Jagdgeschwader 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 ace Manfred von Richthofen, the origins of the wing can be traced to 1934. Following the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 which began World War II, JG 2 served protecting the German border with France during the Phoney War. On 10 May 1940 it served in the Battle of Belgium and Battle of France. Thereafter it fought in the Battle of Britain and then remained on the English Channel front until September 1944. Elements of JG 2 fought in the latter stages of the North African Campaign, notably in the Battle of Tunisia in 1942 and 1943.

After the expulsion of German forces from France and Belgium following the Normandy landings, JG 2 served in the Defence of the Reich and fought on the Western Front, most notably at the Battle of the Bulge in the winter, 1944/45. JG 2 surrendered in May 1945.

Only three of JG 2's ten wartime '' Geschwaderkommodore'' survived World War II—four were killed while serving with JG 2, the highest fatality rate of any German fighter wing. JG 2 claimed 2,700 Allied aircraft destroyed at the cost of 750+ pilots killed or missing.

Organisation

A Luftwaffe ''Geschwader'' (wing formation) was the largest homogenous flying formation. It typically was made up of three groups (''Gruppen''). Each group contained approximately 30 to 40 aircraft in three squadrons (''Staffeln''). A ''Jagdgeschwader'' could field 90 to 120 fighter aircraft. In some cases a wing could be given a fourth ''Gruppe''. Each wing had a '' Geschwaderkommodore'' (wing commander) supporting by three ''Gruppenkommandeur'' (Group Commanders). Each squadron was commanded by a ''Staffelkapitän'' (squadron leader). The ''Staffel'' contained approximately 12 to 15 aircraft. The identification in records were different depending on the type of formation. A ''Gruppe'' was referred to in roman numerals, for example I./JG 2, while ''Staffeln'' were described with their number (1./JG 2). The wing could be subordinated to a ''Fliegerkorps'', ''Fliegerdivision'' or ''Jagddivision'' (Flying Corps, Division and Fighter Division) all of which were subordinated to ''Luftflotten'' (Air Fleets). The use of ''Fliegerdivision'' became redundant and the description ''Fliegerkorps'' supplanted it until the use of ''Jagddivision'' later in the war.

Formation

The seizure of power by the Nazi Party in January 1933 triggered an era of military rearmament in Germany. Hermann Göring, one of leader Adolf Hitler's closest paladins, was appointed commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, the aerial warfare branch of the Wehrmacht. The Nazi leadership wanted to forge a link with Germany's military past to ensure continuity between the German Empire and the Third Reich. The air base at Döberitz (''Fliegerruppe'' Döberitz) was renamed ''Jagdgeschwader Richthofen''. Hitler attended the formation ceremony and after a Swastika-laden parade declared the first group of the Luftwaffe's official existence. There was a propaganda purpose to Hitler's attendance. Foreign Secretary John Simon, 1st Viscount Simon was visiting Berlin at the time, and though the ''Richthofen'' group was the only such fighter unit in the Luftwaffe, the Nazis were sure to exaggerate the size of their air force to the press and British officials. Hitler told Simon personally that the Luftwaffe had reached numerical parity with the Royal Air Force. A flypast was arranged for 19 March and on 10 April 1936 the unit was used to celebrate Göring's marriage. ''Jagdgeschwader Richthofen'' consisted of two ''Gruppen'', and was used in the Remilitarization of the Rhineland, Hitler's first aggressive foreign policy move. Thereafter, the Richthofen groups became ''Jagdgeschwader'' 132. The first digit denoted the first unit of its type to be activated, the second the code for fighter aircraft and the last referred to ''Luftkreiskommando II'' (Air Command II), of the Berlin district. The wing was granted two groups, I. ''Gruppe'' (I./JG 132) and II. ''Gruppe'' (II./JG 132) which contained 1-3 and 4-6 ''Staffeln'' respectively. '' Major'' Johann Raithel, the first recognised commander, relinquished command to ''Oberst'' Gerd von Massow, who remained in command as ''Geschwaderkommodore'' until World War II.

Through the interwar period JG 132 was equipped with Arado Ar 65s, Arado Ar 68s and Heinkel He 51 biplanes. In mid-1937, and by the end of the summer, II./JG 132 began equipping with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 after testing with the B-1 and B-2 variant at Jüterbog. The Bf 109 initially had weak armament but the introduction of the cannon-armed E model resolved the issue and the type possessed superior high-altitude performance over conservative designs at the time. Following the Anschluss in March 1938, the ''Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte'' officer corps was screened for politically reliable personnel and some of the Austrian ''JaGschw'' 1 (Jagdgeschwader 1—Fighter Wing 1) pilots were sent to JG 132. JG 132 remained favoured by Göring who regularly asked it to host important visiting dignitaries. The majority of ''Jagdgruppe'' had Bf 109s by August 1938, but most were under strength and could field 26 fighters but many lacked radios. IV. ''Gruppe'' of JG 132, recently formed, was equipped with the Heinkel He 112. To complicate matters, JG 132 was renamed ''Jagdgeschwader'' 131 "Richthofen". On 1 May 1939 the Luftwaffe experienced a further reorganisation, and JG 131 was formally redesignated JG 2, an identity it retained for the rest of its existence.

Gerd von Massow created the '' Stabstaffel'' (headquarters unit) on 1 May 1939 at Döberitz and ''Obstleutnant'' Carl Vieck formed I. ''Gruppe'' nearby. Wolfgang Schellmann formed II. ''Gruppe'' at Zerbst on 12 December 1939. Erich Mix formed III. ''Gruppe'' on 16 March 1940 at Magdeburg, the last ''Gruppe'' to form. IV.(N)/JG 2, a night fighter unit was formed on 1 September 1939 under ''Oberleutnant'' Müller, and later Blumensaat, but the formation was short-lived and merged into 10.(N)/ JG 26, 10.(N)/ LG 2 to form a single entity which was eventually subsumed into NJG 1. The night fighters were a mixed group of Bf 109 Ds and Arado biplanes, even in September 1939. Bf 109 Es equipped I., II. and III. ''Gruppen'' at the beginning of the war. On 1 September 1939, Stab and I. ''Gruppe'' of JG 2 had 52 operational fighters including all three Bf 109s from the ''Stabstaffel''. This figure was one short of full establishment considering JG 2 consisted of one ''Gruppe'' at the time.

World War II

On 1 September 1939 the Wehrmacht initiated the German invasion of Poland in agreement with the secret protocol, the Nazi-Soviet Pact. The Soviet invasion of Poland followed on 17 September. JG 2 was retained for the aerial defence of Germany (" Defence of the Reich") but the lack of any threat by the Polish Air Force to Berlin led to an order for 1. ''Staffel'', I. ''Gruppe'', to fly to Prostken, East Prussia to take part. No aerial confrontations took place, and from 9 to 15 September, strafing attacks against road and rail targets were the main actions. The ''Staffel'' returned to Döberitz. JG 2 suffered its first casualties of the war, when two of the night fighter unit pilots were killed on 16/17 September, presumably in a collision.

JG 2 were assigned I./ JG 77 and I./ JG 76 while waiting for two ''Gruppen'' to be formed to give the wing a fighting strength of three. Both of the ''Gruppen'' were sent to Frankfurt Rhine-Main as the build-up in western Germany began in the Phoney War period. JG 26 frequently flew combat patrols or "free hunts". On 22 November 1939 the wing scored what is believed to be the first aerial victory of the war against the ''Groupe de Chasse'' II/4 '' Armée de l’Air''. The freezing winter temperatures prohibited frequent flying, and I. ''Gruppe'' would not claim again until March 1940. Operation Weserübung, the invasions of Norway and Denmark ended the Phoney War. JG 2 were not involved in either, the burden of fighter operations with Bf 109s being carried out by JG 77. ''Oberst'' Harry von Bülow-Bothkamp took command of JG 2 on 1 April. Massow was appointed ''Jagdfliegerführer'' 3; Stab, I. and III. ''Gruppe'' were allotted to his command at Wiesbaden and based at Frankfurt while II. ''Gruppe'' was assigned to ''Jagdfliegerführer'' 1 at Jever and based at Nordholz. The ''Stabstaffel'', I. and III. ''Gruppe'' were placed under the command of ''Luftflotte'' 3 at Frankfurt, under the leadership of Hugo Sperrle. II. ''Gruppe'', with IV. ''Gruppe'' (Nacht), which had been elevated to ''Gruppe'' status briefly, were placed under the command of Albert Kesselring, ''Luftflotte'' 2. The former was based at Nordholz and th enight fighters were based at Hopsten. II. ''Gruppe'' mustered 47 Bf 109s with 35 combat ready. IV. ''Gruppe'' had 30 from 31 Bf 109s operational plus 13 from 36 Ar 68s operational. I. ''Gruppe'' had 33 of 45 Bf 109s available while III. ''Gruppe'' had only 11 from 42 available for operations. This was the condition of JG 2 on 10 May 1940.

Battle of France

On 10 May 1940 the Wehrmacht put Fall Gelb into effect, allowing for the German invasion of Luxembourg, Battle of the Netherlands, Battle of Belgium and the initial phase of the Battle of France. ''Jagdführerflieger'' 1 contained 147 Bf 109 Es (103 operational) for the invasion of the Netherlands. JG 2 moved forward to airfields from its jumping off points along the Moselle. I. ''Gruppe'' moved to Bastogne with III. ''Gruppe'', II. ''Gruppe'' moved to Hamminkeln near the Dutch border on 11 May. Massow's ''Jagdfliegerführer'' 3, containing JG 2, JG 53 and ZG 2 claimed 66 aircraft as it covered southern Belgium and northeastern France, with JG 2 primarily covering the Ardennes from 11 to 13 May. II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 2 fought in the defence of the Meuse bridgeheads upon the capture of Sedan. On 14 May, known in the Luftwaffe as "the day of the fighters" 4./JG 2 proved the most successful unit with three victories attributed to them. The fighting shattered the RAF Advanced Air Striking Force bomber fleet leaving bombing operations to the England-based No. 2 Group RAF. JG 53, supporting JG 2 and JG 77 and ZG 76, were the most successful, claiming 39 bombers destroyed. ''Jagdfliegerführer'' 3, reinforced by JG 26 and JG 27, flew 90 missions (814 sorties). III. ''Gruppe'' lost one fighter in the battles. Erich Rudorffer and Erich Leie filed their first claims in the Sedan region on this day—both men went on to be successful fighter pilots. After the intense operations on 14 May, the following day I. ''Gruppe'' claimed only one French reconnaissance aircraft. As Army Group A advance dto the English Channel, JG 2 followed. I. ''Gruppe'' moved to Beaulieu-en-Argonne. II. ''Gruppe'' moved to Peer for 72 hours and then Tirlemont, east of Brussels, where they stayed for over a week from mid to late May. By 1 June, I. and III. ''Gruppen'' had moved to Signy-le-Petit in preparation for Fall Rot, the final phase of the Western offensive. II. ''Gruppe'' flew fighter escort missions with I./JG 27 for Heinkel He 111 bombers on 16 May as the bombed Lille airfields. The bombers suffered no loss and 85 and 87 Squadrons attempted interception cost them two fighters in combat with 5./JG 2.

On 20 May, the Panzer Divisions reached the Channel north of Abbeville. As the German army fought the Battle of Boulogne and lay siege to Calais, the Luftwaffe began to make frequent contact with 11 Group, RAF Fighter Command. LG 1 lost six bombers on 21 and 22 May until assigned II./JG 2 for protection. Elsewhere, near Compiègne, Erich Mix, commanding III. ''Gruppe'' was shot down and wounded. JG 2 fought in the Battle of Dunkirk, to prevent the Dunkirk evacuation, by which time the Netherlands and Belgium were on the verge of collapse. On 26 May, I. ''Gruppe'' claimed 10 Supermarine Spitfires and one Bristol Blenheim. On 28 May, III. ''Gruppe'' claimed five Hawker Hurricanes and one Spitfire. The following day two Westland Wapiti were claimed by I. ''Gruppe''. II. ''Gruppe'' claimed a Spitfire on 31 May and 2 June while I. ''Gruppe'' claimed a Westland Lysander on 1 June. Luftwaffe claims for 28 May totalled 26 fighters while RAF losses amounted to 13 and three damaged. On 31 May German fighter pilots claimed 22 fighters at least; Fighter Command records show just 12 losses.

JG 2 prepared for Fall Rot, the final phase in the Battle of France, now Belgium and the Netherlands had fallen. In preparation for this offensive, the Luftwaffe began Operation Paula, a strategic bombing operation against airfields and armaments factories in the Paris area. JG 2 claimed seven French fighters in defence of the bombers. The wing's former ''Geschwaderkommodore'', Oberst Gerd von Massow, no leading ''Jagdfliegerführer'' 3, flew with the Bf 109s but was hit by anti-aircraft artillery. He baled out north of Paris and managed to evade capture. The following day, II. ''Gruppe'' was detached from ''Luftflotte'' 2 and transferred to Monceau-le-Vast, near Laon; I. and III. ''Gruppe'' were based nearby at Couvron, and had been since 1 June. JG 2 could now field three ''Gruppen'' as a complete entity. I./JG 76 was detached and later became II./ JG 54. From 5–6 June JG 2 experienced its most successful period in France. The pilots claimed 41 French aircraft for the loss of one pilot. The air battles inflated JG 2s total to 200 enemy aircraft, though this was a ten percent over–claim. Helmut Wick emerged as one of the ''Geschwader'' top scorers of the campaign during Fall Rot. At this time, the JG 2 ''Geschwader'' headquarters unit moved to the chateau in the town of Beaumont-le-Roger, which was the home of the Duchesse de Magenta, which served as ''Geschwader'' headquarters until it was totally destroyed by B-17 Flying Fortress' on 28 June 1943. On 13 June all three ''Gruppen'' moved to Oulchy-le-Château mid-way between Reims and Paris. On this day, another JG 2 personality, Egon Mayer achieved his first victory. Three days later, the entire wing moved to Marigny, 50 miles (80 km) south. ''Hauptmann'' Jürgen Roth was transferred to the '' Reichsluftfahrtministerium'' (RLM) on 22 June 1940 due to poor health. ''Hauptmann'' Henning Strümpell replaced him.

The Armistice of 22 June 1940 ended the French campaign. JG 2 suffered few losses during the fighting and subsequent operations. During the course of 1940, JG 2 reported just 36 casualties among its pilots. Only III. ''Gruppe'' returned to Germany, at Frankfurt. It spent a month there before returning to France. In the immediate aftermath, II. and III. ''Gruppen'' moved to Évreux, near Paris, before their replacement at the site by I./ KG 54. Stab and I. ''Gruppe'' moved permanently to Beaumont-le-Roger. At the beginning of operations over the United Kingdom, all but III. ''Gruppe'' were based at Beaumont-le-Roger. III./JG 2 were based at Le Havre.

Battle of Britain

The Churchill Government rejected Hitler's peace overtures, and the Nazi leadership resolved to end the war militarily. Operation Sea Lion, a proposed amphibious invasion of Britain was planned. Air superiority was an essential prerequisite to its success, and the '' Oberkommando der Luftwaffe'' eventually outlined a broad plan for achieving it; Operation Eagle Attack. The gradual escalation of the air war became known as the Battle of Britain, beginning with a concerted effort by the Luftwaffe to clear the English Channel of shipping and bring Fighter Command. The first phase of the Battle of Britain was called the " Kanalkampf". JG 2 could fly 105 Bf 109s at the start of operations. The ''Stabstaffel'' had all three of its fighters operational; I. ''Gruppe'' 32 from 34, II. ''Gruppe'' 28 from 36, and III. ''Gruppe'' 28 from 36. Helmut Wick, the highest claiming German pilot of the Battle of Britain claimed a first victory on 17 July; the 64 Squadron pilot was wounded. There were no reported losses for JG 2 from 1 July–10 August. On 11 August, large battles developed around convoy ''Booty'', ''Agent'' and ''Arena''. JG 2 reported eight Bf 109s lost. III. ''Gruppe'' was charged specifically with fighter escort. I. ''Gruppe'' suffered the loss of one pilot killed and one wounded, II. ''Gruppe'' lost one ''Staffelkapitän'' killed and another pilot missing. III. ''Gruppe'' were hardest hit, losing four Bf 109s, two killed, one missing and one pilot rescued. 64 Squadron and 87 Squadron were some of their opponents. 64 reported one Spitfire damaged, but 87 Squadron lost two Hurricanes and one damaged; one pilot was killed, one wounded.

On 12 August 1940, the Channel battles subsided and the Germans began the offensive against RAF Fighter Command; the day's operations ended in severe damage to one JG 2 fighter in an accident. Adlertag proper began on 13 August. JG 2 were known to be in action in the morning for I. ''Gruppe'' suffered damage to one Bf 109 in combat with 43 Squadron, while the ''Gruppe'' suffered damage to a second in combat with 609 Squadron in the late afternoon. Only 43 Squadron reported losses—two Hurricanes—with their pilots safe. Another source asserts JG 2 suffered one total loss. On 15 August the Luftwaffe sent all three of its ''Luftflotten''—2, 3 and 5 to targets in the northeast and south of England to catch Fighter Command off-guard. The day was known to the Luftwaffe as "Black Thursday". The wing fought in the 16th and 18th August battles. On 16 August II. ''Gruppe'' suffered two destroyed and one damaged in combat with 601 Squadron. On the 18th, II. ''Gruppe'' ran into 601 Squadron again, losing one Bf 109 and another damaged. 601 reported one damaged on the first day, and two lost on the 18th—both pilots were killed on the latter date. The battles occurred as JG 2 acted as distant escort for Junkers Ju 87 ''Stuka'' dive-bombers from Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 and Sturzkampfgeschwader 3. The bench-mark for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, a higher award than the Iron Cross, in August 1940 was 20 enemy aircraft destroyed. Helmut Wick duly became one of eight JG 2 men to receive the award in 1940, on 27 August. On 25 August, JG 2 claimed its 250th aerial victory, among 40 claimed by German fighter pilots that day—though this was an exaggeration. ''Oberst'' Harry von Bülow-Bothkamp, commanding JG 2, was awarded the Knight's Cross for JG 2s performance. Fighter Command's total losses on 25 August were 18 destroyed and two damaged in action with the enemy. From 19–31 August JG 2 reported the loss of nine Bf 109s and two damaged. Three pilots were killed, two reported missing, three wounded and one taken prisoner. On the last day of August Hans "Assi" Hahn and Erich Rudorffer submitted claims for a victory.

In late August, JG 2 began moving to Pas de Calais airfields at Mardyck