Luftflotte 1
Luftflotte 1 was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed on 1 February 1939 from Luftwaffengruppenkommando 1 in Berlin. This Luftwaffe detachment served in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland, supporting Axis forces in area; with command offices in Malpils, Latvia,, Eastern front.
Units under command
Strategic reconnaissance
- Stab/FAGr 1
- 3./22
- 5./122
- NASt 3
Maritime reconnaissance
- 1./SAGr 127
Transports
- 1./TGr 10
Transports (special works)
This unit was branch of Kampfgeschwader 200 with bases in East Prussia, Courland and the Baltic. It was equipped with:- Junkers Ju 252
- Junkers Ju 352 Herkules
- Arado Ar 232 Tausendfüßler for transporting special commandos, weapons, vehicles or dropping secret agents in clandestine missions behind enemy lines.
- I./KG 200
Bombers
- 14./KG 55
''3.Fliegerdivision'' (3rd air division) Petseri
Tactical Reconnaissance
Nahaufklärungsgruppe 5- * Stab//NAGr 5
- * 1./NAGr 5 Nahaufklärungsgruppe 31
- * 1./NAGr 31
Land Air Strike
- I/SG 3
Night ground attack
- Nachtschlachtgruppe 1
- *Stab/NSGr 1
- *3./NSGr 1
- *1./NSGr 1
- *2./NSGr 1
- Nachtschlachtgruppe 1
- *Stab/NSGr 3
- *1./NSGr 3
- *2./NSGr 3
- *1./NSGr 12
- Nachtschlachtgruppe 12
- *1./NSGr 12
- Nachtschlachtgruppe 11
- *Stab/NSGr 11
- *1./NSGr 11
- *2./NSGr 11
- *2./NSG 12
''Jagdabschnittführer Ostland'' ("fighter direction in Ostland") Riga-Spilve
JG 54 with fighters- Stab/JG 54
- I./JG 54
- 2./JG 54
- 3./JG 54
Tactical reconnaissance
- 1./NAGr 5
- II./JG 54
- Schlachtgeschwader 3 based at Immola
- *Stab/SG 3
- *1./SG 3
- *2./SG 3
- *3./SG 3
Commanding officers
- Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring, 1 February 1939 – 11 January 1940
- Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen Stumpff, 12 January 1940 – 10 May 1940
- General Wilhelm Wimmer, 11 May 1940 – 19 August 1940
- Generaloberst Alfred Keller, 20 August 1940 – 12 June 1943
- Generaloberst Günther Korten, 12 June 1943 – 23 August 1943
- General Kurt Pflugbeil, 24 August 1943 – 16 April 1945
Chiefs of staff
- Generalmajor Wilhelm Speidel, 1 February 1939 – 19 December 1939
- Generalleutnant Ulrich Kessler, 19 December 1939 – 25 April 1940
- Oberst Heinz-Hellmuth von Wühlisch, 1 May 1940 – 9 May 1940
- Generalmajor Dr. Robert Knauss, 9 May 1940 – 4 October 1940
- Generalmajor Otto Schöbel, 5 October 1940 – 16 January 1941
- Generalmajor Heinz-Hellmuth von Wühlisch, 16 January 1941 – 13 October 1941
- Generalmajor Herbert Rieckhoff, 13 October 1941 – 23 February 1943
- Generalmajor Hans Detlef Herhudt von Rohden, 23 February 1943 – 24 August 1943
- Generalmajor Klaus Uebe, 25 August 1943 – 24 December 1944
- Oberstleutnant Paul-Werner Hozzel, 25 December 1944 – 16 April 1945
Subordinate units
- II, III/Kampfgeschwader 1 "Hindenburg"
- Kampfgeschwader 76
- Kampfgeschwader 77
- K.Fl.Gr. 806
- Jagdgeschwader 54
- 2 Ob.d.L.
- 5 122
- eleven squadrons of
- SAGr 125
- one transport squadron
- five liaison squadrons
- IV Flak Corps
- *2nd Flak Division
- *6th Flak Division
ImageSize = width:580 height:520
PlotArea = width:465 height:460 left:35 bottom:20
AlignBars = early
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy # European date format
Period = from:01/01/1937 till:08/05/1945 #
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal
ScaleMajor = unit:year increment:1 start:01/01/1937
ScaleMinor = grid:blue unit:month increment:3 start:01/01/1937
PlotData=
color:red width:10
bar:1FD from:01/02/1939 till:22/09/1939 text:1. Flieger-Division
bar:2FD from:01/02/1939 till:31/08/1939 text:2. Flieger-Division
bar:3FD from:01/02/1943 till:31/10/1944 text:3. Flieger-Division
bar:LLD from:01/08/1939 till:04/10/1939 text:Luftwaffen-Lehr-Division
bar:1FK from:01/05/1941 till:19/07/1942 text:I. Fliegerkorps
bar:8FK from:01/07/1941 till:28/09/1941 text:VIII. Fliegerkorps
bar:FF1 from:01/07/1942 till:28/02/1943 text:Fliegerführer 1
bar:FFO from:01/04/1941 till:30/11/1941 text:Fliegerführer Ostsee
bar:LKO from:01/02/1939 till:30/09/1939 text:Luftwaffenkommando Ostpreussen
bar:JAO from:01/12/1943 till:17/09/1944 text:Jagdabschnittsführer Ostland
bar:GVK from:01/06/1944 till:30/06/1944 text:Gefechtsverband Kulmey
bar:LK1 from:01/08/1938 till:01/01/1943 text:Luftgau-Kommando I
bar:LK2 from:30/09/1939 till:31/05/1941 text:Luftgau-Kommando II
bar:LK3 from:01/10/1937 till:24/03/1941 text:Luftgau-Kommando III
bar:LK4 from:01/10/1937 till:24/03/1941 text:Luftgau-Kommando IV
bar:LK8 from:01/02/1939 till:01/04/1939 text:Luftgau-Kommando VIII
bar:LKP from:01/11/1941 till:30/06/1943 text:Luftgau-Kommando Petersburg/Riga
bar:FK26 from:01/06/1943 till:31/08/1944 text:Feldluftgau-Kommando XXVI
bar:LV1 from:01/08/1939 till:31/10/1939 text:Luftgaustab z.b.V. 1
bar:LV1 from:01/06/1941 till:30/11/1941
bar:LV3 from:01/08/1939 till:31/10/1939 text:Luftgaustab z.b.V. 3
bar:LV10 from:01/06/1941 till:30/11/1941 text:Luftgaustab z.b.V. 10
bar:4FK from:01/06/1944 till:30/06/1944 text:IV. Flakkorps
bar:2FKD from:01/01/1942 till:30/09/1944 text:2. Flak-Division
bar:6FKD from:01/04/1942 till:16/04/1945 text:6. Flak-Division
bar:LR1 from:start till:end text:Luftnachrichten-Regiment 1
bar:LR11 from:start till:end text:Luftnachrichten-Regiment 11
bar:LR21 from:start till:end text:Luftnachrichten-Regiment 21
Abbreviations
- FAGr = Fernaufklärungsgruppe = Reconnaissance aircraft.
- * Gruppe = equivalent to a RAF Wing.
- JG = Jagdgeschwader = Fighters.
- * Geschwader = equivalent to a Royal Air Force Group.
- KG = Kampfgeschwader = Bombers.
- KG zbV = Kampfgeschwader zur besonderen Verwendung = Transport aircraft, later TG.
- NAGr = Nahaufklärungsgruppe = Observation aircraft.
- NASt = Nahaufklärungsstaffel = Observation aircraft.
- * Staffel = equivalent to a RAF Squadron.
- NSGr = Nachtschlachtgruppe = Night ground attack.
- SAGr = Seeaufklärungsgruppe = Maritime patrol aircraft
- SG = Schlachtgeschwader = Ground attack.
- TG = Transportgeschwader= Transport aircraft.