LATVIAN AVIATION WWII

          On 5 August, 1940, after Latvia occupied by the Soviet Union according to the orders of the Dept. of Defense by Marshal K. Timoshenko parts of the former Latvian army was incorporated with the 24-1 Territorial (Latvian) Rifle Corps OF RKKA - WORKERS AND PEASANTS RED A RMY , whose commander was made Lieutenant General R. Klavins . The composition of was 181 -4 and 183-4 rifle divisions, 613-1 artillery regiment, cavalry regiment, 111-1 antiaircraft artillery battalion, combat engineer battalion and signal battalion.
          In this case, Latvian soldiers and officers, just as Estonians, preserved their old uniforms, but which now had only Soviet insignia of rank.
          During September 1940 in 24-1 Latvian group were included 24-4 squadrons (24-1 hull squadron), completed by personnel of the former Latvian military aviation ( Latvia 's Kara aviacija). It had available ten reconnaissance aircraft, Stampe Sv-5, and consisted of 197 people.
          From 22 nd of June 1941, 24-4 squadrons began to fly reconnaissance, and on 27 th of June Latvian, pilots received orders to attack German bombers with their biplanes which were equivalent to suicide. In the course of the combat missions, the squadron lost one aircraft and after several days was recalled into Russia . On 2 nd of July, the Latvian pilots flew first to Rzhev, and then left further - for Moscow . While flying to Moscow , they were attacked by German aircraft and several were shot down.
          During September 1943 in Latvia began active preparation for creating in Grobina, 7 km east Of Liepaja , a training center headed by Major Walter Endres. It was to organize the instruction of Latvian flying and operating personnel. In this center from October 1943 through February 1944 they first passed training 25 former pilots of Latvian military aviation, six of whom then remained there as the instructors. In all until September 1944 into Grobina they passed the instruction of six groups of Latvian volunteers in the total number of 140 man. Among them there were 50 pilots of prewar Latvian military aviation, 50 men from the organization "Aizsargi" and 40 members of Latvian aero club.
          During a training flight perished one of the cadets, Janis Stukans . All newly prepared Latvian pilots were bound for NSGr.12 (lettisch), which began to be formed at the end of February of 1944 in Liepaja . It was planned, that it would compose of three squadrons, but actually it was possible to create only two. In composition of 1 /.NSGr. 12 (lettisch) under the command of Hauptmann Alfreds Salmins were 18 aircraft AG -66 and 19 pilots, and also 105 men of ground-based personnel, from whom only five were Germans.
          During March 1944 the squadron was moved to the airfield by Vecumi and was subordinated to the commander of NSGr.3 Reinhold Oelze.
          From 26 th of March, pilots 1 /.NSGr. 12 (lettisch) began to fly combat missions, which usually flew at the height of approximately thousand meters and a duration of approximately two hours. They were especially active pilots in the period from 12 to 22 May,1 /.NSGr. 12 (lettisch) when during eight straight nights they dropped on Soviet troop positions thousand of bombs.
          On 28 May squadron flew over to the airfield near settlement Salaspils of Riga. During May 1944 atGrobinya was formed 2./.NSGr. 12 (lettisch) under the command of Hauptmann Augusts Graudins.
          On 20 June the squadron, in composition of which there were 17 pilots even 70 men of ground-based personnel, arrived to the airfield By Vetsumi and six days later it began to carry out combat missions.
          During May in Grobina was formed and staffed, NSGr.12 (lettisch), and the commander of the group was Hauptmann Rademacher.
          After 31 May, order Nr. 10570/44 was published by the General- quartermaster of the Luftwaffe about the creation of the 1st air fleet of Latvian fighter squadron, to go to Germany for the preparation as fighter pilots . First during June there left Ober- Lieutenant Eduards Millers, Lieutenants Arnolds Mentis and Janis Lecis, non-comissioned officers Haralds Makars and Harijs Klints, and then during July were to be joined by non-comissioned officers Vitolds Berkis, Voldemars Livmanis, Julijs Stars and Privates Robert Dumpis and Edgars Lazdins.
          Latvian pilots were trained in I./JG103 and I./JG103 for combat training , which at that moment was based on airfield at Parou.
          During July 1944 both squadrons NSGr.12 (lettisch) operated from the airfield at Gulbene.
          14 th of July troops of the 1st Baltic and 3rd Belorussian began to attack in the direction on Vilnius . Pilots of NSGr. 12 (lettisch) acted with a maximally possible intensity and already on 25 th of July they completed their thousandth combat mission. At the same time group suffered heavy losses, on the night of 23 rd of July of 16 aircraft from 2./.NSGr.l2 (lettisch) returned only nine.
          Pilot of one of not returning was PFC Kirsteins. After falling into captivity, he agreed to work for the Soviet reconnaissance. Soon after being shot down in Kurland Kirsteins was arrested by the agents of abvera and during March 1945 was shot.
          The attempt to form during July e./.NSGr. 12 (lettisch) failed because of the shortage of aircraft. For the same reason could not rearm the available two squadrons of attack aircraft Ju-87D. On the night from 31st of July to 1st of August 1944, 35 aircraft NSGr.12 (lettisch) completed on the whole of approximately 300 combat missions, after dropping fifty tons of bombs on the position of Soviet troops in the region Jelgava, 39 km southwest of Riga. In the course of the combat missions on the nights 12th and13th of August the group lost two AG -66 because of the poor weather.
          According to the order of high command Luftwaffe of 11th of August, all Latvian squadrons were transferred to the air legion " Latvia " (Luftwaffen Legion "Lettland"), which had to head oberst- Lieutenant Janis Rucels. However, this legion, just as air legion " Estonia " (Luftwaffen Legion "Estland"), remained created only on the paper.
          During Septembers- beginning through October squadron NSGr. 12 (lettisch), which operated from the airfields of Tukums, 57 km west of Riga, and Skulte, approximately 7 km west of Riga, actively were supporting the defensive actions of the part of the Army Group North. In all until 7 October, pilots 1 /.NSGr. 12 (lettisch) completed about three thousand combat missions, and the pilots of 2./.NSGr. 12 (lettisch) - 2658 missions.
          During September the first of five pilots, who completed in Germany training as fighter pilots, from Bromberg with new Fw-190 flew them to the airfield at Skulte, under the command of Hauptmann Franz Eisenach.
          Latvians were included in composition of I./JG54 and operating them from the airfield at Ventspils, carried out about ten combat missions.
          14 September of the 1st , 2-1 and the 3rd Baltic fronts together with 2-1 shock and eighth armies of Leningrad Front, composed of 135 rifle divisions. 6 tank and one mechanized unit with 11 individual tank brigades, began a new offensive against the German Army Group North. By this time, perhaps, already the majority of Latvian pilots did not believe that they sometimes may return to their native land. Probably, precisely, therefore one of them in the course of a planned sortie, fired and set fire to the estate of his parents, being approached by Soviet troops.
          From 24 th of September till 1 st of October, 1944, five Estonian aircraft of 1 /.SAGr. 127 and NSGr. 11 (estnisch) flew to neutral Sweden . As a result on 7 th of October General- quartermaster of the Luftwaffe signed order Mr. 13215/44, according to which all Estonian and Latvian aviation units were dissolved.
          Guard- Lieutenant Janis Rutsels, who was leader of air legion " Latvia ", attempted change this order so it would not apply to Latvian squadrons. On 10 October he wrote to the Luftwaffe: "Latvian pilots and servicemen were proud of the fact that they have their own aviation squadrons. It is necessary to fear, that the solution about the breaking up of the Latvian aviation squadrons, which are especially located on the front and which were being mentioned, until now, only with the praise, will be incorrectly understood and perceived by society as an insult ". However, Berlin did not trust Baltic pilots, even despite the fact that 80% of Latvian flying personnel were rewarded with German iron crosses 1st and 2nd class. Was noted that only one case of desertion among pilots NSGr. 12 (lettisch), when on 8 October on Hs-126 "NL" flew to Sweden , sergeant-major Zanis Tamsons.
          At the end of October of 1944 all Latvian pilots, including fighter pilots, who flew in I./JG54, were assembled on the airfield Altdamm (Dabie) (Altdamm), several kilometers east of Stettin.
          This ended the Latvian aviation combat squadrons actions against the Russians but a few pilots did serve with Germans on the western front against US and English planes.