Luftgau-Kommando III

Kommandierender General:

• GenMaj Graf von Sponeck, 4 Feb 1938 - 11 Mar 1938
• GenMaj Hubert Weise, 11 Mar 1938 - 3 Oct 1939
• GenMaj Gerhard Hoffmann, 3 Oct 1939 - 23 Jun 1940
• GenLt Karl Alfred Haubold, 24 Jun 1940 - 18 Mar 1943
• GenLt Walter Friedensberg, 18 Mar 1943 - 1 Aug 1943
• Gen.d.Flak Gerhard Hoffmann, 1 Aug 1943 - 20 Feb 1945
• GenLt Walter Boenicke, 20 Feb 1945 - 25 Apr 1945

Chef des Stabes:

• Obstlt Walter Schwabedissen, 4 Feb 1938 - 1 May 1939
• Obstlt Herbert Olbrich, 1 May 1939 - 1 Sep 1939
• Oberst Dipl.Ing. Gerhard Bassenge, 1 Sep 1939 - 1 Oct 1939
• Oberst Hans Koeppen, 1 Oct 1939 - 3 Oct 1942
• Oberst Walter Hill, 8 Oct 1942 - Apr 1945

Formed 4 Feb 1938 in Berlin from Luftgau-Kommando IV.

On 3 Oct 1939 part of the Stab was used to form I. Flakkorps.

Known as Luftgau-Kommando III/IV Dec 1941 - Feb 1943.

Zweigstellen in Posen (1942) and Dresden (1943/44).

Territory covered:

• 4 Feb 1938 - the same as Wehrkreis III (Mark Brandenburg, most of Pommern and the northern half of Provinz Sachsen)
• 1 Apr 1938 - took over the territory of the former Luftgau-Kommando II
• 1 Dec 1941 - took over the entire Luftgau-Kommando IV area
• Feb 1944 - the entire Luftgau-Kommando III area was moved westwards, to help improve the air defence of the capital. The areas of Ostmecklenburg, Prignitz and Altmark was taken over from Luftgau-Kommando XI, while Niederschlesien was transferred to Luftgau-Kommando VIII.

Stab:

4 Feb 1938 - 3 May 1945

Berlin

Subordinated units:

• Luftgau-Nachrichten-Regiment 3 in Berlin-Kladow [Jul 1938 - Oct 1944]
• Luftgau-Nachrichten-Regiment 4 in Nordhausen [Dec 1941 - ?]
• Luftgau-Nachrichten-Abteilung 3 in Berlin-Kladow [Oct 1944 - May 1945]
• Luftgau-Sanitäts-Abteilung 3 in Berlin [Jul 1938 - May 1945]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando Kolberg [Jul 1939 - Jul 1940]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando Neubrandenburg [Jul 1939 - Jul 1940]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando Döberitz [Jul 1939 - Jul 1940]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando Damm [Jul 1939 - Jul 1940]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando Stargard [Jul 1939 - Jul 1940]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando Furstenwalde [Jul 1939 - Jul 1940]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando 1/III in Kolberg/Stettin/Greifswald [Jul 1940 - May 1945]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando 3/III in Neubrandenburg/Magdeburg-Ost [Jul 1940 - May 1945]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando 4/III in Döberitz/Berlin-Staaken [Jul 1940 - May 1945]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando 5/III in Damm/Nohra/Erfurt [Jul 1940 - May 1945]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando 7/III in Grossenhain [Feb 1943 - May 1945]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando 9/III in Stargard/Breslau [Jul 1940 - Jun 1944]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando 10/III in Furstenwalde [Jul 1940 - May 1941]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando 26/III in Delitzsch [Oct 1944 - May 1945]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando 2/IV in Grossenhain [Dec 1941 - Feb 1943]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando 3/IV in Cottbus [Dec 1941 - Feb 1943]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando 4/IV in Erfurt [Dec 1941 - Feb 1943]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando 7/IV in Liegnitz [Dec 1941 - Feb 1943]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando 8/IV in Merseburg [Dec 1941 - Feb 1943]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando 11/VI in Cottbus [Aug 1944 - Dec 1944]
• Flughafen-Bereichs-Kommando 10/XI in Dievenow [Sep 1944 - May 1945]
• Luftverteidigungskommando 1 in Berlin [Jul 1938 - Sep 1941]
• Luftverteidigungskommando 2 in Stettin [Jul 1938 - Aug 1939]
• I. Flakkorps in Berlin [Sep 1940 - Mar 1941]
• 1. Flak-Division in Berlin [Sep 1941 - Apr 1945]
• 2. Flak-Division in Leipzig [Dec 1941 - Jan 1942]
• 12. Flak-Division in Berlin [Apr 1945 - May 1945]
• 14. Flak-Division in Leipzig [Feb 1942 - May 1945]
• 1. Flak-Brigade in Dessau [Dec 1940 - Apr 1941(?)]
• 2. Flak-Brigade in Berlin [Oct 1940 - Aug 1941]
• 2. Flak-Brigade in Dessau [Mar 1944 - Feb 1945]
• 4. Flak-Brigade in Dresden-Mockritz [Oct 1944 - Feb 1945]
• 6. Flak-Brigade in Stettin [Aug 1944 - Mar 1945]
• 21. Flak-Brigade in Lauchstädt [Oct 1944 - May 1945]
• Flakgruppe Stettin (Stab/Flak-Regiment 3) [Jun 1941(?) - Aug 1944]
• Flakgruppe Magdeburg (Stab/Flak-Regiment 52) [Oct 1940 - Mar 1944]
• Flakgruppe Dresden (Stab/Flak-Regiment 138) [Dec 1941 - Mar 1944]
• Flakscheinwerfergruppe Stettin (Stab/Flakscheinwerfer-Regiment 7) [Mar 1944 - Aug 1944]
• Stab/Flak-Regiment 72 (Eisb.) in Berlin [most of 1943/45]
• I./Fallschirm-Flak-Regiment 1 in Berlin [Mar 1944 - May 1944]

On 19 Dec 1944 it had been planned that Flughafenbereichs-Kommando 5/III, 7/III and 11/VI, were to be transferred to Luftgau-Kommando XVI, and that 6/XI was to have been added from Luftgau-Kommando XI. This plan was cancelled 24 Jan 1945. Instead the Befehlsstelle Dresden des Luftgau-Kommando III was formed on 14 Feb 1945, and took control of Flughafenbereichs-Kommando 5/III, 7/III and 26/III.

Subordinated to:

4 Feb 1938 - 1 Feb 1939	Luftwaffengruppenkommando 1
1 Feb 1939 - 24 Mar 1941	Luftflotte 1
24 Mar 1941 - 5 Feb 1944	Luftwaffenbefehlshaber Mitte
5 Feb 1944 - 8 May 1945	Luftflotte Reich