Luftflotte Reich[1] (Air Fleet Reich) was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed on February 5, 1944 in Berlin-Wannsee from Luftwaffenbefehlshaber Mitte. Its primary task was to defend German air space during the Defense of the Reich campaign.

Luftflotte Reich
Flag for the Chief of a Luftflotte
Active5 February 1944
Disbanded8 May 1945
Country Nazi Germany
BranchLuftwaffe
TypeCommand
Size~160.000 (spring of 1944)
EngagementsDefence of the Reich
Commanders
Notable
commanders
GenOberst Hans-Jürgen Stumpff

It was among the only Luftwaffe division that was in possession of a sizable number of Me 262s and Me 163s[2] fielding over 140 rocket aircraft as late as February 1945.

Commanding officers

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Chief of staff

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  • Generalmajor Sigismund Freiherr von Falkenstein, 5 February – 12 May 1944
  • Generalmajor Andreas Nielsen, 12 May 1944 – 8 May 1945

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organisation
  2. ^ Caldwell & Muller 2007, p. 322.

Bibliography

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  • Caldwell, Donald L.; Muller, Richard R. (2007). The Luftwaffe over Germany: Defense of the Reich. London, UK: Greenhill Books. ISBN 978-1-85367-712-0.