Staffel and Gruppe Composition

[wiltaz]

There are plenty of sources around that talk about how Staffels and Gruppen were organized. But they always focus on the number of aircraft. What I'm looking for is alittle more general information on what was assigned to support those aircraft. Any pilot account will mention ground crew and mechanics but not alot of specifics.

I've read that Staffels had a small repair shop to perform general maintenance and that the Luftgau's regional airdrome commands provides further maintenance in overhauls and major repairs. This group also provides for bombs, supplies and fuel stores.

From this I've gathered each air unit had a staff, aircraft, pilots and aircraft mechanics in addition to some vehicles. But most of the support was provided at the airfield they were stationed. So if they transferred I'm assuming the aircraft flew ahead and the staff and support personal followed by truck, while the new airfield supplied support while the rest of the unit was in route. Is that assumption good?

Does anyone know general compositions of mechanics assigned to units based on the number of aircraft? Since german air groups could be organized with a varying number of aircraft I figure they tried to keep a certain ratio. How large where the airdrome organizations that provided further support as I assume they had additional mechanics, armorers and ground crews for bomb loading.

[Lorenz]

There are plenty of sources around that talk about how Staffels and Gruppen were organized. But they always focus on the number of aircraft. What I'm looking for is alittle more general information on what was assigned to support those aircraft. Any pilot account will mention ground crew and mechanics but not alot of specifics.
I've read that Staffels had a small repair shop to perform general maintenance and that the Luftgau's regional airdrome commands provides further maintenance in overhauls and major repairs. This group also provides for bombs, supplies and fuel stores.
From this I've gathered each air unit had a staff, aircraft, pilots and aircraft mechanics in addition to some vehicles. But most of the support was provided at the airfield they were stationed. So if they transferred I'm assuming the aircraft flew ahead and the staff and support personal followed by truck, while the new airfield supplied support while the rest of the unit was in route. Is that assumption good?
Does anyone know general compositions of mechanics assigned to units based on the number of aircraft? Since german air groups could be organized with a varying number of aircraft I figure they tried to keep a certain ratio. How large where the airdrome organizations that provided further support as I assume they had additional mechanics, armorers and ground crews for bomb loading.

I thought anyone from Chesapeake/VA would be busy pumping out their basements this morning.

The scope of the subject you are asking about is immense, as it varied for each different type of Staffel and Gruppe (Aufklärungs-, Jagd-, Schlacht-, Kampf-, Transport-, etc.), for different periods during the war, and for changes in the methodology of how maintenance was to be performed. Every unit down to the Trupp and Zug level had a KStN and a KAN that specified the exact number of individuals that were to fill each job slot and in what rank they would be. The KAN specified how many vehicles and of what type were required, how many wrenches and screwdrivers and of what type each Schlosser (Metalworker) and Mechaniker (mechanic) would have, etc., etc. There were thousands of different KStNs and KANs. Unfortunately, many of them did not survive the war, but enough did to provide a good overview of this subject. The Garber Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Museum in Silver Hill, Maryland, has recently discovered and catalogued nearly 300 microfilm rolls of Luftwaffe KStNs and KANs, so the finite details of what you are asking about are within easy driving distance of Chesapeake.

To your third paragraph that ends in a question mark, that is essentially correct in general terms except for the last part. Each of the Aufklärungs-, Jagd-, Sturzkampf- and Schlacht- units had their own large servicing and repair element of c.100 officers and men that took care of all level I and level II maintenance requirements. When these units transferred, this element followed the aircraft by truck provided they could reach the new airfield within 24 hours. If not, they were flown to it by Ju 52. Kampf- and Transport- units, on the other hand, had huge maintenance companies called Flughafen-Betriebs-Kpn., with one or more to each Gruppe. During a transfer, they moved to the new location by truck, train or partially by air.

From spring 1943 to the end of the war, the unit Flgh.Betr.Kpn. were disbanded and replaced with Feldwerftverbände, Flughafen-Betriebs-Kp. (Qu), Flugzeug-Wartungs-Züge, Feldwerft-Abt. z.b.V., Werft-Abt. d.Lw., Werft-Kp. d.Lw., Werftzüge, and a host of other specialized maintenance units. These tended to remain at the larger airfields to supplement the Werft-Kp. that was organic to the Fliegerhorstkommandantur that staffed and ran the airfield. This gave these airfields full maintenance capability up to but not including depot level. Depot level maintenance was carried out by the civilian contractor organization that set up Frontreparaturbetrieb overhaul shops all over occupied Europe and even a number of them that were tmot (partially motorized) and could operate fairly close to the front.

Finally, you asked about the size of the airdrome organization. Air base commands (Fliegerhorstkommandanturen) were ranked either A or E. The former were the larger rear area air bases that had expanded organizations of 550 to 750. The latter (Einsatzhafen) were forward airfields that had anywhere from 175 to 500 personnel. There were also smaller detachments called Flugplatzkommandos that staffed airfields and airstrips that were used for dispersal and other purposes and therefore had few services and small staffs of 40 to 160 personnel. And don't forget the seaplane stations (Fl.H.Kdtr. (See)).

As for the Kommando Flughafenbereich (abbreviated Koflug), that's a whole different subject. It filled an administrative role and had a TO&E strength of 44 in 1943. Nearly all of the 44 were officers and were mainly concerned with management of the Koflug's subordinate Fliegerhorstkommandanturen and provided logistical support to them. Attached to the Koflug were a number of maintenance, supply, motor transport, construction, security and signal units as necessity dictated. These specialized units were all independently numbered and were moved in and out as required. The Koflug controlled their use within its area of responsibility.

HTH,

--Lorenz

[wiltaz]

Thanks for the response and all the info. Very helpful. I knew the overall topic had immense detail in an answer, which was why I wasn't expecting breakdowns of all the types of units and personnel. I was just trying to get a general feel of how much and what types of support there were and who were they attached to. Like I said I read a breakdown that gave some info like what I listed about repair shops at the Staffel level, but wasn't even sure if it was correct. And I wanted some confirmation that my guesses based on what I read weren't too far off.

As for being in Chesapeake we're rather lucky this time around. Didn't lose power and only lost three shutters, although all have been recovered and have to be remounted. Other than branches all over the yard and since we have no basement the cleanup will be minimal compared to past storms.

[Lorenz]

As for being in Chesapeake we're rather lucky this time around. Didn't lose power and only lost three shutters, although all have been recovered and have to be remounted. Other than branches all over the yard and since we have no basement the cleanup will be minimal compared to past storms.

Way to go! As a victim of Charley and Frances in 2004, I just hope I'm as lucky as you are the next time we get hit here in East-Central Florida (knock on wood).

--Lorenz

[Njorl]

Hi wiltaz,

Please check the Christoph Anwender's site http://www.wwiidaybyday.com/. There is a composition of Jagdstaffel (zu 15 Einsitzern) in "OoB´s,Gliederungen, KStN". This may be a good start.

Hope this helps (provided you haven't already found this )