Stab (Luftwaffe designation)
Encyclopedia
During World War II
, the suffix Stab (Staff
) was used in the German
Luftwaffe
(air force) to designate a headquarters unit. This applied to subordinate units in each Gruppe or Geschwader — the equivalent units to wing
s and group
s in other air forces.
These command units used the green colour of their aircraft and individual identification letters to distinguish their aircraft from the rest of air units in same sections. These units were divided in the following form:
On some occasions they also used letters G, Q, I, J, W and others, or numbers, but these were used less commonly. These units used the red-blue or blue-white-blue Reich Defense (German Reich metropolitan defense) sign. Under the cockpit, the rank of the air commander might have been indicated via a rank sign, with or without additional letters as mentioned above.
For example:
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the suffix Stab (Staff
General Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
) was used in the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
(air force) to designate a headquarters unit. This applied to subordinate units in each Gruppe or Geschwader — the equivalent units to wing
Wing (air force unit)
Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....
s and group
Group (air force)
A group is a military aviation unit, a component of military organization and a military formation. Usage of the terms group and wing differ from one country to another, as well as different branches of a defence force, in some cases...
s in other air forces.
These command units used the green colour of their aircraft and individual identification letters to distinguish their aircraft from the rest of air units in same sections. These units were divided in the following form:
- Geschwader Stab = A
- Stab I Gruppen ("Staff Unit, I Group") = B
- Stab II Gruppen = C
- Stab III Gruppen = D
- Stab IV Gruppen = E
- Stab V Gruppen = F
On some occasions they also used letters G, Q, I, J, W and others, or numbers, but these were used less commonly. These units used the red-blue or blue-white-blue Reich Defense (German Reich metropolitan defense) sign. Under the cockpit, the rank of the air commander might have been indicated via a rank sign, with or without additional letters as mentioned above.
For example:
- An airplane codified "A", green in colour, with D/St.III/St.G.77, indicated it was a member of Stab III of Stukageschwader (Dive Bomber Wing) No. 77.
- An airplane codified "G", green in colour, with a little white tank (Panzer) painting near the cockpit, and S.G. 1, indicated it was a member of Stab of Schlachtgeschwader (Ground Attack Wing) no. 1.