It served on nearly all the fronts in the European Theatre where the German Luftwaffe operated. KG 54 was formed in May The bomber wing was equipped with two of the major German medium bomber types; the Heinkel He and the Junkers Ju It was given the insignia of a human skull and crossbones, with the bones significantly crossed behind the skull.
This insignia for the entire bomber wing was sometimes displayed on a shield-like device, but more often depicted over a normal camouflage pattern. The Totenkopf motif was inspired by the Braunschweiger Black Hussars. It spent the Phoney War resting and refitting though it did carry out leaflet-dropping over France. On 14 May , as the Battle of the Netherlands reached a climax, KG 54 carried out the Rotterdam Blitz , which destroyed the centre of the city and killed many civilians. The attack played a role in the surrender of the Dutch Army.
From July it fought in the Battle of Britain sustaining considerable losses and thereafter in The Blitz. In it served in the Mediterranean, Middle East and African theatres of war. It supported German forces in the night intruder role over the beachheads in June and served on the Western Front until October , when the last of its bomber groups was disbanded. Some were converted into fighter groups, and continued to operate into KG 54's attack on Rotterdam in May has occasioned accusations of war crimes but no criminal charges were ever filed against the wing's officers or any senior officer commander at corps or air fleet level.
The Dutch decision not to declare Rotterdam an open city played a part in the attack. Although KG 54 was used as an offensive tool supporting a war of aggression , the city was a combat zone and the bombing did not violate the then valid Hague Convention on Land Warfare, Kampfgeschwader 54 was formed on 1 May at Fritzlar by reforming Stab. The new Geschwader wing was placed under the command of Luftflotte 3. The medium bomber unit was allotted the Heinkel He Gruppe was created the same day at Fritzlar with the He P.
The late creation of KG 54 necessitated intensive training in the spring and summer The Gruppe undertook long-range flights at high altitudes for crews to gain experience. Flights were made to Seville , Spain and Tripoli in Libya. Gruppe was not formed until 15 December near Hoya , southeast of Bremen after the war had started.
