Some German Translations

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Zipper730

Chief Master Sergeant
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Nov 9, 2015
I've ordered a bunch of books, and I've started getting a few in. One is on the He 177, and it's a great book, except the book is in German (a language which I don't read). I'm basically using google translate to decode a book that I never expected would need it, and there's some words here that I'm not sure I understand.

I'm pretty sure Geschwader is a bomber wing. I think Kampfgeschwader, is a bomber wing, and Fern means remote in the context. I'm not sure what qualifies as a remote bomber-wing, unless they mean forwar deployed.

What does I./KG 50 mean? Is the I like Luftlotte 1?
 
Fern can be translated as "far" in English as in long distance.
 
Epr.Gr.210: Erprobungs Gruppe 210. Test and Development Wing. Originally intended to introduce the Me 210 into service. Later used as a fighter-bomber unit flying Bf 110's.

Erprobungs und LehrKommando: Test and Training Unit.

(F): Fern, as in Fern Aufklärungsgruppe. Long Range Reconnaissance Wing. Abbreviated 1(F)/121 etc.

Fliegerdivision: Similar but of less importance then a Fliegerkorps, most of which were expanded into the latter as the war progressed.

Fliegerkorps: An operational command controlling an unspecified number of units. Subsidiary to a Luftflotte.

Geschwader: An operational unit similar to an RAF Group. Normally comprising three operational Gruppen and a Staff Flight, with a total establishment of about 100 aircraft. It also possessed a fourth training Gruppe, and later in the war a fifth Gruppe was added to some Geschwadern. Prefixed Kampf (Bomber) or Zerstörer (Long-range fighter) ie KG 55, ZG 26 etc.

Gruppe: An operational unit similar to an RAF Wing. Normally comprised three Staffeln and a Staff flight with a total establishment of 30 aircraft. Abbreviated I/KG 55 etc.

Kampfgeschwader: Bomber Group. Abbreviated KG 1 etc.

Kampfgruppe: Bomber Wing. Normally a specialised independent unit. Abbreviated KGr 100 (pathfinders) KGr 606 and KGr 806 (ex-naval units).

Lehrgeschwader: Instructional/Operational Development Group. Became normal operational bombing units on the outbreak of war. Abbreviated LG 1 etc.

Sonderaüfklarungsstaffel Ob.d.L: The Special Reconnaissance Squadron of the Commander in Chief of the German Airforce.

Staffel: The smallest Luftwaffe operational unit similar to an RAF Squadron normally comprising 9 aircraft. 1,2 and 3 Staffeln were in I Gruppe; 4,5 and 6 in II Gruppe; 7,8, and 9 in III Gruppe; 10,11 and 12 in IV Gruppe; 13,14 and 15 in V Gruppe. Abbreviated 7/KG 100 etc.

Zerstörergeschwader: (Destroyer Wing). Long-range fighter Wing. Abbreviated ZG 26 etc.

After 1935, military planes carried, on their fuselage, a four character Geschwaderkennung code with the Balkenkreuz after the first two characters. Consisting of one letter and one number in a unique combination for a specific Geschwader or Gruppe. The third letter always designated the individual aircraft ID within a Staffel, while the fourth letter designated the Staffel itself within the larger Geschwader or Gruppe unit it belonged to
 
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I speak German fluently.

A Geschwader translates to Squadron in English, but it is more the equivalent of a Wing.

A Kampfgeschwader would be made up of bombers.

Fern would translate more to long range not remote, i.e Long range bomber.

I./KG 50 means Group 1, Bomber Wing 50
 
Zipper730 said:
What's an E-Staffel?
Click to expand...
From the previously provided link The service test units often known as Erprobungskommando could also be of Staffel or Gruppe organizational size, as well as existing outside of any such "set" unit size as a Gruppe or Staffel – the Heinkel He 177 was service-tested by a Staffel-sized unit, known as Erprobungsstaffel 177,[35] frequently using the RLM airframe type number for the number of the unit testing the aircraft bearing it.
 
mikewint

I like the illustration: When it comes to Rotte's (Pack), that only applies for fighters; Kette (Chain) are used for bombers and consist of two sets of three bombers back arranged in tandem.
 
I find myself translating what's written in German to English, then having to translate the German-English into English-English (makes it easier to understand).
 
There seems to be some confusion about the German term "Kette".
Regardless of the translation, a "Kette" was a "V" formation and was the standard arrangement for the Jastas during the Great war.
In the Inter-war years, the Kette arrangement gave way to the to the Rotte formation, which added an additional aircraft to the arrangement.

But a traditional Kette was formed in a V, like the RFC'S "VIC" formation.
 
DerAdlerIstGelandet said:
I speak German fluently.
Click to expand...
I could use some help here with the following translations.

Firstly, I assume when they say "nullserienmusters", which translates as "zero series samples" probably means "pre-production prototype?" As for "flugklartermin des 1. versuchsmuster 1.06.1938", that probably comes out to first flight of the first prototype? The translation reads it out as "airliner charter of the first pilot sample", which I'm sure is wrong.

This comes out of the following list..
Not sure why German evokes images of grayish green or bluish gray, but it does. My own text-file has that. The German text is in gray-green; the translated text is in in black, and the corrected text in blue. Stuff I can't make sense of, I usually put in red.

Most things are just a matter of turning German to German English, and from there to English (though I could easily have made some errors in the process). That said... there's some things that are a bit unclear. This is from page 14 transcribed directly
, and when translated into Google comes out as...
and I worked it into
Though I know what a hull is, I'd guess the shape of the cockpit makes it difficult to read the instruments at certain angles?

The translation comes out as
which I translated into

"Dr Ernst Heinkel replied that such a large, four-engined, long-ranged bomber aircraft would not be capable of fulfilling it's combat mission. Udet responded by comparing the He 177 with the Ju 88 and basically saw no inherent structural problems to rule out the design, so the airframe would be strengthened as need be. The inevitable increase in structural weight was to be absorbed by the DB-606 double-engines. Furthermore, the RLM stipulated a range requirement of 6700 km at an altitude of 4000 to 6000 m. According to the current specifications of the Bomber A contender, the entire - now four man crew - should be housed in a full-view pulpit.[/quote]"Not capable of launching", I was able to figure out by fiddling with the translator (I moved some sentences around, erased words around it), that it probably means something like "incapable of combat"; As for the second passage -- a full-view pulpit? Does that mean something like the battle-head layout the Do-17 and Ju-88 had?

Also, what's a Katschmarek?
 
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