipyard in the Grand Harbour repaired the carrier under determined air attack so that she might make Alexandria. On 13 January, the Ju 87s, now equipped with SC 1000 bombs failed to achieve a hit. On 14 January, 44 Ju 87s scored a hit on the ill-fated after lift. On 18 January, the Germans switched to attacking the airfields at
Hal Far HAL may refer to: Aviation * Halali Airport (IATA airport code: HAL) Halali, Oshikoto, Namibia * Hawaiian Airlines (ICAO airline code: HAL) * HAL Airport, Bangalore, India * Hindustan Aeronautics Limited an Indian aerospace manufacturer of fig ...
and
RAF Luqa Royal Air Force Luqa was a Royal Air Force station located on the island of Malta, now developed into the Malta International Airport. It hosted aircraft of Air Headquarters Malta (AHQ Malta) during the Second World War. Particularly during ...
in an attempt to win air superiority before returning to ''Illustrious''. On 20 January, two near misses breached the hull below the water line and hurled her hull against the wharf. Nevertheless, the engineers won the battle. On 23 January, she slipped out of Grand Harbour, and arrived in
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
two days later. The carrier later sailed to
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
where she was kept out of action for a year. I./StG 1 and II./StG 2 had failed in their mission to sink the aircraft carrier. Albeit the cost was minimal; three aircraft on 10 January and four aircraft until the carrier departed. By 5 February II./StG 2 was based at
Trapani Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an impor ...
. The
Italian invasion of Egypt The Italian invasion of Egypt () was an offensive in the Second World War, against British, Commonwealth and Free French forces in the Kingdom of Egypt. The invasion by the Italian 10th Army () ended border skirmishing on the frontier and began ...
in September 1940 failed. A
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...
counter-attack,
Operation Compass Operation Compass (also it, Battaglia della Marmarica) was the first large British military operation of the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) during the Second World War. British, Empire and Commonwealth forces attacked Italian forces of ...
, drove the Italian African Army back into
Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
.
Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the '' Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as serv ...
and the German Africa Corps were dispatched to prevent an Axis collapse in
North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
. The 60 Ju 87s of I./StG 1 and II./StG 2 were dispatched to
Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in t ...
. The two ''gruppen'' were the only offensive assets the Germans had in North Africa in February 1941. The German airmen were mostly from northern Germany and were unused to the harsh desert conditions. The first ''Stuka'' actions took place around the 14 February and resulted in the first losses.
Operation Sonnenblume Operation Sonnenblume (/Operation Sunflower) was the name given to the dispatch of German troops to North Africa in February 1941, during the Second World War. The Italian 10th Army () had been destroyed by the British, Commonwealth, Empire and ...
developed into a full-scale offensive which recovered Libya, with the exception of
Tobruk Tobruk or Tobruck (; grc, Ἀντίπυργος, ''Antipyrgos''; la, Antipyrgus; it, Tobruch; ar, طبرق, Tubruq ''Ṭubruq''; also transliterated as ''Tobruch'' and ''Tubruk'') is a port city on Libya's eastern Mediterranean coast, near t ...
. Enneccerus led his group on a carpet bombing attack in an attempt to support the capture of the besieged port. On 3 April Enneccerus lost three to six Ju 87s to the
Desert Air Force The Desert Air Force (DAF), also known chronologically as Air Headquarters Western Desert, Air Headquarters Libya, the Western Desert Air Force, and the First Tactical Air Force (1TAF), was an Allied tactical air force created from No. 204 ...
in the Benghazi area. on 14 April, II./StG 2 and III./StG 1 lost four men between them over Tobruk; the port's defending fighter, from No. 73 Squadron RAF, claimed three Ju 87s. Enneccerus maintained the pressure on shipping supplying the garrison while repulsing attempts to relieve the port over land. In May the group attacked the carrier ''Formidable'' without success. The carrier was damaged by the group, but not fatally. Enneccerus was personally credited with a hit via a 500 kg (1,100 lb) bomb. It hit the forward
flight deck The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is the surface from which its aircraft take off and land, essentially a miniature airfield at sea. On smaller naval ships which do not have aviation as a primary mission, the landing area for helicopters ...
, then destroyed the 4.5 inch (11.43 cm) turret and blew out the starboard side of the ship below the fo'c'sle. One of her escorts, ''Nubian'' was heavily damaged in the same attack. In the Admiralty "Report of Proceedings", 26 May 1941, her captain, commander G. H Stokes reported after the action that some ''Stukas'' attacked from low-level. By 15 July the group was based at Derna. It fought over
Bardia Bardia, also El Burdi or Barydiyah ( ar, البردية, lit=, translit=al-Bardiyya or ) is a Mediterranean seaport in the Butnan District of eastern Libya, located near the border with Egypt. It is also occasionally called ''Bórdi Slemán''. ...
and Sollum during the British offensive
Operation Battleaxe Operation Battleaxe (15–17 June 1941) was a British Army offensive during the Second World War to raise the Siege of Tobruk and re-capture eastern Cyrenaica from German and Italian forces. It was the first time during the war that a significa ...
. That day it lost as many as five Ju 87s as Axis forces fell back into Libya and Tobruk was relieved. No losses were reported between 15 July and 30 October 1941. Subsequently, it is difficult to track the unit's movements and activities. Enneccerus' group was active in resisting
Operation Crusader Operation Crusader (18 November – 30 December 1941) was a military operation of the Western Desert Campaign during the Second World War by the British Eighth Army (with Commonwealth, Indian and Allied contingents) against the Axis forces (Ge ...
. First ''gruppe'' fought in the First Battle of Bir Gubi and Second Battle of Bir el Gubi. On 13 January 1942 II./StG 2 was renamed III./StG 3 at
San Pancrazio The basilica of San Pancrazio ( en, St Pancras; la, S. Pancratii) is a Roman Catholic ancient basilica and titular church founded by Pope Symmachus in the 6th century in Rome, Italy. It stands in via S. Pancrazio, westward beyond the Porta ...
. II./StG 2 was reformed in
East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label=Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871 ...
, and sent to the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
.


Yugoslavia, Greece and Crete

In October 1940 the
Greco-Italian War The Greco-Italian War (Greek language, Greek: Ελληνοϊταλικός Πόλεμος, ''Ellinoïtalikós Pólemos''), also called the Italo-Greek War, Italian Campaign in Greece, and the War of '40 in Greece, took place between the kingdom ...
began with the invasion of
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
by the
Italian Empire The Italian colonial empire ( it, Impero coloniale italiano), known as the Italian Empire (''Impero Italiano'') between 1936 and 1943, began in Africa in the 19th century and comprised the colonies, protectorates, concessions and dependencie ...
. The invasion failed, and the Greek Army pushed out their enemy into Italian protectorate of Albania. The prospect of
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
support and the establishment of a second Allied foothold on the continent forced Hitler to assist Mussolini. Hitler developed
Operation Marita The German invasion of Greece, also known as the Battle of Greece or Operation Marita ( de , Unternehmen Marita, links = no), was the attack of Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is ...
, the German-led invasion of Greece with support from Romania,
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croat ...
and
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Maced ...
.
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
refused to join the
Axis powers The Axis powers, ; it, Potenze dell'Asse ; ja, 枢軸国 ''Sūjikukoku'', group=nb originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis, was a military coalition that initiated World War II and fought against the Allies. Its principal members were N ...
, and the operation was expanded to include the country in German plans. Richthofen's air corps was given two wings of Ju 87s for the task; StG 2 and 3. Stab./StG 2 was moved to Kraynitsi, 42 km south-south west of
Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
, Bulgaria on 6 March 1941. Hitschhold's group, I./StG 2 followed on 27 March with 39 ''Stukas''. II/StG 2 remained in Africa, but III./StG 2 under Brücker moved to Belica-North, 85 km south-south east of Sofia on 6 March. 35 of the 38 Ju 87s were available for combat operations on 6 April. The
German invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, or ''Projekt 25'' was a German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was ...
and the
Battle of Greece The German invasion of Greece, also known as the Battle of Greece or Operation Marita ( de , Unternehmen Marita, links = no), was the attack of Greece by Italy and Germany during World War II. The Italian invasion in October 1940, which is ...
commenced on 6 April. Richthofen's Ju 87s supported the German Twelfth Army in southern Yugoslavia, which cut the
Yugoslav Army The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviated as JNA/; Macedonian and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and bs, Jugoslavenska narodna armija; sl, Jugoslovanska ljudska a ...
off from Greece and the Allied expeditionary forces there. The victory in Yugoslavia was complete with the bombing of Belgrade, which facilitated a rapid victory by destroying command and control centres. I./StG 2 dive-bombed Yugoslav force opposite
Petrich Petrich ( bg, Петрич ) is a town in Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria, located in Sandanski–Petrich Valley at the foot of the Belasica Mountains in the Strumeshnitsa Valley. According to the 2021 census, the town has 26,7 ...
and the
Metaxas Line The Metaxas Line (, ''Grammi Metaxa'') was a chain of fortifications constructed along the line of the Greco-Bulgarian border, designed to protect Greece in case of a Bulgarian invasion after the rearmament of Bulgaria. It was named after Ioann ...
, and subsequent Battle of the Metaxas Line. It is not clear whether the group took part in the Belgrade bombing; it may have done. The group attacked British forces in Arta, and the advances on
Skopje Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre. The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
,
Prilep Prilep ( mk, Прилеп ) is the fourth-largest city in North Macedonia. It has a population of 66,246 and is known as "the city under Marko's Towers" because of its proximity to the towers of Prince Marko. Name The name of Prilep appea ...
, Veles and
Salonika Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...
. The ''Stukas'' facilitated the breakthrough at the Battle of Lake Kastoria, and the battles at Olympia, Larissa,
Volos Volos ( el, Βόλος ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the sixth most populous city of Greece, and the capital of the Magnesia regional uni ...
and
Battle of Thermopylae The Battle of Thermopylae ( ; grc, Μάχη τῶν Θερμοπυλῶν, label= Greek, ) was fought in 480 BC between the Achaemenid Persian Empire under Xerxes I and an alliance of Greek city-states led by Sparta under Leonidas I. Lastin ...
. They also supported the advances in
Corinthia Corinthia ( el, Κορινθία ''Korinthía'') is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Peloponnese. It is situated around the city of Corinth, in the north-eastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Geography Cor ...
and Pelponisia. From 22 April they were operating in against shipping in the Megara Gulf. They also sank a number of ships in the Gulf of Corinth. III./StG 2 supported other units in the majority of the same battles. It flew combat missions against the
Royal Yugoslav Air Force The Royal Yugoslav Air Force ( sh-Latn, Jugoslovensko kraljevsko ratno vazduhoplovstvo, JKRV; sh-Cyrl, Југословенско краљевско ратно ваздухопловство, ЈКРВ; ( sl, Jugoslovansko kraljevo vojno letalstv ...
bases and notably assisted in the seizure of the
Corinth Canal The Corinth Canal ( el, Διώρυγα της Κορίνθου, translit=Dhioryga tis Korinthou) is an artificial canal in Greece, that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. It cuts through the ...
on 26 April. The attacks against shipping evacuating Allied forces from Greece were successful. Richhofen's airmen claimed 280,000 tons of shipping (60 vessels) destroyed up until 30 April 1941; the claims were approximately correct. Athens fell on 27 April and the bulk of mainland Greece was under Axis control by 30 April. Operation ''Demon''—the Allied evacuation from Greece—succeeded; three-quarters of 60,000 men were evacuated. Allied losses were substantial. The Greek destroyer ''Hydra'' was sunk in the Gulf of Megara on 22 April. In total the
Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; el, Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, War Navy, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of vario ...
lost four torpedo boats— Greek torpedo boat ''Kios'' among them—three mine-layers and with Allied naval forces a further 43 merchant ships totalling 63,975 tons to the 23 April. Hitschhold's group flew daily attacks against shipping near and around
Crete Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cypru ...
. Hitschhold's men probably sank the Greek destroyer ''Hydra'' at Piraeus naval base, which lost 23 vessels in two days. Greek destroyer ''Psara'' was sunk at anchor off Megara. Other Ju 87s from I./StG 2 sank other Greek merchant vessels in the Gulf Corinth. Among the losses was the sinking of the SS Slamat, in the Slamat disaster. British destroyers and were also sunk. The final phase of the Balkans Campaign, was the
Battle of Crete The Battle of Crete (german: Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta, el, Μάχη της Κρήτης), codenamed Operation Mercury (german: Unternehmen Merkur), was a major Axis airborne and amphibious operation during World War II to capture the islan ...
. III./StG 3 moved to Megara and attacked shipping in the Aegean from 1 to 19 May and then Malaoi. Brücker's group was joined by Hitschhold's in preparation for the invasion. Hitschhold's I./StG 2 was moved to Argos. The invasion began on 20 May 1941. StG 2—both ''gruppen''— with KG 2 and KG 26, bombarded
anti-aircraft artillery Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
positions before 493
Junkers Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. Development of the Ju 52 commenced during 1930, headed by German aeron ...
transports began dropping German paratroops over the Cretian airfields. On 22 May Hitschhold's group sank the cruiser ''Gloucester'' with five 1,000 lb bombs. 45 officers and 648 men were killed. The ship sank in 35 minutes. The unit contributed to the sinking of ''Fiji'' in the same action. The damaged ''Fiji'' was later sunk by Bf 109 fighter-bombers. Captain
Louis Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of Germa ...
led four destroyers under over of darkness past
Antikythera Antikythera or Anticythera ( ) is a Greek island lying on the edge of the Aegean Sea, between Crete and Peloponnese. In antiquity the island was known as (). Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality of Kythira isla ...
island to bombard
Maleme Maleme ( el, Μάλεμε) is a small village and military airport to the west of Chania, in north western Crete, Greece. It is located in Platanias municipality, in Chania regional unit. History Bronze Age A Late Minoan tholos tomb has been ...
airfield. In the morning they were spotted at 07:55 hours m by more than 20 Ju 87s led by ''Gruppenkommandeur'' Hitschhold. The dive-bombers attacked immediately. They sank the British destroyers ''Greyhound'' on 22 May and the ''Kelly'' and ''Kashmir'' on 23 May. After taking a hit amidships, ''Kashmir'' sank in less than two minutes. Hitschold lost four of his Ju 87s. 131 crewmen died aboard ''Kelly'' and 80 on ''Kashmir''. The destroyer ''Kipling'' rescued 129 men from ''Kelly'' and 153 from ''Kashmir'' but her oil tanks were damaged by incessant dive-bombing attacks on her way to
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
. III./StG 2 participated in the action on 29 May, which sank the destroyer ''Hereward'', and damaging of the
light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to thi ...
''Ajax'' and destroyer ''Decoy''. The destroyer ''Imperial'' was damaged during the attack and later scuttled. In the midst of the action the light cruiser ''Orion'' was hit; 107 men and officers were killed and a further 84 wounded. The damaged cruiser ''York'', immobilised by Italian naval forces, attracted the ''Stukas'', whose dive-bombing destroyed the ship's superstructure and armament. During the battles of Crete the ''gruppe'' claimed sunk and damaged.


Eastern Front 1941; Operation Barbarossa

On 22 June 1941,
Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...
the invasion of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
began the war on the Eastern Front. Dinort and StG 2 moved to German-occupied Poland with Stab., I., and III./StG 2. The wing was placed under the command of Richthofen again, subordinating them to ''Fliegekorps'' VIII, attached to Kesselring's ''Luftflotte'' 2. The air fleet was detailed to support
Army Group Centre Army Group Centre (german: Heeresgruppe Mitte) was the name of two distinct strategic German Army Groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army f ...
. StG 2 was tasked with bombing Alytus airfield after 5./
ZG 26 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) ...
carried out a low-level attack. 8 SAD's 15 IAP managed to get airborne, though the I./JG 27 fighter screen; elements of JG 53 attacked the airfield simultaneously. Just two Ju 87s were lost on the Eastern Front on 22 June. In the first days of the invasion, the ''gruppen'' supported the break through of the 9th army and
3rd Panzer Army The 3rd Panzer Army (german: 3. Panzerarmee) was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 3rd Panzer Group on 1 January 1942. 3rd Panzer Group The 3rd Panzer Group (german: Panzergruppe 3) was formed on 16 November ...
, breaking through at
Suwałki Suwałki ( lt, Suvalkai; yi, סואוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Suwałki ...
. They fought in the
Battle of Białystok–Minsk The Battle of Białystok–Minsk was a German strategic operation conducted by the Wehrmacht's Army Group Centre under Field Marshal Fedor von Bock during the penetration of the Soviet border region in the opening stage of Operation Barbarossa ...
, and the advances on
Vitebsk Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest c ...
and Vilnus, which forced a bridgehead over the
Dnieper } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and ...
. StG 2 assisted in air attacks of
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, afte ...
concentrations near
Grodno Grodno (russian: Гродно, pl, Grodno; lt, Gardinas) or Hrodna ( be, Гродна ), is a city in western Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, 300 km (186 mi) from Minsk, about 15 km (9 mi) from the Polish b ...
. From 22–30 June StG 2 lost seven aircraft. The entire air corps was deployed in support of the encirclement and then a further such operation in the Battle of Smolensk. Richthofen, Dinort and Walter Storp, commanding
SKG 210 ''Schnellkampfgeschwader'' 210 (SKG 210) was a Luftwaffe fast-bomber wing during the Second World War. The unit was created in April 1941 and absorbed by the Zerstörergeschwader 1 on 4 January 1942. Operational history SKG 210 had its origi ...
, were awarded the
Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...
for their contribution to the Minsk battle. StG 2 bombed the railhead at Yermachevo, and the road from
Polotsk Polotsk (russian: По́лоцк; be, По́лацк, translit=Polatsk (BGN/PCGN), Polack (official transliteration); lt, Polockas; pl, Połock) is a historical city in Belarus, situated on the Dvina River. It is the center of the Polotsk Dist ...
to Nevel. In July the wing suffered nine losses with another damaged. I./StG 2's commander Hitschhold was shot down on 23 June near Vilna. 3./StG 2's Bruno Freitag landed to pick them up. On 8 August Richthofen's air corps was moved to support Army Group North under the command of
Luftflotte 1 ''Luftflotte'' 1For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organisation (Air Fleet 1) was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed 1 February 1939 from Luftwaffengruppe ...
. Dinort was ordered to support the capture or encirclment of the city. The purpose of the move was to assist the 16th army's advance across the
Velikaya River The Velikaya () is a river in Novosokolnichesky, Pustoshkinsky, Sebezhsky, Opochetsky, Pushkinogorsky, Ostrovsky, Palkinsky, and Pskovsky Districts of Pskov Oblast, as well as in the city of Pskov in Russia. It is a major tributary of La ...
between
Idritsa Idritsa (russian: Идрица) is an urban locality (a work settlement) in Sebezhsky District of Pskov Oblast, Russia, located on the Idritsa River, a left tributary of the Velikaya River. Municipally, it is incorporated as Idritsa Urban Set ...
and
Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...
, to
Staraya Russa Staraya Russa ( rus, Старая Русса, p=ˈstarəjə ˈrusːə) is a town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Polist River, south of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Its population has steadily decreased ov ...
near
Lake Ilmen Lake Ilmen ( rus, И́льмень, p=ˈilʲmʲɪnʲ) is a large lake in the Novgorod Oblast of Russia. A historically important lake, it formed a vital part of the medieval trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks. The city of Novgorod - w ...
. Thereafter, it supported the push to Lyuban on the road to
Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
. On 13 August I./StG 2 knocked out a major supply bridge on the
Volkhov River The Volkhov (russian: Во́лхов) is a river in Novgorodsky and Chudovsky Districts of Novgorod Oblast and Kirishsky and Volkhovsky Districts of Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia. It connects Lake Ilmen and Lake Ladoga and forms ...
which disrupted withdrawing Soviet forces. StG 2 rendered invaluable support to the XXXIX Panzer Corps and XXXVIII Army Corps at Schlüsselburg, cutting off Leningrad, beginning the siege of the city and leaving the
Road of Life The Road of Life () was the set of ice road transport routes across Lake Ladoga to Leningrad during the Second World War. They were the only Soviet winter surface routes into the city while it was besieged by the German Army Group North under ...
the only means to supply the defenders. By September 1941, both ''gruppen'' were operating against supply and troop concentrations around Lake Ladoga. On 19 September StG 2 formed part of six major bombing raids against the city from 08:14 and 23:00. 442 people were killed when a hospital was hit. StG 2 lost three Ju 87s. Through August StG 2 lost three destroyed and one damaged and the following month five Ju 87s were lost. The
Baltic Fleet , image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg , image_size = 150 , caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign , dates = 18 May 1703 – present , country = , allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present) ...
operated from Leningrad in the
Gulf of Finland The Gulf of Finland ( fi, Suomenlahti; et, Soome laht; rus, Фи́нский зали́в, r=Finskiy zaliv, p=ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif; sv, Finska viken) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea. It extends between Finland to the north and E ...
. The powerful fleet provided the Red Army with fire support along the coastline. Richthofen was ordered to destroy the fleet and he tasked Dinort with the task. The anti-aircraft artillery barrages over the city were heavy. Among the first victims of StG 2 operations was the Soviet destroyer ''Steregushchy''. Soviet destroyer ''Gordy'', ''Grozyaschi'', and ''Silny'' were damaged. One pilot,
Hans-Ulrich Rudel Hans-Ulrich Rudel (2 July 1916 – 18 December 1982) was a German ground-attack pilot during World War II and a post-war neo-Nazi activist. The most decorated German pilot of the war and the only recipient of the Knight's Cross with Go ...
sank the battleship ''Marat''. In the same action, the commanding officer of III./StG 2, Ernst-Siegfried Steen was killed when he was shot down attacking the Soviet cruiser ''Kirov''. Steen crashed alongside the ship and his bomb detonated damaging the vessel. A third vessel, battleship ''October Revolution'' was damaged during the attacks. Soviet destroyer ''Minsk'' was sunk in shallow waters by a bomb dropped by ''
Leutnant () is the lowest Junior officer rank in the armed forces the German-speaking of Germany (Bundeswehr), Austrian Armed Forces, and military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High Ger ...
'' Egbert Jaekel. ''Hauptmann'' Günther Schwarzel took temporary command on 24 September until replaced by Gustav Preßler, 1 October. On 28 September, future ''Geschwaderkommodore'' Ernst Kupfer, flew three missions to Leningrad and was shot down each time; the first mission resulted in a hit on a cruiser but he was hit by Soviet fighters and force landed at an airfield. On the second he was damaged by ground fire after a hit in the engine. On the third occasion he and his gunner were wounded when they crashed into a forest after taking damage from ground fire. Both groups were returned to ''Luftflotte'' 2 for the
Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January ...
. The German offensive began on 2 October 1941. I./StG 2 fought over the
Vyazma Vyazma (russian: Вя́зьма) is a town and the administrative center of Vyazemsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Vyazma River, about halfway between Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast, and Mozhaysk. Thr ...
pocket until 9 October. Thereafter, it supported the 9th army and 3rd Panzer army advancing on Moscow. Fourteen days into the battle, Dinort was replaced by Paul-Werner Hozzel. Second ''gruppe'' was still in Africa. Hozzel could only call upon Stab, I. and III./StG 2 for the offensive; the units could muster 70 aircraft which was approximately 70 percent of the wing's strength. Hozzel's forces supported the push to Klin during the encirclement phase of the battle along with the advances on Kalinin and then Tula. From 21 October it fought over
Torzhok Torzhok (russian: Торжо́к) is a town in Tver Oblast, Russia, located on the Tvertsa River along the federal highway M10 and a branch of the Oktyabrskaya Railway division of the Russian Railways. The town is famous for its folk craft of ...
against Soviet forces trying to encircle the 1st Panzer Division. The temperature soon dipped and by the first week of November it fell to –20°. Ju 87 engines failed to start. Hozzel noted in his diary that only one operation was permitted on 13 November and one more five days later in support of the 110th Infantry Division. Hozzel utilised different ordnance depending on the mission supporting the advance across the Leningrad –Moscow Railway. For engaging Soviet armour, a 500 kg (1,102 lb) bomb with anti-tank warhead or a combination of three 250 kg (551 lb) bombs under the wings and fuselage. Primary targets at this time were troop concentrations, roads and railway traffic. Hozzel moved the wing six miles north of
Mozhaysk MozhayskAlternative transliterations include ''Mozhaisk'', ''Mozhajsk'', ''Mozhaĭsk'', and ''Možajsk''. ( rus, Можа́йск, p=mɐˈʐajsk) is a town and the administrative center of Mozhaysky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located to t ...
, ten miles west of Moscow, on the
Moskva River The Moskva (russian: река Москва, Москва-река, ''Moskva-reka'') is a river running through western Russia. It rises about west of Moscow and flows roughly east through the Smolensk and Moscow Oblasts, passing through centra ...
. Soviet resistance and the
Russian Winter Russian Winter, sometimes personified as "General Frost" or "General Winter", is an aspect of the climate of Russia that has contributed to military failures of several invasions of Russia. Mud is a related contributing factor that impairs mili ...
brought the advances to a halt. On 5 December 1941 the Red Army counter offensive ended the threat to Moscow and threatened to destroy Army Group Centre. Gustav Preßler and III./StG 2 remained on the Eastern Front.
Bruno Dilley 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 the Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was aw ...
ho replaced Hitschhold in Octobercommanding I group returned to Germany and did II./StG 2 which left Africa in January 1942; it became part of StG 3 and reformed in East Prussia. Dilley's group recorded the temperature at –50° when it left the front with virtually no serviceable aircraft. Over the course of October the wing lost nine aircraft, a single Ju 87 in November, and five in December.


Eastern Front 1942; Moscow and Stalingrad

III./StG 2 pulled back to Rzhev on 16 December losing seven Ju 87s in the transfer. II./
LG 2 ''Lehrgeschwader'' 2 (LG 2) (Demonstration Wing 2) was a Luftwaffe unit during World War II, operating three fighter, night fighter, reconnaissance and ground support ''Gruppen'' (groups). ''Lehrgeschwader'' were in general mixed-formation uni ...
was attached to the ''gruppe'' but the combination could muster only 30 aircraft.
JG 51 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 51 (JG 51) was a German fighter wing during World War II. JG 51's pilots won more awards than any other fighter wing of the Luftwaffe, and operated in all major theatres of war. Its members included Anton Hafner, Heinz Bä ...
and the two bomber groups formed a provisional tactical command. The
4th Shock Army The 4th Shock Army was a combined arms army of the Soviet Armed Forces during World War II. The Army was formed from the 27th Army on 25 December 1941 (1st formation) within the Northwestern Front. On 1 October 1942 it included the 249th, 332 ...
captured the supply hub at
Toropets Toropets (russian: Торо́пец) is a town and the administrative center of Toropetsky District in Tver Oblast, Russia, located where the Toropa River enters Lake Solomennoye. Population: History In 1074, when the town was first menti ...
. The capture began a series of intensive battles which lasted another six months for III./StG 2 until withdrawn in May 1942. Recorded losses were six aircraft and one damaged. Eight men were reported missing, two killed and two wounded. The group was ordered to Markersdorf to rest and refit. It returned to the front to support the 1942 offensive towards
Voronezh Voronezh ( rus, links=no, Воро́неж, p=vɐˈronʲɪʂ}) is a city and the administrative centre of Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia straddling the Voronezh River, located from where it flows into the Don River. The city sits on t ...
, before returning to Vyazma on 14 August 1942. II./StG 2 spent two months building its strength. At the time combat operations started on the Volkhov front in March 1942, it possessed only 12 aircraft, barely the size of a ''staffel''. The group was in action over
Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...
and Leningrad, against the Baltic Fleet in April–the raids against shipping took place over the 24th to 27th of the month. I./StG 2 supported the relief of German forces trapped in the
Demyansk pocket The Demyansk Pocket (german: Kessel von Demjansk; russian: Демя́нский котёл) was the name given to the pocket of German troops encircled by the Red Army around Demyansk, south of Leningrad, during World War II's Eastern Front. Th ...
. On 12 February 1942 ''Gruppenkommandeur'' Dilly was shot down near
Staraya Russa Staraya Russa ( rus, Старая Русса, p=ˈstarəjə ˈrusːə) is a town in Novgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Polist River, south of Veliky Novgorod, the administrative center of the oblast. Its population has steadily decreased ov ...
but returned to German lines. By 13 March it claimed 25 Ju 87s operational but lost two ''Staffelkapitän'' killed. Few losses were experienced to fighters because the Ju 87s were escorted by Bf 109s from
JG 54 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 54 (JG 54) was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during the Second World War. JG 54 flew most of its missions on the Eastern Front where it claimed more than 9,600 aircraft shot down. It was the second-highest scoring wing in the Luftw ...
. Stab./StG 2 remained at the front. It had on strength 9
Messerschmitt Bf 110 The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engine (Des ...
s and one
Henschel Hs 123 The Henschel Hs 123 was a single-seat biplane dive bomber and close-support attack aircraft flown by the German '' Luftwaffe'' during the Spanish Civil War and the early to midpoint of World War II. It proved to be robust, durable and effectiv ...
. Three Bf 110s were lost from 31 January to 19 March 1942. The unit was still based at Vyazma on 22 March. The command was withdrawn to East Prussia in May 1942. I./StG 2 moved at
Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popula ...
in Austria to Akhtyrka airfield north west of Kharkov in June 1942. StG 2 remained with Richthofen's air corps, though now it subordinated to
Luftflotte 4 ''Luftflotte'' 4For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organisation (Air Fleet 4) was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed on March 18, 1939, from Luftwaffenkom ...
. From 22 June it supported German forces in the Battle of Voronezh, which formed part of Operation Blue, the 1942 German summer offensive into the Soviet Caucasus. The group began operating the Ju 87D at this time; it moved to Tatsinskaya Airfield on 20 July, then to Oblivskaya along the
Chir River The Chir (russian: Чир) is a river in Rostov and Volgograd oblasts of Russia. It is a right tributary of the Don, and is long, with a drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a sing ...
as the German 6th army advanced to
Stalingrad Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stalingrád, label=none; ) ...
. By mid-August it was bombing dug in Soviet armour west of the city. II./StG 2 lost 5 and 6 ''staffel'' commanding officers killed and wounded in the initial battles. The group fought at the
Battle of Kalach The Battle of Kalach) and English-language historiography. The Soviet history of World War II (История второй мировой войны 1939–1945 в двенадцати томах) considers the battles at Kalach to have been ...
in August, which defeated strong Soviet tank formations counter-attacking the 6th army. The
Regia Aeronautica The Italian Royal Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolis ...
21º Gruppo provided fighter escort during July 1942 owing to the lack of Bf 109 units available because of the actions over Stalingrad. The arrangement was not always adequate. On 25 July for example, 4./StG 2 lost four Ju 87s and their leader öbusin combat with the 434 IAP. The two groups, with SG 1 and
JG 3 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 (JG 3) "Udet" was a ''Luftwaffe'' fighter wing of World War II. The ''Geschwader'' operated on all the German fronts in the European Theatre of World War II. It was named after Ernst Udet, an important figure in the devel ...
helped the 6th army clear the Don Bend. In the battle for Kalach German air units dominated the sky and harried the
1st First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
and 4th Tank Armies. Despite the efforts of the Soviet
8th Air Army The 8th Air Army was a military formation of the Soviet Air Forces, active from around 1942 to 1949. It was formed June 13, 1942, order of the NKO number 00119 on June 9, 1942, on the basis of the Air Forces of the Southwestern Front. Since its ...
, the Kalach pocket was destroyed with the loss of 50,000 men and 1,000 tanks as German bomber formations attacked, troop, vehicle, tanks, rail and airfield targets. On 23 August 1942 the
Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later r ...
began with the
Bombing of Stalingrad Stalingrad, a Soviet city and industrial centre on the river Volga, was bombed heavily by the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Stalingrad in World War II. German land forces comprising the 6th Army had advanced to the suburbs of Stalingrad by Augus ...
from the air. Hozzel's wing was now based only 40 kilometres from the city. StG 2 was able to fly multiple missions per day and maintain a constant presence over the city. For the duration of the battle, this was "probably a typical day." The
62nd army The 62nd Army (russian: 62-я армия) was a field army established by the Soviet Union's Red Army during the Second World War. Formed as the 7th Reserve Army as part of the Reserve of the Supreme High Command in May 1942, the formation was desi ...
commanded by
Vasily Chuikov Vasily Ivanovich Chuikov (russian: link=no, Васи́лий Ива́нович Чуйко́в; ;  – 18 March 1982) was a Soviet Union, Soviet military commander and Marshal of the Soviet Union. He is best known for commanding the 62nd Arm ...
sought to negate the threat of German air attacks by engaging the 6th army in close combat. Hozzel remarked that StG 2 had to abandon traditional dive-bombing in favour of improvised tactics;
We had to do precision bombing to avoid danger to our troops entrenched too close to the target area. We could not risk making a dive-bombing attack from 4,000 metres because of the wide area of bomb dispersion. We had to fly a slant range attack, releasing bombs directly over the roofs. We had to push bombs directly into the target like loaves of bread into an oven, with one aircraft succeeding the other.
The heavy bombs employed by the ''Stukas'' were fitted with delayed-action fuses, and anti-tank warheads to penetrate roofs, buildings and bunkers. Hozzel described their impact; "As on a string of pearls, one plane followed the others within an interval of a few seconds, throwing the bombs onto an oblong target area divided amongst us. Not one missed its target." One Soviet soldier described the attacks as devastating to their defensive positions. Hozzel noted that the bombing was not as effective as German airmen believed. The infantry usually met a wall of return fire. Hozzel remarked that sometimes it seemed as if the "''Geschwader'' had dropped toy torpedoes instead of bombs." From 1 September II./StG 2 concentrated on sinking seaborne supply ships coming from east bank of the Volga. The ''Stukas'' proved effective in breaking up Soviet counters. On 5 September, the Soviet 24th and 66th Armies began an offensive against
XIV Panzer Corps XIV Panzer Corps (also: XIV Army Corps or XIV. ''Armeekorps'') was a corps-level formation of the German Army which fought on both the Eastern Front and in the Italian Campaign. History The XIV Panzer Corps was originally formed as the XIV Moto ...
. The Soviets withdrew after only a few hours. Of the 120 tanks the Soviets had committed, 30 were lost to air attack. On 18 September, the Soviet 1st Guards and 24th Army attacked at Kotluban. The ''Stukas'' claimed 41 of the 106 Soviet tanks knocked out that morning. On 25 September III./StG 2 experienced a reverse when the 283 IAD intercepted it with 20 Yak-1 fighters. Three Ju 87s were destroyed and seven damaged. Acting group commander Günther Schwarzel, in the absence of Preßler, returned to base at Oblivskaya but died of wounds later. III./StG 2 served on the central sector as the battle in Stalingrad intensified. Gustav Preßler's formation supported the
2nd Panzer Army The 2nd Panzer Army (german: 2. Panzerarmee) was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 2nd Panzer Group on October 5, 1941. Organisation Panzer Group Guderian (german: Panzergruppe Guderian) was formed on 5 June 194 ...
's Operation ''Wirbelwind'' east of
Roslavl Roslavl (russian: Ро́славль, ) is a town and the administrative center of Roslavlsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia. It is a road and rail junction and a market town. Population: Climate Roslavl has a warm-summer humid continent ...
. III./StG 2 claimed the destruction, with the army, of 385
Field artillery Field artillery is a category of mobile artillery used to support army, armies in the field. These weapons are specialized for mobility, tactical proficiency, short range, long range, and extremely long range target engagement. Until the ear ...
guns and 550 tanks. The group supported the defence against the Soviet Kozelsk Offensive and the Battle of Rzhev, Summer 1942. Of the recorded losses, from 15 August to 17 December 1942 on the central sector the group suffered eight aircraft lost and three damaged. In mid-January 1943 it moved south due to the deteriorating German position at Stalingrad. The condition of the formation on 20 September was 29 aircraft with 25 operational. A report on 1 January 1943 simply listed 23 aircraft on strength. The Ju 87 units flew an average of 500 sorties per day over Stalingrad through to November 1942, losing an average of only one Stuka per day. The Battle of Stalingrad marked the high point in the fortunes of the ''Stuka''. First group fought over Stalingrad continuously. By 20 September it had only 16 operational Ju 87s from 25. In late September it was withdrawn to
Stalino Donetsk ( , ; uk, Донецьк, translit=Donets'k ; russian: Донецк ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin and Stalino (see also: cities' alternative names), is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine lo ...
to rest and refit. In mid-October, after receiving reinforcements from the Caucasus theatre, the ''Luftwaffe'' intensified its efforts. ''Luftflotte'' 4 flew 1,250 sorties on 14 October and its ''Stukas'' dropped 550 tonnes of bombs. StG 1, 2, and 77 largely silenced Soviet artillery on the eastern bank of the
Volga The Volga (; russian: Во́лга, a=Ru-Волга.ogg, p=ˈvoɫɡə) is the longest river in Europe. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchm ...
before bombing shipping that tried to reinforce the pockets of resistance. The German attacks forced the defenders a strip of land on the western bank;, over 1,208 ''Stuka'' missions were flown in an effort to eliminate them. The previous day, II./StG 2 lost its future commander Martin Möbus wounded. On 19 November 1942 the Red Army began
Operation Uranus Operation Uranus (russian: Опера́ция «Ура́н», Operatsiya "Uran") was the codename of the Soviet Red Army's 19–23 November 1942 strategic operation on the Eastern Front of World War II which led to the encirclement of Axi ...
, an encirclement operation which encircled the German 6th army and several other Axis armies in Stalingrad. The chaos of the evacuation of Stalingrad, partial elements of II ''gruppe'', either some or all of 6 ''staffel'' under the command of ''
Oberleutnant () is the highest lieutenant officer rank in the German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. Austria Germany In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Tran ...
'' Heinz Jungclausen operated from inside the pocket until December. This unit flew 200 sorties from within Stalingrad. On 1 January 1943 no operational aircraft appeared in the record. After the Raid on Tatsinskaya, the airfield itself fell on 7 January and the group suffered heavy losses in ground personnel. The solitary remaining Ju 87 in 4 ''staffel'' was blown up to prevent its capture. StG 2 attempted to provide support for the Romanian 3rd Army and Romanian 4th Army on 21 November, contributing 141 dive bombing missions which cost it five Ju 87s. One group based at Tusov airfield 20 miles west of Kalach, escaped tanks of the 26th Soviet Tank Corps by flying away though other units were caught. Stab., I., and II./StG 2 reported 40 aircraft destroyed—17 to enemy action, 11 to other causes, six damaged and under repair and six sent to other units. The remainder are not specified in the Quartermaster records or StG 2's war diary. At least 25 Ju 87s were lost or severely damaged in November 1942. On 24 November 1942 another significant loss was Hauptmann Joachim Langbehn, a veteran of 400 combat missions. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross. A notable success occurred when Rudel led 1./StG 2 into combat against elements of the 5th Tank Army, 8th Cavalry Corps reached the airfield at Oblivskaya. The last tank was destroyed on the airfield perimeter. I./StG 2 was trapped inside at Karpovka airfield until the site was overrun by Soviet tanks. The group's ground personnel were utilised as infantry. Flying personnel relocated to Morosovskaya, north east of
Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East Eu ...
to continue operations in appalling weather conditions. The airfield was abandoned in the face of Soviet advances and five Ju 87s were destroyed by the group. It reported 44 Ju 87s on strength three days earlier and the group relocated to Nikolayev. 700 ground crew from StG 2 were left behind in Stalingrad. They formed an improvised Luftwaffe field battalion and were lost in the destruction of the pocket. The group supported the failed relief effort,
Operation Winter Storm Operation Winter Storm (german: Unternehmen Wintergewitter), a German offensive in December 1942 during World War II, involved the German 4th Panzer Army failing to break the Soviet encirclement of the German 6th Army during the Battle of ...
. By 25 December 1942 it had been reduced to a dozen operational machines. It scored some tactical successes and inflicted heavy losses on the 25th Tank Corps, the 1st Guards Mechanized Corps and their motorised formations approaching Morosovskaya, due in part to the Red Army advancing beyond air support and the weather improving. One pilot was able to fly nine missions without fearing Soviet fight opposition. III./StG 2 supported the defence of the 2nd Hungarian Army and the Italian 8th Army near Voronezh. The
Voronezh Front The 1st Ukrainian Front ( Russian: Пéрвый Украи́нский фронт), previously the Voronezh Front ( Russian: Воронежский Фронт) was a major formation of the Soviet Army during World War II, being equivalent to ...
reached the
Oskol River The Oskil ( uk, Оскiл) or Oskol (russian: Оскол) is a south-flowing river in Russia and Ukraine. It arises roughly between Kursk and Voronezh and flows south to join the Seversky Donets which flows southeast to join the Don. It is long, ...
when it came under attack by the group. Knight's Cross winner Siegfried Huber was killed in bad weather conditions, on his 434th combat mission representing the loss of another veteran. Dr Hermann Roer, III./StG 2 noted in his diary, "during its operations to ward off attacks against the German lines of defence, 4 ''staffel'' became almost obliterated."


Eastern Front 1943: Crimea, Kuban and Kursk

I./StG 2 did not return to Stalingrad. The remnants of the group were based at Samorsk, north of Kalach in the
Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a po ...
by 15 February 1943. Operating under ''Fliegerkorps'' VIII the formation fought against Soviet advances towards
Dnepropetrovsk Dnipro, previously called Dnipropetrovsk from 1926 until May 2016, is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper Rive ...
and the
Dnieper River } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine a ...
. Elements bombed the Black Sea port of
Novorossisk Novorossiysk ( rus, Новоросси́йск, p=nəvərɐˈsʲijsk; ady, ЦIэмэз, translit=Chəməz, p=t͡sʼɜmɜz) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities hon ...
on 27 February and it fought over the
Mius The Mius (, ) is a river in Eastern Europe that flows through Ukraine and Russia. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .Миус< ...
and
Taganrog Taganrog ( rus, Таганрог, p=təɡɐnˈrok) is a port city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, on the north shore of the Taganrog Bay in the Sea of Azov, several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: History of Taganrog The ...
front from Stalino, in the
Donets Basin The Seversky Donets () or Siverskyi Donets (), usually simply called the Donets, is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine (Kharkiv, Don ...
. The group also operated in the Kharkov area and around
Belgorod Belgorod ( rus, Белгород, p=ˈbʲeɫɡərət) is a city and the administrative center of Belgorod Oblast, Russia, located on the Seversky Donets River north of the border with Ukraine. Population: Demographics The population of ...
in March 1943. In the first half of April 1943, it fought over the
Kuban bridgehead The Kuban Bridgehead (german: Kuban-Brückenkopf), also known as the "Goth's head position" (), was a German military position on the Taman Peninsula, Russia, between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Existing from January to October 1943, the b ...
, on the
Taman Peninsula The Taman Peninsula (russian: Тама́нский полуо́стров, ''Tamanskiy poluostrov'') is a peninsula in the present-day Krasnodar Krai of Russia, which borders the Sea of Azov to the North, the Strait of Kerch to the West and th ...
from Kerch. On 16 April it bombed the beachhead at Novorossisk, where
Black Sea Fleet Chernomorskiy flot , image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet , dates = May 13, ...
infantry had made an amphibious landing. II./StG 2 supported the same operations, but fought at the
Third Battle of Kharkov The Third Battle of Kharkov was a series of battles on the Eastern Front of World War II, undertaken by Army Group South of Nazi Germany against the Soviet Red Army, around the city of Kharkov between 19 February and 15 March 1943. Known ...
. From 2 March to 27 June 1943, the group recorded the loss of 15 Ju 87s and one damaged. Nine men were posted missing, three wounded and six killed. III./StG 2 conducted wider ranging operations in 1943. The main body of the group was still at Vyazma but elements fought at Kharkov, then south along the Voronezh, Rossosh and Millerovo. Some ''staffeln'' were known to have fought at Third Kharkov. From 1 to 15 April, elements transferred from
Poltava Poltava (, ; uk, Полтава ) is a city located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the capital city of the Poltava Oblast (province) and of the surrounding Poltava Raion (district) of the oblast. Poltava is administratively ...
to Kerch and operate dover the Kuban bridgehead. The group prevented the advance of Soviet forces through to the
Sea of Azov The Sea of Azov ( Crimean Tatar: ''Azaq deñizi''; russian: Азовское море, Azovskoye more; uk, Азовське море, Azovs'ke more) is a sea in Eastern Europe connected to the Black Sea by the narrow (about ) Strait of Kerch, ...
from 5 May. The group used
incendiary bomb Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices, incendiary munitions, or incendiary bombs are weapons designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using fire (and sometimes used as anti-personnel weaponry), that use materials such as napalm, ...
s to burn off reeds and vegetation surrounding the lagoons and swamps to expose Soviet infantry. The group claimed the destruction of 427 small boats. The Soviets abandoned attempts to negotiate the region on 4 July. Nine Ju 87s were reported as destroyed and another two damaged; 9 crew were killed, one wounded and two missing. From 1943, the large numbers of
T-34 The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940. When introduced its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was less powerful than its contemporaries while its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against anti-tank weapons. The Ch ...
medium tank A medium tank is a classification of tanks, particularly prevalent during World War II which represented a compromise between the mobility oriented light tanks and the armour and armament oriented heavy tanks. A medium tank's classification ...
s created an urgent need for heavier aerial weapons to destroy them. The German aircraft industry failed to produce a replacement for the Ju 87, which forced its continued use with new weapons. The
BK 3,7 The Bordkanone 3,7 (BK 3,7) ("on-board cannon 3.7") was a German anti-tank/bomber autocannon of World War II and based on the earlier 3.7 cm Flak 18 made by Rheinmetall. It was mounted on Luftwaffe aircraft such as the Junkers Ju 87 G-1 and ...
cannon was introduced which operated on a remote pneumatic system rather than an electrically sighted mechanism. The weapon showed promise as an armour-piercing system. The muzzle velocity was 855 metres per second firing a 1.4 kg, 18 tungsten-cored explosive shell. It could penetrate 58 mm of armour at a 60 degree angle of impact at a range of 100 metres and 95mm armour could be penetrated at a range of 600 metres at a 90 degree horizontal trajectory. Further improvements allowed for penetrations of 140 mm of armour at the same range. The weight of the weapon required the wing to be strengthened which led to the Ju 87G-2. StG 2 were involved in loaning their experienced pilots to test the new Ju 87G.
Hans-Karl Stepp Hans-Karl Stepp (2 September 1914 – 12 December 2006) was a German ground attack pilot and wing commander during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, a grade of the highest award in the mili ...
ommander of StG 2 for the final 18 days of its existenceand
Hans-Ulrich Rudel Hans-Ulrich Rudel (2 July 1916 – 18 December 1982) was a German ground-attack pilot during World War II and a post-war neo-Nazi activist. The most decorated German pilot of the war and the only recipient of the Knight's Cross with Go ...
tested the new types. The Experimental Tank Fighting Unit went into battle near Bryansk on 18 March 1943 and accounted for a large number of the 116 Soviet tanks destroyed. Andreas Kuffner and Rudel became well-known and successful tank-busters on Ju 87Gs. In late June and early July 1943, StG 2 moved north to the Kharkov region in preparation for Operation ''Citadel'', the
Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the la ...
. Ernst Kupfer took command of the wing, effective from 13 March 1943. Stab./StG 2 moved to Kharkov-East and was followed by I./StG 2 on 4 July. The group reported 37 Ju 87s on 1 July. II./StG 2 moved to Kharkov-North on 5 July under the command of
Hans-Karl Stepp Hans-Karl Stepp (2 September 1914 – 12 December 2006) was a German ground attack pilot and wing commander during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, a grade of the highest award in the mili ...
rom 17 June 1943with 36 Ju 87s. III./StG 2 joined Stab. and I./StG 2 at Kharkov-East with 35 Ju 87s reported on 1 July 1943. StG 2 was engaged in the massive air battles on the southern sector. On 5 July it lost six ''Stukas''. With StG 77, it flew the bulk of the sorties for ''Fliegerkorps'' VIII on 8 July; some 701 missions in total. The wing provided close air support to the II SS Panzercorps. On 9 July StG 2 lost five of the six Ju 87s lost by the air corps. The losses of the 9 July was a stark warning to the dive-bomber forces that faced mounting difficulties in daylight operations over contested airspace. From 9 July, the number ''Stuka'' sorties fell from over 1,000 on 5 July to 700 to 800 in the following dayes, to half that from 10 July. The wing fought at the Battle of Prokhorovka, but StG 2 and 77 made their weakest contribution to the battle thus far. Only 150 combat sorties were flown between them; compared to 471 the previous day and 1,071 on 5 July. Rudel claimed 12 tanks—though his success and tanks kills have been questioned by historians and other German pilots. On 13 and 14 July the wing lost two aircraft on each day. During bombing missions to support the
4th Panzer Army The 4th Panzer Army (german: 4. Panzerarmee) (operating as Panzer Group 4 (german: 4. Panzergruppe) from its formation on 15 February 1941 to 1 January 1942, when it was redesignated as a full army) was a German panzer formation during World Wa ...
's 2nd SS Panzer Division at the village of Belenikhino, StG 2 lost another veteran, commander of 5./StG 2 Knight's Cross winner Günther Schmid. An irreplaceable veteran of 700 dive-bombing missions died when his Ju 87 exploded in mid-air near Vinogradovka. From 16 July StG 2 covered the German II SS Panzer Corps resisting
Operation Polkovodets Rumyantsev Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
. II./StG 2 lost three Ju 87s in combat. I. and III./StG 2 were rushed north on 15 July 1943 when a Soviet offensive,
Operation Kutuzov Operation Kutuzov was the first of the two counteroffensives launched by the Red Army as part of the Kursk Strategic Offensive Operation. It commenced on 12 July 1943, in the Central Russian Upland, against Army Group Center of the German '' He ...
threatened to destroy the 9th army and
2nd Panzer Army The 2nd Panzer Army (german: 2. Panzerarmee) was a German armoured formation during World War II, formed from the 2nd Panzer Group on October 5, 1941. Organisation Panzer Group Guderian (german: Panzergruppe Guderian) was formed on 5 June 194 ...
. Upon third group's arrival the commander Hauptmann Walter Krauss was killed in an air raid on Orel-East on 16/17 July. Rudel succeeded him. Egbert Jäckel commanding 2./StG 2 was killed later in the day—another Knight'sCross winner. The air operations by ''Fliegerdivision'' 1, to which StG 2 was attached, succeeded in halting the Western Front's advance. 449 Ju 87 missions were flown on 18 July. SG 1 and SG 2 were heavily involved in the repulse of the Soviet advancement on the Orel-Bryansk communication lines. Staffelkapitän Heinz Junclaussen, of 1./StG 2, claimed the cannon-armed Ju 87s inflicted a heavy toll on Soviet armour. The Soviet official history conceded the failure of the 11th Guards Army was due to German aviation. The 1st Tanks Corps had only 33 tanks remaining at the end of the action on 20 July. The following day StG 2 lost another of its irreplaceable Knight's Cross winners. William Hörner, commanding 9./StG 2. The cost of the Kursk operations for StG 2 was 30 Ju 87s from 5 to 31 July 1943. Five of the ''Geschwader's'' Knight's Cross recipients were killed.


Retreat and disbandment

The Soviet summer offensives drove the Wehrmacht and its allies back into
Central Ukraine Central Ukraine ( uk, Центральна Україна, ''Tsentralna Ukraina'') consists of historical regions of left-bank Ukraine and right-bank Ukraine that reference to the Dnipro River. It is situated away from the Black Sea Littoral N ...
, from August through to October 1943. I./StG 2 retreated to
Karachev Karachev (russian: Карачев) is an ancient town and the administrative center of Karachevsky District in Bryansk Oblast, Russia. Population: History First chronicled in 1146, it was the capital of one of the Upper Oka Principalities in ...
by 19 July. From 14 August it operated at
Poltava Poltava (, ; uk, Полтава ) is a city located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the capital city of the Poltava Oblast (province) and of the surrounding Poltava Raion (district) of the oblast. Poltava is administratively ...
, and then along the Mius front, in the vicinity of Stalino and over Dmitriyevka, 84 km east of
Dnepropetrovsk Dnipro, previously called Dnipropetrovsk from 1926 until May 2016, is Ukraine's fourth-largest city, with about one million inhabitants. It is located in the eastern part of Ukraine, southeast of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on the Dnieper Rive ...
by 29 August. The group ended operations at Pervomaisk on 18 October 1943. Of the losses recorded, there were seven Ju 87s destroyed and two damaged from 20 August to 18 October 1943. Among the victims was commanding officer, Alwin Börst, wounded in action on 27 September 1943. II./StG 2 remained active over
Donets The Seversky Donets () or Siverskyi Donets (), usually simply called the Donets, is a river on the south of the East European Plain. It originates in the Central Russian Upland, north of Belgorod, flows south-east through Ukraine ( Kharkiv, D ...
, Nikopol,
Zaporozhye Zaporizhzhia ( uk, Запоріжжя) or Zaporozhye (russian: Запорожье) is a city in southeast Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative centre of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Zaporizhzhia has a populat ...
and the
Kherson Kherson (, ) is a port city of Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located on the Black Sea and on the Dnieper River, Kherson is the home of a major ship-building industry and is a regional economic centre. In ...
bridgehead. From August to October 1943 it recorded eight losses and one damaged. 5./StG commanding officer, Peter Keller was killed on 28 October. The group was uniquely exempted for redesignation in October 1943 and continued to exist as an independent group attached first to
Luftflotte 6 Luftflotte 6For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organisation (Air Fleet 6) was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed on May 5, 1943 from Luftwaffenkommando Ost ...
, then
luftflotte 4 ''Luftflotte'' 4For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organisation (Air Fleet 4) was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed on March 18, 1939, from Luftwaffenkom ...
. In January 1944, 4 and 6./StG 2 departed the front for Neisse in
Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, locate ...
where they were renamed 10.(Pz SG 3 and 10.(Pz)/ SG 7 on 7 March 1944. They were re-equipped with the Ju 87G. Nothing is known of the units' activities in November and December 1944. III./StG 2 remained in action supporting the 1st Panzer Army in the
Kremenchug Kremenchuk (; uk, Кременчу́к, Kremenchuk ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnipro River. The city serves as the administrative center of the Kremenchuk Raion (district) in Poltava Oblast (pro ...
and Kirovograd sector in September, and were engaged in bridge attacks in the same regions as II./StG 2. It attacked Soviet bridgeheads along the
Dnieper } The Dnieper () or Dnipro (); , ; . is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. It is the longest river of Ukraine and ...
from Stalino to
Melitopol Melitopol ( uk, Меліто́поль, translit=Melitópol’, ; russian: Мелитополь; based on el, Μελιτόπολις - "honey city") is a city and municipality in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in southeastern Ukraine. Melitopol has been ...
. The group was renamed at Kostromka on 18 October 1943.


Commanding officers

;Geschwaderkommodore *Oberstleutnant Oskar Dinort, 15 October 1939 – 15 October 1941 *Oberstleutnant Paul-Werner Hozzel, 16 October 1941 – 1 March 1943 *Oberst Dr. Ernst Kupfer, 1 March 1943 – 20 September 1943 *Oberstleutnant
Hans-Karl Stepp Hans-Karl Stepp (2 September 1914 – 12 December 2006) was a German ground attack pilot and wing commander during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, a grade of the highest award in the mili ...
, 1 October 1943 – 18 October SG_2_thereafter.html" ;"title="nd with SG 2 thereafter">nd with SG 2 thereafter ;Gruppenkommandeure ;I./StG 2 *Major Oskar Dinort, 1 May 1939 – 1 October 1939 *Hauptmann Hubertus Hitschhold, 1 October 1939 – 15 October 1941 *Major
Bruno Dilley 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 the Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was aw ...
, 15 October 1941 – 15 October 1943 *Major Dieter Pekrun, October 1941 - December 1941 (acting) *Hauptmann Otto Weiß, 4 January 1942 - 22 October 1942 *Hauptmann Frank Neubert, September 1942 (acting) *Hauptmann Hans-Joachim Lehmann, 1 October 1942 - 23 October 1942 (acting) *Major Siebelt Reents, 23 October 1942 - January 1943 *Hauptmann Bruno Dilley, 8 January 1943 - 1 April 1943 *Hauptmann Wilhelm Hobein, 2 April 1943 - 23 September 1943 *Hauptmann Alwin Börst, 24 September 1943 - 18 October 1943 ;II./StG 2 *Hauptmann Ulrich Schmidt 1 May 1939 – 9 September 1939 *Hauptmann Claus Hinkelbein 10 September 1939 – 26 October 1939 *Major Georg Fitze 27 October 1939 – 15 December 1939 *Hauptmann Walter Enneccerus, 16 December 1939 – July 1941 *Hauptmann Leonhard Busselt July 1941 – 4 December 1941 *Hauptmann Schlitte (possibly Schutte; acting) 5 December 1941 – 13 January 1942 *Hauptmann Dieter Pekrun February 1942 (acting) *Major Ernst Kupfer 6 January 1942 – 1 April 1942 ate is not certain and sources conflict*Hauptmann Martin Möbus 13 February 1943 – 16 June 1943 *Hauptmann Hans-Joachim Lehmann (acting) May 1943 *
Hans-Karl Stepp Hans-Karl Stepp (2 September 1914 – 12 December 2006) was a German ground attack pilot and wing commander during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, a grade of the highest award in the mili ...
17 June 1943 – 9 September 1943 *Hauptmann Maximilian Otte 10 September 1943 – 18 October 1943 ;III./StG 2 *Hauptmann Ernst Ott 1 June 1939 – 15 April 1940 *Major Clemens Graf von Schönborn-Wiesentheid 16 April 1940 – 15 June 1940 *Hauptmann Heinrich Brücker, 16 June 1940 – 31 July 1941 *Hauptmann Ernst-Siegfried Steen, 1 August 1941 - 23 September 1941 ( killed in action) *Hauptmann Günther Schwarzel 24 September 1941 – 30 September 1941 *Hauptmann Gustav Preßler, 1 October 1941 – March 1943 *Hauptmann Rudolf Schwarze March 1943 (acting) *Hauptmann Walter Krauß, 18 May 1943 – 17 July 1943 (killed in action) *Hauptmann
Hans-Ulrich Rudel Hans-Ulrich Rudel (2 July 1916 – 18 December 1982) was a German ground-attack pilot during World War II and a post-war neo-Nazi activist. The most decorated German pilot of the war and the only recipient of the Knight's Cross with Go ...
, 18 July 1943 – 18 October 1943 ;10. (Pz)/StG 2 *Oberleutnant Helmut Schübel, 17 June 1943 *Leutnant of the Reserve Anton Korol, 1 September 1944


See also

* Organization of the Luftwaffe during World War II


References


Citations


Bibliography

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Further reading

* * * * * * * * * * * {{Subject bar , portal1=Aviation , portal2=Military of Germany , portal3=World War II , commons=y Luftwaffe Wings Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943