In October 1943, the I./KG 100 and the I./KG 4where exchanged between the two Geschwader. The reason behind had most likely been the geographical placements and the technical equipment of both Gruppen:
- the”original” I./KG 100 had still been flying Heinkel He 111 aircraft while the II./KG 100 and III./KG 100 had been flying Dornier Do 217 aircraft and were in the process of converting to the Heinkel He 177.
- The “original” I./KG 100 was located in the southern sector of the East Front while the II./KG 100 and III./KG 100 had been located in France.
- The “original” I./KG 4 was just being converted to He 177 bombers whereas the II./KG 4 and III./KG 4 had been flying He 111 bombers.
- The “original” I./KG 4 was located in France whereas the II./KG 4 and III./KG 4 had been assigned to the southern sector of the East Front.
The switch as such was an organizational acknowledgment of the tactical situation. In October 1943, the “new” I./KG 100 was located in Lechfeld, undergoing conversion training on the He 177.
By December, the 3. Staffel had finished their training and was relocated to France, to the airfield of Chateaudun near Orleans[1. Balke, Ulf (1981): p. 174]. During January 1944, the 3. Staffel participated in raids on London – suffering heavy losses along the line.
The 3. Staffel was continuing their raids on London during February as well – switching between the airfields of Rheine and Chateaudun[2. Balke, Ulf(1991): p. 178]. During February, the 2. Staffel joind the 3. Staffel in the operations on London.
Operations on England continued through March and into April – the 2. Staffel and 3. Staffel finally relocated back to Fassberg for reinforcements in early May 1944. The 1. Staffel was still located in Lechfeld – and by the End of May 1944, the I./KG 100 was dissolved and renamed to III./KG 1[3.] Balke, Ulf(1991): p. 190].
Bibliography
- Balke, Ulf (1981): Kampfgeschwader 100 “Wiking” – Eine Geschichte aus Kriegstagebüchern, Dokumenten und Berichten 1934 – 1945 – Motorbuchverlag – ISBN 3-87943-772-6
