Sturzkampfgeschwader 3 (StG 3—Dive Bomber Wing 3) was a Dive bomber wing in the German Luftwaffe during World War II and operated the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka.
The wing was activated on 9 July 1940 using personnel from German medium bomber and other dive-bomber units. StG 3 was one of the few dive bomber units created during the war.
StG 3 fought its first campaign in the Battle of Britain a short time after formation. In 1941 it served in the Balkans Campaign and then some groups served on the Eastern Front, from 1943, until being disbanded.
The wing operated through most of the North African Campaign and some of its units fought to destruction there. StG 3 also served in the Battle of the Mediterranean and spearheaded the last German campaign-sized victory in the Dodecanese campaign in autumn 1943.
The wing redesignated to Schlachtgeschwader 3 (Battle Wing) on 18 October 1943.
Formation The Luftwaffe possessed several dive-bomber wings equipped with the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka in mid-1940; the Ju 87 having proved its effectiveness. StG 1, StG 2 and StG 77 were most experienced. A fourth wing, aside from smaller units such as StG 5, 76 and 151, was formed to increase dive bomber capability and organisation.
A Stabsstaffel (command staffel) was formed from Stab./KG 28 (Kampfgeschwader 28 — Bomber Wing 28) at Dinard, France on 9 July 1940. According to strength reports, the command staff had four Dornier Do 17Z, one Do 17M, and two Heinkel He 111H aircraft all previously operated by KG 28. There is no mention of any Ju 87s with the Stab./StG 3 in 1940. By 13 August 1940 StG 3 had been subordinated to Fliegerkorps IV under Luftflotte 3. The command unit was relocated to Brètigny, south of Paris. Oberst Karl Angerstein became the wing's first commanding officer (Geschwaderkommodore) but was replaced on 27 July by Oberstleutnant Hermann Edert.
I./StG 3 was formed near Barly, southwest of Arras. The strength of the group is unknown, but the experienced Major Walter Sigel as commanding officer (Gruppekommandeur). II./StG 3 was formed from I./StG 1 at either El Agheila or Agedabia on 13 January 1942. Hauptmann Kurt Kuhlmey commanded the group. The same day III./StG 3 was formed at San Pancrazio, Italy by renaming II./StG 2. Major Walter Enneccerus became commanding officer.
IV.(Erg)/StG 3 was created in August 1941 at Würzburg as an Ergänzungsstaffel/StG 3. The unit provided six to eight weeks of operational experience to crews fresh out of flight school. It was expanded to two staffeln. The group was based in Italy, Greece and Yugoslavia. In 1943 it was involved in Bandenbekämpfung operations in the Balkans.
War Service World War II in Europe began with the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, in collaboration with the Soviet Union. After Polish resistance ended in October 1939 the Phoney War set in a period of stalemate. On 10 May 1940 German forces (Wehrmacht) invaded Western Europe. The Battle of the Netherlands, Battle of Belgium, Battle of France ended in a German victory which surprised the German General Staff.
In July 1940, after failing to induce the British to surrender or enter into a negotiated peace, Adolf Hitler resolved to knock the British Empire out of the war. The German Luftwaffe was ordered to cut off and destroy British sea communications in the English Channel and gain air superiority, as a prelude to a threatened seaborne in invasion (Operation Sea Lion).
Battle of Britain Stab./StG 3 and the solitary group under its command were ordered to attack shipping in the Kanalkampf phase of the Battle of Britain. The wing was moved to the Cherbourg Peninsula. It used airstrips near to the port city and Théville as forward staging areas, in close proximity to British shipping in the Channel.
On 29 July StG 3 recorded its first major action. A formation of Ju 87s were ordered to attack convoys passing through the Channel. It consisted of 48 Ju 87s from six Staffeln of IV.(Stuka)/LG 1, II./StG 1 and II./StG 3. The escort consisted of 80 Bf 109s from JG 51 and III./JG 26, the former led by Adolf Galland on a temporary basis. RAF Fighter Command sent 501 and 41 Squadron to intercept. 501 Squadron attacked the Ju 87s as they began to dive and the harbour suffered little damage. I./StG 3 reported one damaged, 501 Squadron suffering no losses. The steamer SS Gronland was sunk in the outer harbour, having already been damaged in the attacks of 25 July and 19 crew were killed and the patrol yacht Gulzar was sunk but the crew were saved; Sandhurst was destroyed. The men of Sandhurst received six mentions in dispatches and the Dover port personnel were awarded four George Medals—the last to Tug Harbour Master Captain F. J. Hopgood.
Three days later StG 3 recorded their first fatalities when three men from Stab./StG 3 were killed in an accident. On 8 August StG 3 formed part of the strike force that attacked Convoy Peewit off the Isle of Wight. StG 3 lost three Stukas from I. Gruppe and two damaged. Oberleutnant Martin Müller was the wing's notable casualty. Four men were killed, two missing and two wounded. StG 3's assailants were 145 and 609 Squadron. The Ju 87s severely damaged SS Surte, MV Scheldt and SS Omlandia and sank SS Balmaha soon after. SS Tres was sunk by StG 77. SS Empire Crusader in the lead, was hit by StG 2 and sank several hours later; four ships were sunk and four were damaged in the attacks.
StG 3 was not listed on the order of battle on 13 August 1940–for Adlertag. It may have had the missions cancelled due to bad weather. StG 3 formed part of a major attack on The Hardest Day, on 18 August. StG 3 sent 22 Ju 87s to attack RAF Gosport. The dive-bombers were supported by 157 Bf 109s; 70 from JG 27; 32 from JG 53 acting as close escort; and 55 from JG 2 which was to sweep the Portsmouth area in advance of the main raid independently.
Sigel's Ju 87s, with no air opposition, swooped onto their targets causing large-scale damage. At Gosport, five aircraft were destroyed and five damaged. Several buildings were wrecked and two hangars damaged. But there were no casualties. The Ju 87 attack had been accurate, and no bombs fell outside the military compounds. In the Gosport area, 10 barrage balloons were shot down and two damaged.
The high losses of Ju 87 encouraged the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe to order a cessation of cross–Channel operations. Ju 87 units carried out attacks on Channel convoys until early 1941. In December 1940 it was earmarked for Operation Felix, the aborted invasion of Gibraltar through Spain.
StG 3 were possibly scouting for targets on 7 October as a reconnaissance Dornier Do 17 from Stab./StG 3 crash landed to unknown causes. On 7 November 1940 first group flew dive bombing operations against shipping in the Thames Estuary. They claimed one sunk and one damaged for one damaged Ju 87. Leutnant Eberhard Morgenroth's Ju 87 from I./StG 3 was damaged by RAF aircraft. Another attack on 8 November cost it two Ju 87s shot down. Unteroffizier Friedrich Imspring's 'S7 + ML' of 3/StG 3 failed to return, as did 'S7 + EL' of 3 Staffel piloted by Leutnant Walter Kummer. A third Ju 87 from 1./StG 3 ran out of fuel and crash landed at Dunkirk.
Malta and Mediterranean In December 1940 StG 3 was ordered to Trapani in Sicily. From 2–9 January 1941 it moved to airstrips on the island with only a brief pause near Stuttgart to allow for leave and rest. Stab./StG 3 was enlarged by two groups. I./StG 1 and II./StG 2 were subordinated to it. The collection of units were assigned to X Fliegerkorps. The wing's command was ordered to carry out attacks against Malta, the Mediterranean Fleet, and destroy shipping sailing between Sicily and North Africa, to support their Italian ally fighting in Libya. The wing was ordered to engage and destroy the British aircraft carrier, . The carrier had played an important role in the Battle of Taranto and became a priority target. On 7 February Georg Edert was replaced as Geschwaderkommodore. His successor Karl Christ, StG 3, ordered an attack.
The crews thought four direct hits would sink the ship and began practice operations on floating mock-ups. The vast flight deck offered a target of 6,500 square metres. Operation Excess began a series of convoy operations by the British across the Mediterranean Sea. On 10 January they were within range of the Ju 87 bases. II./StG 2 sent 43 Ju 87s with support from I./StG 1. Witnessed by Andrew Cunningham, C-in-C of the Fleet from the battleship , the Ju 87s scored six hits. One destroyed a gun, another hit near her bow, a third demolished another gun, while two hit the lift, wrecking the aircraft below deck, causing explosions of fuel and ammunition. Another went through the armoured deck and exploded deep inside the ship. Two further attacks were made without result. Badly damaged, but with her main engines still intact, she steered for . The attack lasted six minutes; killed 126 crew members and wounded 91. Further damage was inflicted upon the carrier, but the Ju 87s failed to destroy her. However, on 11 January 1941, 10 more Ju 87s from Christ's command were sent to sink Illustrious. They chanced upon the light cruisers and . Hits were scored on both; Southampton was so badly damaged her navy escorts scuttled her.
On 28 February 1941, Stab./StG 3 transferred to Fliegerführer Afrika (Air Leader Africa) in response to Hitler's decision to established the Deutsches Afrikakorps (German Africa Corps) on 20 January with General Erwin Rommel commanding.
III./StG 3 was formed on 13 January 1942 under the command of Walter Enneccerus at San Pancrazio in Italy. On 1 March 1942 it reported 29 Ju 87D-1s, a tropicalised version. Under the command of II Fliegerkorps it flew daily air attacks against Malta from 24 March. Typically two to three missions per day of 15 to 30 aircraft in each attack. The dive bombers were ordered to bomb harbours or airfields. On 27 March at least 30 Ju88s, 25 Ju87s of III./StG 3 and 13 Bf 109s of II/JG 3 were reported over the Island. The Ju87s attacked the cargo ship Breconshire but failed to achieve a direct hit. The ship was wrecked and sunk though its cargo was salvaged.
On 1 April 1942 they sank British submarines P36, and Pandora. A mine sweeper was also sunk and three other ships damaged. On 9 April the destroyers Gallant and Lance were sunk. Two days later Kingston was severely damaged. The cost of these operations, to 13 May, was 17 Ju 87s, four on 10 May alone. The majority of the losses were in combat with RAF fighters. Over 21–24 May the group replaced the losses and moved to Derna, Libya. The successes against British naval units cost it half of its pre-operation strength. The group carried a last bombing raid on 13 May against RAF Hal Far.
I./StG 3 returned to Sicily for operations briefly on 12 August 1942. Based at Trapani it served Fliegerkorps II and flew bombing attacks on the Pedestal convoy. The Ju 87s scored two hits on the aircraft carrier Indomitable forcing her out of action. The Germans lost two crews to her fighters. The motor vessel Dorset was also sunk. It flew more attacks on the 13 and 14 August and lost one aircraft. The cruiser Kenya was damaged. The group returned to Egypt in late August 1942.
Yugoslavia, Greece, Crete