the few bomber units to do so. The last remaining groups either withdrew to Norway on 3 May 1945 or surrendered to the British Army in northern Germany on 8 May 1945. Background The first steps towards the Luftwaffes formation were undertaken just months after Adolf Hitler came to power. Hermann Göring became National Kommissar for aviation with former Deutsche Luft Hansa director Erhard Milch as his deputy. In April 1933 the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM—Reich Air Ministry) was established. On 25 March 1933 the Deutschen Luftsportverband (DVLA) (German Air Sport Association) absorbed all private and national organisations. The merging of all military aviation organisations in the RLM took place on 15 May 1933, which became the Luftwaffes official day of foundation. The Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps (NSFK—National Socialist Flyers Corps) was formed in 1937 to give pre-military flying training to male youths, and to engage adult sport aviators in the Nazi movement. Military age members of the NSFK were drafted to the Luftwaffe. As all such prior NSFK members were also Nazi Party members, this gave the new Luftwaffe a strong Nazi ideological base in contrast to the other branches (Heer and Kriegsmarine) of the Wehrmacht. With this base of organisation, the Luftwaffe began an enormous expansion program lasting six years to 1939. In 1938, during the preparations for Fall Grün (Green), the proposed invasion of Czechoslovakia, both Hitler and Göring discovered the Luftwaffe was more "shadow than substance". The German air arm possessed only 2,928 aircraft in total while the aviation industry's production target was 1,179 per month. Munitions and aircraft armament production could only cover 50 percent of current operational requirements. Fuel reserves allowed for only four weeks of aerial operations. There also shortages of spares and technical units, although bomber groups received three while other types of aircraft units were given only one. By January 1939 there were 269 first-line Staffeln (Squadrons). Only 90 (33 percent) were bomber squadrons. A further six would be added by 1 July. Among these formations was KG 76. Hitler's expansionist aims required a larger air force and the annexations, or unopposed invasions, of Austria and Czechoslovakia allowed the industry to exploit the new territories and expand the size of the aircraft industry to a small degree. In manpower terms it received substantial reinforcement. A late concerted effort—of which KG 76 was part—was ordered and this expansion and designation produced a frontline strength of 4,093