Jagdgeschwader 26 'Schlageter'
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Logo JG 26 and the units that are in it
Gruppe I. And II . Of JG 26 was formed on May 1, 1939 in Odendorf and Bönninghardt than I. And II . / Jagdgeschwader 132 ( JG 132 ) . At first they were measuring three squadrons per Gruppe , but in 1943 its strength increased to four squadrons . III . Gruppe was formed on 23 September 1939 in Werl from parts I. and II . / JG 26 . This was then increased again from three to four squadrons , with IV . Gruppe was formed on February 25, 1945 at Varrelbusch of III . / Jagdgeschwader 54 ( JG 54 ) .
JG 26 took part in the Battle of France than from the date of May 10, 1940 using mainstay fighter Messerschmitt Bf 109 . For ease of identification , each under the nose of JG 26 aircraft painted yellow ( some even paint the yellow whole aircraft protective coating machine ! ) . In War the second ( after the invasion of Poland ) , the JG 26 claimed to have shot down 160 aircraft Britain and France , while they themselves only lost 17 pilots killed . After the fall of France , JG 26 fought in the Battle of Britain and based in the Pas de Calais region . At the end of August the German High Command began to realize that the battle is not running as expected . Marshal Göring Geschwaderkommodoren frustrating then fired some of their positions , and appoint young people are more aggressive in place . That's why Major Adolf Galland was given command of JG 26, dated August 22, 1940 . During the Battle of Britain , JG 26 claimed to have shot down 285 enemy aircraft while losing 76 aircraft and 45 pilots killed , 29 others also became a prisoner of war .
In 1941 most of the Luftwaffe fighter units were sent to the east to fight Russia , or to the south to operate in the Mediterranean region . Now only JG 26 and JG 2 ' Richthofen ' is still operating in France . For the past two years the next two Geschwader is the main enemy of the Royal Air Force ( RAF ) British who often conduct operations in occupied France . In total around 120 aircraft they powered the Bf 109 E and F to face the increasing number of RAF planes . British themselves strive to intensify its operations in Mainland Europe in order to release the pressure Germany over Russia on the Eastern Front .
Leadership Galland prominent , especially in terms of its resources as possible and maintain vigilance strategy in the fight , making JG 26 suffered losses to a minimum while the maximum damage for British Spitfire aircraft during the year 1941. This is even more apparent with the arrival of the Focke - Wulf aircraft Fw 190A is more qualified in late 1941 - early 1942. performance of the new aircraft is considered to exceed the RAF Spitfire Mark Vb belongs . At the end of 1941 JG 26 started converting to the plane of the Bf 109 Fw 190 . I. and II . Gruppe top priority , and although III . Gruppe also upgraded , but the process is then stopped so that the rest of the next war III . Gruppe remained faithful to use different versions of the Bf 109 . At the end of 1941 JG 26 had claimed more than 900 victories on the air since September 1939 ( 400 more than in May 1941) , and has lost 95 pilots killed ( plus 34 who are in captivity ) . Pilots with the best achievement was Adolf Galland ( 97 victories ) , Hauptmann Joachim Müncheberg ( 62 ) and Hauptmann Josef Priller ( 58 ) .
JG 26 and JG 2 has a duty to defend the entire fortress along the border of the Atlantic from Spain to Belgium . When the Allied bombing campaign increased , in late 1942 the entire unit deployed to the West .
Although no specific calls from his rivals to JG 26 , but this unit has built a fearsome reputation among Allied pilots . Skill and determination shown Luftwaffe units when they attack the bomber formations planes United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) makes the bomber crews worried every time he saw no aircraft Bf 109 or Fw 190 appeared yellow -nosed meet them . Because of this there are several Luftwaffe units based in Abbeville - Drucat , the Allies dubbed any Bf 109 and Fw 190 yellow -nosed aggressive and effective with the name " The Abbeville Boys " , and consider them as a set of selected elite pilot who was taken from the hero - best hero Luftwaffe air . Yet even if it is faced with Allied fighter Geschwader other , then they too will be equally kerepotannya in battle ! In other words , all the German air units when it has a high moral , well trained and equipped with experienced pilots .
In February 1941, under the leadership of 7./JG 26 Hauptmann Joachim Müncheberg assigned to operate in the Mediterranean region to fight based in Malta and Sicily . During his tenure there , this unit achieve tremendous success when compared with the small force they have, and managed to destroy 52 enemy aircraft without losing a single plane too ! In addition to combat missions in Malta , 7./JG 26 also flew over Yugoslavia in support of the German invasion of the Balkans . Dated May 7, 1941 , as an additional Müncheberg awarded the Knight's Cross Oak Leaves that have been achieved ( also the highest bravery medal Italy , Medaglia d' Oro ) the air after winning the 43rd . Having had to spend some time on the battlefield Africa in June- July 1941 to support the advance of Rommel's Afrikakorps , 7./JG 26 and then returned again to the " habitat " in his native France .
Allied landings at Dieppe failed dated August 19, 1942 is meant to gather information in order to know the best way to penetrate the fortress along the Atlantic coast of France . Air operations that accompany this landing ( named after Operation Jubilee Jablay er ) resulted in the wake of one of the fiercest air battles and brutal since 1940 . Objective RAF is to provide a protective umbrella against the landing forces consisting of the combined Army and Navy , and to force the Luftwaffe war artisans to enter into a battle scene prepared by the Allied advance. 51 Spitfire and Typhoon fighter squadrons involved , also 8 fighter - bomber squadron Hurricane , 4 squadrons of reconnaissance Mustang Mk I and 7 light bomber squadron . To deal with them , relying on 115 German fighters from Jagdgeschwader 2 and 26 are operational . As a result , Allied planes far exceeds the number of German aircraft with a ratio of 3:1 ! Although initially the German planes a little slow in responding to the alarm of danger, but then his presence was felt on the battlefield during the day ahead . Although Allied warplanes quite successful in protecting its land and naval forces of the German bomber threat , but they are really helpless when confronted with the German fighter pilots were experienced and well-armed .
After the battle was over , the Allies Combat Command claimed that they had inflicted heavy casualties on the Luftwaffe , but this is much directly with reality ! Allies lost 106 aircraft , including 88 fighter RAF ( Spitfire with 70 of them were sunk due to various causes ) and 18 bombers , while the Germans lost 48 aircraft . Of these 48 , half of whom are Dornier Do 217 of Kampfgeschwader 2 . JG 2 lost 14 Fw 190 and 8 pilots were killed , while JG 26 lost six Fw 190 with the pilot . Spitfire squadron alone ( 42 Mark 4 Mark V and IX ) are actually assigned to attack air-to -ground , also escort mission , so the exact number who perished in the battle against the Fw 190 is not known with certainty . Luftwaffe Claims in accordance with the reality , which they say has dropped 61 aircraft ( from a total of 106 ) . JG 2 claimed 40 and JG 26 claimed 21 .
At the end of March 1942 , a special fighter - bomber Staffel was formed and called with 10 . ( Jabo ) / JG 26 . New unit is equipped with the Fw 190 A-3/U3 along with " brother " is 10 . ( Jabo ) / JG 2 . they operate from June 1942 and was assigned primarily to hit Allied ships that sail in the Channel , as well as port cities on the southeast coast of England . They always carry out their attacks in small amounts at high speed and low altitude . Such a method is almost impossible to handle by the RAF fighters . Dated October 31, 1942 Canterbury got air strikes during the day , which was recorded as the biggest offensive of the Luftwaffe since the Battle of Britain . Involved in this attack is 60 Fw 190 who ransacked the town and killed 32 people and wounded 116 others ( with loss of the Fw 190 ) . The most effective way to ward off this kind of attack developed by the RAF is to utilize patrol aircraft and Hawker Typhoon equipped with the Griffon engine Spitfire Mk XII so fast enough to catch the Fw 190 in the lower elevations . Throughout 1943 and then came , Jabo units began to experience a significant loss . For example , in an air raid over London on January 20, 1943 , JG 26 and Jabo guards ( with a total of 90 aircraft ) lost eight aircraft plus the pilot in RAF hands .
In February 1943 , 10 . ( Jabo ) / JG 26 was changed to 10 . ( Jabo ) / JG 54 , while still operating under the control of JG 26 . Jabo In April the two existing combined into IV Gruppe , Schnellkampfgeschwader 10 ( SKG 10 ) and changed the time of the attack on the British mainland to the south to be just at night .
1943 marked the beginning of a period in which the role of the RAF began to slacken , and now replaced by a new enemy , namely the USAAF Eighth Air Force who hooked once shat - shat ( read : ngebom ) during the day by relying on its weight class bombers .
Formation bombers is usually a bait to lure the Luftwaffe fighters that fight , although the bomber also now have the ability to destroy or make severely damaged their ground targets . Now JG 26 found that they were no longer able to determine who they are and where the enemy will be carried out dogfight . Usually the Fw 190 units have better capabilities while at an altitude of 25,000 feet , so they are trained to develop a style of attack head -on (opposite ) to maximize firepower and exploit the weaknesses of the major B - 17 ' Flying Fortress ' ( models E and F ) and B - 24D Liberator that is located on the front . America was then aware of this , and in subsequent models such weaknesses corrected .
Meanwhile , JG 26 and then transferred to the Eastern Front , and was replaced by JG 54 ' Grünherz ' which has been the usual operations on the Eastern Front . This replacement is done in Gruppe level , and I . / JG 26 ( under the command of Major Johannes Seifert ) along with 7./JG 26 ( Hauptmann Klaus Mietusch ) transferred to North Russia late January 1943 . , But then for some reason the transfer was postponed , and in early June 1943 I. / JG 26 returned to France , followed by 7./JG 26 in July . During the brief period on the Eastern Front , both units successfully destroyed 199 Soviet aircraft , with only the loss of 11 pilots were killed .
The first operation Jagdgeschwader 26 during the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944 executed by Geschwaderkommodore Oberstleutnant Josef Priller . He flew to use Fw 190A - 8 W.Nr.170346 ' Black 13 ' along with his wingman from their base in Lille - Nord , and the two of them to meet the entire fleet of the enemy , whether by land , sea or air ! Once the heroic actions so later immortalized in a book by Cornelius Ryan , entitled ' The Longest Day ' and legendary film of the same name . Priller and his wingman , Unteroffizier Wodarczyk Heinz , took off with the Focke - Wulfnya and headed to the west at low altitude . On the way they managed to avoid confronting some Spitfire formation . Congratulations , they then crossed the coast of Le Havre and found Allied ships were hanging out . A pair of these brave pilots and strafing attack by British soldiers who were landed at SWORD Beach . Heavy fire anti- air attack weapons then force the Focke - Wulf both are so far untouched to hide behind the clouds . Noted JG 26 and JG 2 do most of the total of 172 sorties were carried Luftwaffe fighter unit on D - Day . It's really far compared with Allied air forces flew 14,000 sorties in the same day !
In accordance with the plan that has been prepared since a long time in anticipation of the Allied attack , the Luftwaffe fighter units were mobilized to augment the strength of JG 2 and JG 26 based in France , with the main base defense Reich Group . Along with about 20 additional Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader Jagdgeschwader - under the command of Jagd Division 5 , JG 26 assault operations endlessly over the battlefield of Normandy during the summer of 1944 , and the face of the enemy force is increasing from time to time . Allied air superiority in terms of the number of automatic cause large casualties on the Luftwaffe in the case of pilots and aircraft . To replace it , the recruitment and training take place instantly made within a modest ( less than 180 flight hours ) after patching casualties . Of course this method only makes new pilots less experienced were soft targets for Allied planes were totaled colossal . In July JG 26 claimed 30 victories only just , while on the other they suffer casualties 20 pilots killed and 16 others injured !
At the end of August 1944 Jagdgeschwader 26 pushed back to Belgium , and now only 56 aircraft powered only. In that month JG 26 claimed 76 victories , and lost 40 pilots killed in battle ( the largest monthly loss they experienced during the war ! ) , 6 killed in an accident , and 20 wounded.
JG 26 , whose homeport is located close to the Belgian-Dutch border , fully involved in the attack against the Allied paratroopers who landed on the bridges of the Rhine in Operation Market Garden . Attempts to destroy the Allied transport planes thwarted by the presence of so many fighter escorts . Major Klaus mietusch , air champ with 72 wins who also is commander of III / JG 26 and JG 26 the oldest member ( of since 1938 ) , was killed in this battle .
In November 1944 II Gruppe was withdrawn from the front to get an upgrade his plane became the Fw 190 D - 9 ' Dora ' ( not the Explorer) .
JG 26 took part in Operation Bodenplatte , ie mass attack German fighter planes flying in low speed with the target is Allied air bases in the Netherlands and Belgium . Led by Oberst Priller , more than 60 Fw 190D of I / JG 26 ( and III / JG 54 were placed under his command ) attacked the RAF base in Grimbergen . They are capable of destroying 5 bomber and a Mustang , and a lot of trucks and other equipment . But on the other hand also suffered casualties Priller unit is not small : 24 aircraft failed to return , with more than half falling because a friend was hit yourself ! At the same time , II and III / JG 26, attacking a task assigned to Brussels - Evere which became the headquarters of the RCAF veteran units , ie 127 Wing were equipped with Spitfire planes . Only 11 Spitfire were destroyed , while the attacker actually lost 17 aircraft . Victims suffered by JG 26 is an overview of the total casualties suffered by the Luftwaffe in the day, where 300 of the 900 aircraft that are not re- deployed again . This operation also marks the end of the Luftwaffe expectations for an effective and integrated operations against the Allies in the future .
JG 26 next task in the rest of the war was to provide maximum support for German ground troops who died defending the northern sector of the Western Front of the combined forces attack the UK and Canada . Despite suffering from fuel shortages and chronic supplies , JG 26, still carry out combat missions to counter Allied reconnaissance planes and ' freie Jagd ' ( translation Uganda : wander freely ) against tactical formations and other ground targets .
achievement :
Although many Luftwaffe records were lost in the war's end , but the research is then conducted to estimate that throughout its existence JG 2700 ± 26 has destroyed the aircraft and the pilot lost 763 killed ( 631 in combat , 132 due to an accident ) . In addition , 67 pilot also shot down and became a prisoner .
Geschwaderkommodoren :
- Oberst Eduard Ritter von Schleich , 1 November 1938 - December 9, 1939
- Major Hans Hugo Witt , December 14, 1939 - June 23, 1940
- Major Gotthard Handrick , June 24, 1940 - August 21, 1940
- Oberstleutnant Adolf Galland , August 22, 1940 - December 5, 1941
- Major Gerhard Schöpfel , December 6, 1941 - January 10, 1943
- Oberst Josef Priller , January 11, 1943 - January 27, 1945
- Major Franz Götz , January 28, 1945 - May 7, 1945
Gruppenkommandeure
I. Gruppe JG 26
- Major Gotthardt Handrick , May 1, 1939 - June 23, 1940
- Hauptmann Kurt Fischer , June 24, 1940 - August 21, 1940
- Hauptmann Rolf Pingel , August 22, 1940 - July 10, 1941
- Major Johannes Seifert , July 11, 1941 - May 31, 1943
- Hauptmann Fritz Losigkeit , June 1, 1943 - June 22, 1943
- Hauptmann Karl Borris , June 23, 1943 - May 14, 1944
- Hauptmann Hermann Staiger , May 15, 1944 - July 31, 1944
- Major Karl Borris , August 1, 1944 - May 7, 1945
II . Gruppe JG 26
- Hauptmann Werner Palm , May 1, 1939 - June 27, 1939
- Hauptmann Knüppel Herwig , June 28, 1939 - May 19, 1940
- Karl Hauptmann Ebbighausen , May 20, 1940 - May 31, 1940
- Hauptmann Erich Noack , June 1, 1940 - July 24, 1940
- Karl Hauptmann Ebbighausen , July 25, 1940 - August 16, 1940
- Hauptmann Erich Bode , August 17, 1940 - October 3, 1940
- Hauptmann Walter Adolph , October 4, 1940 - 18 September 1941
- Hauptmann Joachim Müncheberg , 19 September 1941 - July 21, 1942
- Hauptmann Conny Meyer , July 22, 1942 - January 2, 1943
- Major Wilhelm - Ferdinand Galland , January 3, 1943 - August 17, 1943
- Hauptmann Hans Naumann , August 18, 1943 - 8 September 1943
- Oberleutnant Johannes Seifert , 9 September 1943 - 25 November 1943
- Major Wilhelm Gath , 26 November 1943 - March 1, 1944
- Hauptmann Hans Naumann , March 2, 1944 - June 28, 1944
- Hauptmann Emil Lang , June 29, 1944 - 3 September 1944
- Hauptmann Georg - Peter Eder , 4 September 1944 - October 8, 1944
- Major Anton Hackl , October 9, 1944 - January 29, 1945
- Oberleutnant Waldemar Radener , January 30, 1945 - February 22, 1945
- Hauptmann Paul Schauder , February 23, 1945 - May 1, 1945
III . Gruppe JG 26
- Hauptmann Walter Kienitz , 23 September 1939 - 31 October 1939
- Major Ernst Freiherr von Berg , 1 November 1939 - June 5, 1940
- Major Adolf Galland , June 6, 1940 - August 20, 1940
- Major Gerhard Schöpfel , August 21, 1940 - December 5, 1941
- Hauptmann Josef Priller , December 6, 1941 - January 10, 1943
- Hauptmann Friedrich Geißhardt , January 11, 1943 - 6 April 1943
- Hauptmann Kurt Ruppert , 7 April 1943 - June 13, 1943
- Rolf Hauptmann Hermichen , June 15, 1943 - July 4, 1943
- Major Klaus Mietusch , July 5, 1943 - 17 September 1944
- Hauptmann Paul Schauder , 18 September 1944 - 26 September 1944
- Hauptmann Walter Krupinski , 27 September 1944 - 25 March 1945
IV . Gruppe JG 26
- Major Rudolf Klemm , February 25, 1945
The winner of the Knight's Cross of JG 26
Below are the names of the winner of the Knight or higher levels of medals they received while assigned to JG 26 :
Hauptmann Walter Adolph : RK 13 November 1940
Major Karl Borris : RK 25 November 1944
Oberleutnant Hans Dortenmann : RK 20 April 1945
Leutnant Heinz Ebeling : RK 5 November 1940
Major Adolf Galland : RK July 29, 1940 , EL 24 September 1940 , SW June 21, 1941 and January 28, 1942 NW
Hauptmann Wilhelm - Ferdinand Galland : RK May 18, 1943
Oberfeldwebel Adolf Glunz : RK EL August 29, 1943 and June 24, 1944
Leutnant Alfred Groß : RK 20 April 1945
Leutnant Karl - Wilhelm Hofmann : RK October 24, 1944
Leutnant Wilhelm Mayer : RK March 12, 1945 ( posthumously )
Leutnant Johann - Hermann Meier : RK December 16, 1944
Hauptmann Klaus Mietusch : RK March 26, 1944 and EL 18 November 1944 ( posthumously )
Oberleutnant Joachim Müncheberg : RK 14 September 1940 , EL May 7, 1941 and SW 9 September 1942
Oberleutnant Josef Priller : RK October 19, 1940 , EL SW July 20, 1941 and July 2, 1944
Oberleutnant Waldemar Radener : RK March 12, 1945
Hauptmann Johann Schmid : RK August 21, 1941
Gerhard Hauptmann Schöpfel : RK 11 September 1940
Hauptmann Johannes Seifert : RK June 7, 1942
Leutnant Gustav Sprick : RK October 1, 1940
Leutnant Gerhard Vogt : RK 25 November 1944
Leutnant Karl Willius : RK June 9, 1944
Note : Müncheberg won Schwerter when it moved to JG 51 , while grabbing Priller Knight when he was with JG 51 .