[1] 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.

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".

KG 76 resumed rail interdiction missions to cut off Polish lines running into Romania and eastern Poland.

Luftflotte 4 received a teletype message alerting them to a secret clause in the Nazi-Soviet Pact which allowed for the Soviet invasion of Poland.

[10] II./KG 76 moved from Breslau to Wiener Neustadt on 22 September then to Leipheim in Bavaria where it was ordered to stand-by in case of an emergency and end of the Phoney War.

After a brief period at Wels, it went to Baltringen southwest of Ulm in the first half of October and Schwäbisch Hall late in the month.

[31] The Geschwader took part in Operation Paula, a concentrated attack on airfields around Paris, which began on 3 June as a prelude to Fall Rot.

The German Wehrmacht began preparations for Operation Sea Lion, the proposed but risky plan to invade the United Kingdom.

Throughout July and early August 1940, the Luftwaffe began a series of attacks on shipping in the English Channel, known as the Kanalkampf phase of what became known as the Battle of Britain.

The Gruppenkommandeur, Adolf Genth, was killed when he flew into a balloon cable off Dungeness and another was lost with its crew, when it was shot down by the escort ships.

[36] II./KG 76 recorded the wing's first inland sortie over England when it attacked RAF Hawkinge on the coast on 11 August with unknown results.

Codenamed "Adlertag" (Eagle Day), the attack failed to achieve the set objective of destroying Fighter Command.

The He 111s appear to have bombed Biggin Hill, destroying two of the three remaining hangars, the living quarters and operations room eliminating the telephone system.

Gruppe bombed Channel ports on 4 October but withdrew to Ansbach and Giebelstadt for rest until January 1941 when it returned to Châteaudun.

[64] A notable loss to KG 76 on this date was Hauptmann Robert von Sichart, commanding I Gruppe who was killed on 23 June.

[67] On 13 July Army Group North reported 354 Soviet aircraft over its front necessitating repeated attacks upon airfields.

[70] On 1 July II Gruppe flew against the airfield at Novgorod with ZG 26 but could only destroy four aircraft on the ground for the loss of one Ju 88 to the 6 IAP.

[73] In the days following KG 76 shifted its support to Army Group Centre during Operation Typhoon that led to the Battle of Moscow.

It maintained raids over Rzhev but listed zero aircraft on strength, perhaps because of refitting on 1 March, but is known to have carried out attacks against Soviet partisans.

[76] O 1 July, fearing Sevastopol would be evacuated at the last minute the Luftwaffe sent 78 bombers—from I./KG 76, 1./KG 100, and 40 Ju 87s from StG 77, escorted by 40 Messerschmitt Bf 109s.

In addition the destroyers Soobrazitelny and Nezamozhnik, patrol vessels Shkval and Shtorm, one gunboat, one torpedo boat, two transports, and a floating dock sustained various degrees of damage.

[75] Operating east of Stalingrad on 21 August, KG 76 (probably II Gruppe) attacked and destroyed two Red Army reserve divisions caught in the open.

On 20 July, with Voronezh fall imminent, KG 27 and 76 had been sent southward to assist in the Battle of Rostov only to be rushed back to the area when a Soviet offensive broke through German lines.

On a bombing operation over Saratov on 24 September, 7 staffel lost a Ju 88 shot down by the all-female 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment.

The theatre had changed considerably and KG 76 were part of an influx of air units to prevent an Axis collapse in the region.

On 23 October 1942 the British Eighth Army began an offensive at El Alamein at broke through German-Italian lines on 4 November.

Hauptmann Hanns Heise was appointed the group commander in January 1942 but was succeeded by Major Rudolf Hallensleben in October 1942.

On 22 February 1943 the group lost its commanding officer Major Richard Meyer killed when he was shot down by Second Lieutenant Cochran from the US 96th Fighter Squadron.

It bombed Palermo harbour on 23 August but lost nine Ju 88s at Foggia in an air attack two days later forcing a reduction in operations.

The Italian contingent left Italy for the last time on 6–10 March for Linz, Austria, to convert to the Junkers Ju 188 and Messerschmitt Me 410.