''Kampfgruppe'' 100 (KGr 100) was a specialist unit of the
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...
during the early stages of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
. It is best known as the first unit to use the "pathfinder" concept, with its aircraft being equipped with the latest
radio navigation
Radio navigation or radionavigation is the application of radio frequencies to determine a position of an object on the Earth, either the vessel or an obstruction. Like radiolocation, it is a type of radiodetermination.
The basic principles a ...
aids to find their targets and then dropping
flares
A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala in some Latin-speaking countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illumination, ...
on them to mark the target for the following
bomber
A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an air ...
s.
The unit first formed out of parts of ''Luftnachrichten Abteilung 100'' at Köthen on 18 November 1939 with a HQ unit and two squadrons, 1./ and 2./KGr 100. In keeping with typical Luftwaffe organization, Kampfgruppe 100 was later expanded to three squadrons, all flying the
Heinkel He 111H.
On 15 December 1941 the unit was used as the basis for the greatly expanded
Kampfgeschwader 100
''Kampfgeschwader'' 100 (KG 100) was a ''Luftwaffe'' medium and heavy bomber wing of World War II and the first military aviation unit to use a precision-guided munition (the Fritz X anti-ship glide bomb) in combat to sink a warship (the Itali ...
, becoming I.''Gruppe''/KG 100.
[Michael Holm]
"Kampfgruppe 100"
/ref>
The distinguishing alphanumeric ''Geschwaderkennung'' code for both KGr 100 and its later wing-sized successor unit was 6N.
References
* Balke, Ulf. "Kampfgeschwader 100 "Wiking" : eine Geschichte aus Kriegstagebüchern, Dokumenten und Berichten : 1934-1945", Motorbuch Verlag, 1981
* de Zeng, H.L; Stankey, D.G; Creek, E.J. ''Bomber Units of the Luftwaffe 1933-1945; A Reference Source, Volume 1''. Ian Allan Publishing, 2007.
* Goss, Chris. (2000). ''The Luftwaffe Bombers' Battle of Britain''. Crecy, Manchester.
* Goss, Chris. (2010). ''The Luftwaffe's Blitz: The Inside Story, November 1940—May 1941''. Crecy, Manchester.
* Hooton, E.R. (1994). ''Phoenix Triumphant: The Rise and Rise of the Luftwaffe''. Arms & Armour, .
* James, T.C.G and Cox, Sebastian. ''The Battle of Britain''. Frank Cass, London. 2000.
* Wakefield, Ken (1999). ''Pfadfinder: Luftwaffe Pathfinder Operations Over Britain''. NPI Media Group.
Luftwaffe Wings
Radar signal processing
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