Another tentative name : something with "Eagle" in it ...but with German spelling of course.
Schwarm, Rotte and Kette
A Staffel was divided into three Schw?rme (Plural; Singular German: der Schwarm, literally "the swarm") (or flights) consisting of four to six aircraft.
A fighter Schwarm was divided into two Rotten (Plural; Singular German: die Rotte) which was a pair of aircraft. The Rotte was the basic fighting unit, consisting of a leader and a wingman.
A bomber Schwarm was divided into a Kette (die, Singular, lit. "chain", Plural German: Ketten) of three aircraft flying in a "V" formation.[29][30]
[edit] Air Combat Tactics "Finger-four" formation
Main article: Finger-four
Pattern depicting Finger Four formation technique of the Luftwaffe.
Finger-four formation adopted by the Luftwaffe. Note the color coded flights.
During the Spanish Civil War, Luftwaffe aces Werner M?lders and G?nther L?tzow created a new formation strategy for fighter wings (German: Jagdgeschwadern). It had two aircraft flying in a loose pair called a 'Pack' (German: Rotte). Two pairs constituted a flight (German: Schwarm). The four aircraft were flown in what was called the "Finger-four" formation. These aircraft were spread apart so that each pilot was offered maximum visibility. This arrangement was so successful that Soviet pilots in the Spanish Civil War followed the same technique. However, on returning home, they had to revert to the standard "V" formation. Douglas Bader, the British p
ilot, was the first RAF leader to adopt the "Finger four" formation in 1940. Japan also adopted[citation needed] the "Finger four" in World War II.
In this formation, where each aircraft flew in positions similar to the fingers of an open hand (hence the name), the leader (German: Rottenf?hrer) was at the front, while on his left wingtip was his partner from the Rotte. The other Rotte was on the right wingtip of the leader. The partner in the second Rotte being on the right wingtip of his partner. The Rotte fighting pair also added to its flexibility, as a Schwarm could easily break into two Rotte pairs without losing its fighting ability. The Rottenf?hrer could attack enemy aircraft, leaving his wingman to watch for the enemy. It was much more flexible than the rigid three-aircraft "Vic" formation the RAF used at the start of the war. In the Schwarm the aircraft had plenty of space to maneuver, so they were free to scan the horizon for enemy aircraft rather than focusing on maintaining a close formation. This flexibility became apparent to the RAF during the Battle of Britain.
so -> Adlerrotte
