KITS 05/2021

Major Karl Schrepfer, CO of III./SG 1, Kraków, Poland, August 1944

The unit this aircraft belonged to, is tentatively identified as Stab III./SG 1, but it is just probable, not certain. This group was in fact renamed

III./St.G. 1, the change occurred in October 1943. Until May 1944 the unit used Junkers Ju 87D-5 bombers, but from March it started to

rearm with Focke-Wulf Fw 190s planes of A and G versions. In May the unit received the first aircraft of the F-8 version. Major Karl Schrepfer

was the commander of the III./SG 1 from April 1944. He flew Stukas before the war and for the entire duration of his frontline service he was

assigned to St.G. 1 (SG 1). He was deployed in the Battle of Britain, carried out raids on Malta, took part in the African campaign and from

June 1941 fought on the Eastern Front. During the period from May 1943 to March 1944 he led two training units. Schrepfer completed

approximately 800 combat flights and received Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross as the last ground attack pilot

on April 28, 1945. He died in an accident in September 1946 in Wertheim.

Stab SG 77, Schönfeld-Seifersdorf (Łukaszów), Silesia, August 1944

This aircraft probably belonged to the Stab SG 77. The fuselage marking indicate the wingman within the Geschwaderstab. The white E identifies the fifth wingman's machine. Stab SG 77 received Fw 190 F-8 planes in June 1944 and had six of them available. From February 1943 to

November 1944, Oberst Helmut Bruck was commander of SG 77. He joined the Luftwaffe in 1935 and during whole frontline career served

with St.G. 77 (SG 77). He was shot down during the attack against Poland on September 1, 1939 and was rescued by German tank crew. In

August 1940 he took command of I./St.G 77 and participated in the campaign against Yugoslavia and Crete. For the rest of his frontline service, he was deployed on the Eastern Front. Twice he landed in the enemy territory to pick up a downed crew. From January to April 1945, he

commanded operational training unit SG 151. In April he was appointed General der Schlachtflieger-Nord. He completed 973 combat flights,

including 15 with Fw 190. He was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.

W.Nr. 584205, III./SG 3, Sabile (Zabeln), Latvia, May 1945

This aircraft took escaped from the Courland pocket in the Baltics on May 8, 1945, and landed in Glemminge (Ystad), Sweden, at 5:55 p.m.

On board there were three members of the Luftwaffe - pilot Stabsfeldwebel Werner Skirlo, Fw. Johann Gruber and Fw. Adolf Karnel. Originally, they wanted to fly to the Danish island of Bornholm. Parts of the aircraft were handed over to the USSR in November 1945. Unusual

camouflage with the colors RLM 74, 75 and 76 is supplemented on the upper surfaces with a dark color, probably RLM 70. The last commander of III./SG 3 was supposedly Hptm. Erich Bunge. He joined the army in 1935, first serving in the artillery, later in the reconnaissance

aviation unit. From 1941 he worked as an instructor and in February 1944 became commander of the 5./SG 4. A month later he received

the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold. In July 1944 he became commander of the training unit I./SG 151 and in March 1945 commanded III./SG 3 in

Courland.

22 eduard

INFO Eduard - May 2021