Jagdgeschwader 1 (World War 2)
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''Jagdgeschwader'' 1 (JG 1) "Oesau" was a German World War II
fighter wing In military aviation, a wing is a unit of command. In most military aviation services, a wing is a relatively large formation of planes. In Commonwealth countries a wing usually comprises three squadrons, with several wings forming a group (aro ...
created in 1939. Between 1940 and 1942, JG 1 operated primarily over the Western Front and northern occupied Europe. During the initial days of the war, JG 1 faced little resistance, apart from occasional
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
(RAF) excursions. The unit was rarely engaged in large-scale confrontations during this time. From late 1942 onwards it was tasked with
Defence of the Reich The Defence of the Reich () is the name given to the military strategy, strategic defensive aerial campaign fought by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany over German-occupied Europe and Germany during World War II against the Allied Strategic bombing ...
(German: ''Reichsverteidigung'') operations. After
D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
, elements of JG 1 were moved to France and were tasked with air support to the German Army ( Heer) along with their air defence role. JG 1 suffered heavy losses over France and had to be rebuilt. The wing fought in the Battle of Bulge and
Operation Bodenplatte Operation Bodenplatte (; "Baseplate"), launched on 1 January 1945, was an attempt by the German Luftwaffe to cripple Allies of World War II, Allied air forces in the Low Countries during the World War II, Second World War. The goal of ''Bodenpl ...
which severely reduced it. In the last days of the war, it became the only unit to be equipped with the
Heinkel He 162 Heinkel Flugzeugwerke () was a German aircraft manufacturing company founded by and named after Ernst Heinkel. It is noted for producing bomber aircraft for the Luftwaffe in World War II and for important contributions to high-speed flight, wit ...
jet fighter. JG 1 suffered 464
killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...
, 174
wounded in action Wounded in action (WIA) describes combatants who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during wartime, but have not been killed. Typically, it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing ...
, 94 killed in accidents, and 16
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
.


Formation history

In May 1939, the organisation of the Luftwaffe was changed. As a result, a large number of units were re-designated and many command title changes took place. I. ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 130 (JG 130—130th Fighter Wing) was given the designation I./JG 1. The high-profile and most senior home front wing, JG 2 "Richthofen" had coveted that designation, but was left in "second place". However, on 7 May 1940, just before the invasion of France and the Low Countries, I./JG 1 was merged with ''Jagdgeschwader'' 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) and renamed III./JG 27. This temporarily dissolved JG 1 as a unit. Seven months later, on 7 December 1940 a new unit I./JG 1 was formed at
Jever Jever () is the capital of the district of Friesland (district), Friesland in Lower Saxony, Germany. The name Jever is usually associated with a major brand of beer, Jever Pilsener, which is produced there. The city is also a popular holiday res ...
out of several defensive units based on the North Sea coast. JG 1's role was to provide air cover over a large portion of the North Sea coastline. Its commander was ''Oberstleutnant''
Carl-August Schumacher Carl-Alfred (August) Schumacher (19 February 1896 – 22 May 1967) was a German military officer and politician. During World War II, Schumacher served in the German Luftwaffe, commanding the ''Jagdgeschwader'' 1 (JG 1) fighter wing. After World ...
. Their operational area stretched from the Netherlands to
Southern Norway Southern Norway (; lit. "The Southland") is the geographical List of regions of Norway, region (''landsdel'') along the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway. The region is an informal description since it does not have any governmental function ...
. On 5 January 1942, Schumacher handed over command to Major
Erich von Selle This is a list of fighter aces in World War II from Germany. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. It is relatively certain that 2,500 German fighter pilo ...
to become commander of the fighter forces for ''Luftflotte'' 5 (''
Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen was a formation of the German Luftwaffe based in Occupied Norway during World War II. It was named for the "Fighter Leader (''Jafu''),A Jagdfliegerführer, or Jafü, was the commander of the Fighter forces of a ''Luf ...
'').


Reorganization

Similar to its parent ''Jagdgeschwader'' 2, ''Jagdgeschwader'' 1 was designated to be a "donor" unit in forming a new unit called ''Jagdgeschwader'' 11 (JG 11—11th Fighter Wing) on 31 March 1943. I. and II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 1 were transferred to JG 11. IV. ''Gruppe'' was re-designated as I./JG 1. A new III. ''Gruppe'' was formed in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, commanded by Major Karl-Heinz Leesmann. The new ''Jagdgeschwader'' 1 was moved to
Deelen Deelen is a hamlet in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is largely in the municipality of Ede, Netherlands, but a small part lies in the municipality of Arnhem. It was first mentioned in the 13th century as Deijle, and means "parcel of ground" ...
to protect occupied Dutch territory, and JG 11 tasked with protecting the North German border between Netherlands and Denmark.
Erich Mix Erich Mix (27 June 1898 in Labuhnken (now Trzcińsk, Poland) in West Prussia (now Starogard Gdański) – 9 April 1971 in Wiesbaden) was a German flying ace during World War II, a politician, a member of the Nazi Party, and later a member of th ...
was replaced by Major
Hans Philipp Hans Philipp (17 March 1917 – 8 October 1943) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial co ...
as ''Geschwaderkommodore''. By mid 1943, JG 1 came under the control of ''Luftwaffenbefehlshaber Mitte'', which went on to form ''
Luftflotte Reich Luftflotte ReichFor an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organisation (Air Fleet ''Reich'') was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II World War II or the Second Wor ...
''.


Organization structure

Generally, the organization of JG 1 followed the standard Luftwaffe organization for any typical wing (''Geschwader''). It was commanded by a ''
Geschwaderkommodore ''Geschwaderkommodore'' (short also ''Kommodore'') is a ''Luftwaffe'' position or appointment (not rank), originating during World War II. A ''Geschwaderkommodore'' is usually an OF5-rank of ''Oberst'' (colonel) or Kapitän zur See (naval captain ...
'', equivalent to a
USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
wing commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Wing commander is immediately se ...
or RAF
group captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...
. A ''Geschwaderkommodore'' was supposed to have the rank of lieutenant colonel (''
Oberstleutnant () (English: Lieutenant Colonel) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, ...
'') or
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
(''
Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...
''), but the position could be filled by a relatively junior officer. Initially most
Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
fighter wings consisted of three groups ('' Gruppe''), which were the equivalent of USAAF
groups A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...
or RAF
wings A wing is a type of fin that produces both lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-drag ratio, which compares the bene ...
. Groups were identified using Roman numerals, followed by the unit number; e.g. I./JG 1. In 1942 JG 1 was the first unit to be expanded to incorporate a fourth group. Partly as a result of JG 1's expansion, other ''Luftwaffe'' fighter wings incorporated a fourth group from mid-1943. Each group usually consisted of three to four squadrons (''Staffeln''), which were identified using numbers; e.g. 3./JG 1. Each squadron also had a subordinate headquarters flight ('' Stabschwarm'') associated with it. A squadron with an establishment of 12–16 aircraft usually consisted of three to four flights (''Schwärme'') of four aircraft usually flying in the "
finger-four The finger-four formation (also known as the "four finger formation" and the "Fingertip Formation") is a flight formation used by fighter aircraft. It consists of four aircraft, and four of these formations can be combined into a squadron forma ...
" formation. The commanding officer of a squadron (''
Staffelkapitän ''Staffelkapitän'' is a command appointment, rather than a military rank, in the air force units of German-speaking countries. The rank normally held by a ''Staffelkapitän'' has changed over time. In the present-day German ''Luftwaffe'' – p ...
'') usually held a rank of senior lieutenant (''
Oberleutnant (English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...
'') or captain (''Hauptmann''). The flights of a squadron were color-coded "Red", "Blue", "Yellow" and "Green". A ''Geschwaderstab'' was essentially a Headquarters Unit (''Stabschwarm'') for the entire wing. There were headquarters units also at gruppe level. Initially when JG 1 was re-formed in Jever, it was constituted as a Regional Fighter Command ( ''Jagdfliegerführer'' 2) on 30 November 1939 with an intention to co-ordinate with navy (''
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...
'') flak and signals units. This autonomous command defending the coastline was placed under ''Oberstleutnant'' Carl-August Schumacher. ''Geschwaderstab'' JG 1 (Stab. JG 1) was also alternatively called ''JG Nord'' or ''JG Schumacher'' and was equipped with Bf 109 D and E variants.


Group I./JG 1

I./JG 1 consisted of one Headquarters Flight (''Gruppenstab'') and 1., 2. and 3 ''Staffel''. When the
Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...
commenced on 10 May 1940, I./JG 1 was put under the administrative control of JG 27. After seeing extensive service, the group was re-designated III./JG 27 on 5 July 1940. The ''Gruppenstab'' was formed on 1 September and placed under the command of ''Major'' Dr. Erich Mix. 1./JG 1 was reformed on 7 December 1940 in
Vlissingen Vlissingen (; ) is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an importan ...
from the "Holland" Squadron (''
Jasta A ''Jagdstaffel'' (plural ''Jagdstaffeln'', abbreviated to Jasta) was a fighter ''Staffel'' (squadron) of the German Imperial ''Luftstreitkräfte'' during World War I. Background Before April 1916, ''Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaise ...
'' Holland). 2./JG 1 was formed on 5 July 1941 in
Katwijk Katwijk () is a coastal municipality and town in the province of South Holland, which is situated in the mid-western part of the Netherlands. The Oude Rijn (Utrecht and South Holland), Oude Rijn ("Old Rhine") river flows through the town and i ...
, Netherlands, from the ''Münster-Loddenheide'' Squadron (''Jasta Münster-Loddenheide'') of ''Luftflotte'' 2 while 3./JG 1 was formed on 1 March 1941 in
De Kooy De Kooy is a hamlet in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Den Helder Den Helder () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Den Helder occupies the northernmost ...
from parts of the Training/Supplement squadron of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 52 (''Ergänzungsstaffel Gruppe''/JG 52). These three units operated independently until September 1941 when they were grouped into I./JG 1 under ''Major'' Erich Mix. 3./JG 1 was ordered to
Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
and later Africa, and re-designated as 6. ''Staffel'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) on 30 November 1941. Another 3./JG 1 was formed in
Wangerooge Wangerooge (; ; Wangerooge Frisian: ) is one of the 32 Frisian Islands in the North Sea off the northwestern coast of Germany. It is a municipality in the district of Friesland (district), Friesland in Lower Saxony in Germany. The island is also l ...
on the same day. In January 1944, the 18 ''Staffel'' unit was transferred to
Dortmund Dortmund (; ; ) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the List of cities in Germany by population, ninth-largest city in Germany. With a population of 614,495 inhabitants, it is the largest city ...
where they were located next to I./JG 1. Here they were subordinated to ''Major'' Rudolf-Emil Schnoor, the commander of I./JG 1. On 15 August 1944, 9. ''Staffel'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing) was transferred to reinforce I./JG 1, becoming 4./JG 1. From mid-1943, the ''gruppe'' sported unique checkered cowlings; each of the three ''staffeln'' had its own colour combination.


Group II./JG 1

In September 1941, ''Hauptmann''
Hans von Hahn Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...
's I. ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) was transferred from the Eastern Front to Germany for rest and re-supply. In November 1941, it was transferred to the northern Netherlands and on 15 January 1942 re-designated II./JG 1 in Katwijk. The group had been involved in the Battle of France and the Eastern Front campaigns as I./JG 3, and had 421 kills to its name by September 1941. While at Katwijk and Vlissingen, they were assigned the task of coastal defence and protection of shipping routes. In early 1944, the
Reich Air Ministry The Ministry of Aviation (, abbreviated RLM) was a government department during the period of Nazi Germany (1933–45). It is also the original name of the Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus building on the Wilhelmstrasse in central Berlin, Germany, which ...
( â€” RLM) reinforced the day-fighters of "
Defence of the Reich The Defence of the Reich () is the name given to the military strategy, strategic defensive aerial campaign fought by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany over German-occupied Europe and Germany during World War II against the Allied Strategic bombing ...
" with additional units from the Eastern Front. On 15 August 1944, II./JG 1 was increased to four ''staffeln'' with the addition of 7./JG 51 equipped with the Bf 109 G-6 "''Gustav''" from its base at
Brest-Litovsk Brest, formerly Brest-Litovsk and Brest-on-the-Bug, is a city in south-western Belarus at the border with Poland opposite the Polish town of Terespol, where the Bug and Mukhavets rivers meet, making it a border town. It serves as the admini ...
. On arrival in May 1944 at Störmede, they were re-equipped with the
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' (Shrike) is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, the ...
and re-designated 8./JG 1 on 15 August 1944. 4./JG 1 was re-designated to 7./JG 1. From this point until the end in 1945, II./JG 1 would consist of its Headquarters Flight, ''Stab'' II./JG 1, as well as 5., 6., 7. and 8./JG 1.


Group III./JG 1

By January 1942, most fighting wings (''Jagdgeschwader'') of the Luftwaffe had created their own training group (''Ergänzungsgruppe''), with which to prepare trainees for operational service with their parent wing. Each training group had its own operating squadron (''Einsatzstaffel'') that doubled as a supplemental squadron, consisting of instructors and trainees. It was from such ''Einsatzstaffel'' that III./JG 1 was formed. III./JG 1 was formed in January 1942 in
Husum Husum (, ) is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The town was the birthplace of the novelist Theodor Storm, who coined the epithet "the grey town by the sea". It is also the home of the annual i ...
. 7./JG 1 consisted of supplemental flights (''Einsatz-Schwärme'') of fighter pilot schools (''
Jagdfliegerschule The German Luftwaffe of the Wehrmacht had seven ''Jagdfliegerschulen'' or Fighter Pilot Schools. Jagdfliegerschule Werneuchen or Jagdfliegerschule 1 Jagdfliegerschule Werneuchen was formed on 1 November 1937 in Werneuchen consisting of 3 ''Staff ...
'' or ''JFS'') Gleiwitz, Breslau and Königsberg. III./JG 1 was re-designated I./JG 11 on 1 April 1943 and a new III./JG 1 established on 23 May in
Leeuwarden Leeuwarden (; ; ; ) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in Friesland, Netherlands, with a population of 127,073 (2023). It is the provincial capital and seat of the Provin ...
led by Major Karl-Heinz Leesmann. With the addition of a fourth ''Staffel'' to both I. ''Gruppe'' and II. ''Gruppe'' on 15 August 1944, the former 7. ''Staffel'' of III. ''Gruppe'' was renamed to 10. ''Staffel'', the 8. ''Staffel'' became the 11. ''Staffel'', and the 9. ''Staffel'' kept its designation.


Group IV./JG 1

JG 1 expanded to include a 4th group (''Gruppe'') around the same time as III./JG 1, and was also formed using the training groups (''Ergänzungsgruppen'') and training squadrons (''Einsatzstaffeln'') of other wings. On 21 March 1942 IV./JG 1 was re-designated as III./
JG 5 Jagdgeschwader 5 (JG 5) was a German Luftwaffe fighter Wing (air force unit), wing during World War II. It was created to operate in the far north of Europe, namely Norway, Scandinavia and northern parts of Finland, all nearest the Arctic Ocean, ...
. It was re-established on the same day in
Werneuchen Werneuchen () is a town in Brandenburg, Germany, in the district of Barnim northeast of Berlin within the metropolitan area. Most of the population of Werneuchen commutes to Berlin. History From 1815 to 1947, Werneuchen was part of the Prussian ...
with elements of the previous IV./JG 1 and training squadrons of fighter schools 1 and 4. On 1 April 1943, IV./JG 1 was re-designated as I./JG 1


Aircraft of Jagdgeschwader 1

When JG 1 was formed, it primarily used the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-1. In mid-1942, II., III. and IV./JG 1 started converting to the Fw 190; although I./JG 1 continued to operate the Bf 109 E and F and later G models, including the specialised F-4 and G-1 and G-6 high-altitude fighter with
GM-1 GM-1 (''Göring Mischung'' 1) was a system for injecting nitrous oxide into aircraft engines that was used by the ''Luftwaffe'' in World War II. This increased the amount of oxygen in the fuel mixture, and thereby improved high-altitude performa ...
nitrous oxide Nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide or dinitrogen monoxide), commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous, or factitious air, among others, is a chemical compound, an Nitrogen oxide, oxide of nitrogen with the Chemical formula, formula . At room te ...
power boost. By 1943, I./JG 1 had largely converted to the Fw 190 A, while III./JG 1 returned to the Bf 109 G. I. and II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 1 were the first units to equip with the
Heinkel He 162 Heinkel Flugzeugwerke () was a German aircraft manufacturing company founded by and named after Ernst Heinkel. It is noted for producing bomber aircraft for the Luftwaffe in World War II and for important contributions to high-speed flight, wit ...
 A-2 ''Spatz'' (" sparrow", Heinkel's name for the design) jet-engined fighter, with deliveries of the He 162 in February 1945 to I./JG 1 at
Parchim Parchim (; Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialect, Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch: ''Parchen'') is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is the capital of the Ludwigslust-Parchim district. It was the birthplace of Helmuth von Moltke the Elde ...
. Around April 1945, II./JG 1 moved to Rostock-Marienehe near the
Heinkel Heinkel Flugzeugwerke () was a German aircraft manufacturing company founded by and named after Ernst Heinkel. It is noted for producing bomber aircraft for the Luftwaffe in World War II and for important contributions to high-speed flight, wit ...
factory to receive the deliveries of the new aircraft.


World War II

The original I./ JG 1 based in Jesau, played little part in the
Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...
. Within Eastern Prussia, they were re-deployed to three forward bases;
Heiligenbeil The term Heiligenbeil can refer to: *The German name of Mamonovo, Russia * Heiligenbeil concentration camp built near Mamonovo *Heiligenbeil Pocket The Heiligenbeil Pocket or Heiligenbeil Cauldron () was the site of a major encirclement battle o ...
, Schippenbeil and Arys-Rostken. I./JG 1 had negligible involvement and no enemy aircraft were downed. The only casualty was a pilot of 2./JG 1 injured by friendly
AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming * AAA (video game industry) - a category of high budget video games *'' TripleA'', an open source wargame Mu ...
. On 5 September 1939, the group returned to Jesau. After a ten-day stop in Lübeck-Blankensee, the group arrived at Vörden. Schumacher's command, sometimes referred to as JG Nord (Fighter Group North) or JG Schumacher, operated the Bf 109D and E variants in addition to the
Messerschmitt Bf 110 The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engined (de ...
. The lack of action during the
Phoney War The Phoney War (; ; ) was an eight-month period at the outset of World War II during which there were virtually no Allied military land operations on the Western Front from roughly September 1939 to May 1940. World War II began on 3 Septembe ...
period meant that these aircraft, usually in demand by offensive air fleets (''
Luftflotte A list of ''Luftwaffe "Luftflotten"'' (Air Fleets) and their locations between 1939 and 1945. Timeline ImageSize = width:580 height:auto barincrement:20 PlotArea = left:80 bottom:60 top:10 right:40 AlignBars = early DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy ...
''), were available for defensive roles.


Battle of the Heligoland Bight, Phoney War

Stab./JG 1 controlled all the following ''Gruppen'' (groups; wings in RAF parlance) which had a combined strength of 80–100 aircraft; II./JG 77 commanded by
Hilmer von Bülow-Bothkamp Hilmer is a masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Hilmer Ekdahl (1889–1967), cinematographer * Hilmer Kenty (born 1955), boxer * Hilmer Löfberg (1887–1940), diver * Hilmer Pettersson, footballer * Hilmer Swanson (1932â ...
; II./''Trägergruppe'' 186 (Carrier Air Group 186; TrGr 186) which was officially attached to ''Zerstörergeschwader'' 1 (ZG 1—1st Destroyer Wing) but placed under Stab./JG 1 for defensive duties under ''
Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
'' Heinrich Seeliger; 10.(''Nacht'')/ ''Jagdgeschwader'' 26 (JG 26) under ''Staffelkapitän'' (Squadron Leader)
Johannes Steinhoff Johannes "Macky" Steinhoff (15 September 1913 – 21 February 1994) was a Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II, German general, and NATO official. He was one of very few Luftwaffe pilots who survived to fly operationally through the whole ...
; I. ''Gruppe'' of ''Zerstörergeschwader'' 76 (ZG 76—76 Destroyer Wing) under the command of ''
Hauptmann () is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''. Background While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...
'' Günther Reinecke, and 2 ''Staffel''; 2./ZG 76) under the command of ''Geschwaderkommodore''
Wolfgang Falck Wolfgang Falck (19 August 1910 – 13 March 2007) was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot and wing commander and one of the key organisers of the German night fighter defences. As a fighter ace, he claimed eight enemy aircraft shot down in 90 c ...
; JGr. 101 was attached to ZG 1 and eventually became II./ZG 1. It was commanded by ''Major'' Hellmuth Reichardt. According to the Luftwaffe
order of battle Order of battle of an armed force participating in a military operation or campaign shows the hierarchical organization, command structure, strength, disposition of personnel, and equipment of units and formations of the armed force. Various abbr ...
, dated 15 December 1939, the assignment of JG 1 was no more consistent. I. ''Gruppe'' had one ''staffel'' at Neuenkirchen-Vörden, subordinated to Luftgau XI under the command of ''Luftflotte'' 2. Stab an done ''Staffel'', II./JG 1, with 4. and 6./JG 77 plus one ''staffel'' from II(J)TrGr 186 (II ''JagdGruppe'' Carrier Group 186) subordinated to it, were based at Jever under ''Jagdfliegerführer Deutsche Bucht''. Two ''Staffeln'' of II. ''Gruppe'' were based at
Nordholz Nordholz is a village and a former municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2015 it is part of the municipality Wurster Nordseeküste. It is situated approximately 25 km north of Bremerhaven, and 1 ...
. Three days later, JG 1 fought in the Battle of the Heligoland Bight. The German fighter units were alerted late, but in a quick briefing, the JG 1 commander had told his pilots to make a beam attack as it was a blind spot for the
Vickers Wellington The Vickers Wellington (nicknamed the Wimpy) is a British twin-engined, long-range medium bomber. It was designed during the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey. Led by Vickers-Armstrongs' chief designer Rex Pierson, a key feature of t ...
bombers heading to
Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...
. A stern attack was dangerous, as the gunners could then target an attacking fighter with a coordinated and concentrated cone of fire. One weakness also noted was that early types of Wellingtons lacked
self-sealing fuel tank A self-sealing fuel tank (SSFT) is a type of fuel tank, typically used in aircraft fuel tanks or fuel bladders, that prevents them from leaking fuel and igniting after being damaged. Typical self-sealing tanks have layers of rubber and reinfor ...
s. This meant if the German fighters hit the wings, the bomber was liable to burn. Stab/JG 1's ''Geschwaderkommodore'' Schumacher was given the credit for two of the bombers. At 13:45, the German fighters—at the limit of their endurance—returned to base.
RAF Bomber Command RAF Bomber Command controlled the Royal Air Force's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. Along with the United States Army Air Forces, it played the central role in the Strategic bombing during World War II#Europe, strategic bombing of Germany in W ...
abandoned daylight operations and this encouraged the ''
Oberkommando der Luftwaffe The (; abbreviated OKL) was the high command of the air force () of Nazi Germany. History The was organized in a large and diverse structure led by Reich minister and supreme commander of the Air force () Hermann Göring. Through the Mini ...
'' (OKL—Luftwaffe High Command) to neglect the German day fighter force defences in Germany which had profound consequences later in the war. Historians Donald Caldwell and
Richard R. Muller Richard R. Muller is a professor of airpower history within the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies at the USAF's Air University in Montgomery, Alabama. He gained his Bachelor of Arts from Franklin and Marshall College and his Master of Art ...
described the battle as "amongst the most important actions of the entire war." For several years, the daylight fighter defences over Germany were rarely tested.


Battles in Belgium, France and disbandment

Stab/JG 1 was subordinated to Schumacher's ''Jagdfliegerführer'' 1 at Jever on 10 May 1940. I. ''Gruppe'' was assigned to VIII. ''Fliegerkorps'', and based at Gymnich,
Erftstadt Erftstadt () is a town located about 20 km south-west of Cologne in the Rhein-Erft-Kreis, state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name of the town derives from the river that flows through it, the Erft. The neighbouring towns are Brüh ...
,
North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia or North-Rhine/Westphalia, commonly shortened to NRW, is a States of Germany, state () in Old states of Germany, Western Germany. With more than 18 million inhabitants, it is the List of German states by population, most ...
. At the tactical level I./JG 1 came under administrative control of JG 27, I./JG 1 but was temporarily put under administrative control of JG 77 on 4 June 1940. It came back under control of JG 27 days later. For the campaign, Stab were assigned four Bf 109s, all operational. I. ''Gruppe'' were well-equipped with 46 Bf 109 Es but only 24 were combat ready. The
Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...
began Fall Gelb on 10 May, beginning the
Battle of the Netherlands The German invasion of the Netherlands (), otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands (), was a military campaign, part of Battle of France, Case Yellow (), the Nazi German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Neth ...
and
Battle of Belgium The invasion of Belgium or Belgian campaign (10–28 May 1940), often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' Campaign (; ), formed part of the larger Battle of France, an Military offensive, offensive campaign by Nazi Germany, Germany during ...
and Battle of France simultaneously. JG 1 fought over the
Albert Canal The Albert Canal (, ; , ) is a canal located in northeastern Belgium, which was named for King Albert I of Belgium. The Albert Canal connects Antwerp with Liège, and also the Meuse river with the Scheldt river. It also connects with the Des ...
in part, protecting the bridges at the
Battle of Maastricht The Battle of Maastricht was one of the first battles that took place during the German Campaign on the Western Front during World War II. Maastricht was a key city in order to capture the Belgian Fort Eben-Emael and split the allied armies i ...
. 3. ''Staffel'' engaged and claimed its first victory on 11 May in combat with 18 and 53 Squadron of the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
. 1./JG 1 and 1./JG 27 engaged
Fairey Battle The Fairey Battle is a British single-engine light bomber that was designed and manufactured by the Fairey Aviation Company. It was developed during the mid-1930s for the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a monoplane successor to the Hawker Hart and Ha ...
light bombers of the 5/III/3,
Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air and Space Component (, ) is the Air force, air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force (; ). It was founded in 1909 and is one of the world's oldest air services. ...
later in the day, with their
fighter escort The escort fighter was a concept for a fighter aircraft designed to escort bombers to and from their targets. An escort fighter needed range long enough to reach the target, loiter over it for the duration of the raid to defend the bombers, a ...
,
Gloster Gladiator The Gloster Gladiator is a British biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) (as the Sea Gladiator variant) and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. Developed privat ...
s, 1/I/2. Only three badly damaged bombers of the original nine returned. Four of the six Gladiators were shot down by 1./JG 1—though they claimed seven. Two
Fairey Fox The Fairey Fox was a British light bomber and fighter biplane of the 1920s and 1930s. It was originally produced in Britain for the RAF, but continued in production and use in Belgium long after it was retired in Britain. Development and des ...
fighters in the same area. The
French Air Force The French Air and Space Force (, , ) is the air force, air and space force of the French Armed Forces. Formed in 1909 as the ("Aeronautical Service"), a service arm of the French Army, it became an independent military branch in 1934 as the Fr ...
Groupe de bombardement I/12 and II/12 committed 18
Lioré et Olivier LeO 45 Lioré-et-Olivier LeO 45 was a French medium bomber that was used during and after the Second World War. It had been designed for the new ''Armée de l'air'' as a modern medium bomber capable of performing independent strategic operations, unlik ...
bombers escorted by 18 Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighters from
Groupe de Chasse ''Groupe de Chasse'' or ''groupe de chasse'' (usually abbreviated as GC) is the French language term for " fighter group" or "fighter wing". More literal translations include "pursuit group" (the US term for fighter groups prior to 1942) and "hun ...
III/3 and II/6; one bomber fell to fighters and flak, while four of the fighters fell to I./JG 1 and some supporting Messerschmitt Bf 110 units. On 12 May JG 1 achieved more success over the Maastricht bridges. 139 Squadron sent its
Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until the end of the war. ...
light bombers from
Plivot Plivot () is a commune in the Marne department in northeastern France. From 1 December 1939 until 15 February 1940 No. 139 Squadron RAF was deployed to a local airfield nearby with Blenheim IVs as part of the RAF Advanced Air Striking For ...
, to the area but they ran into Stab/JG 1, 2./JG 1 and 3./JG 27. Seven of the unescorted bombers were shot down. In the first twenty-four hours, I./JG 1 and its parent unit, JG 27, flew 340 sorties and claimed 28 aircraft destroyed for four losses. JG 1 was active along the frontline on 13 May. A
Westland Lysander The Westland Lysander is a British Army cooperation aircraft, army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft that was used immediately before and during the Second World War. After becoming obsolete in the army co-operat ...
, from the BEF, 4 Squadron was claimed shot down. JG 27 carried out fighter escort for
Junkers Ju 87 The Junkers Ju 87, popularly known as the "Stuka", is a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the ...
''Stukas'' in the
Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
area. Following the German armoured breakthrough at Sedan, the 2nd Panzer reached the mouth of the
Somme River The Somme ( , ; ) is a river in Picardy, northern France. The river is in length, from its source in the high ground of the former at Fonsomme near Saint-Quentin, to the Bay of the Somme, in the English Channel. It lies in the geologica ...
at
Abbeville Abbeville (; ; ) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of Ponthieu. Geography Location A ...
. After defeating
French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
counterattacks near
Cambrai Cambrai (, ; ; ), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord department and in the Hauts-de-France region of France on the Scheldt river, which is known locally as the Escaut river. A sub-pref ...
, the Wehrmacht consolidated for an advance on the Channel ports. The Battle of Boulogne, Siege of Calais and
Battle of Dunkirk The Battle of Dunkirk () was fought around the French Third Republic, French port of Dunkirk, Dunkirk (Dunkerque) during the Second World War, between the Allies of World War II, Allies and Nazi Germany. As the Allies were losing the Battle ...
were fought during the remainder of May. I. ''Gruppe'' fought actions in support of StG 76 over Dunkirk against
RAF Fighter Command RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It operated throughout the Second World War, winning fame during the Battle of Britain in 1940. The ...
as it covered the evacuation; future fighter ace
Emil Clade Emil Josef Clade (26 February 1916 – May 2010) was a Luftwaffe fighter ace in World War II, and figured in German civilian aviation after the war. Enlisting in the Luftwaffe in 1937, prior to World War II, Clade served throughout the war as a f ...
, who played a pivotal role in
North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
in 1942, claimed a 19 Squadron
Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...
.
Wilhelm Balthasar Wilhelm Balthasar (2 February 1914 – 3 July 1941) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and wing commander during World War II. As a fighter ace, he is credited with seven aerial victories during the Spanish Civil War and further 40 aerial ...
, commanding 1./JG 1 increased his total to 23 aerial victories and he became only the second fighter pilot to receive the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...
. The claim made by Clade was one of four made by I./JG 1 over Dunkirk, on 26 May, and the only claims made by the wing during the battle. Another pilot,
Walter Adolph Walter Adolph (11 June 1913 – 18 September 1941) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator in the Spanish Civil War and a fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 25 aerial victories, including one in Spain, achieved in 79 combat mi ...
, 2./JG 1 began the war with the wing at this time, operating from Gymnich.
Fall Rot ''Fall Rot'' (Case Red) was the plan for a German military operation after the success of (Case Yellow), the Battle of France, an invasion of the Benelux countries and northern France. The Allied armies had been defeated and pushed back in t ...
began the final phase of the Battle of France. JG 1 and its elements remained with VIII. ''Fliegerkorps''. I. ''Gruppe'' was based at
Guise Guise ( , ; ) is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. The city was the birthplace of the noble family of Guise, Dukes of Guise, who later became Princes of Joinville. Population Sights The remains of t ...
-Nord ( Tupigny). JG 27 and units under its command flew 265
sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warf ...
s in 17 missions on 6 June. By 16 June the advance had taken the ''gruppe'' to
Romilly-sur-Seine Romilly-sur-Seine (, literally ''Romilly on Seine'') is a commune in the Aube department in north-central France. Population International relations Romilly-sur-Seine is twinned with: * Milford Haven, United Kingdom * Gotha, Germany * ...
with Stab/JG 27, I./JG 27 and I./
JG 76 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 76 (JG 76) was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. JG 76 was first formed in 1939 in Wien-Aspern with only I. ''Gruppe'' (1st group). The ''Geschwader'' was renamed II./ Jagdgeschwader 54 on 4 July 1940. The ''Geschwad ...
. JG 27 had claimed 250 Allied aircraft destroyed in the campaign. The leading pilot attached to JG 27 was JG 1's Wilhelm Balthasar, the most successful of the period. I./JG 1 claimed 82 air victories during the Battle of France. ''Oberstleutnant'' Carl-August Schumacher was awarded the Knight's Cross on 21 July for commanding JG 1. The
Armistice of 22 June 1940 The Armistice of 22 June 1940, sometimes referred to as the Second Armistice at Compiègne, was an agreement signed at 18:36 on 22 June 1940 near Compiègne, France by officials of Nazi Germany and the French Third Republic. It became effective a ...
ended the campaign on the Western Front for four years. JG 1 continued to exist in the form of the ''Stabstaffel'', which was not disbanded, but the single ''gruppe'' merged with JG 27 after the French capitulation which left JG 1 without any combat ''gruppen''. A consequence of the situation was that JG 1 played no part in the
Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...
. For reasons that are unknown, I. ''Gruppe'' JG 1 still appeared on the Luftwaffe order of battle throughout 1940. On 1 January 1941, Stab/JG 1 was subordinated to Luftgau IX, on the
Heligoland Bight The Heligoland Bight, also known as Helgoland Bight, (, ) is a bay which forms the southern part of the German Bight, itself a bay of the North Sea, located at the mouth of the Elbe river. The Heligoland Bight extends from the mouth of the Elb ...
. I. ''Gruppe'' was placed with ''Jasta Holland'', alongside Stab, II. and III./JG 77 and I./ZG 76. The French surrender had made the ''Luftverteidigungzone West'' irrelevant and most ''Jagdgeschwader'' were moved to the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
. The status of JG 1 remained until 1 September 1941 when I. ''Gruppe'' was reformed. The ''gruppe'' was made up from ''staffeln'' created in late 1940. 1./JG 1 was reformed on 7 December 1940 in Vlissingen from ''Jasta Holland''. 3./JG 1 was formed on 1 March, then 2./JG 1 on 5 July. The Stabstaffel of I./JG 1 came into existence on 1 September 1941 to control the ''staffeln'' and merge them into a single ''gruppe''.


Back water operations: 1941–1942

Daylight raids by Bomber Command had ceased by 1941. The British bomber arm concentrated on rebuilding for the night area offensive as an alternative. Whereas six ''gruppen'' were available for
night fighter A night fighter (later known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor post-Second World War) is a largely historical term for a fighter aircraft, fighter or interceptor aircraft adapted or designed for effective use at night, during pe ...
operations, they daylight defence of Germany rested mainly on anti-aircraft guns, I./JG 3 and I./JG 1, supported by provisional units of limited combat effectiveness. This remained the case from 1940 through to 1942. The German fighter units faced occasional raids against coastal targets. One exception to this was an attack by 54 Blenheims on
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
power stations on 12 August 1941. The lack of combat action was in contrast to
JG 2 Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2) "Richthofen" was a German fighter wing during World War II. JG 2 operated the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 single-seat, single-engine interceptor aircraft. Named after the famed World War I flying ...
and JG 26 battled RAF Fighter Command's
Circus offensive Circus was the codename given to operations by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War where bombers, with a mass escort of fighters, were sent over continental Europe to bring fighters into combat. These were usually formations o ...
over France and Belgium, which were no threat to the German Reich. For the most part, JG 1 operated over an area considered a backwater. The Stabsschwarm operated alone, since it had no component ''gruppe'' of its own; the semi-autonomous I. ''Gruppe'' which had never been under Schumacher's command became III./JG 27 in July 1940. In 1941, Stab/JG 1 was credited with some successes against Fighter Command in the first half of the year, when the RAF operated far to the east near the Dutch coast. Fighter Command flew 6,875 sorties from January to June 1941 and lost 112 aircraft—57 in June. From July to December this increased to 20,495 with 416 losses. The pressure grew on JG 2, allotted to ''Jagdfliegerführer'' 3, JG 1, assigned to ''Jagdfliegerführer'' 1 in the Netherlands and JG 26, in ''Jagdfliegerführer'' 2. There were 4,385 "alarmstarts" in July 1941 and another 4,258 in August. September saw a reduction to 2,534 and to 2,553 in October before falling to 1,287. Nevertheless, the fighter wings still retained 430 fighters on 27 September 1941. JG 1 was the only fighter wing assigned to Lw Bfh Mitte (later ''Luftflotte Reich'') in 1942. JG 1s four ''gruppen'' were spread from
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
to the Netherlands, on the periphery, while the only fighter units in the interior of Germany were fighter schools or small action units assigned to a particular factory or installation. JG 1s units were shared between ''Jagdivision'' 1 and ''Jagdivision'' 2. Amongst the major actions of 1942 to involve JG 1 was
Operation Donnerkeil Unternehmen Donnerkeil (Operation Thunderbolt) was the codename for a German military operation of the Second World War. ''Donnerkeil'' was an air superiority operation in support of Operation Cerberus, also known as the Channel Dash by the ' ...
and
Operation Jubilee Operation Jubilee or the Dieppe Raid (19 August 1942) was a disastrous Allied amphibious attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe in northern France, during the Second World War. Over 6,050 infantry, predominantly Canadian, supported by a ...
in February and August 1942. In Donnerkeil, JG 1 claimed seven RAF bombers near
Texel Texel (; Texels dialect: ) is a municipality and an island with a population of 13,643 in North Holland, Netherlands. It is the largest and most populated island of the West Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. The island is situated north of Den ...
, four falling to 5./JG 1. JG 1s make up was unusual for fighter wings usually had three, as opposed to four, ''gruppen''. Nevertheless, while JG 1 provided a "powerful front line" in the Netherlands, the defences behind it were as sparse as they had been in 1939. At the beginning of 1943 Stab and I. ''Gruppe'' were based at Jever. The headquarters flight had four Focke-Wulf Fw 190s (all operational) while I. ''Gruppe'' had 40 (27) Bf 109s. II. ''Gruppe'' was at
Woensdrecht Woensdrecht () is a municipality (named after the village) in the southern Netherlands. Woensdrecht is the home of the Woensdrecht Air Base, which is located to the north-east of the village of Woensdrecht and to the north-west of Huijbergen. ...
with 40 (41) Fw 190s and III. ''Gruppe'', in
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
and southern Norway had 53 (48). IV. ''Gruppe'' was located at München Gladbach with 41 (27). ''Geschwaderkommodore'' Erich Mix's wing would spend their time intercepting some
RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...
and Fighter Command incursions, on top of convoy-patrols along the coast, while waiting for the
USAAF The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually Aerial bomb, bombs) and longest range (aeronautics), range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy ...
s. Postwar research concludes that at least 23 Fighter Command casualties can be linked to JG 1. Further losses may be attributed to JG 1—on 2 May 1943 JG 1 claimed seven Spitfires, four were lost. The following day Wing Commander Howard Blatchford was killed in action with JG 1 over the Netherlands.
Hans Ehlers Hans Ehlers (15 July 1914 – 27 December 1944) was a German military aviation, military aviator who served in the Luftwaffe during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 55—that is, 55 aerial combat encounters resulting in the de ...
may have been his assailant. For the Luftwaffe, the winter, 1942/43, was spent increasing the engine and firepower of their fighters. Weights rose, and engine power had to follow to keep pace. In order to increase compression ratios in their engines, and unable to do so through the use of high-strength alloys and high-octane fuel lacking in Germany, engineers opted for chemical enhancements. The Bf 109 G-1 high-altitude fighter, powered by the
DB 605 The Daimler-Benz DB 605 is a German aircraft engine built during World War II. Developed from the DB 601, the DB 605 was used from 1942 to 1945 in the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter, and the Bf 110 and Me 210C heavy fighters. The DB 610, a pa ...
A was given the GM-1 injection. The Fw 190 A-3 was introduced with improved
BMW 801 The BMW 801 was a powerful Nazi Germany, German Air-cooled engine, air-cooled 14-cylinder-radial engine, radial aircraft engine built by BMW and used in a number of German Luftwaffe aircraft of World War II. Production versions of the Radial e ...
D-2 engines providing more power. The Fw 190 A-4 and Bf 109 G-4 soon followed, with improved radios and homing devices. At their preferred altitudes – below for the Fw 190 and the reverse for the Bf 109 -each of these types was a match for the Spitfire IX. In contrast, the Bf 109 was a superb
dogfight A dogfight, or dog fight, is an air combat manoeuvring, aerial battle between fighter aircraft that is conducted at close range. Modern terminology for air-to-air combat is air combat manoeuvring (ACM), which refers to tactical situations requir ...
er and above was in its element. JG 1 operated the Bf 109 and Fw 190. The Bf 109 and Fw 190 were used to complement each other in the coming battles over Germany. The Fw 190s armament, considered effective against all enemies, was used against bombers more frequently, while the high-flying Bf 109s engaged escorting fighters. The Bf 109 G-4 was "up-gunned" as well to the Bf 109 G-6, with two
MG 131 machine gun The MG 131 (shortened from German: Maschinengewehr 131, or "machine gun 131") was a German 13 mm caliber machine gun developed in 1938 by Rheinmetall-Borsig and produced from 1940 to 1945. The MG 131 was designed for use at fixed, flexible or ...
s replacing the MG 17, and supplementing the MG 151/20 cannon in the nose. The MW 50 (water-methanol) additive increased lower altitude performance but the increase in weight reduced manoeuvrability. German pilots were critical of the Bf 109s fragility, but praised the Fw 190s strong construction; the latter type remained the preference among western theatre pilots.


Defence of the Reich: 1943

In January 1943, the
VIII Bomber Command 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. Etymology English ''eight'', from Old English '', æhta'', Proto-Germanic ''*ahto'' is a direct continuation of Proto-Indo-European '' *oḱtṓ(w)-'', and as such cognate wi ...
, redesignated to Eighth Air Force on 22 February 1944, began its offensive over Germany. JG 2 remained protecting the
U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...
bases on the Atlantic coast,
Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
and
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
in Jafü 3. JG 26 was still assigned to Jafü 2. I./JG 27 arrived to northern France for a brief period in the first quarter of the year, based at
Évreux Évreux () is a commune in and the capital of the department of Eure, in the French region of Normandy. History Antiquity In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century AD, was named '' Mediolanum Aulercorum'', "the central town ...
, to support the Channel wings. In late March 1943, III. ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing), attached to JG 26 since its withdrawal from the Eastern Front, was transferred to
Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places * Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony * Ol ...
, near
Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...
. From there it could assist JG 1 in defending northern Germany from the USAAF bombers while remaining outside the range of Allied fighters. The American Eighth Air Force could field only 100 heavy bombers at one time at this juncture. On 27 January 1943 the Americans used the clear weather to make their first attack on German soil. 64
B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...
bombers with another 27
Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...
s bombed Wilhelmshaven. JG 1 was given its first opportunity to attack the US heavy fleet. I. ''Gruppe'' at Jever was directly under the
bomber stream The bomber stream was a saturation attack tactic developed by the Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command to overwhelm the nighttime German aerial defences of the Kammhuber Line during World War II. The Kammhuber Line consisted of three layer ...
flight path and made attacks in full-strength. The German pilots struggled to do any damage to the
1st Bombardment Wing The 1st Bombardment Wing is a disbanded United States Army Air Force unit. It was initially formed in France in 1918 during World War I as a command and control organization for the Pursuit Groups of the First Army Air Service. Demobilized afte ...
on account of the light armament of the Bf 109 G-1. The massed guns of the US bombers killed three German pilots and a fourth was able to bail out. The American gunners claimed 10. JG 1 was given credit for three B-17s, but only one was known to have gone down. The B-24 force got lost after crossing the coast near Woensdrecht, Netherlands, and wandered around Dutch skies after turning south. II. and IV. ''Gruppe'' took off and raced northward. The former lost one pilot wounded but claimed two—but it appears these were never forwarded to
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
for confirmation. The latter intercepted near
Terschelling Terschelling (; ; Terschelling dialect: ''Schylge'') is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and an island in the northern Netherlands, one of the West Frisian Islands. It is situated between the islands of Vlieland and Ameland. ...
and claimed one B-24 for one Fw 190. A second Fw 190 collided with a second B-24; neither the pilot or American crew survived. American gunners claimed 12 German fighters. Total losses for either side were six German and three American, which favoured the Eighth Air Force. Brigadier General Haywood S. Hansell, commanding the wing remarked, "The enemy's attacks were generally from the rear hemisphere. and level or above. Their skill was lower than expected based on out experience over occupied France. More skilful attacks can be expected on the next raid in this area." The next weeks the Eighth concentrated on U-boat bases in France. On 4 February they returned to Germany. 65 B-17s and 21 B-24s targeted
Hamm Hamm may refer to: Places ;Germany: * Hamm, North Rhine-Westphalia, a city north-east of Dortmund * Hamm (Sieg), a municipality in the eponymous ''Verbandsgemeinde'' in the district of Altenkirchen, Rhineland-Palatinate * Hamm, Bitburg-Prüm, part ...
. After circling the target for 90 minutes they eventually found and bombed
Emden Emden () is an Independent city (Germany), independent town and seaport in Lower Saxony in the north-west of Germany and lies on the River Ems (river), Ems, close to the Germany–Netherlands border, Netherlands border. It is the main town in t ...
. In prolonged battles with JG 1, the Americans destroyed seven Bf 109s killing five pilots. The
91st Bombardment Group The 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy) was an air combat unit of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. Classified as a heavy bombardment group, the 91st operated Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft and was known unofficial ...
lost two B-17s to II. ''Gruppe''. The
303d Bombardment Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cul ...
lost one and the 305th Bombardment Group lost another two; one in a collision with an Fw 190 and another in action with a Messerschmitt Bf 110 night fighter. On 4 March the Eighth returned to Hamm. 71 B-17s from the 91st and
306th Bombardment Group 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...
lost just one each from their units while JG 1 lost two Fw 190s—once again the performance against the small American formation was poor. The supporting night fighter unit, IV./
NJG 1 1 (NJG 1) was a German night fighter-wing of World War II. NJG 1 was formed on 22 June 1940 and comprised four (groups). NJG 1 was created as an air defence unit for the Defence of the Reich campaign; an aerial war waged by the ...
performed better, accounting for three for two losses. Four days later, above Heliogoland, I. and IV./JG 1, reinforced by 2./JG 27 I. ''Gruppe'' were diverted by an RAF light bomber attackand an assortment of night fighters could bring down just two US heavy bombers while the Germans lost three fighters and two pilots; one from JG 1. Hansell, of the 1st Bombardment Wing, explained the US bombers' success as a result of improved gunnery, tight formation, and a "lack of determination by the enemy." The 54-bomber staggered combat wing defence proved effective against German fighters and became the standard formation in the Eighth Air Force. On 9 March, JG 1s ''gruppen'' were spread further apart. Stab, II. and IV. ''Gruppe'' were assigned to ''Jagddivision'' 1, under the tactical and local command of ''Jafü Holland-Ruhrgebiet'' at
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport (, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands, and is one of the major hubs for the SkyTeam airline alliance. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipal ...
, Woensdrecht and München-Gladbach respectively, while I. and III. were based at Jever, Husum, and
Metz Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
for a period. The ''Stabschwarm'' had two Fw 190s (one operational), I. ''Gruppe'' 37 Bf 109s (28), II. ''Gruppe'' 35 Fw 190s (29), III. ''Gruppe'' 43 Fw 190s (31) and IV. ''Gruppe'' 30 Fw 190s (20). The period was characterised by experiments by Luftwaffe units, both official and unofficial, in armament. A popular story was circulated by 2./JG 1. One of its pilot, ''Leutnant''
Heinz Knoke Heinz Knoke (24 March 1921 – 18 May 1993) was a World War II ''Luftwaffe'' flying ace. He is credited with 33 confirmed aerial victories, all claimed over the Western theatre of operations, and claimed a further 19 unconfirmed kills in over 2, ...
, claimed to have conducted his own experiments with a 250 kg (550 lb) bomb with a 15-second fuse. Knoke dropped the bomb from above the bombers on 22 March and claimed a B-17 was downed by the explosion. Only one B-17 fell that day to III. ''Gruppe'', but the OKL acclaimed Knocke's story. Attempts were made by
Luftflotte 3 ''Luftflotte'' 3For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organisation (Air Fleet 3) was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed on 1 February 1939 from ''Luftwaffeng ...
to send 11 bomb-carrying fighters on 16 April against US bombers over
Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...
but the operation failed. Reports of these German tactics by American crews continued for year, long after the Luftwaffe had given up on them. The experiments with the under-wing
WGr 21 rocket launcher The ''Werfer-Granate 21'' rocket launcher, also known as the BR 21 (the "BR" standing for ''Bordrakete'') in official Luftwaffe manuals, was a weapon used by the German Luftwaffe during World War II and was the first on-board rocket placed into ...
proved promising but required time to develop. The interim solution was under-wing cannon to cure the Bf 109 Gs weak armament for anti-bomber combat. Photographic evidence exists that more heavily armed Fw 190 A-5s were shared between II. ''Gruppe'' and II. ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 300 (JG 300—300th Fighter Wing) when both ''gruppen'' occupied
Rheine Rheine () is a city in the district of Steinfurt (district), Steinfurt in Westphalia, Germany. It is the largest city in the district and the location of Rheine Air Base. Geography Rheine is on the river Ems (river), Ems, about north of Münster ...
airbase in April 1943. April 1943 brought organisational changes. JG 1s four ''gruppen'' were separated to form two two-''Gruppe'' wings—JG 1 and JG 11 on 1 April. Each had to establish a III. ''Gruppe''. JG 1s was activated at Leeuwarden on 23 May. Karl-Heinz Leesmann became the commanding officer until his death on 25 July. Hans Philipp took command of JG 1 on the same date, while I. ''Gruppe'' was moved to Deelen. JG 11 picked up III./JG 1 (as I./JG 11) at Husum and I./JG 1 (as II./JG 11) at Jever. JG 11 took over the defence of southern Norway, Denmark and the northernmost part of the German North Sea coast. JG 11 reported to ''Jafü Deutsche Bucht'' but formed part of ''Jagddivision'' 2. JG 1 retained IV. ''Gruppe'' enamed I. ''Gruppe''at Deelen and II./JG 1 at Woensdrecht, reporting to ''Jafü-Holland-Ruhr'' in ''Jagddivison'' 1. JG 1 was now responsible for covering only half of its old sector. The same month brought the first operational US fighter groups to northern Europe. The Eighth Air Force's
P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...
flew their first combat missions as fighter escort on 4 April. The
Lockheed P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinc ...
groups were moved to North Africa to replace losses there, leaving few fighter units in Britain. The US 78th Fighter Group filled the void. The US 56th Fighter Group and
4th Fighter Group The 4th Fighter Group was an American element of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force during World War II. The group was known as the Debden Eagles because it was created from the three Eagle Squadrons of the Royal Air Forc ...
followed soon after. The P-47 possessed a super-charger, giving it excellent high-altitude performance, and formidable in the dive. The US fighter carried eight 50 Browning Machine Guns providing it with formidable firepower. At medium to low altitudes, the type was not manoeuvrable in a dogfight scenario. On 15 April the fighter's first contact with the Luftwaffe came against II./JG 1. What followed was an inconclusive engagement in which both sides claimed (Americans three, Germans two) but in fact no losses were sustained. The battle showed that even though the Americans held a altitude advantage at the start, the German pilots could escape using a
Split S The split S is an Aerobatic maneuver and an Air combat manoeuvring, air combat maneuver mostly used to disengage from combat. To execute a split S, the pilot half-rolls his aircraft inverted and executes a descending half-loop, resulting in ...
and then turn on to the P-47s tails. The incident led to a Luftwaffe conference. Present were
Adolf Galland Adolf Josef Ferdinand Galland (19 March 1912 – 9 February 1996) was a German Luftwaffe general and flying ace who served throughout the Second World War in Europe. He flew 705 combat missions and fought on the Western Front and in the Defenc ...
,
General der Jagdflieger Inspector of Fighters ( redesignated to (General of Fighters)) was not a rank but a leading position within the High Command of the German Luftwaffe in Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later th ...
,
Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 â€“ 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...
, commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe,
Walter Grabmann Walter Grabmann (20 September 1905 – 20 August 1992) was a German general in the Luftwaffe during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Grabmann was credited with 7 aerial victories durin ...
and JG 1 personnel. The conclusion of the debriefing was the better Bf 109 G should be used against escorts at high altitude because of the inherent weaknesses of the Fw 190 A-5. The following orders were given: Each fighter wing was to create or retain a group of light fighters f 109 Gsto engage the escort. These light fighter groups were to be put well forward to engage the enemy when they penetrated German airspace with escort. Heavier fighters were to remain in the rear, and engage US bombers when the US escorts were fully engaged with lighter German fighters. The US raids into Germany could not be escorted, and for the time being JG 1 flew in action against heavy bombers. The Eighth struck at Bremen on 17 April; ''Major''
Fritz Losigkeit Fritz Losigkeit (17 November 1913 â€“ 14 January 1994) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during the Spanish Civil War and wing commander during World War II. As a fighter ace, he is credited with 68 aerial victories in approximately ...
intercepted the Americans after the bomb-run and accounted for three for two Fw 190s and one pilot. The target, the Focke-Wulf factory, was severely damaged, losing 50 percent of capacity and 30 incomplete Fw 190s. 16 of the 115 B-17s were lost. The American losses were small but serious enough that they were losing bombers faster than they could replace them and temporarily cut back on operation over the German bight. German fighter units were not achieving the desired results either. To encourage the desired performance and boost their morale, a points system was introduced for decorations. The pilots in the west resented their colleagues on the Eastern Front who seemed to gain decorations and aerial victory much easier. The recognition of the difficulty in combating US heavy bombers gave rise to a point-table. The destruction of a fighter was awarded one point; a twin-engine bomber two, and a four-engine bomber three. A ''Herausschuss'' (separation from formation) of a twin-engine bomber was awarded one point, and the same for a four-engine bomber, two points. The final destruction of a straggler was 0.5 and one point for twin and four-engine types respectively. One point would earn a pilot the
Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...
2nd class, three the Iron Cross first class, ten points the Luftwaffe honour goblet, 20 the
German Cross in Gold The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...
, and 40, the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross was worn around a pilots neck, even in battle. Glory-hungry pilots were said to have "neck rash." In the Western theatre, where surviving combat with the massed-guns of US bombers and then large numbers of fighter escorts, was a matter of luck, two historians remarked "their necks, in all likelihood continued to itch until their deaths." In July 1943, the Eighth began " Blitz Week". On 25th the Americans targeted
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
. II. and III. ''Gruppe'' intercepted. The US 1st Bombardment Wing reported 15 B-17s lost, most after being damaged by the Hamburg defences, the worst ground-fire the US crews reported. The well-flown
4th Bombardment Wing 004, 0O4, O04, OO4 may refer to: * 004, fictional British 00 Agent * 0O4, Corning Municipal Airport (California) * O04, the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation * Abdul Haq Wasiq, Guantanamo detainee 004 * Junkers Jumo 004 turbojet engine * Lauda Ai ...
lost only four in running battles with fighters. The defenders lost seven fighters, one killed five wounded and two prisoners from a ditched night fighter that were picked up by a
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
craft near the Dutch coast. The following day, six groups from the 1st Bombardment Wing returned to Hamburg and
Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...
. The Hannover force lost 16 B-17s, mainly to JG 1 Fw 190s. In all, four pilots were killed and one wounded by return-fire heir units are not stated The 28 July saw I. ''Gruppe'' account for three
95th Bombardment Group 95 or 95th may refer to: * 95 (number) * one of the years 95 BC, AD 95, 1995, 2095, etc. * 95th Division (disambiguation) * 95th Regiment ** 95th Regiment of Foot (disambiguation) * 95th Squadron (disambiguation) * Atomic number 95: americium * I ...
bombers. The 29 July was notable for US bomber crews reported "flaming baseballs" being used against their formations. This was the debut of the
Werfer-Granate 21 The ''Werfer-Granate 21'' rocket launcher, also known as the BR 21 (the "BR" standing for ''Bordrakete'') in official Luftwaffe manuals, was a weapon used by the German Luftwaffe during World War II and was the first on-board rocket placed into ...
air-to-air mortar. JG 1 and JG 11 operated them and III./
JG 26 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 26 (JG 26) ''Schlageter'' was a German fighter-wing of World War II. It was named after Albert Leo Schlageter, a World War I veteran, Freikorps member, and posthumous Nazi martyr, arrested and executed by the French fo ...
had them within a week. In August 1943 JG 1 opposed the
Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission The Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission was a Strategic bombing during World War II, strategic bombing mission during World War II carried out by Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers of the US Army Air Forces on August 17, 1943. The mission w ...
. II. ''Gruppe'' failed to make contact with the inbound bombers and landed to await their return. I. ''Gruppe'' claimed three B-17s destroyed and three separations for no loss. III. ''Gruppe'' claimed one bomber for one loss. II./JG 1 joined I./JG 26 and III./JG 3 for an attack on the returning bombers, but over the North Sea they flew underneath a flight of Spitfires from
No. 222 Squadron RAF No. 222 Squadron was a Royal Air Force fighter squadron. History In the First World War The squadron was formally formed at Thasos on 1 April 1918 from "A" Squadron of the former No. 2 Wing, RNAS when the Royal Air Force was formed. At this ti ...
which dispersed the German formation and downed three Bf 109s. I. ''Gruppe'' made a head-on attack in ''staffeln'' order and then made repeated follow-up attacks. It claimed six bombers destroyed and separated from formation. Three were subsequently confirmed, but the group lost four Fw 190s in crashes or crash-landings and one pilot injured. I. ''Gruppe'' claimed three more before the day was out—III./JG 1 appear to have eventual engaged the bomber stream and made claims. I. ''Gruppe'' and JG 50 were the most successful on the day. Both were awarded six confirmed bombers. By the end of the fighting, the Germans were as exhausted as the Americans. Near the coast, the US 56th Fighter Groups attacked the remaining German fighters near the bombers, claiming seven Fw 190s, five Bf 109s and five Bf 110s. The Fw 190s were from I./JG 1 and II./JG 26, one Bf 109 was from JG 50, the Bf 110s came from NJG 1. Three P-47s were reported lost to III./JG 3 which intervened to save the Bf 110s. The RLV defenders had won an outstanding, if temporary, victory this day. The Eighth Air Force did not operate over Germany from 6 September. It struck at
Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
on 4 October; 130 of 155 B-17s dispatched by the
1st Bombardment Division First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
. I., II. and III. ''Gruppe'' were committed. The results are unstated, but ZG 76 participated but suffered heavy losses when engaged by the 56th Fighter Group. Göring ordered a conference at the
Obersalzberg Obersalzberg is a mountainside retreat situated above the market town of Berchtesgaden in Bavaria, Germany. Located about south-east of Munich, close to the border with Austria, it is best known as the site of Adolf Hitler's former mountain resi ...
after the
Gauleiter A ''Gauleiter'' () was a regional leader of the Nazi Party (NSDAP) who served as the head of a ''Administrative divisions of Nazi Germany, Gau'' or ''Reichsgau''. ''Gauleiter'' was the third-highest Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party, rank in ...
complained that the Americans paraded over his city in a "
Nuremberg Rally The Nuremberg rallies ( , meaning ) were a series of celebratory events coordinated by the Nazi Party and held in the German city of Nuremberg from 1923 to 1938. The first nationwide party convention took place in Munich in January 1923, but the ...
" formation. Göring issued a scathing attack on fighter pilot training, tactics, technology and morale. Galland and
Erhard Milch Erhard Milch (30 March 1892 – 25 January 1972) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' of the ''Luftwaffe'' who oversaw its founding and development during the rearmament of Germany and most of World War II. Milch served as State Secretary in ...
rejected the failures stemmed from cowardice exclusively. Milch suggested the veterans, some highly decorated, were worn out and had poisoned the younger generation. Galland apparently did not defend them, but promised to "re-check" quality of leadership and determination. One JG 1 fighter pilot recalled receiving a set of orders stating there were no weather conditions in which fighters could not take-off and engage the enemy, that any pilot returning to base without a victory or combat damage was to be
court-martialled A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the mili ...
, and any pilots whose armament fails would be expected to ram. ''Geschwaderkommodore'' Hans Philipp responded to the insulting directive with the words "I know what I have to do!". Hans Philipp led JG 1 on the next interception on 8 October. Flying as a compact formation, JG 1 attacked the bombers all the way to
Quakenbrück Quakenbrück (Northern Low Saxon: ''Quokenbrügge'') is a town in the Osnabrück (district), district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Hase. It is part of the ''Samtgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") of Ar ...
. There, they were met by 45 P-47s from the US 56th Fighter Group led by
Hubert Zemke Colonel Hubert Zemke (March 14, 1914 – August 30, 1994) was a career officer in the United States Air Force, a fighter pilot in World War II, and a leading United States Army Air Forces ace. General Jimmy Doolittle praised Zemke as his "great ...
; five Fw 190s were shot down. One of them was Philipp—a fighter leader who was only the second Luftwaffe pilot to claim 200 aerial victories, and who held the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, by far the most successful fighter in the RLV, was killed. Philipp's replacement was
Hermann Graf Hermann Graf (24 October 1912 – 4 November 1988) was a German Luftwaffe World War II fighter ace. He served on both the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern and Western Front (World War II), Western Fronts. He became the first pilot in avi ...
, the first pilot to reach 200, who wore the Diamonds to the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Graf was seen as a
prima donna In opera or ''commedia dell'arte'', a prima donna (; Italian for 'first lady'; : ''prime donne'') is the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the ''prime'' roles would be given. ''Prime donne'' often had grand off-stage pe ...
and media personality. His entourage consisted of football players who, he claimed, he was saving for the post-war era, but his grandstanding did not please many of his new subordinates at JG 1. October 1943 was a crucial stage in the air war. The Luftwaffe was on the cusp of stopping the USAAF daylight offensive. On 10 October,
Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...
was the target. I. and II. ''Gruppe''. 30 B-17s were shot down along with one escort fighter, but the RLV lost 25 fighters and 12 pilots. The
Second Raid on Schweinfurt The second Schweinfurt raid, also called Black Thursday, was a World War II air battle that took place on 14 October 1943, over Nazi Germany between forces of the United States 8th Air Force and German ''Luftwaffe'' fighter arm (''Jagdwaffe''). ...
took place four days later. All three ''gruppen'', plus two from JG 26 formed a 150-fighter attack force over
Düren Düren (; Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: Düre) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between Aachen and Cologne, on the river Rur (river), Rur. History Roman era The area of Düren was part of Gallia Belgica, more specifically the ter ...
. The attack on the US 305th Bombardment Group destroyed 13 out of 16 B-17s prior to the bomb run. German tactics aided the single-engine fighters. The ''Zerstörer'' aircraft lobbed their 21-cm rockets into the formations from the rear, destroying a few bombers, damaging others, but whose main objective was to break up the cohesiveness of the combat box. In three hours and 14 minutes, 60 B-17s were destroyed by the RLV. The Eighth Air Force recognised the era of unescorted daylight bombing raids into Germany "was dead." On 3 November the Eighth returned to coastal targets at Wilhelmshaven. III. ''Gruppe'' broke up the escorting 4th Fighter Group, but the other seven carried out an effective escort operation; including the US 55th Fighter Group, flying the P-38.


Frontline and Defence of the Reich: 1944

The Luftwaffe's reprieve did not last long into 1944. The OKL organised and created ''Luftflotte Reich''. JG 1 was assigned to ''Jagdivision'' 3 with JG 3. JG 1 was responsible for the air defence of the Netherlands, JG 3, the Rhineland. At JG 1, ''Oberst''
Walter Oesau Walter "Gulle" Oesau (28 June 1913 – 11 May 1944) was a German fighter pilot during World War II. A fighter ace, he served in the Luftwaffe from 1934 until his death in 1944. He rose to command ''Jagdgeschwader'' 1, which was named in his hon ...
took command from Graf in November 1943. While the Luftwaffe's organisational changes were cosmetic the USAAF underwent equipment, strategic and organisational changes which it was able to conduct a war of attrition against the German fighter arm in 1944. JG 1 was in reasonable shape. On 31 December 1943, the order of battle for ''Jagddivision'' 3 mustered the following; Stabsschwarm two Fw 190s (one operational) at Deelen, I. ''Gruppe'' 29 Fw 190s (27) at Dortmund, II. ''Gruppe'' 18 (14) Fw 190s at Rheine and III. ''Gruppe'', 42 (36) Bf 109s at Volkel Airfield. On 11 January the Eighth conducted a full-strength mission against
Oschersleben Oschersleben () is a town in the Börde district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The population in 1905 was 13,271, in 2020 about 19,000. History On November 23, 994 Oschersleben was first mentioned in a document by the Emperor Otto III. In 1235 ...
,
Halberstadt Halberstadt (; Eastphalian dialect, Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany, the capital of Harz (district), Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town ...
and Brunswick. I. ''Gruppe'', now equipped with the Fw 190 A-6, practiced the new ''sturmtaktik'' (assault tactics). It attacked as a unit, from dead astern the bomber stream, at close range and downed three bombers without loss. It also conducted the standard head-on attack. II. ''Gruppe'' used tactics unique to commander Walter Hoeckner "snakebite" tactic—a wave attack from the low-rear. The ''gruppe'' claimed 10 bombers and another separated for the loss of two Fw 190s and one pilot. The mission was considered an unqualified success. Overall, the RLVs committal to forward areas covered by US escorts offset the 60 bombers destroyed and five scrapped due to damage. 53 German fighters were destroyed and 31 damaged; 38 pilots were killed and 22 wounded.
Heinrich Bär Oskar-Heinrich "Pritzl" Bär (; 25 May 1913 â€“ 28 April 1957) was a German Luftwaffe flying ace who served throughout World War II in Europe. Bär flew more than one thousand combat missions, and fought in the Western, Eastern and Medite ...
joined II./JG 1 in mid-January 1944 as an ordinary pilot after being relieved of command of JG 77 because of insubordination. Morale appeared to be a concern to the OKL. On 11 February
Ultra Ultra may refer to: Science and technology * Ultra (cryptography), the codename for cryptographic intelligence obtained from signal traffic in World War II * Adobe Ultra, a vector-keying application * Sun Ultra series, a brand of computer work ...
intercepted a message to JG 1, JG 3 and
ZG 26 ZG, Zg, or zg may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Z-G, a 2001 collectible action figure game * ZOEgirl, an American pop band *Zubeen Garg (born 1972), Indian singer and actor Places * Zagreb, the capital of Croatia * Zigong, Sichuan province ...
congratulating them on their performance in defence of Frankfurt that day, even though they collectively shot down a single bomber lbeit with 10 fighters ''Jagddivision'' 3 now had I. and II. ''Gruppe'' with IV./JG 3 and ''Sturmstaffel'' 1 as "heavy" units while I./JG 3 and III./JG 1 flew "light" fighters as cover. JG 1 was among those units that tried to attack American escorts early, to force them to jettison their
drop tank In aviation, a drop tank (external tank, wing tank or belly tank) is used to describe auxiliary fuel tanks externally carried by aircraft. A drop tank is expendable and often capable of being jettisoned. External tanks are commonplace on modern ...
s. The equipment war had changed also. The newer types of P-47Ds and Ns and the
North American P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by a team headed by James H. Kin ...
D were superior to the Fw 190 and Bf 109 variants then in service at high-altitudes. The Luftwaffe began to develop high-altitude variants in response, but the Fw 190 D, meant as an interim solution until the arrival of the
Focke-Wulf Ta 152 The Focke-Wulf Ta 152 is a German high-altitude fighter and interceptor aircraft designed by Kurt Tank and produced by Focke-Wulf. It entered production too late and in insufficient numbers to have a significant role in the Second World War. ...
, did not appear until late 1944. The Bf 109 was reaching the end of its development potential. The Bf 109 G-10 could not accommodate an engine large than the DB 606D. The G-10 did receive the GM-1 additive to the supercharger which allowed for better high-altitude performance. The G-10 had only one 20mm gun, with two 13mm machine guns to keep it light. The arrangement gave the fighter a speed of at . By the spring, 1944, the quality and numbers of USAAF fighter escorts led to heavy casualties among the German fighter force which no training organisation could cope with. The losses in the first four months were equal among American and German formations, but the Luftwaffe was losing the qualitative war. Galland reported in late April, that since the beginning of the year, 1,000 German pilots had been lost, including the best ''Staffel'', ''Gruppe'', and ''Geschwader'' commanders. He remarked the time had come when the German fighter arm "was in sight of collapse." In February 1944 JG 1 began improving its high altitude capability by replacing the Bf 109 G-5 and G-6s GM-1 equipment, with Bf 109 G-6/AS high altitude fighters with DB605AS engines which were formed into ''Höhengruppen'' igh-altitude''gruppen''. III./JG 1 received this type. The German jet projects, the
Messerschmitt Me 262 The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed (German for "Swallow") in fighter versions, or ("Storm Bird") in fighter-bomber versions, is a fighter aircraft and fighter-bomber that was designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messers ...
, He 162, rocket aircraft
Messerschmitt Me 163 The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet is a rocket-powered interceptor aircraft primarily designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt. It is the only operational rocket-powered fighter aircraft in history as well as ...
, and
Push-pull configuration An aircraft constructed with a push-pull configuration has a combination of forward-mounted Tractor configuration, tractor (pull) Propeller (aircraft), propellers, and backward-mounted (pusher configuration, pusher) propellers. Historical The e ...
Dornier Do 335 The Dornier Do 335 ''Pfeil'' (Arrow) is a heavy fighter built by Dornier for Germany during World War II. The ''Pfeil''s performance was predicted to be better than other twin-engine designs due to its unusual push-pull configuration and the l ...
; only the Me 262 was due to enter service by May 1944. JG 1 would operate one of these types—the He 162—in the closing weeks of the war.
Big Week Operation Argument, after the war dubbed Big Week, was a sequence of raids by the United States Army Air Forces and RAF Bomber Command from 20 to 25 February 1944, as part of the Combined Bomber Offensive against Nazi Germany. The objective o ...
occurred in February 1944 which began the attrition war proper. The objective was to fulfil the
Pointblank directive The Pointblank directive authorised the initiation of Operation Pointblank, the code name for the part of the Allied Combined Bomber Offensive intended to cripple or destroy the German aircraft fighter strength, thus drawing it away from frontli ...
which included the destruction of the Luftwaffe fighter force. JG 1 remained in ''Jagddivision'' 3 but JG 3 was moved to the 1st and JG 1 was joined by I./JG 300. On 25 February the Eighth sent three bomb divisions to Germany—JG 1 intercepted the
2d Bombardment Division D, or d, is the fourth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''dee'' (pronounced ), plural ''dees''. History Th ...
on its way to
Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...
. Bär led II. ''Gruppe'' in a diving attack through the escort screen and claimed four B-24s while I. ''Gruppe'' made a head-on attack and claimed five. Very few German fighters were able to land on their own bases after the first intercept, and the new directive on assembly airfields was tried. The senior pilots landed and designated airfields and then led other pilots who landed with serviceable aircraft on second sortie against the withdrawing bombers, despite the mixture of units and equipment. JG 1 was led by Oesau on such missions. The RLV lost 46 fighters, 31 killed, 14 wounded while the Eighth lost 49 bombers 3 B-24sand 10 escorts. The US bomber loss was high, but bearable. The RLV was not as successful on 25 February. 490 German fighters including JG 1 were sent against the Eighth this day, including night fighters and fighter school units. 31 US bombers and three US escorts were downed. The cost to Luftlfotte Reich was 48 fighters, 19 killed, and 20 wounded. The Eighth had lost 157 bombers during Big Week, and the US
Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Forc ...
90. Bomber Command lost 131 bombers. Eighth bomber strength fell from 75 to 54 percent, and its fighter groups from 72 to 65. The RLV lost 355 fighters, reducing it to 50 percent serviceability. More serious was the loss of almost 100 pilots killed alone. Though the destruction to German industry had been overstated, the air war had shifted irrevocably to Allied
air superiority An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmospher ...
. JG 1 was assigned several fighter pilots from the Eastern Front; once such personality was Lutz-Wilhelm Burckhardt, Other successful individuals with JG 1 were
Hugo Frey (14 April 1915 – 6 March 1944) was a Luftwaffe fighter ace, ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. On 6 March 1944, Frey was killed over Sleen, the Netherlands after attacking a formation of Boeing B-17 ...
,
Herbert Kaiser Herbert Kaiser (16 March 1916 – 5 December 2003) was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or succes ...
.
Georg-Peter Eder Georg-Peter ''"Schorsch"'' Eder (8 March 1921 – 11 March 1986) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 78 aerial victories achieved in 572 combat missions, including 150 combat mission ...
, who rose to command II. ''Gruppe'', served several months with JG 1 and was the leading fighter pilot against US heavy bombers. With his former commanding officer,
Egon Mayer Egon Mayer (19 August 1917 â€“ 2 March 1944) was a Luftwaffe wing commander and fighter ace of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was credited with 102 enemy aircraft shot down in over 353 combat missions. His victories were all clai ...
, he helped develop the head-on tactics that proved successful against the heavy bombers. ''Major'' Heinrich Bär was among the most successful of the war, eclipsing the final personal totals of both Oesau and Philipp, with ~220 claims to his credit. In response to developments in February, later in the month and early in March RLV units pulled back from a forward-defence posture to reduce their vulnerability and enable them to concentrate over threatened targets. JG 1 was pulled out of the Netherlands to Germany, but was responsible for a patch of air space surrounding Rheine,
Twente Twente ( , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germanic people ...
, München Gladbach. The policy of the
Jagdwaffe ''Jagdwaffe'' (), was the German ''Luftwaffes fighter force during World War II. Aircraft The ''Jagdwaffe'' used many aircraft, including the Messerschmitt Bf 109, Bf 110, Me 163, Me 262, Focke-Wulf Fw 190, Ta 152, and Heinkel He 162. Refe ...
turned to one of meeting US raids in maximum strength to an unofficial policy of personal survival. JG 1 was removed from ''Jagddivision'' 3 and sent to the 2nd. Oesau had only his ''stabsschwarm'' and two Fw 190 ''gruppen'' available. The status of III. ''Gruppe'' at this time is unknown and it appears to have been non-operational. On 6 March 1944 the Eighth hit Berlin. Oesau and Bär led the Stab, I. and II. ''Gruppen'' into action against the bomber stream. The RLV achieved its greatest single success against the US Eighth on this day; 69 bombers and 11 escorts were downed. However, 64 German fighters, including eight killed, 38 missing and 23 wouned was the sum report at the end of the day. Nearly all of those reported missing initially were actually dead. JG 1 were accompanied by I./JG 11 and III./
JG 54 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 54 (JG 54) ''Grünherz'' was a Luftwaffe fighter wing that was founded in late 1936 and operated from 1939, the entire length of the Second World War. It later existed under the reformed Luftwaffe from 1947 to 1991 as BG54/B54 ...
they initially intercepted sixteen B-17s of
100th Bomb Group The 100th Air Refueling Wing (100th ARW), nicknamed ''the Bloody Hundredth'', is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Third Air Force, United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa. It is stationed at RAF Mildenhall, Suffo ...
who were escorted by P-47s of the 78th Group. Ten B-17s went down in the first wave, and in several waves of attacks on the bombers from multiple directions most of the pilots ended up exhausting their ammunition, resulting in twenty bombers being shot down in the 25 minutes before the escorting P-47s arrived. A repeat operation on 8 March cost the Americans 37 bombers and 18 fighters, but the RLV lost 42 fighters, three killed, 26 missing and nine wounded. At the end of April 1944 the Luftwaffe was failing to replace trained dead pilots quickly enough. In aircraft, the stop-gap solutions which preceded the hoped mass-production of the Me 262, the Bf 110 and
Messerschmitt Me 410 The Messerschmitt Me 410 ''Hornisse'' (Hornet) is a heavy fighter and Schnellbomber ("Fast Bomber" in English) designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt. It was flown by the ''Luftwaffe'' during the latter half o ...
bomber-destroyers were suffering heavily against US escorts which were now following the US bombers everywhere. The Bf 109 and Fw 190s could dogfight on approximately equal terms, but lacked the firepower to break apart US bomber combat box formations when they could engage them. An effective solution that emerged at this time was the Fw 190 ''Sturmbock''. These aircraft, flown in ''gruppe'' strength and with effective escort by lighter Bf 109s, could wreak havoc on US bomber formations. JG 300 and ''Jagdgeschwader'' 4 were to be allocated one such ''gruppe''. ''Sturmstaffel'' 1 was such a unit, albeit at squadron level. This independent formation was attached to I. ''Gruppe''. The Fw 190 A-6s they flew were modified for close-quarter combat with US bombers. 30mm armoured-glass plates were attached to the side of the canopy as a field-solution. The improved armour to the fighters engine and cockpit was accompanied by the use of
MG 17 machine gun The MG 17 was a 7.92 mm machine gun produced by Rheinmetall-Borsig for use at fixed mountings in many World War II Luftwaffe aircraft, typically as forward-firing offensive armament. The MG 17 was based on the older MG 30 light machine g ...
s above the engine and four
MG 151/20 cannon The ''Maschinengewehr'' (MG) 151 is a belt-fed autocannon for aircraft use, developed in Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1940 and produced by Waffenfabrik Mauser during World War II. It was originally produced in 15.1 mm caliber from 1940, with a ...
in the wings. The Fw 190 A-7 arrived thereafter, with the engine-mounted guns replaced by MG 131 machine guns, but these were deleted by the ground-crews. The unit became operation on 19 October 1943 and remained with JG 1 for a brief period, to 23 February 1944. ''Sturmstaffel'' 1 was eventually absorbed into the new ''Sturmgruppe'' IV./JG 3 on 8 May 1944. The units penultimate weapon, the Fw 190 A-8/R2 and its 30 mm
MK 103 cannon The Rheinmetall-Borsig MK 103 ("MK" - '' Maschinenkanone'') was a German 30 mm caliber autocannon that was mounted in German combat aircraft during World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September ...
, could destroy a B-17 with three shells, and it was known to knock down B-24s after a single hit. The armoured fighter proved near-invulnerable to US bomber return-fire, but was slow, and unwieldy and consequently, easy targets for US fighters. The use of the ''Sturm'' units were successful when they could reach the bombers, but the USAAF responded by sending increased numbers of escorts to sweep ahead of the bomber stream; once the unwieldy German ''sturm'' formations were broken up, it was near-impossible for them to reform. On 8 May JG 1 flew a successful intercept with JG 3 against the 2nd Bomb Divisions B-17s raid on Berlin. JG 1 caught the division without escort and downed 13. The US bomber force lost 36 on the day, with 13 fighters, but 32 RLV fighters were destroyed. On 11 May, JG 1 lost its leader Walter Oesau, killed in combat with P-38s—purportedly ill, he flew an intercept mission after being called a coward by ''
Reichsmarschall (; ) was an honorary military rank, specially created for Hermann Göring during World War II, and the highest rank in the . It was senior to the rank of (, equivalent to field marshal, which was previously the highest rank in the ), but ...
'' Göring. Oesau's death in combat with the US
474th Fighter Group 474th may refer to: * 474th Air Expeditionary Group, provisional United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command * 474th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit * 474th Infantry Regiment (United States) or 74th Infan ...
, operational for two weeks, led to Bär becoming interim commander and
Herbert Ihlefeld Herbert Ihlefeld (1 June 1914 â€“ 8 August 1995) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during the Spanish Civil War and World War II, a fighter ace listed with 130 enemy aircraft shot down in over 1,000 combat missions. Depending on sou ...
becoming the permanent wing commander for the duration of the war. It is said that an order by Galland to Oesau to cease flying arrived the day he was killed. Only twenty-four hours later, the Eighth targeted the
Leuna works The Leuna works () in Leuna, Saxony-Anhalt, is one of the biggest chemical industrial complexes in Germany. The site, now owned jointly by companies such as TotalEnergies, BASF, Linde plc, and DOMO Group, covers 13 km2 and produces a very wid ...
. JG 1 reached the bomber stream but were attacked by the US 78th Fighter Group. III. ''Gruppe'' fought a defensive action against the escorts, while the Fw 190 ''gruppen'' sought out unescorted bombers. I. ''Gruppe'' failed to attack and returned to Rotenburg to prepare for a second sortie. II. ''Gruppe'' attacked the 2nd Bomb Division in a head-on attack, and they claimed five bombers—these were the only Luftwaffe formations to be sighted by the American division. On 28 May, JG 1 defended against the Eighth as it targeted the
Junkers Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG (JFM, earlier JCO or JKO in World War I, English language, English: Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works) more commonly Junkers , was a major German aircraft manufacturer, aircraft and aircraft engine manufactu ...
factory at
Dessau Dessau is a district of the independent city of Dessau-Roßlau in Saxony-Anhalt at the confluence of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the ''States of Germany, Bundesland'' (Federal State) of Saxony-Anhalt. Until 1 July 2007, it was an independent ...
and oil refineries at Leuna,
Ruhland ( Sorbian: ''Rólany'') is a town in the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district, in Upper Lusatia, Brandenburg, in eastern Germany. It is situated on the river Schwarze Elster, southwest of Senftenberg. Ruhland station is a major railway junction, ...
,
Magdeburg Magdeburg (; ) is the Capital city, capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Saxony-Anhalt. The city is on the Elbe river. Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, Otto I, the first Holy Roman Emperor and founder of the Archbishopric of Mag ...
and
Zeitz Zeitz (; , ) is a town in the Burgenlandkreis district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the river White Elster, in the triangle of the federal states Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Saxony. History First a Slavic pagan settlem ...
. JG 1 led an assault on the 13th Combat Wing,
3d Bombardment Division 3D, 3-D, 3d, or Three D may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics * A three-dimensional space in mathematics Relating to three-dimensionality * 3D computer graphics, computer graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geome ...
. Approximately 180 Fw 190s and Bf 109s were involved—37 were shot down by P-51s killing 13 pilots and wounded another 13. The 4th and
354th Fighter Group The 354th Fighter Group was an element of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Ninth Air Force during World War II. The unit was known as the Pioneer Mustang Group and was the first to fly the P-51B Mustang in combat. The group served as bom ...
claimed 33 German fighters. On 6 June 1944
Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The ope ...
, the
Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...
began, opening the Western Front again. JG 1 was among those wings that formed the reinforcement from Luftflotte Reich to Luftflotte 3. II. ''Gruppe'' moved to
Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...
with 25 Fw 190s that afternoon and the following day flew three ''gruppe''-sized patrols southeast of the beachheads, remarkably without encountering any Allied aircraft. On 8 June the ''gruppe'' fighters were armed with 550 lb bombs and ordered to attack shipping in the English Channel. The German pilots were fortunate to avoid Allied fighters but ran into heavy anti-aircraft fire over the ships; they dropped their bombs and fled at low altitude. Allied records show no ship was hit, but several Fw 190s were damaged though none were lost. A repeat operation on 9 June had similar results, but the group was lucky once more to suffer no casualties. Le Mans was targeted on 10 June over 100
Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster, commonly known as the Lancaster Bomber, is a British World War II, Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to ...
and
Handley Page Halifax The Handley Page Halifax is a British Royal Air Force (RAF) four-engined heavy bomber of the Second World War. It was developed by Handley Page to the same specification as the contemporary twin-engine Avro Manchester. The Halifax has its or ...
bombers struck Le Mans destroying the landing ground, operations room, three hangars, and several buildings. The Fw 190s were dispersed and camouflaged at least 500 yards away and suffered no damage, but it would be six days before the airfield was usable. On 16 June it moved to
Essay An essay ( ) is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a Letter (message), letter, a term paper, paper, an article (publishing), article, a pamphlet, and a s ...
and flew patrols for four days. It moved to Semalle, near Alencon. Here, the airfield was subjected to a low-level attack by P-51 Mustangs which destroyed everything in sight in a series of coordinated strafing runs. In the space of 15 minutes, fifteen Fw 190s were destroyed and II. ''Gruppe'' were out of the battle. III ''Gruppe'' was sent to France in the initial wave but was in such poor condition it did not become operational over Normandy and returned to Germany on 14 June. Luftwaffe units committed to battle after the D-Day landings suffered further catastrophic losses. In the ten weeks of action following D-Day, JG 1 lost 106 aircraft (41 in air combat) and 30 pilots, for just 32 claims. Many experienced and irreplaceable ''Experte'' were killed during this time. Karl-Heinz Weber, ''Gruppenkommandeur'' of III./JG 1 (136 claims) was killed in action against Polish Air Forces in France and Great Britain, Polish Wing Mustangs on 7 June 1944, north of Paris, while on 17 June 1944, ''Leutnant'' Anton-Rudolf Piffer, 'Toni' Piffer (35 claims) was shot down and killed in aerial combat with USAAF fighters over La Cordonnerie. Piffer had the hollow distinction of being awarded the Knight's Cross posthumously on 20 October, over four months after his death. His total included 26 four-engine bombers. JG 1 and JG 11 had fought side by side through their divisions campaign in Normandy, lost 100 pilots between them. The Oil campaign of World War II, oil famine began to bite in July, and in that months' first week the bomber groups were withdrawn to Germany and disbanded. On 11 August a general order came through to curtail the use of fuel for operations against heavy bombers only. Small reinforcements were sent to cover the German army as it was routed and the front in Normandy collapsed, but the 75 single-engined fighters remaining made no difference. The remnants of the Luftwaffe began to retreat from France. ULTRA intercepts from 18 August 1944 noted an order to withdraw JG 1 from Normandy along with the 5th Fighter Division (Germany), ''Jagdivision'' 5 which had been responsible for operations west of the Seine. JG 27 and 4th Fighter Division (Germany), ''Jagdivision'' 4 replaced them. In September 1944 JG 1 was reinforced with new pilots from training schools to replace the losses in France. The inexperienced generation were ill-prepared for combat operations. III. ''Gruppe'' (the high altitude interceptor unit) was moved to Anklam and equipped with Bf 109 G-10s. ''Hauptmann'' Hermann Staiger rebuilt the shattered II. ''Gruppe'' at Reinsehlen. It took I. ''Gruppe'' ten days to reach Husum from Normandy where it began to rebuild. I. ''Gruppe'' spent JG 1s lengthy post-Normandy recovery at Greifswald. This group did not re-enter combat until late November 1944, but had the heavily armed Fw 190 A-8. On 21 November JG 1 was committed to battle to defend the Merseburg and Hamburg oil targets from the Eighth Air Force. The resulting interception was a disaster for the wing. I. ''Gruppe'' alone lost 27 Fw 190s in this single action; 15 pilots were killed, five wounded, devastating the ''gruppe''. On 26 November JG 1 defended targets in the Hannover area. I. and II. ''Gruppe'' were led by Ihlefeld into battle with III./JG 6 as high cover. They succeeded in attacking the unprotected 91st Bombardment Group, 1st Bombardment Division, shooting down four B-17s before the US 356th Fighter Group reacted. JG 1 lost 12 killed, three wounded and 15 Fw 190s destroyed while III./JG 6 led by Johann Kogler lost 12 Bf 109s, six killed and six wounded. On 27 November the Eighth simulated a bomber mission but sent ten fighter groups over Germany, JG 1 and JG 3 were sent to intercept, once realising it was a trap, they quickly retreated with light losses. Eight days later JG 1 suffered its worst defeat of the war. The Eighth Air Force struck at Berlin and all three ''gruppen'', plus the Stabsschwarm, were airborne for the first time since Normandy. The III. ''Gruppe'' high-protection force could not de-ice their canopies while positioned below the US P-51 escorts. The result was the American group punched through the Bf 109s easily and fell on the two Fw 190 ''gruppen'' before they could reach an attack position on the bombers. 37 of the wing's fighters were destroyed killing 25 pilots and wounding 14. The senior RLV wing was removed from the frontline a second time to rebuild.


Final battles: 1945

In the autumn of 1944, JG 1 began partial re-equipping with the Fw 190 D (nicknamed the Dora; or Long-Nose Dora, "Langnasen-Dora"). The first major production D model was the Fw 190 D-9. The D version's power plant was changed from the radial engine of earlier models to an inline 12-cylinder inverted-V liquid-cooled Jumo 213A with MW 50 injection. The fighter lacked the high rate of roll of its predecessor, but was faster all around, with a maximum speed of at . The new engine and other alterations to the airframe gave it the performance at high altitude necessary to intercept US heavy bombers and their escort. Operational circumstances by late 1944, however, had changed, leading to the Fw 190 D rarely engaging the bomber streams and, instead, providing protection for Messerschmitt Me 262 jet airfields and fighter engagements over the frontline. In December 1944 the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht and Hitler resolved to improve Germany's military situation with a counter-offensive on the Western Front. Codenamed ''Wacht am Rheine'', the Ardennes Offensive. JG 1 was to form part of the Luftwaffe's order of battle. Allied ULTRA intercepts deciphered coded field communications concerning JG 1 and the German build up in general, which suggested the Wehrmacht was preparing for offensive action. ULTRA accurately identified a 24-25 ''gruppen'' force, and suspected 600 to 700 fighters had been brought in from strategic defence of the Reich for the operation that was about to take place. JG 1 was mentioned in the report, alongside JG 3, JG 4, JG 11, JG 26, JG 27, JG 77, JG 300 and JG 301. All three ''gruppen'' relocated to the Netherlands. II. ''Gruppe'' were based at Drope, on the Dutch border in the winter, 1944/45. The offensive began on 16 December and for two days, despite bad weather, the Luftwaffe attempted large-scale close air support missions in support of Wehrmacht and Waffen SS ground forces. In combat with the US Ninth Air Force, the German formations suffered heavily and ground support operations were suspended. In the battle for air superiority, chances of success remained negligible, given the overwhelming opposition from the US Ninth, Eighth and then RAF Second Tactical Air Force, with approximately 3,500 aircraft between them. On 18 December 1944 JG 1 was one of the few German wings to reach the battle area, near Monschau and Malmedy. The goal of their operations was to provide cover for the 6th Panzer Army. On 23 December JG 1 opposed the Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing raids against German communication targets. They lost six aircraft while claiming two P-47s and one B-17. Hans Ehlers was among those pilots to down one of the US escorts. On Christmas Eve, III. ''Gruppe'' attempted to intercept RAF bombers between Cologne and Aachen. 421 Squadron RCAF Spitfires prevented them from doing so and two Bf 109 pilots were killed, including Group Commander ''Hauptmann'' Erich Woitke. One airman, ''Leutnant'' Hans Halbey claimed a Spitfire, but on returning to base found himself threatened with court-martial by Ihlefeld for landing earlier than anyone else, implying Halbey was guilty of cowardice. The matter was only dropped on the intervention of other officers. The following day, Christmas, Halbey's aircraft was shot down though he was able to successfully bail out. Luftwaffe commander
Reichsmarschall (; ) was an honorary military rank, specially created for Hermann Göring during World War II, and the highest rank in the . It was senior to the rank of (, equivalent to field marshal, which was previously the highest rank in the ), but ...
Göring who, since the defeat at Stalingrad had increasingly lost Hitler's trust, was permitted to attend daily briefings and tea with the Führer, as the Luftwaffe was finally challenging Allied air superiority and providing necessary relief for the army. By December 23 however, with the situation deteriorating, Göring retreated to Karinhall for his last Christmas of the war. JG 1 with JG 3 intercepted B-24s of the 467th Bombardment Group high over the Ardennes and succeeded in destroying a number of them before P-51s of the 479th Fighter Group arrived. The initial clash resulted in six German fighters being quickly destroyed and though the Americans ultimately claimed 17 in total, 14 are verified via German records. JG 1 suffered eight casualties including the leader of 10 ''staffel''. P-51s of the 352d Fighter Group were probably responsible for some of the losses; Major George Preddy claimed several German fighters [Preddy himself was killed by US forces in error later that day]. JG 1 flew cover for German ground forces during the Siege of Bastogne battle on 26 December and lost another eight pilots, three from 8. ''Staffel'' among them, and experienced pilots. The Luftwaffe continued to send large numbers into action. On 27 December, 337 aircraft were sent on fighter-bomber hunt and destroy missions, 78 on further ground-attack operations. Of these, US airmen claimed 86. JG 1 were to cover the spearhead. Hans Ehlers took 18 Fw 190s at the head of I. ''Gruppe'' near Dinant. P-51s of the 364th Fighter Group destroyed six of them including Ehler's, whose death was a heavy blow to his unit. JG 1 lost 14 pilots in total, missing or wounded; at least seven died. I. ''Gruppe'' suffered losses because their escort, III./JG 3 Bf 109s were forced to turn back owing to Allied barrage balloons over the lines, leaving the Fw 190s vulnerable at a low altitude of . Gerhard Stiemer, a survivor of the operation, found that only he and one other of the 18 JG 1 pilots who set out on the mission returned to base. ''Hauptmann'' Georg Hackbarth was appointed Ehler's replacement, but he lasted only a few days. On 31 December 1944 JG 300 and JG 301 took the brunt of the losses; 24 killed or missing and 11 wounded. JG 1 lost three pilots and four fighters that day in limited actions. I. ''Gruppe'' was particularly badly shaken. The OKL attempted to reverse the tide on 1 January 1945 with
Operation Bodenplatte Operation Bodenplatte (; "Baseplate"), launched on 1 January 1945, was an attempt by the German Luftwaffe to cripple Allies of World War II, Allied air forces in the Low Countries during the World War II, Second World War. The goal of ''Bodenpl ...
. JG 1 was ordered to attack Ghent/Sint-Denijs-Westrem, Maldegem and Ursel Air Base. ''Oberstleutnant'' Herbert Ihlefeld led the ''Geschwader''. The formation was mixed; Stab., (headquarters Flight (military unit), flight or ''Stab (Luftwaffe designation), Stabschwarm'', attached to every ''Geschwader''), I. and II./JG 1 operated the Fw 190 while the III./JG 1 flew the Bf 109. I./JG 1 lost four of their number to friendly anti-aircraft fire. Three of the four pilots were killed. I. and II./JG 1 became involved in intense dogfights. III./JG 1 had lost only one aircraft over the target (and not to enemy fire). I./JG lost a further Fw 190 to friendly anti-aircraft fire as it made its way to Ursel. III./JG 1 lost at least two further Fw 190s to friendly anti-aircraft fire. Casualties could have been heavier, had the British anti-aircraft defences of Maldegem airfield not been removed in December. Stab. and I./JG 1 lost 13 Fw 190s and nine pilots were missing; five were killed and four were captured. Thus the loss rates in personnel and ''matériel'' were 39 and 56%, respectively. III./JG 1 lost only three Bf 109s with one pilot dead and two captured. I./JG 1 claimed 30 British Spitfires on the ground and two shot down over Maldegem. At Maldegem, 16 aircraft were destroyed, and at Ursel only six were lost. The claims of I./JG 1 were actually more in line with British total losses at both Maldegem and Ursel. No. 131 Wing RAF, No. 131 Wing RAF / Polish Wing lost 13 Spitfires plus two damaged beyond repair, a total of 15 lost. At Ursel, six aircraft were destroyed, including, a B-17, two Avro Lancasters and a De Havilland Mosquito. I. and III./JG 1 lost a total of 16 aircraft and 12 pilots – not a good return. II./JG 1 attacked the airfield at St. Denijs Westrem. Of the 36 II./JG 1 Fw 190s that took off, 17 were shot down, a staggering 47% loss rate. Among the pilots lost were several experienced fliers. In exchange, the Germans shot down two Spitfires, and a further seven Emergency landing, forced-landed. At St. Denijs Westrem 18 Spitfires were destroyed on the ground. In total, JG 1 lost 25 pilots and 29 aircraft. This, in return for approximately 60 enemy aircraft (54 while still on the ground), cannot be considered a complete success, although the damage inflicted at St. Denijs Westrem and Maldegem had been significant. Just nine of the total fighters lost that day by JG 1 are confirmed to have been shot down in combat with Spitfires. It is possible a further three were shot down by Spitfires, or perhaps ground fire. Two Spitfires were shot down and destroyed, with two more damaged. One pilot from each RAF squadron (308 and 317) was killed. The total Spitfire losses were perhaps 32. The following day, the wing once again flew combat missions, losing four pilots. On 14 January 1945 JG 1 participated in ''the'' most disastrous day in the history of the ''Jagdwaffe''. JG 1 lost a dozen pilots in action with RAF fighters near Twente, seven of whom were killed for the loss of two Spitfires. Fog caused problems for new pilots inexperienced in flying blind, leading to German fighters landing wherever they could. ''Major'' Günther Capito (formerly Erich Hartmann's wingman in JG 52) tried to have the group commander court-martialled, but the relocation of JG 1 to the east apparently prevented him from doing so. In January 1945 JG 1 was transferred to the Eastern Front, near Danzig, on Army Group North's sector. The move was demonstrative of the dire situation the Luftwaffe now faced in the Ardennes, with the German forces there subjected to increasingly heavy aerial bombardment. ''Major'' Günter Capito was relieved of command the same day the move began - January 14. ''Oberleutnant'' Emil Demuth replaced him and ''Major'' Werner Zober succeeded Demuth on 12 April. The Red Army East Prussian Offensive had made rapid progress with the Vistula–Oder Offensive. JG 1 was evacuated from the Heiligenbeil Pocket on 2 February. The retreat had to be undertaken so quickly that ground personnel were left behind. Some units even ordered the radios and first aid kits removed from their Fw 190s so that ground crew could ride within the fuselage and escape with the airmen. The wing retreated to Danzig by mid-February 1945. During this period, and before beginning its conversion to jet aircraft, I ''Gruppe'' was primarily involved in convoy escort and ground-attack operations in support of the Kriegsmarine's Operation Hannibal. Elements of JG 1 began converting to jet fighters in February and March 1945. 3./JG 1 was among the first units. On 20 March 1945 the OKL ordered JG 1 to be completely re-equipped with the He 162. The ''Stabstaffel'' was to have 16 fighters, I., II. and III. ''Gruppen'' 52 each—the latter in April in May. Pilots were selected to fly the He 162 ''Volksjäger'' ("People's Fighter"). Powered by BMW 109-003E-1 or BMW 109-003E-2 engines and armed with MG 151/20 autocannon with a MK 108 cannon provided formidable firepower. The He 162 was a short-range interceptor with approximately 30-minute endurance. Some pilots argued it needed at least another 40 to be a viable weapon and the reception was mixed. ''Oberst'' Edgar Petersen, a test pilot at Rechlin, noted the BMW 109-003 performance at altitude precluded any attempt to discover the aircraft's true ceiling, the power plant was never able to deliver full thrust, the nose-wheel was weak, the fuel tank leaked and the performance was generally poor, particularly in the roll; though the fighter was fast. The He 162 proved difficult to fly. JG 1 pilots treated it with scepticism and surprise. Some were enthusiastic. They were given 10 and then 20-minute flights. Concerns were noted on the extreme sensitivity of the controls, the tendency for the fighter to skid and at low speed this was dangerous. The weak join where the fuselage and wing met was another concern. The pilots were used to being well protected by a large engine and armour in the Fw 190, but the engine was on top of the fuselage and nothing other than Plexiglas offered protection. ''Unteroffizier'' Konrad Augner, 8./JG 1, stated the skid usually occurred below when a tight turn was made, because the ailerons constrained the circulation of air around the turbine inducing a stall. The airflow over the twin vertical stabilisers was disrupted by the axial-flow turbojet exhaust forcing the pilot to use ailerons only for turning. ''Hauptmann'' Paul-Heinrich Dähne, commanding II. ''Gruppe'', apparently forgot this flying characteristic and attempted to escape with the ejection seat but broke his neck when the canopy failed to clear sufficiently. Other pilots noted the Wake turbulence, jet wash forced the rudders to stick, forcing the aircraft to pitch down and enter a spin akin to a "falling leaf." Wolfgang Wollenweber, a He 162 pilot, remarked that Dähne had never trusted the He 162 and as a consequence, never analysed the strengths and weaknesses of the type. Wollenweber suspected Dähne may not have been aware of the danger posed by misuse of the rudders. The supply of the He 162 was difficult. A few examples began to trickle through to Parchim from the factories to 1., 2. and 3. ''Staffel''. II. ''Gruppe'' was still without the type by the first week of April 1945. On 11 April II. ''Gruppe'' transferred to Warnemünde to begin training. I. ''Gruppe'' had worked its way up to 13-16 aircraft at this time, 10-12 were operational. Its 40 pilots was in contrast to II. ''Gruppe'' which had only 19 with no He 162s. I. ''Gruppe'' was making approximately ten flights per day. It is thought that JG 1 had 45 He 162s on strength by 1 May 1945 at Leck, Nordfriesland, Leck, though it lacked equipment. Combat operations were few as the Western Allied invasion of Germany collapsed the Western Front and the imminent Battle of Berlin brought the war to an end. Of JG 1's pilots, among the most successful on the He 162 was ''Feldwebel'' Friedrich Enderle, who was killed when his He 162 crashed an exploded on take-off. Enderle had three B-17s to his credit. ''Oberleutnant'' Emil Demuth led his ''gruppe'' on a retreat to Leck by the Danish border in an attempt to keep it from the British 21st Army Group for as long as possible and to begin operations. On 20 April, with the Battle in Berlin raging, ''Luftwaffenkommando Reich'' [supplanted Luftflotte Reich] ordered I. and II./JG 1 to operate in the north with III./JG 301 and its Focke-Wulf Ta 152 ''staffeln'' in the north of Germany. I. ''Gruppe'' continued some form of training, while II./JG 1 was told to expect the delivery of 10 He 162s in late April. Ten II. ''Gruppe'' pilots arrived at the Rostock factory on 23 April and were told that only one He 162 was to be produced per day. Nevertheless, II. ''Gruppe'' moved to Leck on 28 April in a formation of eight to 10 while other pilots travelled by road. ''Leutnant'' Hans Rechenberger became one of the few pilots shot down in aerial combat. He survived the encounter with a Spitfire on 30 April. On 1 May 1945 Ihlefeld informed the wing of Death of Adolf Hitler, Hitler's death. He released them from their duty but suggested they stay at Leck until the British arrived and there was apparent universal agreement. The German surrender at Lüneburg Heath three days later ended JG 1s war followed VE Day on 8 May in which the Wehrmacht officially surrendered.


Commanding officers


Wing commanders

Originally JG 1 was formed as a single Group I./JG 1 in 1938. A full wing was formed only in November 1939. The first Wing Commander was Schumacher.


Group commanders

;I. ''Gruppe'' of JG 1 Originally JG 1 was formed only as a single group I./JG 1 under Woldenga. That group was re-designated as III./JG 27. JG 1 thus temporarily ceased to exist. It was reactivated 7 months later under Schumacher in November 1939. But a formal I./JG 1 came to exist in September 1941. ;II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 1 ;III. ''Gruppe'' of JG 1 In April 1943, III./JG 1 was re-designated as I./JG 11. A new group was added to JG 1 as III./JG 1 based on operation squadrons of fighter schools. ;IV. ''Gruppe'' of JG 1


Notes


Footnotes


Citations


References

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Further reading

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External links


Operation Strength of JG 1 at the time of Unternehmen Bodenplatte
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jagdgeschwader 1 (World War Ii) Fighter wings of the Luftwaffe 1933-1945, Jagdgeschwader 001 Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945