Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 and the Battle of Britain. In 1941 it saw service in the Balkans Campaign, and on the Eastern Front. For most of its service II./StG 2 was detached from the main Geschwader and operated as an independent formation. On 12 January 1942 II gruppe was redesignated as III./StG 3 and a new wing raised. While III gruppe continued to fly the Junkers Ju 87 until the end of the war, II gruppe flew the Junkers Ju 87 until March 1944, when two of its "staffeln" were converted to independent tank destroyer squadrons; 10(Pz) SG 3 and SG 77. Sturzkampfgeschwader 2
Junkers Ju 87 Secretary of State for Aviation Erhard Milch, feared that such high-level nerves and skill could not be expected of "average pilots" in the "Luftwaffe". Nevertheless, development continued at Junkers. Udet's "growing love affair" with the dive bomber pushed it to the forefront of German aviation development. Udet went so far as to advocate that all medium bombers should have dive-bombing capabilities, which initially doomed the only dedicated, strategic heavy bomber design to enter German front-line service during the war years — the 30-metre wingspan He 177A — into having an airframe design (due to Udet examining its design details in