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The German Luftwaffe of World War 2 had a distinct pattern of organization. On the strategic level it was organised into something akin to the USAAF Air Force concept, but with certain deviations. On the tactical level it differed distinctly, and was a much more flexible organisation, at least for the first half of the war. The Luftwaffe â–¶(?) (German: air force, IPA: [luftvafÉ™]) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ...
Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as the largest and deadliest...
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aviation branch of the United States armed forces. ...
Luftwaffe organization at the strategic level
 The top levels of Luftwaffe control resided with the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM - Air Ministry) and the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe(OKL - Luftwaffe high command). These institutions were responsible for the direction of research, production and overall maintenance of aircraft. They were directly answerable to the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht(OKW - German forces high command). The OKL was at the same organizational level as the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) and Oberkommando der Marine (OKM). Image File history File links Download high resolution version (465x795, 16 KB)A brief Luftwaffe Organization Chart. ...
Reichsluftfahrtministerium (Reich Aviation Ministry / German Air Ministry / German Aviation Administration) Note: If you are looking for the RLM-GL/C list, please go to List of RLM aircraft designations The Reich Air Ministry (Reichsluftfahrtministerium or RLM), was a German civil service organization in charge of development and production of aircraft...
The Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL) was the Airforce High Command of the Third Reich. ...
The command flag for the Chief of the High Command of the German Armed Forces (1938 - 1941) The command flag for a Generalfeldmarschall as the Chief of the High Command of the German Armed Forces (1941 - 1945) The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht or OKW (Wehrmacht High Command, Armed Forces High Command...
The Oberkommando der Heeres (OKH) was Germanys Army High Command from 1936 to 1945. ...
The Oberkommando der Marine (or OKM for short) was Germanys Naval High Command until 1945. ...
The OKL was headed by Hermann Göring for most of the war, and was responsible for the overall war effort and for the amount of resources sent to a particular region. Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (also Goering in English) (January 12, 1893 – October 15, 1946) was an early member of the Nazi party, founder of the Gestapo, and one of the main leaders of Nazi Germany. ...
Luftwaffe organization at the operational level On the operational level the Luftwaffe was divided into Luftflotten (Air fleets). These Air fleets were self-contained units that were equipped with all types of aircraft, supply elements, maintenance staff, administration and legal departments to operate on their own. Each Air fleet had responsibilities for a particular region.
At the start of the war Luftwaffe had four Air fleets. These had responsibilities for roughly a quarter of Germany each. As the war progressed more Air fleets were created as the areas under German command grew. In 1940 Luftflotte 5 was created to direct operations in Norway and Denmark. Other Air fleets were created as necessary.
The Air Fleets would contain several Fliegerkorps with specialized tasks.
Luftwaffe organization at the tactical level Each Fliegerkorps had a number of Geschwader units. These units would be roughly equal a USAAF/RAF 'wing'. Each Geschwader had about 100-120 aircraft under its command, although these numbers tended to fluctuate greatly. Each Geschwader had a particular task, and would mostly have aircraft that served in that task, although some specialised aircraft were often attached. A Geschwader was commanded by a Geschwader Kommodore(usually of Major, Oberstleutenant(Lt. Colonel) or Oberst(Colonel) rank). ...
Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ...
A Jagdgeschwader - JG was a Fighter Wing, and would have capabilities in fighter, or fighter-bomber roles, and would typically be equipped with Me 109 or Fw 190 aircraft. Some specialised fighter-bomber units would be named Schlachtgeschwader - SG. Kampfgeschwader - KG was a Bomber Wing, with typical aircraft being the He 111 or the Ju 88. Close air support units, like the Ju 87 Stuka were initially designated as Sturzkampfgeschwader - StG but would eventually be renamed to fall under the Schlachtgeschwader name. (Bf 109 was the official Reichsluftfahrtministerium designation, though some late-war aircraft actually carried the Me 109 designation stamped onto their aircraft type plates. ...
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in flight. ...
The Heinkel He 111 was the primary Luftwaffe medium bomber during the early stages of World War II, and is perhaps the most obvious symbol of the German side of the Battle of Britain. ...
The Junkers Ju 88 was a WW2 Luftwaffe twin-engine multi-role aircraft. ...
Junkers Ju 87 Dive-Bombers The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was the most famous Sturzkampfflugzeug (German dive bomber) in World War II, instantly recognisable by its inverted gull-wings and fixed undercarriage. ...
Under each Geschwader there were several Gruppen, usually three. These Gruppen can roughly be thought of as 'Groups'. A Gruppe would be designated with a Roman numeral, so the first Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 52 would be I./JG 52. Each Gruppe was commanded by a Grupppenkommandeur (usually of Hauptmann (Captain) or Major rank), which had a Stab Schwarm or Headquarters flight in which he flew.
Each Gruppe was divided into several Staffeln, which is roughly equal to a 'Squadron'. The Staffel would be designated with a arabic number, so the third Staffel in JG 52 would be 3./JG 52. A Staffel was commanded by a Staffelkapitän (usually of Oberleutnant or Hauptmann rank). Oberleutnant is a rank of the German military which dates from the early 19th century. ...
Captain is both a nautical term and a military rank. ...
Each Staffel, containing 10-16 aircraft, was divided into the Schwarm (or flight) of four aircraft. Each Schwarm was divided into two Rotten which was a pair of aircraft. (The Rotte only existed in fighter squadrons, as the basic unit of bombers was a Schwarm.) The Rotte was the basic fighting unit, with a leader and a wingman.
The Schwarm of a fighter-staffel would employ the "finger four" formation, a formation developed during the Spanish Civil War by among others Werner Mölders. This formation, where each aircraft flew in a position roughly equal to the fingers of a open hand (thus the name) offered a much more flexible solution then the rigorous three-aircraft 'vic'-formation the RAF used at the start of the war. In the Schwarm the aircraft had plenty of space to maneuver in, so they were free to scan the horizon for enemy aircraft rather than keeping a rigid formation. History of Spain series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain - Visigoths - Al-Andalus - Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Transition to Democracy Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History...
Werner Mölders (March 18, 1913 - November 22, 1941) was a German Luftwaffe World War II fighter ace. ...
RAF is an three letter acronym for: Royal Air Force -- the Air Force of the United Kingdom (see also Air Ministry) Red Army Faction (Rote Armee Fraktion) -- a German terror organisation Rigas Autobusu Fabrika -- a factory making buses in Riga, Latvia Rapid Action Force in India RaÄunarski Fakultet RAF...
The Rotte fighting pair also added to the flexibility, as a Schwarm could break up into the two Rotte pairs without losing its fighting ability. The Rottenführer would attack enemy aircraft, leaving his wingman to scan for threats and protect him while he engaged the enemy.
This flexibility became apparent to the RAF during the Battle of Britain, and both the RAF and USAAF would use a similar formation throughout the war. Combatants British Royal Air Force and allies Nazi German Luftwaffe Commanders Hugh Dowding Hermann Göring Strength approx 700 fighters (at the beginning) 1,260 bombers; 316 dive-bombers; 1,089 fighters Casualties 1,547 aircraft; Civilian: 27,450 dead, 32,138 wounded 1,887 aircraft A major campaign of...
See also During World War II, the suffix Stab was used in German military aeronautics to help distinguish between the State Major in Flight (direct air command) of each Gruppe (Group) or between Geschwadern (Wings) inside German Luftwaffe units. ...
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