Kampfgeschwader 30 nicknamed "Adler" was a bomber wing of the Luftwaffe that served during WWII. It was originally formed as a complete wing in 1940 after its four squadrons were formed one by one over the course of 1939. Kampfgeschwader 30 or KG 30 operated mainly the Junkers Ju 88 medium bomber but would have received new Messerschmitt Me 262s in 1945 if it were not for production shortages.
Commanders[]
The first wing commander of KG 30 was Herbert Rieckhoff who had taken command for several months during 1940. Taking over after his departure would be Erich Bloedorn, maintaining his command of the wing until early 1943.[1] Following a short command by Wilhelm Kern for four months, Sigmund-Ulrich von Gravenreuth was given command for which he would maintain control for nearly a year until late 1944. With Bernhard Jope taking control of the wing for nearly the rest of the war. With his replacement, Hanns Heise himself only serving for a few months.[2]
Structure[]
KG 30 was composed of four different squadrons, known as gruppes. These were designated I/KG 30, II/KG 30, III/KG 30, and IV/KG 30.[3] Each of these had their own respective tree of commanders. However, they were all lead by the wing commander.
Unit History[]
After KG 30's formation, the wing was first sent into combat in Operation Weserübung operation alongside Kampfgeschwader 26 against Allied shipping. After the combat in Norway, II/KG 30 was sent to France and successfully sunk the RMS Lancastria killing thousands of Allied personnel in one attack. Afterwards, the squadron was more moved to the Arctic where it operated once against Allied shipping. Though by 1944 as numbers of units dwindled, KG 30 was then turned into a fighter unit being re-equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109