Formed in November 1944 as the successor to Erprobungskommando 262, III./Ergänzungsjagdgeschwader 2 acted as the operational training unit for Me 262 fighter pilots. It soon began to feature in intercepted signals about such prosaic matters as the paperwork supporting the allocations of vehicles and trailers between it and Kommando Nowotny. On the 2nd of the month however III./EJG 2’s Technical Officer reported to the General der Jagdflieger a strength of 16 Me 262’s (6 of them serviceable) while W.Nr. 110524 had been received from a transit depot and 110619 was having 5% crash damage repaired in a factory. The Gruppe had its principal base at Lechfeld while also using Unterschlauersbach, and two days later the 9. Staffel was asking from there for FuG 16 radio sets. The German armed forces were undergoing repeated waves of ‘combing out’ to scrape up more manpower for the front lines, leading III./EJG 2 to complain to the Kommodore der Erägnzungsjagdgruppen on 9 November that if each Staffel had to give up its cook, cooking could no longer take place because the Staffeln were living away from the airfields and could not be fed by the base authorities.

On 9 January, Luftgau VII signalled that the airfield command at Lechfeld had received four Jumo 004 engines which had been installed in Ahorn (maple) Nos. 0380 and 0374 of III./EJG 2. These were probably Me 262s W.Nr. 110380 and 110374. A week after this, the same Luftgau helpfully disclosed the present location of its jet formations when it declared that flying the Me 262 with J2 could resume at once provided the fuel was filtered and its temperature checked — take-off must not be attempted if it was below 15º C. Recipients of this advice were: III./EJG 2 at Lechfeld and Unterschlauersbach, IV./KG 51 at München-Riem and I./KG 51 at Neuburg-an-der-Donau as well as Bachmann & von Blumenthal Flugzeugbau in Fürth. On 17 January Lechfeld was submitting its requirements for anti-frost protective covers for its resident aircraft. Not all the message was intercepted but ‘(smudge) 2’ had 50 sets in stock and seems likely to have been III./EJG 2. Meanwhile, Kommando A (the General der Aufklärungsflieger’s conversion detachment?) had 15 sets while Kommando Schulze had none. The latter needed four sets for ‘type Ahorn’ which Bletchley Park, going on earlier usage, still thought was the Fw 190 rather than the Me 262.

Occasionally the Allies gained some insight into the unit’s activities: a report of four Me 262s undertaking flights flights on a 200 km circuit around Unterschlauersbach at 7,000 metres on 23 February (interpreted as possible training by III./EJG 2) or the 11. Staffel’s report two days later that Me 262 A-1, W.Nr. 110491 was shot down by an Allied fighter from 100 metres’ range at the eastern edge of Deberndorf while on the approach to Unterschlauersbach. The aircraft’s starboard engine caught fire immediately and its pilot, Obltn. Josef Boehm (22), was killed. A partially intercepted signal showed that the same day Me 262 A-1, W.Nr. 111_17 came on to the Gruppe’s strength.

Major Heinz Bär, as III./EJG 2’s Kommandeur, was in contact with his Geschwaderstab in Esperstedt on 26 February regarding the details of some damaged engines, their type unspecified. At this stage the Gruppe had a mixed inventory of aircraft, suited to a programme of conversion training. On 2 March this consisted of:

Two Bf 110s had gone to the Quartermaster’s reserve workshop in Landsberg: W.Nr. 130090 after being 15% damaged by a strafer; W.Nr. 740154 with unserviceable landing gear. Siebel 204 D-10 W.Nr. 328115 was also there with 6% damage from strafing. Pilots were categorised as ‘A’ and ‘B’ (instructors and pupils?) whose respective numbers were 30 (23) and 66 (10). We also have an isolated report of that day’s activities from 11./EJG 2 in Unterschlauersbach. Fuel stocks (units not given but probably cubic meters) were: 139.9 of J2 (for jets), 10.4 of A3 (for the Si 204) and 11.1 of B4 (for the Bf 109 and Bf 110). Flying times were:

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