Luftgaukommando VIII (2nd)

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Luftgaukommando VIII (2d Formation)

(FpN: L 37863)



Kommandierender General:

Gen.Maj. Heinrich Danckelmann (1 Apr 38 - 31 Jan 39)

Gen.Lt. Bernhard Waber (1 May 39 - 23 Oct 41)

Gen.d.Flieger Walter Sommé (23 Oct 41 - 9 Aug 44)

Gen.d.Flieger Veit Fischer (9 Aug 44 - c.12 Apr 45


Subordination:

Luftkreiskommando 3 (12 Oct 37 - 4 Feb 38)

Luftwaffengruppenkdo. 1 (4 Feb 38 - 1 Feb 39)

Luftflottenkdo. 1 (1 Feb 39 - 18 Mar 39)

Luftflottenkdo. 4 (18 Mar 39 - 21 Mar 41)

Luftwaffenbefehlshaber Mitte (21 Mar 41 - 5 Feb 44)

Luftflottenkdo. Reich (5 Feb 44 - 23 Jan 45)

Luftflottenkdo. 6 (23 Jan 45 - Apr 45)


Subordinate Commands:

Kommando Flughafenbereiche (airfield regional commands) and Fliegerhorstkommandanturen (air base commands), Luftnachrichten (air force signals), Sanitäts (medical), Flak (antiaircraft), civil air defense, supply, schools, replacements and sundry other ground service and support commands, staffs and units located within its territory of authority. These changed frequently and in the absence of surviving source documentation it is not possible to list them accurately or completely.


Formation and History. (Oct 37 - Apr 45)

Formed 12 October 1937 in Breslau by re-designating Luftgaukdo. 6, and following the reorganization of 1 April 1939, comprised Upper Silesia and the eastern part of the Sudetenland in the former Czechoslovakia, a territorial alignment that coincided with the Army’s Wehrkreis VIII. After the campaign in Poland in September 1939, the Luftgau was expanded to include the southern half of the country centered on Kraków and, with the disbanded of Luftgaukdo. II on 15 January 1943, much of the central portion centered around Radom and Lublin. During the first half of 1944, the Luftgau was further expanded to include Lower Silesia, taken over from Luftgau III, and the Warthegau frontier district in western Poland, which had formerly been assigned to Luftgau I. For the attack on the Soviet Union that commenced on 22 June 1941, Luftgau VIII was tasked with the rapid development of a large number of airfields, fuel and ammunition dumps and other support and servicing infrastructure in South Poland. At the end of June 1941, a forward Gefechtsstand (command post) was set up in Lvov to support Luftflotte 4’s advance into Ukraine. From then on, much of the Luftgau’s activity was directed toward supporting the Luftwaffe’s operations in South Russia. The Stab (headquarters) of the Luftgau was moved from Breslau to Kraków on 1 April 1943, but returned to Breslau on 21 February 1944. As a massive summer offensive brought Soviet forces into Central Poland by early autumn 1944, the Stab moved to Görlitz and then in early February 1945 to Prague where it took over the northern part of Luftgau XVII’s territory in western Czechoslovakia. On 28-29 April, Stab/Luftgaukommando VIII was combined with Stab/VIII. Fliegerkorps in Senftenberg and renamed Luftwaffenkommando VIII. The Stab was still in Prague at the end of April 1945.[1]


Flugbereitschaft Luftgaukommando VIII

(FpN: none found)


Formation, History and Losses. (1940? - 1944?)

No information has so far come to light about the duty flight assigned to Luftgaukdo. VIII, except for the aircraft lost and damaged reports noted below. Since none has ever been found dated after December 1943, it is highly likely that the Flugbereitschaft was disbanded not long after that.[2]


24 Sep 41: a Fi 156C single engine liaison plane belonging to Flugbereitschaft Lufgaukdo. VIII was damaged near Kiev/Ukraine due to engine failure, 70%, 1 injured.

6 Dec 43: a Fi 156 C-3 from Flugbereitschaft Lufgaukdo. VIII crashed just west of the airfield at Kraków, 80%, an Oberst Schule (not Lw. – probably Heer) and one other injured.


© by Henry L. deZeng IV (Work in Progress).

(1st Draft 2023)

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References

  1. G.Tessin-Deutsche Verbände und Truppen 1918-1939: Altes Heer, Freiwilligenverbände, Reichswehr, Heer, Luftwaffe, Landespolizei (Osnabrück, 1974); K-H.Völker-Die deutsche Luftwaffe 1933-1939: Aufbau, Führung und Rüstung der Luftwaffe sowie Entwicklung der deutschen Luftkriegstheorie (Stuttgart, 1967); G.Tessin-Verbände und Truppen der deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen-SS im Zweiten Weltkrieg 1939-1945, Teil 14: Die Luftstreitkräfte (Osnabrück, 1980); H.Boog-Die deutsche Luftwaffenführung 1935-1945: Führungsprobleme, Spitzengliederung, Generalstabsausbildung (Stuttgart, 1982); R.Suchenwirth-The Development Of The German Air Force, 1919-1939, USAF Historical Studies No. 160 (New York, 1968); C.Zweng-Die Dienststellen, Kommandobehörden und Truppenteile der Luftwaffe 1935-1945 (Osnabrück, 1999), Bd. 1; K.Mehner/R.Teuber - Die deutsche Luftwaffe 1939-1945: Führung und Truppe (Norderstedt: 1993); PRO London: DEFE 3 ULTRA signal BT5351; PRO London: AIR 40/1974; NARA WashDC: RG 242 (scattered microfilm citations found in T-313, T-321, T-405 and T-971, particularly T-313 roll 233/frame 065 and T-321 roll 17/frame 503).
  2. BA-MA Freiburg: RL 2 III Meldungen über Flugzeugunfälle…..(Loss Reports – LRs).