Luftlandegeschwader 1 - LLG 1 H4+

Geschwaderkommodoren:

• Obstlt Gustav Wilke, 22 Jul 1940 - Aug 1941
• GenMaj Rüdiger von Heyking, 1 Nov 1941 - 24 Nov 1942
• Oberst Dr. Hans Eggersh, 7 Dec 1942 - Sep 1944

Stab:

Formed 27 Jul 1940 in Hildesheim. A Stabs-Staffel existed Jul 1940 - Sep 1944.

Known as Gefechtsverband Banat, Aug 1944 - Sep 1944, controlling parts of II./LLG1 and Nahaufklärungsstaffel Kroatien.

Disbanded 9 Sep 1944.

The following aircraft was used by LLG1: Ar 65, Avia B.534, Bf 108, Bu 131, DFS.230, Do 17, Do 215, Fi 156, Fw 58, Gö 4, Go 145, Go 242, He 45, Grunau Baby, He 46, He 72, He 111, Hs 126, I-153, Ju 52, Ju 87, Ju 88, Kl 32, Kl 35, Kranich, Me 321, Mü 13, Letov S.328 and RWD-8

Airfields and Air Base Locations
Date	Location	Gruppe	Aircraft Used
27 Jul 1940 - Jan 1943	Hildesheim		Do 17/DFS 230
Jan 1943 - Feb 1943	Zaporoshye		Do 17/DFS 230
Feb 1943 - Apr 1943	Bagerowo		Do 17/DFS 230
Apr 1943 - Jun 1943	Hildesheim		Do 17/DFS 230
Jun 1943 - Aug 1943	Lezignan		Do 17/DFS 230
Aug 1943 - Sep 1943	Practica di Mare		Do 17/DFS 230
Sep 1943 - Aug 1944	Nancy		Do 17/DFS 230
Aug 1944 - 9 Sep 1944	Zirkle(?)		Do 17/DFS 230

I. Gruppe:

Gruppenkommandeure:

• Maj Dr. Walter Kiess, Jul 1940 - 1940
• Maj Stein, 1940 - Aug 1941
• Maj Ingenhoven, 22 Aug 1941 - Aug 1942
• Hptm Krug, 14 Aug 1942 - Sep 1944

Formed 27 Jul 1940 in Hildesheim (ready 10 Aug 1940), from parts of 17./KGrzbV 5 with:

Stab I./LLG1 new
1./LLG1 new
2./LLG1 new
3./LLG1 new

Apr 1942 - Oct 1942 known as Übungsgruppe I./LLG1; In Apr 1943 increased to 4 Staffeln and a Stabsstaffel:

Stab I./LLG1
Stabsstaffel I./LLG1 new
1./LLG1
2./LLG1
3./LLG1
10(?)./LLG1 new

Disbanded 9 Sep 1944, except for 2./LLG1. In Dec 1944 2./LLG1 was redesignated Staffel zbV 'Reich'.

Airfields and Air Base Locations
Date	Location	Gruppe	Aircraft Used
27 Jul 1940 - Apr 1941	Hildesheim		Ju 52/DFS 230
Apr 1941 - Jun 1941	Tanagra*		Ju 52/DFS 230
Jun 1941 - Jun 1942	Hildesheim		Ju 52/DFS 230
Jun 1942 - Sep 1942	Athens-Tatoi**		Ju 52/DFS 230
Sep 1942 - Jan 1943	Hildesheim		Do 17/DFS 230
Jan 1943 - Feb 1943	Zaporoshye		Do 17/DFS 230
Feb 1943 - Apr 1943	Kertsch IV		Do 17/DFS 230
Apr 1943 - May 1943	Hildesheim		Do 17/DFS 230
May 1943 - May 1943	Gael		Do 17/DFS 230
May 1943 - Aug 1943	Lezignan		Do 17/DFS 230
Aug 1943 - Sep 1943	Istres		Do 17/DFS 230
Sep 1943 - 1 Sep 1944	Strassburg-Enzheim***		Do 17/DFS 230
1 Sep 1944 - 9 Sep 1944	Giessen****		Do 17/DFS 230

* part of the unit was based at Plovdiv in Apr 1941 for operations at the Corinth Canal.

** known as Einsatzgruppe I./LLG1 (flew Brigade Ramcke to Africa); part of the unit remained at Hildesheim (Übungsgruppe I./LLG1).

*** 2 Staffeln flew Fallschirm-Bataillon Jungwirth from Lyon to Vassieux, 18 Jul 1944 - 21 Jul 1944; 23 Jul 1944 flew troops from Valence to Vassieux.

**** 2./LLG1 remained at Giessen to early Oct 1944, when it moved to Altenstadt.

II. Gruppe:

Gruppenkommandeure:

• Hptm Arnold Willerding, 27 Jul 1940 - 30 Dec 1940
• Maj Otto Pfister, 30 Dec 1940 - ?
• Hptm Wolfgang Voigt, ? - Jun 1942
• Hptm Ludwig Reeps, 1 Jul 1942 - ?
• Hptm Karl-Heinz Schomann, Dec 1942
• Hptm Schweitzer, ? - 19 Mar 1943
• Hptm Trautwein, Mar 1943 - Jun 1943
• Maj Eberhard Jahnke, 15 Jun 1943 - Sep 1944

Formed 27 Jul 1940 in Halberstadt (ready 10 Aug 1940), from parts of 17./KGrzbV 5 with:

Stab II./LLG1 new
4./LLG1 new
5./LLG1 new
6./LLG1 new

Apr 1942 - Oct 1942 known as Übungsgruppe II./LLG1; In Apr 1943 increased to 4 Staffeln and a Stabsstaffel:

Stab II./LLG1
Stabsstaffel II./LLG1 new
4./LLG1
5./LLG1
6./LLG1
11(?)./LLG1 new

On 9 Sep 1944 redesignated NSGr. 10 with :

Stab II./LLG1 became Stab/NSGr.10
4./LLG1 became 3./NSGr.10
5./LLG1 became 1./NSGr.10
6./LLG1 became 2./NSGr.10

Airfields and Air Base Locations
Date	Location	Gruppe	Aircraft Used
27 Jul 1940 - Jan 1943	Halberstadt*		Ju 52/DFS 230; Avia 534/DFS 230 (from Sep 1942)
Jan 1943 - Feb 1943	Zaporoshye		Avia 534/DFS 230
Feb 1943 - Apr 1943	Kertsch IV		Avia 534/DFS 230
Apr 1943 - Jun 1943	Halberstadt		Ju 87/DFS 230
Jun 1943 - Sep 1943	Aix-les-Milles		Ju 87/DFS 230
Sep 1943 - Mar 1944	Strassburg-Polygon**		Ju 87/DFS 230
Mar 1944 - May 1944	Agram		Ju 87/DFS 230
May 1944 - 9 Sep 1944	Zirkle***		Ju 87/DFS 230

* parts of 6./LLG1 moved to Seerappen on 5 Jul 1941 with 10 DFS 230; 22 Jul 1941 to Dunaburg, 13 Sep 1941 to Pernau for attack on Ösel; returned home Sep 1941.

** 8./LLG1 was in Norway Sep 1943 - 6 Nov 1943.

** part of the Gruppe was also based at Mannheim, Dec 1943 - Mar 1944.

*** mainly used the Ju 87 for ground-attack missions.

III. Gruppe:

Gruppenkommandeure:

• Maj Richard Kupschus, Aug 1940 - Sep 1941
• Hptm Eberhard Wildhagen (acting), Sep 1941 - Oct 1941
• Hptm Weber, 1 Oct 1941 - Oct 1942
• Hptm Gerhard Lange, 10 Oct 1942 - Jun 1943
• Hptm Josef Karl, 25 Jun 1943 - ?
• Hptm Hans-Gunther Nedden, ? - Aug 1944
• Maj Eberhard Wildhagen, 1 Sep 1944 - Sep 1944

Formed 22 Aug 1940 in Braunschweig-Waggum (ready 1 Sep 1940) with:

Stab III./LLG1 new
7./LLG1 new
8./LLG1 new
9./LLG1 new

Apr 1942 - Oct 1942 known as Übungsgruppe III./LLG1, with only the 9. Staffel; 7. and 8./LLG1 was reformed Nov 1942; In Apr 1943 increased to 4 Staffeln and a Stabsstaffel:

Stab III./LLG1
Stabsstaffel III./LLG1 new
7./LLG1
8./LLG1
9./LLG1
12(?)./LLG1 new

In May 1943 gave up its two Do 17 Staffeln to I./LLG1. Disbanded 18 Sep 1944, and the remnants arrived 21 Nov 1944 in Goslar (by rail).

Airfields and Air Base Locations
Date	Location	Gruppe	Aircraft Used
22 Aug 1940 - Jan 1942(?)	Braunschweig-Waggum		Hs 126/DFS 230
Jan 1942(?) - Jan 1943	Goslar		Hs 126/Avia /DFS 230
Jan 1943 - Mar 1943	Riga-Spilve*		Hs 126/DFS 230
Mar 1943 - Apr 1943	Goslar		Hs 126/Do 17/DFS 230
Apr 1943 - May 1943	Beaumont-sur-Oise		Hs 126/Do 17/DFS 230
May 1943 - Sep 1943	Valence**		Hs 126/DFS 230
Sep 1943 - Feb 1944	Nancy***		Hs 126/DFS 230
Feb 1944 - 7 May 1944	Alibunar/Belgrade		Hs 126/DFS 230
7 May 1944 - 18 Sep 1944	Krusevac		Hs 126/DFS 230

* on its way to South Russia, when it was diverted to Riga (only 7. and 8./LLG1).

** 12./LLG1 moved to Ottana/Sardinia 8 Sep 1943, and to Practica di Mare on 11 Sep 1943. This unit landed 1./FJR.7 at Gran Sasso d´Italia for the rescue of Mussolini. Returned to Valence a few days later.

*** In late Nov 1943 10. and 12./LLG1 moved to Siena (Italy), via Avignon, as Einsatzgruppe III./LLG1. Returned to Nancy Feb 1944 (saw very little action).

IV. Gruppe:

Gruppenkommandeure:

• ?

Formed Jan 1943 in Langendiebach from parts of Ergänzungsgruppe (S) 1 with:

Stab IV./LLG1 new
13./LLG1 new
14./LLG1 new
15./LLG1 new
16./LLG1(?) new

Disbanded Apr 1943.

Airfields and Air Base Locations
Date	Location	Gruppe	Aircraft Used
Jan 1943 - Jan 1943	Langendiebach		Avia 65/DFS 230
Jan 1943 - Feb 1943	Zaporoshye		Avia 65/DFS 230
Feb 1943 - Apr 1943	Kertsch IV		Avia 65/DFS 230
Apr 1943 - Apr 1943	Langendiebach		Avia 65/DFS 230

17./LLG1:

Formed Dec 1942 in Döberitz from Erprobungskommando/XI. Fliegerkorps. In Apr 1943 increased to Gruppe strength (no organisational change). In Jun 1943 redesignated DFS-Staffel 23.

Airfields and Air Base Locations
Date	Location	Gruppe	Aircraft Used
Dec 1942 - 25 Jan 1943	Döberitz		DFS 230
25 Jan 1943 - Apr 1943	Bagerowo		DFS 230
Apr 1943 - Jun 1943	Hildesheim		DFS 230
Jun 1943 - Jun 1943	Orange		DFS 230

Sondergruppe/LLG1:

Formed in late Aug 1943 at Lezignan, from parts of LLG1, for service in Italy. Disbanded in late Sep 1943.

Airfields and Air Base Locations
Date	Location	Gruppe	Aircraft Used
Aug 1943 - 30 Aug 1943	Lezignan		Do 17/Hs 126/Avia/DFS 230
30 Aug 1943 - Sep 1943	Pratica di Mare		Do 17/Hs 126/Avia/DFS 230