KG 55 remained on the Eastern Front in through the spring, 1943 over the Donbass and Kuban bridgehead. The wing was transferred to "Fliegerkorps" IV in April. Stab./KG 55 was based at Saki at this time but moved forward to Stalino on 1 May. I "Gruppe" struck targets at Bataisk (9 February). The following day the Red Air Force bombed the group's base. It carried out unspecified operations over Kramatorskaya (15 February), Stefanovka and Gulobovka (19 February) and Politodeiskoye (28 February). On 1 March it could muster 16 He 111H-16s and 19 He 111H-6s. It handed over its aircraft to the other two "Gruppen" and then relocated by train to Barth, Germany to rest and re-equip. The personnel there were renamed III./LG 1 on 1 May 1943. The group was reformed on 10 June at Stalino from personnel taken from the "Transportfliegergruppe" 10, and K.Gr.z.b.V.5. It transferred to Wiesbaden on 20 May, and Landsberg-Lech on 29 August 1943. It briefly flew night reconnaissance missions over northeastern Italy, searching possible invasion routes for Operation Achse, in the event the Italians left the Axis powers. The group did not fly a combat sortie in the Mediterranean. The reconstituted group was placed under the command of Walter Traub, from 1 May.