FRENCH LANGUAGE Book. Kampfgeschwader 54, the Totenkopfgeschwader, is a unit well known to fans of the air war of the Second War given its skull and crossbones insignia inherited from the hussar squadrons. But, above all, KG 54 distinguished itself as having been one of the few Luftwaffe squadrons to have fought from the first to the last day of the conflict - even if it was in various forms and with often varying numbers. Coming from KG 254, KG 54 began modestly with a single Gruppe engaged in September 1939 in Poland. In April 1940, his second Gruppe set up during the Phoney War took part in the fighting in Scandinavia. Then, the following month, the squadron increased to three Gruppe was launched into the Westfeldzug: the Great Campaign in the west. Amputated from its disbanded third Gruppe after having suffered greatly throughout the May/June engagements, KG 54 fought in the ‘Battle of Britain’, continuing its missions over England during the Night Blitz.

In June 1941, the two Groups called to the USSR during 'Barbarossa' fought vigorously, multiplying missions but suffering such heavy losses that they were recalled to the Reich at the end of the year. The military situation had, however, become such that the Totenkopf was at that time forced to disperse its forces, the I./KG 54 reaching the Mediterranean while the II./KG 54 returned to the USSR (while having a brief stay in France). During the fighting on Malta, I./KG 54 operated jointly with K.Gr. 806, then renamed III./KG 54. These two Gruppe supported Marshal Rommel's Afrika Korps before being joined in 1943 in Sicily by II./KG 54, the squadron taking part in the last battles in Africa (Tunisia). Now having full strength, the 54th squadron faced the Allied landings in Sicily before experiencing various withdrawals in continental Italy.

The Totenkopf definitively left the Mediterranean sector at the end of 1943 to return to the west. But it was to operate on England as part of the bloody ‘Operation Steinbock’. The losses there were so high that II./KG 54 was disbanded in April 1944. And, two months later, it was a squadron again reduced to two Gruppes which faced the Allied landings in Normandy in missions just as costly in terms of men and equipment. Fighting step by step, the KG 54 returned to the Reich where, in September 1944, it became a fighter unit equipped with the famous Me 262 jet plane. The aircraft, however, still suffering from serious 'youthful illnesses', the KG (J) 54 (although having been reinforced by a second Gruppe) could hardly stand out against the Allied air forces far superior in number and was decimated. On May 8, 1945, the surviving personnel of the death's head squadron capitulated, its forces then being mainly dispersed in Austria and Czechoslovakia.