Poland and Phoney War On 1 September 1939 the German Wehrmacht invaded Poland beginning World War II in Europe. ZG 76 operated with one gruppe during the campaign. I./ZG 76 was based at Gablingen under the command of 6. Fliegerdivision (6th Air Division). Approximately 100 Bf 110s were combat ready for action in Poland indicating a shortfall in production. A ratio of one rotte [flight] per kampfstaffel [bomber squadron] had to suffice. Alexander Löhr, commanding Luftflotte 4, regarded the destruction of the Polish Air Force of such importance he ordered Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen's air command to attack airfields near Krakow. I./ZG 76 was ordered to provide fighter escort for bombers from I. and III. Gruppe of Kampfgeschwader 4 (KG 4—4th Bomber Wing) and I. and III. Gruppe of Kampfgeschwader 77 (KG 77—77th Bomber Wing). The attacks on these airfields involved 150 sorties. KG 4 dropped 200 tons of bombs on 1 September. The group claimed 19 Polish fighters destroyed. Future German fighter pilots Wolfgang Falcke, Helmut Lent and Gordon Gollob made claims in aerial combat. I./ZG 76 provided effective protection to Kampfgeschwader 27 (KG 27—27th Bomber Wing) on its long-range bombing missions. Other heavy fighter units claimed victories as well; I.(Z) Gruppe of Lehrgeschwader 1 (LG 1—1st Demonstration Wing) claimed wildly optimistic total of 34 Polish fighters shot down, while Zerstörergeschwader 2 (ZG 2—2nd Destroyer Wing) claimed 78 in the air and 50 on the ground. The true losses of Colonel Stefan Pawlikowski's Pursuit Brigade were 10 fighters destroyed and 24 "unserviceable" [presumably meaning damaged]; 62 percent of its strength. Total German losses across Poland was 25 aircraft. The Polish loss percentage increased to 72 percent by the 5 September. On 2 September I./ZG 76, led by Lent, claimed 11 aircraft at Dęblin, while KG 4 dropped 180 tonnes of bombs in 13 staffeln-sized operations. The aircraft destroyed were not frontline aircraft, but were from training units. Later in the day the gruppe was credited with nine Łódź Army fighters, attached to protect the Polish army on the approaches to Warsaw. Only three were actually lost. The survivors, however, lost five to Bf 109s to JGr 102. The Pursuit Brigade was transferred to an unspecified sector giving Luftwaffe bombers a free hand. The cost of the air battle to ZG 76 was three Bf 110s. On 3 September the Zerstörergruppen escorted bombers attacking the PZL P.11 factory in Warsaw.