Strength and aircraft of the Luftflotten at the beginning of the Battle for Stalingrad.
Orders of Battle for the German Air fleets, Geschwader, Groups, aircraft types and number of planes.

The Luftwaffe Orders of Battle gives the strength of its operational units when the German Air Force was at its most powerful.

German Luftwaffe in September 1942

After three years of war the area occupied by German forces was almost at its greatest extent. A major part of the Luftwaffe supported the army in Russia, whose leading elements were fighting their way through the outer defenses of Stalingrad. In the Mediterranean theater, the front line in North Africa was near Alamein and the siege of Malta had reached a critical stage. In the west Luftflotte 3, and in Germany itself Luftwaffenbefehlshaber Mitte, operated strong forces of day and night fighters to counter strategic bombing attacks by the Royal Air Force and the US Army Air Forces.

On each front the Luftwaffe was now matched by the British, American and Russian air force units facing it. For the remainder of WW2 each month that passed would see the Luftwaffe becoming progressively weaker in relation, and the forces opposing it becoming progressively stronger in relation.

Luftwaffe Orders of Battle from September 20th, 1942

Equipment of Luftwaffe First Line Units 1942:

Staffel (Squadron):
The number of flying personnel in a Staffel naturally depended on the type of aircraft it operated; between 10 (in the case of single-seat fighters) and more than 40 (in the case of multi-engined bombers). The number of ground personnel in a Staffel varied from 150 (in the case of single-engined fighters) to 80 (in the case of multi-engined bombers); the latter’s ground staff was smaller because much of its servicing and administration was done for it by attached units provided by the local Luftgau command.
A Staffel had a strength of 9 to 12 aircraft in 1939, but gradually rose during the war to a maximum of 16, with corresponding rises in the number of aircrew and ground personnel.

Gruppe (Group):
The Gruppe was the basic flying unit for operational and administrative purposes. Initially the Gruppe comprised three Staffeln, and a Stab (headquarters flight) with three aircraft more, making a total of 30 aircraft in all. By the mid-war period many fighter groups operated a fourth Staffel, however, and this, with the 16-aircraft Staffel establishment, brought the strength of some Gruppen to 67 aircraft.
The total personnel strength of a Gruppe varied between 35 and 150 aircrews, and 300 and 515 ground crew.

Geschwader (no English equivalent):
The Geschwader was the largest German flying unit. Initially it comprised three Gruppen, with 90 aircraft, and a Stab (staff) flight with four, making a total of 94 aircraft.

References and literature

Das große Buch der Luftkämpfe (Ian Parsons)
Luftkrieg (Piekalkiewicz)
Luftwaffe Handbook (Dr Alfred Price)

Please leave this field empty

Don’t miss the daily posts about WW1&WW2!

Email Address *

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.