Drawing on many years of research including interviews and correspondence with former aircrews, private accounts, unit records and reports, aviation historian Chris Goss presents the history of Kampfgeschwader 40 (KG 40), the Luftwaffe’s principal maritime anti-shipping unit and multi-role strike wing. KG 40 was formed in 1940 and operated successfully in the campaigns in Norway, the seas around Great Britain, over the Bay of Biscay, the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean, including missions over North Africa,and for a short time the Soviet Union. At various times the unit was equipped with the He 111,Fw 200, Ju 88, Do 217 and He 177. During the first half of the war, its four-engined, long-range Fw 200 Condors operated far out into the Atlantic, attacking merchant shipping and accounting for thousands of tons damaged or sunk. The unit also operated the Do 217 and He 177 bomber types, the latter armed with the latest, state-of-the-art guided bombs against maritime targets in Great Britain and the Mediterranean. Its Ju 88 C-6 ‘heavy’ fighters patrolled the waters of the Biscay from 1942-1944, protecting U-boats and Axis shipping and taking a heavy toll of Allied aircraft.

This is the first time the complete operational record of this renowned bomber unit has been told, Gruppe by Gruppe, in the English language. The Geschwader’s story is enhanced through many personal accounts, archival research, some 700 photographs depicting the various aircraft types, their crews, the anti-shipping ‘aces’, the weapons and their Allied opponents, as well as many colour aircraft profiles.

Index

• Appendices (contents below)
• A. Kampfgeschwader 40 – Genesis 1940-1944B. Known Kampfgeschwader 40 Executive OfficersC. Kampfgeschwader 40 aircrew known to have been awarded or previously received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold
• D. V./Kampfgeschwader 40 air combat claims
• E. V./Kampfgeschwader 40 Experten
• F. KG 40/FKG 50 Erkennungsmarke
• G. Aircraft types flown by Kampfgeschwader 40
• H. Table of Ranks
• I: Loss Lists