Supplementary Flying Group"), and an anti-aircraft unit. On 17 August overall command of the Legion was assumed by the Latvian Lieutenant-Colonel Jānis Rucels, with Lt.-Col. Nikolajs Bulmanis commanding NSGr.12. In September the Legion was relocated further east to a base in Tukums, and in early October flew their last combat sorties in the vicinity of Dobele. The Legion was finally evacuated back to Hohensalza (now Inowrocław, Poland). The trust of the Germans in their local Baltic flyers had been eroded by the desertion of five Estonian pilots from Nachtschlachtgruppe 11 (Estnisch) to neutral Sweden in late September and early October. As a result, the Luftwaffe ordered that the Estonian and Latvian aviation legions be dissolved. Luftwaffen-Legion Lettland was disbanded on 17 October 1944, and its personnel redistributed to German units. During its operational existence the unit flew about 6,150 sorties, with the loss of six pilots. About 80% of the pilots were awarded the Iron Cross 1st or 2nd class. In mid-1944 a select group of ten Latvian pilots were transferred to Germany to train in the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. Five returned to Latvia in October, but by then the Legion had been disbanded, so they were assigned to Jagdgeschwader 54. See also Latvian Legion Night Witches References Foreign volunteer units of the Luftwaffe Military history of Latvia during World War II Military units and formations established in 1944 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944 Generalbezirk Lettland