| Letka (pl. Letky) | Squadron |
| Letecky Pluk | Air Regiment |
| Stíhací Prapor | Fighter Group |
The Czechs kept their air unit structure very simple. The letka was the basic unit with a strength between 9 and 12 aircraft. Various numbers of letky were grouped into leteky pluk. The first three of these had letky of all types assigned, but the last three were all single-role units, often with considerably fewer letky assigned than the more senior pluk.
The Czech Air Force had the following organization as Central Europe edged towards war in the autumn of 1938:
| Unit | Role | Name/Aircraft | Peacetime Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letecky Pluk 1 | Mixed | Pres. T. G. Masaryk | Prague |
| 1-4, 6, 11 Letky | Observation | S-328/A-100/Ab-101 | |
| 31,32,34 Letky | Fighter | B-534/Bk-534 | |
| 61, 66 Letky | Recon | S-328 | |
| Letecky Pluk 2 | Mixed | Dr. Edward Benes | Olomouc |
| 5, 7-8, 14 Letky | Observation | S-328/A-100/Ab-101 | |
| 33, 35, 36, 51 Letky | Fighter | B-534/Bk-534 | |
| 62, 63 Letky | Recon | S-328 | |
| 91 Letka | Night Fighter | S-328N | |
| Letecky Pluk 3 | Mixed | Gen. M.R. Stefanik | Piestany |
| 9-10, 12-13, 15-16 Letky | Observation | S-328/A-100/Ab-101 | |
| 37-39, 45, 49 Letky | Fighter | B-534/Bk-534 | |
| 64 Letka | Recon | S-328 | |
| Letecky Pluk 4 | Fighter | Hradec Králové | |
| 40-44, 46-48, 50 | Fighter | B-534/Bk-534 | |
| Letecky Pluk 5 | Bomber | Brno | |
| 77 Letka | Light Bomber | Ab-101? | |
| 81-84 Letky | Heavy Bomber | MB.200/F.39 | |
| Letecky Pluk 6 | Bomber | Prague/Milovice | |
| 71-76 Letky | Medium Bomber | SB-2M-100A | |
| Stíhací Prapor 1 | Fighter | B-534 | ? |
| Stíhací Prapor 2 | Fighter | B-534 | ? |
| Stíhací Prapor 3 | Fighter | B-534 | ? |
I've yet to see a truly satisfactory OB for the entire Czech Air Force for this period. The above is the best I could put together with the sources at hand. The entire equipment situation of the reconnaissance and observation squadrons needs to be clarified. Particularly doubtful are the squadrons of the 5th and 6th Air Regiments and the aircraft equipping the 5th Air Regiment. One source references the Stíhací Prapor, but doesn't explain them at all; I believe that they were reserve formations.
Titz's Czechoslovakian Air Force lists the totals of combat aircraft available, in squadrons, excluding reserves, during the crisis as:
252 FightersIt lists grand totals, including reserves, although I believe the night fighters aren't included in the overall fighter total, on 1 September as:
10 Night Fighters
94 Bombers
160 Observation
326 FightersKrybus lists a total of 424 B-534s and Bk-534s available on 10 November. Of these some 93 are in storage, 29 are assigned to the Stíhací Prapor, and 54 are assigned to training units. Subtracting the 93 in storage from this total yields a number very close to the 326 cited above. Some of these probably would have been held back for the defense of Slovakia, probably from the 3rd Air Regiment.
101 Light Bombers
54 Heavy Bombers
529 Observation
Vrany lists 330 B-534 and 20 Bk-534 in units with another 30 under repair during the Munich crisis. His numbers for 10 November are 370 B-534 and 54 Bk-534 as deliveries continued apace though ancillary equipment lagged and some of these planes would have lacked machine-guns and some instruments.
The bombers are quite a bit more difficult to figure out. The author of the anonymous article in Air International says that 48 SB-2s were in bomber squadrons during the Munich Crisis with another 11 in training or reconnaissance units, presumably these are shown as light bombers above. 124 MB.200s were license-built by Avia in 1936-7 so why are only 54 available a year later? I imagine that the remaining light bombers were either S.328s, A-100s, or Ab-101s, but I just don't know which.
| ECN | Escadrille de Chasse du Nuit | Night fighter squadron |
| EscB | Escadre de Bombardement | Bomber Wing |
| EscC | Escadre de Chasse | Fighter Wing |
| Esc | Escadrille | Squadron |
| GARALD | Groupe Aérien Régional d'Aviation Légère de Défense | Light Regional Air Defense Group |
| GB | Groupe de Bombardement | Bomber Group |
| GC | Groupe de Chasse | Fighter Group |
The escadrille was the lowest ordinary level of command in the Armée de l'Air (Air Force). The number of aircraft assigned varied with the type of unit. An escadrille de chasse would have around 15 aircraft while an escadrille de bombardment would have 7 or 8 assigned. Only in rare cases were escadrilles deployed independently as they were almost always paired in groupes, except for specialist units, such as night fighters. The GARALDs shown in the OB were dedicated air defense units of about a dozen fighters
The groupe was the lowest independent echelon. Almost without exception they had two escadrilles assigned so the strength could range from 14 to 30, depending on the aircraft type. Two and sometimes three groupes were under the command of an escadre. Higher echelons of command existed, but they fall outside the scope of this article.
I must mention that French air doctrine placed fighter units under the command of individual armies. This policy denied them the ability to concentrate on a single threat or axis and virtually precluded fighter escorts for bombers. This mistaken doctrine was partly responsible for the less than stellar performance in May 1940
The French used an nomenclature scheme almost identical to the German one, except for different terminology. Roman numerals were used for escadrilles and escadres and Roman numbers for groupes. Thus, ECN 5/1 was the designation of the 5th Escadrille of the 1st Escadre de Chasse du Nuit and GB II/35 designated the 2nd Groupe de Bombardement of the 35th Escadre de Bombardement.
| Unit | Aircraft | Base | Unit | Aircraft | Base |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EscC 4, 5 | D.500/501 | Reims | EscB 54 | Potez 540 | Le Bourget |
| ECN 4/4 | Mureaux 113 | Reims? | EscB 51 | MB.210 | Tours |
| EscB 12 | MB.200 | Reims | EscB 15 | Farman 221/222 | Avord |
| GB I/38 | Amiot 143 | Metz | EscB 32 | MB.200 | Châteauroux |
| GB II/38 | Potez 540 | Metz | EscB 19, 21 | MB.210 | Bordeaux |
| EscC 3 | D.500/501 | Dijon | EscB 31 | MB.200 | Tours |
| GC I/7 | SPAD 510/MS 406 | Dijon | EscB 11, 23 | MB.210 | Toulouse |
| GC II/7 | SPAD 510 | Dijon | GB II/35 | Amiot 143 | Lyons-Bron |
| EscC 1 | D.510 | Etampes | EscC 8 | D.501/510 | Marignane |
| ECN 5/1 | Mur 113/Po.630 | Etampes | GARALD 1/561 | Ni-D 622/629 | Rouen? |
| EscC 2 | D.500/501 | Chartres | GARALD 2/561 | Ni-D 622/629 | Villacoublay |
| EscC 6 | Loire 46 | Chartres | GARALD 562 | Ni-D 622/629 | Lyons-Bron |
| EscB 34 | Amiot 143 | Le Bourget | GARALD 564 | Ni-D 622/629 | Cuers |
The numbers of each type of aircraft are shown below:
| Aircraft | In units | Grand Total | Aircraft | In units | Grand Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amiot 143 | 125 | 129 | Loire 46 | 53 | 61 |
| MB.200 | 139 | 181 | MS.405/406 | 16 | 21 |
| MB.210 | 203 | 231 | Mureaux 113 | 18 | 33 |
| Farman 222 | 29 | 40 | Ni-D.62/622 | 52 | 213 |
| Potez 540 | 145 | 171 | Ni-D.629 | 11 | 40 |
| D.500 | 69 | 77 | Potez 630/631 | 41 | 64 |
| D.501 | 108 | 118 | SPAD 510 | 43 | 52 |
| D.510 | 76 | 85 |
The difference between aircraft in units and the grand total is that the latter includes aircraft that are in training units, test centers, etc. I've discounted the units of the Aéronavale, the air arm of the French Navy, as I believe that they would either be unavailable for operations along the Franco-German border or would be dedicated to deterring the Italians. The same is true of those few units based in North Africa and the Levant of the Armée de l'Air.
Based on the above totals and figuring a dozen aircraft for each fighter escadrille and discounting the night fighters, aircraft assigned to the GARALDs, some of each type in training units, and the MS.406s which were still shaking down, I'd estimate that a total of 288 fighters were available in Metropolitan France. A detailed breakdown is given below:
144 D500/501Given the French paranoia about strategic bombing, I'd guess that around a full escadre would be retained to defend Paris, so deduct the 48 or so D.510s of EscC 1. So, roughly speaking, I'd believe 240 fighters would be available over the Franco-German border, all of which are slower than 400 km/h.
60 D.510
36 SPAD.510
48 Loire 46
Deducting the aircraft stationed in North Africa, the Levant, and assigned to reconaissance units I estimate that 445 bombers were available in metropolitan France, broken down as follows:
80 MB.200Note that all of these are strategic bombers, the French had just begun to realize the potential of specialist ground-attack aircraft, but these were over a year away from service. I believe that the French would have quickly realized the folly of daylight bombing missions against Me 109s and would have switched to night bombing. I doubt they would have accomplished much given the RAF's pitiful record during the first couple years of World War 2.
200 MB.210
80 Am.143
70 Po.540
25 F.221/222
German fighter strengths are for 26 Sep 38.
| Unit | Aircraft | Base | Unit | Aircraft | Base | Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| III(K)/LG | He 111 | Greifswald | 2., 3./JG 131 | Bf 109D | Liegnitz | 25 |
| I/KG 152 | Neubrandenburg | I/JG 132 | Fürstenwalde | 36 | ||
| III/KG 152 | Ju 86G | Schwerin | II/JG 132 | Jüterbog | 39 | |
| I/KG 153 | Do 17E | Merseburg | III/JG 132 | Fürstenwalde | 40 | |
| II/KG 153 | Do 17E | Finsterwalde | IV/JG 132 | Oshatz | 33 | |
| III/KG 153 | Do 17E | Altenburg | I/JG 134 | Dortmund | 34 | |
| I/KG 155 | He 111E? | Langendiebach | II/JG 134 | Werl | 31 | |
| II/KG 155 | He 111E? | Gießen | IV/JG 134 | Neisse | 39 | |
| I/KG 157 | He 111 | Langenhausen | I/JG 135 | Bad Aibling | 37 | |
| II/KG 157 | He 111 | Wunstorf | II/JG 135 | Straubling | 37 | |
| III/KG 157 | He 111 | Delmenhorst | I/JG 137 | Bernburg | 38 | |
| I/KG 257 | He 111 | Lübeck? | II/JG 137 | Zerbst | 35 | |
| II/KG 257 | He 111 | Lüneburg | I/JG 138 | Wien-Aspern | 31 | |
| III/KG 257 | He 111 | Langenhagen? | I/JG 136 | Jever | 38 | |
| I/KG 158 | Do 17E | Wiener Neustadt | I/JG 234 | Köln | 35 | |
| II/KG 158 | Do 17E | Wiener Neustadt | II/JG 234 | Düsseldorf | 32 | |
| III/KG 158 | Do 17E | Wels | III/JG 234 | Schweidnitz | 35 | |
| II/KG 252 | Ju 86A/D | Liegnitz | 1./JG 131 | Jesau | 12 | |
| I/KG 253 | Ju 86 | Gotha | I/JG 334 | Wiener-Neustadt | 32 | |
| II/KG 253 | Ju 86 | Erfurt | II/JG 334 | Mannheim | 29 | |
| III/KG 253 | Ju 86 | Nordhausen | III/JG 334 | 38 | ||
| I/KG 254 | Ju 86D? | Fritzlar | I(J.)/LG | Garz/Usedom | 38 | |
| II/KG 254 | Ju 86D? | Gütersloh | II(sJ.)/LG | Tutow | 45 | |
| I/KG 255 | Do 17E | Landsberg | IV(St)/LG | Ju 87A | Schwerin | |
| II/KG 255 | Do 17E | Leipheim | I/StG 163 | Ju 87A | Breslau | |
| III/KG 255 | Do 17E | Memmingen | I/StG 165 | Ju 87A | Kitzingen | |
| I/KG 355 | He 111B? | Ansbach | II/StG 165 | Ju 87A | Schweinfurt | |
| II/KG 355 | He 111B? | Schwäbisch Hall | III/StG 165 | Ju 87A | Wertheim | |
| III/KG 355 | He 111B? | Giebelstadt | I/StG 168 | Ju 87A | Graz | |
| SFGr 10 | Hs 123A | 4(St)/TrGr 186 | Ju 87A | Kiel | ||
| SFGr 20 | SFGr 40 | He 45C | Regensburg- Obertraubling* | |||
| SFGr 30 | SFGr 50 | Hs 123A | Altgrottkau |
272x He 111B
171x He 111E
39x He 111F
88x He 111J
159x Ju 86A/D
43x Ju 86E
33x Ju 86G
The other 320 bombers were probably the Do 17s shown above. The ground attack aircraft comprised a motley collection of Hs 123, He 45 and a variety of other types, possibly including He 51 fighters, He 46 observation aircraft, Ar 66 trainers and He 50 dive bombers.
Hooton shows the following deployment for the Luftwaffe for Fall Grün:
| FD 1 and 2 | FD zbV | FD 5 | LKdo Osterreich |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 JGr | 5 JGr | 1 JGr | |
| 17 KGr | 8 KGr | 3 KGr | |
| 4 StGr | 2 StGr | 1 StGr | |
| 3 SFGr | 2 SFGr |
Fliegerdivisionen 1 and 2 supported the German armies on the northern and north-western Czech borders, but 4 of their fighter gruppen were to be deployed on home defense duties. Fliegerdivision 5 supported 12th Army deployed on the south-western Czech border with 2 of its fighter gruppen reserved for home defense duties. LKdo Osterreich controlled the aircraft supporting the 14th Army in eastern Austria. This left the remaining 4 Jagdgruppen on home defense on Germany's periphery. This reduced the fighters available for service over Czechoslovakia to only 10 jagdgruppen, half of those available.
Hooton also cites 2 jagdstaffeln assigned to Fliegerdivision zbV and another two assigned to Fliegerdivision 5 as well though these latter two were committed to home defense. I'm puzzled by which units those would be as I can only identify 3 jagdstaffeln total unless he's actually calling staffeln those gruppen that were staffeln in size. In addition I'd expect that all three would remain in the north to defend the North Sea Coast as listed in the table below. 1 kampfgruppen appears to have remained uncommitted, but I cannot determine exactly which one.
The quality of the German aircrew is also in doubt as Murray quotes a Luftwaffe document from August '38 on aircrew readiness that casts doubts on the Luftwaffe's ability to wage war.
| Type of Aircraft | Authorized Crews | Fully Operational | Partially Operational |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strategic Recon | 228 | 84 | 57 |
| Tactical Recon | 297 | 183 | 128 |
| Fighter | 938 | 537 | 364 |
| Bomber | 1409 | 378 | 411 |
| Dive Bomber | 300 | 80 | 123 |
| Ground Attack | 195 | 89 | 11 |
| Transport | 117 | 10 | 17 |
| Coastal/Naval | 230 | 71 | 23 |
| Totals | 3714 | 1432 | 1145 |
The large numbers of partially trained bomber and dive bomber crews is partially accounted for by bomber crews lacking required instrument flight training and the lack of fully trained Stuka gunners.
The Luftwaffe achieved very high serviceability rates for its aircraft before Fall Grün by reducing flight and training time and using up many spares. These rates were 90% for bombers and 95% for fighters on 26 September, but would have precipitiously declined if war had broken out. Even without war the serviceability rates had dropped to 78% by 8 December.
| Dyon | Wing |
| Eskadra (pl. Eskadry) | Squadron |
| Pulk Lotniczy | Air Regiment |
| Unit | Dyon | Aircraft | Base | Unit | Dyon | Aircraft | Base |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Pulk Lotniczy | Warszawa | 2. Pulk Lotniczy | Krakow | ||||
| 111, 112 Eskadry | III/1 | P.11c | 121-123 Eskadry | III/2 | P.11c | ||
| 113, 114 Eskadry | IV/1 | P.11c | 21, 22, 24 Eskadry | II/2 | P.23B | ||
| 211, 212 Eskadry | X/1 | P.37A/B | |||||
| 3. Pulk Lotniczy | Poznan | 4. Pulk Lotniczy | Torun | ||||
| 131, 132 Eskadry | III/3 | P.11c | 141, 142 Eskadry | III/4 | P.11c | ||
| 31, 32, 34 Eskadry | I/3 | P.23B | 41, 42 Eskadry | I/4 | P.23B | ||
| 5. Pulk Lotniczy | Lida | 6. Pulk Lotniczy | Lwow | ||||
| 151 Eskadra | III/5 | P.7a | 161 Eskadra | III/6 | P.11c | ||
| 152 Eskadra | III/5 | P.11c | 162 Eskadra | III/6 | P.7a | ||
| 51, 55 Eskadry | I/5 | P.23B | 64, 65 Eskadry | VI/6 | P.23B |
According to one source the Poles could muster in November '38 a total of 115 P.7a, 185 P.11c fighters and 200 P.23B army cooperation aircraft. This includes aircraft assigned to training units. The P.37 wasn't yet combat ready and may well have been grounded during this period while a number of crashes were investigated.
| Aircraft | Engine Rating | Max. Speed | Time to (Altitude) | Armament | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dewoitine D.501 | 1x 690 hp | 365 km/h | 5.4 min (5000 m) | 1x 20mm, 2x 7.5 | 870 km |
| Dewoitine D.510 | 1x 860 hp | 385 km/h | 4.75 min (5000 m) | 1x 20mm, 2x 7.5 | 700 km |
| Loire 46 | 1x 930 hp | 370 km/h | 3.3 min (3000 m) | 4x 7.5mm | 750 km |
| Mureaux 113 | 1x 650 hp | 310 km/h | 8.9 min (5000 m) | 4x 7.7mm | 920 km |
| Ni-D. 622 | 1x 580 hp | 270 km/h | 7.5 min (4000 m) | 2x 7.7mm | 900 km |
| SPAD 510 | 1x 690 hp | 370 km/h | 3.37 min (3000 m) | 4x 7.5mm | 875 km |
| B-534 Series IV | 1x 860 hp | 394 km/h | 4.47 min (5000 m) | 4x 7.92mm | 580 km |
| Heinkel He 51B | 1x 750 hp | 330 km/h | 7.8 min (4000 m) | 2x 7.92mm | 700 km |
| Me 109D | 1x 680 hp | 470 km/h? | 8.75 min (5000 m)? | 4x 7.92mm | 652 km? |
| P.7a | 1x520 hp | 327 km/h | 5.5 min (3000m) | 2x 7.7mm | 600 km |
| P.11c | 1x645 hp | 390 km/h | 7 min (5000) | 2x 7.7 | 700 km |
| Aircraft | Engine Rating | Max. Speed | Bombload (max.) | Armament | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aero A-100 | 1x 650 hp | 269 km/h | 600 kg | 4x 7.92mm | 950 km |
| Aero Ab-101 | 1x 860 hp | 259 km/h | 500 kg | 4x 7.92mm | 950 km |
| Letov S-328 | 1x 635 hp | 280 km/h | 500 kg | 4x 7.92mm | 700 km |
| Heinkel He 45C | 1x 750 hp | 290 km/h | 300 kg | 2x 7.92mm | 1200 km |
| Henschel Hs 123A | 1x 880 hp | 340 km/h | 400 kg | 2x 7.92mm | 860 km |
| Junkers Ju 87A | 1x 640 hp | 320 km/h | 500 kg | 2x 7.92mm | 1000 km |
| Tupolev SB-2M-100A | 2x 860 hp | 423 km/h | 1060 kg. | 4x 7.62mm | 1450 km |
| Amiot 143 | 2x 888 hp | 295 km/h | 1600 kg | 4x 7.5mm | 1300 km# |
| Bloch MB 200 | 2x 900 hp | 283 km/h | 1200 kg | 3x 7.92mm | 1000 km |
| Bloch MB.210 | 2x 910 hp | 322 km/h | 1600 kg | 3x 7.5mm | 1700 km |
| Farman F.222 | 4x 970 hp | 320 km/h | 4000 kg | 3x 7.5mm | 2000 km |
| Potez 540 | 2x 690 hp | 310 km/h | 900 kg | 3x 7.5mm | 1250 km |
| Dornier Do 17E | 2x 750 hp | 354 km/h | 750 kg | 2x 7.92mm | 1590 km* |
| Dornier Do 17M | 2x 900 hp | 365 km/h | 1000 kg | 3x 7.92mm | 1375 km* |
| Heinkel He 45C | 1x 750 hp | 290 km/h | 300 kg | 2x 7.92mm | 1200 km |
| Heinkel He 111B-2 | 2x 950 hp | 370 km/h | 1500 kg | 3x 7.92mm | 1030 km |
| Heinkel He 111E-3 | 2x 1010 hp | 420 km/h | 2000 kg | 3x 7.92mm | 1500 km |
| Junkers Ju 86D | 2x 592 hp | 325 km/h | 1000 kg | 3x 7.92mm | 1500 km |
| Junkers Ju 86E-2 | 2x 853 hp | 380 km/h | 1000 kg | 3x 7.92mm | 1400 km |
| PZL P.23B | 1x 680 hp | 299 km/h | 700 kg | 2x 7.7mm | 1260 km |
| PZL P.37B | 2x 925 hp | 445 km/h | 2580 kg | 3x 7.7mm | 2600 km |
Note: * without bombs, # with max bombload