Jagdgruppe 88
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''Jagdgruppe'' 88 (J/88) was a German
Condor Legion The Condor Legion () was a unit of military personnel from the air force and army of Nazi Germany’s Wehrmacht which served with the Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War. The legion developed methods of strategic bombing that were ...
fighter group serving in the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
. J/88 consisted of a headquarters (''Stab'') and four squadrons (''Staffeln''), although the 4th Staffel was short-lived. J/88 had formed on 3 November 1936.


Formation

The Condor Legion was an expeditionary force of soldiers and airmen sent to aid the Spanish Nationalist group during the Spanish Civil War. The Germans used the war as an opportunity to evaluate new equipment, guns, vehicles and aircraft, and to develop tactical techniques which were later used in the 1939-45 conflict. In addition to a detachment of converted Junkers Ju 52s, an initial cadre of six Heinkel He-51s, were despatched, with enough service staff to instruct the Spanish aircrews in the operation and maintenance of the aircraft. Under the leadership of Leutnant Hannes Trautloft J/88 arrived by sea in August 1936. While the Spanish Air Force pilots trained, Trautloft and the other pilots became the first of an eventual 326 aircrew who would serve with ''Jagdgruppe'' 88 during the next two and a half years.


Operational history

On 25 August 1936, ''Oberleutnant'' Eberhardt Kraft and ''Oberleutnant'' Hannes Trautloft each claimed a Republican
Bréguet 19 The Breguet 19 (Breguet XIX, Br.19 or Bre.19) was a sesquiplane bomber aircraft, bomber and Aerial reconnaissance, reconnaissance aircraft which was also used for long-distance flights and was designed by the French Breguet Aviation, Breguet com ...
light bomber, one of which was the unit's first claim in Spain. Meantime aid from the Soviet Union arrived for the Republican forces. The supplied Soviet fighters (
Polikarpov I-15 The Polikarpov I-15 () was a Soviet biplane fighter aircraft of the 1930s. Nicknamed ''Chaika'' (', "gull") because of its gulled upper wings,Gunston 1995, p. 299.Green and Swanborough 1979, p. 10. it was operated in large numbers by the Soviet ...
and I-16) easily outperformed the
Heinkel He 51 The Heinkel He 51 was a German single-seat biplane fighter aircraft. A seaplane variant and a ground-attack version were also developed. It was a development of the earlier He 49. Design and development In 1931, Heinkel recruited the tal ...
s, and in late 1936, three
Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the Nazi Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt#History, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the ...
prototypes were sent to J/88, and soon followed by the first 15 of the latest Bf 109As. A He 112 V6 prototype was also sent. Armed with a single 20 mm cannon firing through the airscrew hub, the ''Kanonenvogel'' (cannon bird) was to be evaluated as a ground attack aircraft and assigned to ''Jagdgruppe'' 88 at Almorox in March. Over the next few months the He 112 V6 was flown by several pilots, but on 19 July 1937, with ''Unteroffizier'' Max Schulze flying, the engine seized during landing, and the He 112 V6 broke its back and was written off. The first unit to fly the Bf 109 was ''2. Staffel'', commanded by ''Oberleutnant'' Günther Lützow. The unit initially suffered several landing accidents, until the pilots became familiar with taking off and landing on the narrow‑track undercarriage. The first major action of 2.J/88 with the Bf 109, took place during the
Battle of Brunete The Battle of Brunete (6–25 July 1937), fought west of Madrid, was a Republican attempt to alleviate the pressure exerted by the Nationalists on the capital and on the north during the Spanish Civil War. Although initially successful, the R ...
in July 1937. Based near
Ávila Ávila ( , , ) is a Spanish city located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila. It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m a ...
, its main mission was to escort the
Junkers Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. First introduced during 1930 as a civilian airliner, it was adapted int ...
bombers. The Bf 109s, utilising superior tactics developed by ''Leutnant''
Werner Mölders Werner Mölders (18 March 1913 – 22 November 1941) was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot, wing commander, and the leading German fighter ace in the Spanish Civil War. He became the first pilot in aviation history to shoot down 100 ...
, turned air superiority in favour of the Condor Legion. The Bf 109s drew first blood on 8 July 1937 when ''Leutnant'' Rolf Pingel and Uzz. Guido Höness claimed two Tupolev SB‑2 bombers. Air combats fought on 12 July resulted in two Aero A.101s claimed by Höness, an SB‑2 to Pingel, and three I‑16s by Pingel, Fw. Peter Boddem and Fw. Adolf Buhl. Höness became the first Bf 109 loss, probably shot down and killed by a Republican I-16 flown by American Frank Tinker. The Condor Legion lost eight aircraft, but J/88 fighters claimed 18 victories. On 24 July Republican forces launched their final major offensive, the
Battle of the Ebro The Battle of the Ebro (, ) was the longest and largest battle of the Spanish Civil War and the greatest, in terms of manpower, logistics and material ever fought on Spanish soil. It took place between July and November 1938, with fighting mainly ...
. Reconnaissance aircraft of the Condor Legion noticed the troop build-up, and while the Republic forced gained ground, they failed to take Gandesa, due to intensive ( over 400) sorties by 70 Legion aircraft. The rest of the battle saw a series of air strikes, followed by a Nationalist counter-offensive. During the 113-day battle, only 10 aircraft were lost and 14 damaged; the Legion claimed 100 Republican aircraft destroyed, a third of those lost. Only 5 aircrew had been killed, and 6 captured. Some 19 Bf 109C-1s, with a fuel‑injected Jumo 210G engine and four 7.92 mm machine guns, arrived in Spain in the spring 1938, followed by nine Bf 109Ds in August. In February 1939 the latest Bf 109E‑1 model was sent to ''Jagdgruppe'' 88, with ''2. Staffel'' converting from early Bf 109 in late February 1939, just prior to the end of the War. The unit then took part in operations against the remnants of the Republican Air Force through early 1939, with considerable success. The men of J/88 returned to Germany in May 1939. 365 aircraft were claimed destroyed by ''Jagdgruppe'' 88, and 26 pilots claimed 5 kills or more.
Werner Mölders Werner Mölders (18 March 1913 – 22 November 1941) was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot, wing commander, and the leading German fighter ace in the Spanish Civil War. He became the first pilot in aviation history to shoot down 100 ...
(14), Wolfgang Schellmann (12), Harro Harder (11) and Peter Boddem (10) were top scorers.


Prominent members of J/88

Hauptmann Gotthard Handrick, winner of the modern pentathlon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, arrived in the summer of 1937 to assume command of ''Jagdgruppe'' 88, remaining until September 1938, during which time he had claimed 5 victories. ''Oberleutnant'' Werner Mölders arrived on 14 April 1938, and took over from Adolf Galland commanding 3. ''Staffel''. During the conflict he showed considerable qualities as both a pilot and tactician. He helped to develop the "finger four", formation, which improved a combat flight's all-round effectiveness, vision and flexibility in combat. Between July and November 1938 he shot down fourteen aircraft: eleven I-16s, two Polikarpov I-15s and one SB-2, mostly flying a Bf 109C-1 coded 6-79 "Luchs". ''Leutnant''
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 ...
joined ''Jagdgruppe'' 88 in September 1937, and gained six victories, including four
Tupolev SB-2 The Tupolev ANT-40, also known by its service name Tupolev SB ( – ''Skorostnoi Bombardirovschik'' – high speed bomber) and development co-name TsAGI-40, was a high speed twin-engined three-seat monoplane bomber, first flown in 1934. The Tup ...
bombers shot down in one mission on 7 February 1938. ''Oberleutnant''
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 ...
was appointed ''Staffelkapitän'' of ''3. Staffel'', in July 1937, eventually flying 200 ground attack missions in the Heinkel He 51.


Commanding officers

* ''Hauptmann'' Hubertus Merhardt von Bernegg, November 1936 – July 1937 * ''Hauptmann'' Gotthard Handrick, 18 July 1937 – 10 September 1938 * ''Hauptmann'' Walter Grabmann, 9 September 1938 – 31 March 1939


1. Staffel

* ''Hauptmann'' Werner Palm, November 1936 – 6 April 1937 * ''Oberleutnant'' Harro Harder, April 1937 – 18 December 1937 * ''Oberleutnant'' Wolfgang Schellmann, December 1937 – 2 September 1938 * ''Hauptmann'' Siebelt Reents, September 1938 – June 1939


2. Staffel

* ''Oberleutnant'' Siegfried Lehmann, November 1936 – 19 March 1937 * ''Oberleutnant'' Günther Lützow, March 1937 – September 1937 * ''Oberleutnant''
Joachim Schlichting Joachim Schlichting (1 February 1914 – 7 July 1982) was a German aviator in the Luftwaffe during the Spanish Civil War and World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. Career Schlichtung was born on ...
, September 1937 – 28 May 1938 * ''Oberleutnant'' Hubert Kroeck, May 1938 – 31 October 1938 * ''Oberleutnant'' Alfred von Lojewski, November 1938 – June 1939


3. Staffel

* ''Oberleutnant'' Jürgen Roth, November 1936 – 19 March 1937 * ''Oberleutnant'' Douglas Pitcairn, March 1937 – 27 July 1937 * ''Oberleutnant''
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 ...
, July 1937 – 24 May 1938 * ''Oberleutnant''
Werner Mölders Werner Mölders (18 March 1913 – 22 November 1941) was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot, wing commander, and the leading German fighter ace in the Spanish Civil War. He became the first pilot in aviation history to shoot down 100 ...
, 24 May 1938 – 5 December 1938 * ''Oberleutnant'' Hubertus von Bonin, 5 December 1938 – June 1939


References

* *Jurado, Carlos Caballero (2006). The Condor Legion: German troops in the Spanish Civil War. Osprey Publishing. . * {{Aces of the Condor Legion Military units and formations of Nazi Germany in the Spanish Civil War Military units and formations of the Luftwaffe Military units and formations established in 1936 Military units and formations disestablished in 1939