Jagdgeschwader 234
Jagdgeschwader 234 was a fighter wing of Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe in World War II. It operated during peacetime and conducted formation flying, simulated aerial combat, and firing on ground targets. Many of its pilots came from Jagdgruppe 88 operating in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.
Organisation
Main article: Organisation of the Luftwaffe (1933–45)A Luftwaffe Geschwader was the largest homogenous flying formation. It typically was made up of three groups. Each group contained approximately 30 to 40 aircraft in three squadrons. A Jagdgeschwader could field 90 to 120 fighter aircraft. In some cases a wing could be given a fourth gruppe. Each wing had a Geschwaderkommodore supporting by three Gruppenkommandeur. Each squadron was commanded by a Staffelkapitän. The staffel contained approximately 12 to 15 aircraft. The identification in records were different depending on the type of formation. A Gruppe was referred to in roman numerals, for example I./JG 234, while Staffeln were described with their number. The wing could be subordinated to a Fliegerkorps, Fliegerdivision or Jagddivision all of which were subordinated to Luftflotten. The use of Fliegerdivision became redundant and the description Fliegerkorps supplanted it until the use of Jagddivision later in the war.
Formation
The Geschwader headquarters, Jagdgeschwader 234, and a new fighter Gruppe, II/JG 234 were formed at Düsseldorf in early 1937. The headquarters was left un-staffed for more than a year due to the rapid expansion of the Luftwaffe. III/JG 134 was re-designated as the I/JG 234 with command being handed over to Hauptmann Walter Grabmann from Hauptmann Oskar Dinort. II./JG 234 was led by Major Eduard Ritter von Schleich, a Great War Pour le mérite winner known as the "Black Knight". I. Gruppe flew mainly the Heinkel He 51, while the II. Gruppe flew the Arado Ar 68. It wasn't until November 1937 that JG 234 received and fully equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109B.The Geschwaderstab was formed on 1 November 1938 in Düsseldorf and placed under the command of Oberst Eduard Ritter von Schleich. On this day, the Geschwader was renamed to Jagdgeschwader 132 and was subordinated to Luftgaukommando IV. Also, on this day, I. and II. Gruppe of JG 234 were placed under the command of JG 132 and were then referred to as I. and II. Gruppe of JG 132. The Geschwaderstab was equipped with the Bf 109 D-1. On 8 December 1938, JG 132 was given the unit name "Schlageter", named after Albert Leo Schlageter. Schlageter was former member of the Freikorps who was executed by the French for sabotage and then became a martyr cultivated by the Nazi Party.