While officially formed on or about 1 September 1942 at Dinard/Brittany in northern France, the history of the Geschwader dates back to 11 October 1941.

On that date, the Luftwaffenführungssab in Berlin ordered Luftflotte 3 in Paris to form a Stab unit for a new Kampfgeschwader which was to carry the number 6.

[1] The first date that KG 6 was mentioned was 30 April 1942, when Luftflotte 3 documents recorded its formation at Dinard under Fliegerführer Atlantik, but with no aircraft or aircrews.

On 3 June 1942, the new unit's Geschwaderkommodore Oberstleutnant Joachim Hahn, former Kommandeur of Kampfgruppe 606, while flying a Messerschmitt Bf 108 near Dieppe, was shot down and killed by Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilots of No.

[2] In August 1942, Berlin ordered a full Geschwader to be formed, stating that the unit was to be a special bomber force to operate against key British industrial targets, as well as command and communication centres.

[1] I./KG 6 bombed British targets throughout the year, and suffered only one recorded loss against RAF Mosquito night fighters.

An attack on ball bearing plants in Chelmsford took place on 13 and 14 May, I. Gruppe took part with other Geschwadern in sending 76 aircraft to bomb Sunderland's docks.

III./KG 6 had not participated in the raids on Britain and was sent to the Eastern Front to support Army Group North, where it spent the period of September to December 1942 bombing targets in the northern Soviet Union.

Under Luftflotte 1, it bombed the railway station at Volkhov on 15 September and supported ground operations around Lake Ladoga a day later.

The unit was redeployed to Stalingrad on 4 October as a planned assault by Erich von Manstein's Eleventh Army was postponed.

Allocated to 2nd Flieger Division based at Creil in southern France, it targeted Allied shipping in Algerian waters.

Gruppe succeeded in supporting German forces in the Dodecanese Campaign, operating from bases at Larissa, in Greece.

On 7 August the Gruppe carried out a raid on Bizerte harbour, Tunisia, claiming a direct hit on a 5,000-ton cargo ship.

Anti-shipping attacks against the North African coast were made without significant success and the odd loss.

[7] The Steinbock operation was launched against the United Kingdom in retaliation for the RAF's bombing of German cities, which at that time was dubbed the Battle of Berlin.

[6] During Steinbock the commanding officer of the group, Major Helmut Fuhrhop was shot down and killed by Hawker Typhoons while on a transfer flight from Paris to Dreux in Ju 188 3E+KH, belonging to 1 staffel.

All aboard were killed including his two boxer dogs; Oberfeldwebel Alfred Schubert, Alfons Eichschmidt, Walter Rehfeldt, Wilhelm Scachtshabel and Arnold Buttner.

On 14 and 15 May, it attacked Allied invasion shipping in Bristol Harbour with a fleet of 91 aircraft (with other Geschwader), without suffering any losses.

[3] The unit left Belgium for Hungary to participate in Operation Margarethe, the Nazi occupation of that country.

Gruppe flew missions in support of Heer and Waffen SS units in France.