Asisbiz history section Luftwaffe Unit Kampfgeschwader 40

Kampfgeschwader 40

Geschwaderkommodoren:

Obstlt Hans Geisse, Jul 1940 - 7 Sep 1940
Maj Edgar Petersen, Apr 1941 - Sep 1941
Obstlt Dr. Georg Pasewaldt, Sep 1941 - 31 Dec 1941
Oberst Karl Mehnert, Jan 1942 - 1942
Oberst Martin Vetter, 1942 - 1 Sep 1943
Oberst Rupprecht Heyn, 2 Sep 1943 - Nov 1944
Oberst Hanns Heise, Nov 1944 - Feb 1945

Stab:

Formed in Jul 1940 at Bordeaux-Merignac. On 22 Dec 1940 redesignated Stab/KG28.

Reformed 1 Apr 1941 at Bordeaux-Merignac. In October 1944 transferred to Germany, and was to begin conversion to Me 262 fighters. Disbanded 2 Feb 1945.

Airfields and Air Base Locations
Date	Location	Gruppe	Aircraft Used
Jul 1940 - Dec 1940	Bordeaux-Merignac	9. Flieger-Dvision IX. Fliegerkorps (from Oct 1940)	He 111H

Apr 1941 - Jul 1944	Bordeaux-Merignac	Fl. Fü. Atlantik X. Fliegerkorps (from Apr 1944)	Fw 200C, Ju 88A
Jul 1944 - Oct 1944	Gardermoen	Luftflotte 5	Fw 200C
Oct 1944 - Dec 1944	Schwabisch-Hall	Luftflotte 10	none
Dec 1944 - Feb 1945	Lübeck-Blankensee	Luftflotte 10	none

I. Gruppe:

Gruppenkommandeure:

Maj Edgar Petersen, 1 Nov 1939 - Apr 1941
Hptm Daser, Apr 1941 -
Hptm Fritz Fliegel, 1942
?

1./KG40 was formed 1 Nov 1939 at Bremen with Fw 200C bombers. Stab I. and 2./KG40 was formed 1 May 1940, and 3./KG40 on 1 Jun 1940.

In Sep 1940 3./KG40 became Ausb.Sta./KG40, and was reformed. In Jun 1942 2./KG40 and 7./KG40 exchanged designations.

In early Jan 1943 1. and 3./KG40 moved to Stalino as KGrzbV 200 (to transport supplies to Stalingrad). Both staffeln would later be united as the new 8./KG40. A new 1. and 3./KG40 began forming in Fassberg with He 177 bombers from Jan 1943.

In Dec 1943 2./KG40 and 8./KG40 exchanged designations.

Was to begin conversion to Me 262 fighters in Oct 1944. Disbanded 2 Feb 1945.

Airfields and Air Base Locations
Date	Location	Gruppe	Aircraft Used
1 Nov 1939 - 15 Apr 1940	Bremen	ObdL	Fw 200C, He 111
15 Apr 1940 - 25 Apr 1940	Aalborg-West	X. Fliegerkorps	Fw 200C
25 Apr 1940 - 12 Jun 1940	Copenhagen (Kastrup)	X. Fliegerkorps	Fw 200C
12 Jun 1940 - 17 Mar 1942	Bordeaux-Merignac*	9. Flieger-Division IX. Fliegerkorps (from Oct 1940) Fl. Fü. Atlantik (from Apr 1941)	Fw 200C, He 111H
17 Mar 1942 - Jan 1943	Trondheim-Vaernes**	Fl. Fü. Nord (West)	Fw 200C
Jan 1943 - 19 Dec 1943	Fassberg**	Luftwaffenbefehlshaber Mitte	He 177
19 Dec 1943 - Jan 1944	Chateaudun***	IX. Fliegerkorps	He 177
Jan 1944 - 15 May 1944	Fassberg	Luftflotte Reich	He 177
15 May 1944 - 18 Jun 1944	Orleans-Bricy		He 177
18 Jun 1944 - 12 Jul 1944	Toulouse-Blagnac	IX. Fliegerkorps	He 177
Jul 1944 - Oct 1944	Trondheim-Vaernes	Luftflotte 5	He 177
Oct 1944 - Dec 1944	Schwabisch-Hall	Luftflotte 10	none
Dec 1944 - Feb 1945	Neuburg	Luftflotte 10	none

* part of the unit at Heraklion and Eleusis (X. Fliegerkorps) Aug 1941 - Sep 1941.

** In Nov 1943 2./KG40 in Trondheim-Vaernes with Fw 200C, moved to Germany and was disbanded. A new 2./KG40 was formed from 8./KG40 with He 177. The 3./KG40 moved to Trondheim-Vaernes in Nov 1943, probably still with Fw 200C. 3./KG40 remained in Norway (Trondheim), until joined by the rest of the Gruppe in Jul 1944.

*** Only 1./KG40 and about half of 2./KG40 moved to Chateaudun.

II. Gruppe:

Gruppenkommandeure:

Hptm Wendt Freiherr von Schlippenbach, Jan 1941 - 7 Apr 1942
Hptm Waldemar Hörner zu Drewer, 8 Apr 1942 - 25 Jun 1942
Maj Martin Kustner, 28 Jun 1942 - 19 Jun 1943
?

4./KG40 was formed 1 Jan 1941 with He 111 bombers, while the rest of the Gruppe was formed 1 May 1941 at Lüneburg, with Do 217:

Stab II./KG40 new
4./KG40
5./KG40 new

6./KG40 new

In late May 1943 began conversion to Me 410 destroyers. In Jun 1943 redesignated V./KG2 with :

Stab II./KG40 became Stab V./KG2
4./KG40 became 14./KG2
5./KG40 became 15./KG2
6./KG40 became 5./KG2

Reformed 25 Oct 1943 at Burg-Magdeburg from I./KG50 with:

Stab II./KG40 from Stab I./KG50
4./KG40 from 1./KG50
5./KG40 from 2./KG50
6./KG40 from 3./KG50

and moved to Bordeaux-Merignac. Conducted training missions at Graz with Hs 293 missiles. Was to begin conversion to Me 262 fighters in Oct 1944. Disbanded 2 Feb 1945.

Airfields and Air Base Locations
Date	Location	Gruppe	Aircraft Used
Jan 1941 - Jul 1941	Lüneburg	Luftwaffenbefehlshaber Mitte	He 111, Do 217
Jul 1941 - Sep 1941	Cognac	Fl. Fü. Atlantik	He 111, Do 217
Sep 1941 - 17 Mar 1943	Soesterberg	IX. Fliegerkorps	Do 217
17 Mar 1943 - Jun 1943	Gilze Rijen	IX. Fliegerkorps	Do 217, Me 410

25 Oct 1943 - Jul 1944	Bordeaux-Merignac*	Fl. Fü. Atlantik X. Fliegerkorps (from Apr 1944)	He 177
Jul 1944 - Oct 1944	Gardermoen	Luftflotte 5	He 177
Oct 1944 - Dec 1944	Schwäbisch Hall		He 177
Dec 1944 - Feb 1945	Parchim	Luftflotte 10	none

* 4./KG40 at Toulouse-Blagnac, 14.6 - 16 Jun 1944; 6./KG40 at Tarbes, 14.6 - 20 Jun 1944

III. Gruppe:

Gruppenkommandeure:

?
Hptm Robert Kowalewski, Aug 1941 - Sep 1943
?
Maj Dr. Lambert von Konschegg, ? - Feb 1945

Formed 24 Mar 1941 at Brest-Lanveoc from I./KG1 with:

Stab III./KG40 from Stab I./KG1
7./KG40 from 1./KG1
8./KG40 from 2./KG1
9./KG40 from 3./KG1

Dec 1941 - May 1942 converted to Fw 200C bombers, beginning with the 7. staffel.

In Jun 1942 7./KG40 and 2./KG40 exchanged designations.

In Feb 1943 a new 8./KG40 was formed from 1. and 3./KG40. In Dec 1943 8./KG40 and 2./KG40 exchanged designations.

Was to begin conversion to Me 262 fighters in Sep 1944. In Oct 1944 8./KG40 became Transport Staffel Condor. III./KG40 was disbanded 2 Feb 1945.

Airfields and Air Base Locations
Date	Location	Gruppe	Aircraft Used
Mar 1941 - ?Jun 1941	Brest-Lanveoc	Fl. Fü. Atlantik	He 111
?Jun 1941 - Nov 1943	Bordeaux-Merignac*	Fl. Fü. Atlantik	He 111, Fw 200C
Nov 1943 - Jul 1944	Cognac**	X. Fliegerkorps	Fw 200C
Jul 1944 - Sep 1944	Trondheim-Vaernes	Luftflotte 5	Fw 200C
Sep 1944 - Feb 1945	Lübeck-Blankensee	Luftflotte 10	none

* 9./KG40 at Rennes in Apr 1942. The 9./KG40 was stationed at Soesterberg during Operation Cerberus Feb 1942. Between Oct 1942 and Feb 1943 9./KG40 operated in the Mediterranean, flying supplies to Afrika, first between Crete and Tobruk, and later between Lecce and Tunisia. Apparently also 7./KG40 flew some of these missions. From Mar 1943 8./KG40 began conversion to He 177 at Fassberg, while 7./KG40 was based at Cognac and 9./KG40 at Bordeaux-Merignac.

** Part of the Gruppe was based at Avord, Feb 1944 - Mar 1944; 7./KG40 at St. Jean d'Angely, Feb 1944 - Jul 1944.

IV. (Erg.) Gruppe:

Gruppenkommandeure:

Olt Edmund Daser, 15 Apr 1941 - 31 Aug 1941
Maj Roman Dawczynski, Sep 1941 - 1943
Hptm Albrecht Kuntze, 1943 - 5 Jul 1943
?
Hptm Siegfried Freiherr von Cramm, 6 Nov 1944 - 22 Jan 1945

Ausbildungsstaffel/KG40 was formed 19 Mar 1940 at Lüneburg from 3./KG40. On 22 Dec 1940 redesignated Ergänzungsstaffel/KG28.

Erg.Sta./KG40 was formed 15 Apr 1941 in Lüneburg, and on 1 Sep 1941 became Stab IV./KG40, now at Lechfeld:

Stab IV./KG40 from Erg.Sta./KG40
10./KG40 new
11./KG40 new
12./KG40 new

On 20 May 1942 10./KG40 became 15./KG40, and was reformed Jun 1942.

17./KG40 was formed 17 Sep 1943 in Brandenburg-Briest from 4.(Erg.)/KG50.

On 1 Nov 1943 10./KG40 became 3./Erg.Zerst.Gr., and IV./KG40 was reorganised:

Stab IV./KG40
10./KG40 from 17./KG40
11./KG40 (old)
12./KG40 (old)
13./KG40 new (1 Jan 1944)

On 12 Jul 1944 redesignated Ergänzungs-Kampfgruppe 177

Stab IV./KG40 was disbanded
10./KG40 became 1./ErgKGr 177
11./KG40 became 2./ErgKGr 177
12./KG40 disbanded
12./KG40 disbanded

Reformed 6 Nov 1944 in Neuburg from Ergänzungs-Kampfgruppe 177 with:

Stab IV./KG40 from Stab/ErgKGr 177
10./KG40 from 1./ErgKGr 177
11./KG40 from 2./ErgKGr 177
12./KG40 from 3./ErgKGr 177

On 22 Jan 1945 redesignated II./EKG (J):

Stab IV./KG40 became Stab II./EKG (J)
10./KG40 became 5./EKG (J)
11./KG40 became 6./EKG (J)
12./KG40 became 7./EKG (J)

Airfields and Air Base Locations
Date	Location	Aircraft Used
19 Mar 1940 - 2 Jun 1941	Lüneburg	He 111, Fw 200
3 Jun 1941 - 20 Aug 1941	Landsberg	Fw 200, Do 217
21 Aug 1941 - Jan 1942	Lechfeld*	Fw 200, Do 217
Jan 1942 - Aug 1942	Orleans-Bricy*	Fw 200, Do 217
Aug 1942 - 19 Dec 1943	Chateaudun*	Fw 200, Do 217, He 177
20 Dec 1943 - Jan 1944	Orleans-Bricy*	Fw 200, He 177
Jan 1944 - 12 Jul 1944	Lechfeld*	Fw 200, He 177
6 Nov 1944 - 22 Jan 1945	Neuburg*	He 177

* 11./KG40 at Neuburg, 1 Sep 1941 - Jan 1942; 17./KG40 at Brandenburg-Briest (16 Sep 1943 - Sep 1943) and Schwabisch-Hall (Sep 1943 - 1 Nov 1943)

* 11./KG40 at Fassberg (20 Dec 1943 - 7 Jan 1944); 10./KG40 at Schwabisch-Hall (1 Nov 1943 - Jan 1944); 10., 11., 12./KG40 at Lichtenau (Dec 1944 - 22 Jan 1945)

V. Gruppe:

Gruppenkommandeure: