8th Air Corps (Germany)

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8th Air Corps
VIII. Fliegerkorps
Flag of a commanding general of a Fliegerkorps
Active19 July 1939 – 26 January 1945
Country Nazi Germany
BranchLuftwaffe
SizeCorps
Commanders
Notable
commanders
Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen

8th Air Corps (VIII. Fliegerkorps) was formed 19 July 1939 in Oppeln as Fliegerführer z.b.V. ("for special purposes"). It was renamed to the 8th Air Corps on 10 November 1939. The Corps was also known as Luftwaffenkommando Schlesien between 25 January 1945 and 2 February 1945 and was merged with Luftgau-Kommando VIII on 28 April 1945 and redesignated Luftwaffenkommando VIII.

Commanding General and officers

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Rank Surname Date
Generalmajor Wolfram von Richthofen 10 November 1939 - 30 June 1942[1]
Generalmajor Martin Fiebig 1 July 1942 - 21 May 1943[2]
Generalmajor Hans Seidemann 21 May 1943 - 28 April 1945[3]

Chief of Staff

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Rank Surname Date
Oberstleutnant Hans Seidemann 27 December 1939 - 10 October 1940[4]
Oberst Rudolf Meister 15 October 1940 - 14 March 1942[5]
Oberstleutnant Klaus Uebe 15 March 1942 - 24 October 1942[6]
Oberstleutnant Lothar von Heinemann 26 October 1942 to 11 June 1943[7]
Oberst Erich Schult 12 June 1943 - 1 October 1943[8]
Oberst Thorsten Christ 1 October 1943 - 18 November 1944[9]
Oberst Helmut Sorge 24 March 1945 - 28 April 1945[10]

First General Staff Officer

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Rank Surname Date
Hauptmann Lothar von Heinemann 1 March 1940 - 19 February 1942[11]
Hauptmann Helmut Sorge 20 February 1942 - 15 March 1942[12]
Oberstleutnant Torsten Christ 15 March 1942 - 30 March 1942[13]
Major Claus Hinkelbein 26 May 1942 - 4 November 1942[14]
Hauptmann Hans Meffert 10 April 1943 - 24 January 1944[15]
Major Ernst-Günther Moeller 15 December 1943 - 28 April 1945[16]

Subordinate to

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Unit from to
Luftflotte 2 10 November 1939 13 May 1940
Luftflotte 3 13 May 1940 August 1940
Luftflotte 2 August 1940 January 1941
Luftflotte 4 January 1941 June 1941
Luftflotte 2 June 1941 July 1941
Luftflotte 1 July 1941 28 September 1941
Luftflotte 2 28 September 1941 December 1941
Oberkommando der Luftwaffe December 1941 May 1942
Luftflotte 4 May 1942 July 1944
Luftflotte 6 July 1944 April 1945

Subordinate organisations

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10 May 1940[17][A 1]
13 August 1940[18]
  • I. und III. Sturzkampfgeschwader 1;
  • I. und II. Sturzkampfgeschwader 2;
  • I., II. und III. Sturzkampfgeschwader 77;
  • II. Lehrgeschwader 2;
  • V. Lehrgeschwader 1;
  • 2. Fernaufklärungsgruppe 11, 2. Fernaufklärungsgruppe 123;
  • Nahaufklärungsgruppe 21
5 April 1941[19]
  • Stab, I. und III. Sturzkampfgeschwader 2;
20 May 1941[20]
22 June 1941[21]
  • Stab, I., II. und III. Kampfgeschwader 2;
  • Stab, II. und III. Sturzkampfgeschwader 1;
  • Stab, I. und III. Sturzkampfgeschwader 2, II. und 10. Lehrgeschwader 2;
  • Stab, I. und II. Zerstörergeschwader 26;
  • Stab, II. und III. Jagdgeschwader 27, II. Jagdgeschwader 52;
  • 2. Fernaufklärungsgruppe 11;
  • KGr. z. b. V. 1;
  • ErgGr. 26
5 June 1943[22]
  • Stab und II. Kampfgeschwader 3;
June 1944[23]
  • 14. Kampfgeschwader 27;
  • Stab, 12. und 13. Schlachtgeschwader 9, Stab, I., II., III. und 10.(Pz.) Schlachtgeschwader 77;
  • Stab und 1. Nachtschlachtgruppe 4;
  • 2. Fernaufklärungsgruppe 11, 2. Fernaufklärungsgruppe 100;
  • Stab, 1. und 2. Nachtaufklärungsgruppe 2;
  • ung. Staffel 102;
  • ung. Fliegerführer 106
March 8 1945[24]
  • Stab, II. und III. Schlachtgeschwader 4;
  • Stab, I., II., III. und 10. Schlachtgeschwader 77;
  • Stab, II., III. und 10. Schlachtgeschwader 2;
  • 3. Nachtschlachtgruppe 4;
  • Stab, I., II. und III. Jagdgeschwader 6;
  • IV. Jagdgeschwader 1;
  • Stab Nahaufklärungsgruppe 15, 1. und 2. Nahaufklärungsgruppe 15, 12. Nahaufklärungsgruppe 13;
  • Fi 156-Kommando IV;
  • Fi 156-Kommando V;
  • Stab Fernaufklärungsgruppe 3, 2. Fernaufklärungsgruppe 100, 4. Fernaufklärungsgruppe 121, 4. Nachtfernaufklärungsgruppe

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ For the meanings of abbreviations, see Luftwaffe#Organisation_and_chain_of_command

References

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  1. ^ Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey (2016). "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section L–R" (PDF). p. 1087. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  2. ^ Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey (2017). "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section A–F" (PDF). pp. 1090–1091. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  3. ^ Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey (2016). "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section S–Z" (PDF). pp. 393–394. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  4. ^ Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey (2016). "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section S–Z" (PDF). pp. 393–394. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  5. ^ Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey (2016). "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section L–R" (PDF). p. 363. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  6. ^ Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey (2016). "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section S–Z" (PDF). pp. 723–724. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  7. ^ Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey (2017). "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section G–K" (PDF). p. 429. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  8. ^ Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey (2016). "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section S–Z" (PDF). p. 294. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  9. ^ Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey (2017). "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section A–F" (PDF). p. 717. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  10. ^ Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey (2016). "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section S–Z" (PDF). pp. 573–574. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  11. ^ Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey (2017). "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section G–K" (PDF). p. 429. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  12. ^ Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey (2016). "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section S–Z" (PDF). p. 464. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  13. ^ Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey (2017). "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section A–F" (PDF). p. 717. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  14. ^ Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey (2017). "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section G–K" (PDF). pp. 563–564. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  15. ^ Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey (2016). "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section L–R" (PDF). p. 344. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  16. ^ Henry L. deZeng IV, Douglas G. Stankey (2016). "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section L–R" (PDF). p. 462. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  17. ^ Ulf Balke (1998), Der Luftkrieg in Europa 1939–1941 (in German), Augsburg: Bechtermünz Verlag, pp. 401–405, ISBN 3-86047-591-6
  18. ^ Ulf Balke (1998), Der Luftkrieg in Europa 1939–1941 (in German), Augsburg: Bechtermünz Verlag, pp. 408–413, ISBN 3-86047-591-6
  19. ^ Ulf Balke (1998), Der Luftkrieg in Europa 1939–1941, Augsburg: Bechtermünz Verlag, pp. 414–415, ISBN 3-86047-591-6
  20. ^ Leo Niehorster: The Battle for Crete, Order of Battle German 4th Air Fleet 20 May 1941, retrieved 15 October 2023.
  21. ^ Ulf Balke (1998), Der Luftkrieg in Europa 1939–1941 (in German), Augsburg: Bechtermünz Verlag, pp. 416–419, ISBN 3-86047-591-6
  22. ^ Karl-Heinz Frieser, Klaus Schmider, Klaus Schönherr: Das Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg. Band 8: Die Ostfront 1943/44 – Der Krieg im Osten und an den Nebenfronten. Hrsg.: Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt. DVA, München 2007, ISBN 978-3-421-06235-2, S. 90–92
  23. ^ Bundesarchiv/Militärarchiv: ZA 3/840: Bruno Maaß: Unterstellungsübersichten fliegende Verbände, 1943–1945
  24. ^ Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv: ZA 3/839: Bruno Maaß: Unterstellungsübersichten fliegende Verbände, 1943–1945

Sources

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