A Ergänzungs-Jagdgeschwader (EJG) were
Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
replacement training units which were part of a larger operational
Jagdgeschwader. The Germans were sometimes forced to undertake operations and training simultaneously. In 1944, the Luftwaffe formed two of these units, EJG 1 and EJG 2, by combining various training and experimental units. Its commanders included
Viktor Bauer
Viktor Bauer (15 September 1915 – 13 December 1969) was a former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with ...
and Werner Andres.
Ergänzungs-Jagdgeschwader 1
The ''
Geschwader
This is a list of words, terms, concepts, and slogans that have been or are used by the German military. Ranks and translations of nicknames for vehicles are included. Also included are some general terms from the German language found frequently ...
'' EJG 1 was formed in early 1944 from ''
Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe West'', ''Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Nord'' and ''
Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost''. The ''
Geschwaderstab'' (headquarters unit) was based in
Märkisch Friedland, present-day Mirosławiec in Poland, while the ''
Staffeln'' (squadrons) were based on airfields in
Pomerania
Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...
,
Brandenburg
Brandenburg, officially the State of Brandenburg, is a States of Germany, state in northeastern Germany. Brandenburg borders Poland and the states of Berlin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Saxony. It is the List of Ger ...
,
Lausitz, present-day Lusatia, and
Silesia
Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
. Initially, the unit was conceived as a training unit for fighter pilots. The deteriorating war situation forced Luftwaffe training units into combat operations. In January 1945, an ''Einsatzgruppe'', an operational combat group, was created and deployed on the
Oder
The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...
where they fought in the
Vistula–Oder offensive. In March/April 1945, the unit was disbanded and its pilots were assigned to other ''Jagdgeschwader''.
Ergänzungs-Jagdgeschwader 2
In late 1944, EJG 2 was formed from various ''
Erprobungskommando
An ''Erprobungskommando'' (EKdo) ("Testing-command") was a variety of Luftwaffe special-purpose unit tasked with the testing of new aircraft and weaponry under operational conditions. Similarly-named ''Erprobungs-''prefixed squadron ''(staffel)'' ...
s'', experimental test units, primarily for conversion training to the
Messerschmitt Me 262
The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed (German for "Swallow") in fighter versions, or ("Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, is a fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber that was designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messers ...
jet fighter, the
Messerschmitt Me 163
The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet is a rocket-powered interceptor aircraft primarily designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt. It is the only operational rocket-powered fighter aircraft in history as well as ...
rocket fighter and
Heinkel He 162
Heinkel Flugzeugwerke () was a German aircraft manufacturing company founded by and named after Ernst Heinkel. It is noted for producing bomber aircraft for the Luftwaffe in World War II and for important contributions to high-speed flight, wit ...
jet fighter. The ''Geschwaderstab'' was based at
Sprottau, present-day Szprotawa in western Poland. The unit had been formed with three ''
Gruppen
''Gruppen'' ( German for "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-cen ...
'' (groups). I. ''Group'' was equipped with the
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the Nazi Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt#History, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the ...
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, the ...
piston engine
A reciprocating engine, more often known as a piston engine, is a heat engine that uses one or more Reciprocating motion, reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a Circular motion, rotating motion. This article ...
fighters and based at airfields northwest of
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. II. ''Gruppe'', a "blind" or bad weather flying unit, was located at
Ludwigslust. III. ''Gruppe'' was equipped with the Me 262 jet aircraft and was based at
Lechfeld Airfield. The ''Geschwader'' was led by ''Major'' Werner Andres. On 13 February 1945, ''Oberstleutnant''
Heinrich Bär was given command of III. ''Gruppe''. On 23 April, Bär relocated III. ''Gruppe'' of EJG 2 to
Munich-Riem Airfield where
''Jagdverband'' 44 (JV 44—44th Fighter Detachment), led by the former ''General der Jagdflieger''
Adolf Galland
Adolf Josef Ferdinand Galland (19 March 1912 – 9 February 1996) was a German Luftwaffe general and flying ace who served throughout the Second World War in Europe. He flew 705 combat missions and fought on the Western Front and in the Defenc ...
, was based. There, III./EJG 2 was disbanded and its pilots assigned to JV 44.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Erganzungs-Jagdgeschwader
Fighter wings of the Luftwaffe 1933-1945