''Schnellkampfgeschwader'' 10 (SKG 10) was a

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

fast bomber wing of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The unit was initially created with three ''

Gruppen ''Gruppen'' ( German for "Groups") for three orchestras (1955–57) is amongst the best-known compositions of German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, and is Work Number 6 in the composer's catalog of works. ''Gruppen'' is "a landmark in 20th-cen ...

'' (groups) in December 1942 at

Saint-André-de-l'Eure Airport Saint-André-de-l'Eure is a Communes of France, commune in the Eure Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy in northern France. Population See also *Communes of the Eure department References

...

and augmented by a fourth group on 10 April 1943. The ''

Stab STAB or stab or stabs may refer to: *Stabbing, penetration or contact with a sharp object Places *Stab, Kentucky, US * St. Anne's-Belfield School, a college preparatory school in Charlottesville, Virginia, US People and characters * Staff capta ...

'' (headquarters unit) was transferred on 18 October 1943 and formed the core of Schlachtgeschwader 10. 10.(Jabo)/JG 2 and 10.(Jabo)/JG 26 were amalgamated into Schnellkampfgeschwader 10 which initially flew night bombing operations over southern England, operating under the authority of Angriffsführer England under the command of

Dietrich Peltz Dietrich Peltz (9 June 1914 – 10 August 2001) was a German World War II Luftwaffe bomber pilot and youngest general of the Wehrmacht. As a pilot he flew approximately 320 combat missions, including roughly 130 as a bomber pilot on the Easter ...

. The unit suffered heavy casualties from the RAF night fighters. On the night of 16/17 April 1943, four Fw 190s attempting to attack London got lost over Kent. Three of them tried to land at

RAF West Malling Royal Air Force West Malling or more simply RAF West Malling is a former Royal Air Force station located south of West Malling, Kent and west of Maidstone, Kent, England. Originally used as a landing area during the First World War,

: Yellow H of 7./SKG 10, flown by Feldwebel Otto Bechtold landed and was captured, his Fw 190 later being evaluated by the RAE at Farnborough; a Fw 190 of 5./SKG 10 flown by Lt. Fritz Sezter landed minutes later. When Setzer realised his mistake and attempted to take off, his aircraft was then destroyed by an armoured car. A third Fw 190 undershot the runway and was destroyed, the injured pilot becoming a POW. A fourth Fw 190 crashed at Staplehurst, killing the pilot. The II. and III. ''Gruppe'' were transferred to Schlachtgeschwader 4 in October 1943, IV. ''Gruppe'' was posted to Schlachtgeschwader 10. In December 1942 III./

ZG 2 ZG, Zg, or zg may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Z-G, a 2001 collectible action figure game * ZOEgirl, an American pop band *Zubeen Garg (born 1972), Indian singer and actor Places * Zagreb, the capital of Croatia * Zigong, Sichuan province ...

was redesignated III./SKG 10. The unit was transferred to Italy in July 1943, operating against Allied shipping between Sicily and North Africa, but with occasional audacious raids on Allied airfields. The I. ''Gruppe'' remained in France under the control of II. Fliegerkorps. Due to the lack of regular night fighters in France, it was decided in April 1944 to employ I./SKG 10 on

Wilde Sau ''Wilde Sau'' ( Lit. wild sow; generally known in English as "Wild Boar") was the term given by the Luftwaffe to the tactic used from 1943 to 1944 during World War II by which British night bombers were engaged by single-seat day-fighter aircraft ...

missions over North Western France and Belgium during full-moon periods. The group's most successful outing was on the night of 3/4 May, when Fw 190s of I/SKG-10 accounted for six victories in the air combat during the night raid against the panzer training center at

Mailly-le-Camp Mailly-le-Camp () is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France. History The town is mentioned as ''Mailliacus'' for the first time in 859 AD document. In 1902 a large military camp was built in its territory. On 3–4 May 19 ...

. I. ''Gruppe'' was put under the control IX. Fliegerkorps in 1944 and operated against the Allied troops during the

Normandy Invasion Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 ( D-Day) with the ...

in June 1944. Two Fw 190 pilots of I./SKG 10 were over the landings at dawn on a reconnaissance mission, and claimed four Avro Lancasters shot down. The I. ''Gruppe'' was transferred to

Kampfgeschwader 51 ''Kampfgeschwader'' 51 "Edelweiss" (KG 51) (Battle Wing 51) was a Luftwaffe bomber wing during World War II. The unit began forming in May 1939 and completed forming in December 1939, and took no part in the invasion of Poland which start ...

where it operated as its III. ''Gruppe'' and was officially redesignated as such on 20 October 1944.de Zeng, Stankey, Creek, 2007, p. 157.

Geschwaderkommodore

*Major

Günther Tonne The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded for a wide range of reasons and across ...

, December 1942 – 15 July 1943 *Major Helmut Viedebantt (acting), July 1943

Citations

Bibliography

* * Bowman, Martin ''German Night Fighters vs Bomber Command: 1943-1945'' South Yorkshire: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. (2016). * de Zeng, H.L; Stankey, D.G; Creek, E.J. Bomber Units of the Luftwaffe 1933–1945; A Reference Source, Volume 1. Ian Allan Publishing, 2007. {{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017

Schnellkampfgeschwader 10 ''Schnellkampfgeschwader'' 10 (SKG 10) was a Luftwaffe fast bomber wing of the Second World War. The unit was initially created with three ''Gruppen'' (groups) in December 1942 at Saint-André-de-l'Eure Airport and augmented by a fourth group on ...

Military units and formations established in 1942 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943