Information on Einsatzstaffel St.G 77

[Tim O.]

I have an award certificate for the Bomber Bar in Gold with Pendant, dated 4th October 1943 and awarded to a pilot Feldwebel of 'Einsatzstaffel Sturzkampfgeschwader 77'. The stamp on the certificate is for Stab St.G 77. Does anyone have information on the Einsatzstaffel? I can't find any information on this unit.

thanks
Tim O.

[Larry deZeng]

I have an award certificate for the Bomber Bar in Gold with Pendant, dated 4th October 1943 and awarded to a pilot Feldwebel of 'Einsatzstaffel Sturzkampfgeschwader 77'. The stamp on the certificate is for Stab St.G 77. Does anyone have information on the Einsatzstaffel? I can't find any information on this unit.
thanks
Tim O.

St.G. 77 had three "irregular" Staffeln (defined as those not belonging to one of its four Gruppen):

Stabsstaffel
Ergänzungsstaffel
LS-Ausbildungsstaffel

I have extensive data on St.G. 77 and I do not recall ever seeing a reference to an "Einsatzstaffel". In the Sturz- und Schlachtgeschwader, that term usually applied to one of the Staffeln of the IV.(Erg.) Gruppe, if the term was used at all.

If you could provide more information, especially any dates, I can take another look. What I do not quite understand is the award of a Kampfflieger (bomber) bar to a fellow in a Sturzkampfflieger unit. Didn't they have their own distinctive set of bars and awards? There was a KG 77 in addition to a St.G. 77. Hmmm............

--BHS1956

[Tim O.]

Hi BHS 1956

The Dive Bomber arm and Horizontal Bomber arm received the same spange, so this is not a problem. I am attaching the certificate for reference.

Georg Spring received the German Cross in Gold on 17.05.43 and is listed in Die Trager Des Deutschen Kreuzes in Gold der Luftwaffe 1941-1945. I have a high level of confidence the certificate (and his other award certificates, also in my possession) are genuine.

The reference to the Einsatzstaffel could be a typing error but it doesn't look to be an obvious one. All previous certificates refer to, or are consistent with, 4./St.G 77, with which he served from 1941 until 1943.

As we know, the Stuka arm was going through big changes at this time and Spring was sadly killed during a training flight while converting to the Fw 190 on 26th June 1944. Is the Einsatzstaffel the conversion unit or perhaps he was involved in training new pilots? I'm not sure what an Einsatzstaffel is!

best wishes
Tim O.

[Tim O.]

Just for reference, here is the 'death notice' for Georg Spring, which carries a I./St.G 77 stamp (the use of 'obsolete' stamps seems quite common by this period) and I think is signed by Major Karl Henze, Kommandeur I. Gruppe, Schlachtgeschwader 77. Not sure this helps us but anyway....

[Larry deZeng]

Thanks for the additional details.

An "Einsatzstaffel" most often refers to one of the three Staffeln in the IV.(Ergänzungs-) Gruppe of the Geschwader, and, I think we may now have a solution to the riddle. The other two Staffeln in IV.(Erg.) Gruppe were called Ausbildungsstaffeln and/or Schulerstaffeln. The Einsatzstaffel had an operational mission while the other two were involved exclusively in training. Here is the unit history for IV./St.G. 77:

IV.(Erg.)/St.G. 77

Formation and Organization. (Feb 41)
Formed February 1941 at Schweinfurt from elements of Stuka-Ergänzungsstaffel/VIII.Fliegerkorps as Ergänzungsstaffel/St.G. 77 to provide 6 to 8 weeks of operational formation and dive-bombing training to green crews fresh out of the schools that had been assigned to Sturzkampfgeschwader 77. Expanded from one to two Staffeln during fall 1942 and re-designated IV.(Erg.)/St.G. 77 on or about 17 November 1942.

Training in Germany and South Russia. (Mar 41 - May 43)
13 Mar 41: Ju 87B-1 force landed at Freudenberg am Main due to engine trouble, 65%.
25 Mar 41: Ju 87B-1 destroyed in mid-air collision near Wertheim, 95%, 1 KIA.
2 Apr 41: Ju 87B-1 force landed near Wertheim due to engine failure, 30%.
4 Apr 41: Ju 87B-1 force landed near Wertheim due to engine failure, 75%.
24 Jun 41: Ju 87B-1 force landed at Fp.Herzogenaurach due to engine failure, 50%, 1 WIA.
Jul 41 – Jan 42: not mentioned in the Loss Reports.
17 Feb 42: Ju 87B-1 damaged landing at Fp.Schweinfurt, 20%.
Mar – Sep 42: not mentioned in the Loss Reports.
24 Jun 42: transferred from Schweinfurt to Sarabus/Crimea.
5 Oct 42: 2 Ju 87Ds destroyed in a mid-air collision over Biyuk-Onlar to the south of Stalingrad, both 100%, 1 KIA.
Dec 42: following the Soviet Stalingrad counteroffensive on 19 November, the Gruppe was ordered to form an operational unit for use over the Taman Peninsula. Known as Einsatzstaffel “Sattler”, it was assigned to Luftwaffengruppe Kaukasus for employment. Oblt. Sattler was killed a month or so after the Staffel began operations (see below).
1 Jan 43: Gruppe reported 16 x Ju 87B-1/B-2, 7 x Ju 87R-1/R-4, 2 x Ju 87D-1, 6 x FW 56 and 1 x FW 58 on strength.
13 Jan 43: Ju 87B-1 crashed NE of Krymskaya in the Taman Peninsula due to engine fire, 100%, Oblt. Hans-Karl Sattler + 1 KIA.
Jan 43: transferred from Sarabus to Nikolayev-East.
25 Mar 43: Ju 87B-1 destroyed in a mid-air collision over Fp.Nikolayev-East, 100%, 2 KIA.
1 Apr 43: Gruppe reported 18 x Ju 87B-1/B-2, 4 x Ju 87R-1/R-4, 2 x Ju 87D-1 and 3 x Ju 87D-3 on strength.
Apr 43: transferred from Nikolayev-East to Wertheim/30 km W of Würzburg in S Germany.
17 May 43: renamed IV./St.G. 151.

FpNs: (L 43675, L 37723)

Staffelkapitän/Gruppenkommandeur:
Hptm. Herbert Pabst (c. 1 Sep 41 - 31 Jul 42)
Hptm. Alexander Gläser (c. Apr 43 - 17 May 43)

Sources:
Carlsen/Meyer-CM2:338-44; Dierich-VdL:270.
all loss entries are from BA-MA Freiburg: RL 2 III Gen.Qu.(6.Abt.) Meldungen über Flugzeugunfälle und Verlust… (LRs – Loss Reports).
J.Hayward-Stopped at Stalingrad:181.
BA-MA - Flugzeug-Bereitstellungen (Aircraft Availability Status Reports – FzB) in: M.Holm website; all subsequent entries of this type are from this source.


See especially from December 1942 on. I am almost certain that this is the "Einsatzstaffel" that is being referred to in the certificate.

The fellow who signed one of the certificates, Georg Jakob, is not known to have ever been the Geschwader Kommodore of St.G. 77. He was the Kommandeur of III./St.G. 77 from 26 Aug 42 to about 1 Dec 42.

--BHS1956

[Tim O.]

BHS1956

This is very good information. Thank you very much.

My understanding is that certificates signed 'i.v.' are 'on behalf of', so if this is Jakob signing it is on behalf of the Kommodore and not suggesting he is the Kommodore himself, so this ties in nicely.

Thanks for your effort, it's a great help to my research on Georg Spring. Just for reference, here he is photographed in 1943 before he got the Bomber Bar with Pendant but after he had received the DKiG.

Best wishes
Tim O.

[Larry deZeng]

Yes, Tim O., "I.V." does mean what you said. I was too hasty and didn't look carefully enough. That's beginning to happen with some frequency lately as I approach 70.

Here is a brief career biography on Jakob that may be of some interest:

JAKOB, Georg. (DOB: 27.03.15 in Fürth/Bayern). (RE, DKG). 05.02.35 entered Luftwaffe service following a brief spell in the Army (Heer) and was assigned to Beobachter (observer/navigator) training with Fliegergruppe (S) at Tutow. 1936-38 pilot training at a Luftkriegsschule (LKS) and then bomber training at Kampffliegerschule Lechfeld. 01.01.38 promo to Leutnant. 01.07.38 assigned to I./St. G. 165 at Kitzingen for Stuka training. 01.09.39 in I./St.G. 77. 11.08.40 appt Staka 2./St.G. 77. 24.11.41 Oblt., awarded DKG, 2./St.G. 77. 01.03.42 promo to Hptm. 27.04.42 Staka 2./St.G. 77, awarded Ritterkreuz on completion of 520 combat missions. 06.42 temporarily assigned to Stab/Luftflotte 4. 26.08.42 Hptm., appt Kdr. III./St.G. 77 (to 02.43?). 01.09.42 promo to Maj. 08.10.43 acting Kommodore St.G. 77. 12.43 conversion training on the Fw 190. 30.01.44 appt Kommodore SG 10 (to 08.05.45). 30.09.44 Maj., awarded Eichenlaub, Kommodore SG 10. 01.01.45 promo to Obstlt. Credited with 1,091 combat missions over the course of the war. †01.09.91.

There is a gap in the above, roughly from March to September 1943. He may have had some other assignment for that period, but I have never found any information on it.

--BHS1956

[Tim O.]

BHS1956

Thank you once again for some excellent information. I had not identified Jakob's signature, so that in itself is a great help - the additional biography is fantastic. Your effort on my behalf is greatly appreciated.

By the way, I'm just sneaking up on 50 and am far less tuned in than you seem to be!

Very many thanks for all your help and expertise on this subject.

best wishes
Tim O.

[Larry deZeng]

Glad to help, Tim. Best wishes and over and out.

--BHS1956