Werner Junck (28 December 1895 – 6 August 1976) was a German general in the

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 ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, serving in Iraq and later in the Baltic campaign. He claimed five aerial victories during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Early life

Werner Junck was born in

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 ...

, the Province of Saxony, the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

, the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

, on 28 December 1895. He was interested in aviation, and learned to fly in 1913.

Career

World War I

Junck entered military service as an artillery officer as World War I began. In 1916, he was posted to ''Flieger-Abteilung'' (Flier Detachment) 33 of the ''Die Fliegertruppen'' (the flying troops).Franks et al 1993, p. 139. In October 1916, as ''Die Fliegertruppen'' morphed into the ''

Luftstreitkräfte The ''Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte'' (, German Air Combat Forces)known before October 1916 as (The Imperial German Air Service, lit. "The flying troops of the German Kaiser’s Reich")was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-langu ...

'', Junck was transferred to a fighter squadron, '' Jagdstaffel 8''. He achieved his first aerial victory on 24 April 1917, downing a 20 Squadron FE.2d east of

Ypres Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...

. He rose to command of the ''jasta'' on 4 April 1918 and stayed with it through the war's end. Junck was wounded three times and shot down four SPADs in northern France before the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

. His five victories made him an ace. His three wounds qualified him for a Silver Wound Badge, though there is no record it was awarded to him.

Interwar period

Werner Junck was an instructor at the Reichswehr's secret

Lipetsk fighter-pilot school The Lipetsk fighter-pilot school (), also known as WIWUPAL from its German codename ''Wissenschaftliche Versuchs- und Personalausbildungsstation'' "Scientific Experimental and Personnel Training Station", was a secret training school for fighter pi ...

in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

from 1925 to 1928. Junck also participated in the first, third and fourth Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) Tourist Plane Contests: Challenge 1929 (27th place), Challenge 1932 (14th place), and Challenge 1934 (6th place). Later in 1934, he joined the nascent ''Luftwaffe'' with the rank of major. By 1938 or 1939, he was an '' Oberstleutnant'' commanding ''Jagdgruppe 334''.

World War II

Junck's best-known role in

was as Fliegerführer (squadron commander) of unit Sonderkommando Junck (Special Force Junck), the Luftwaffe component of the Sonderstab F mission in Iraq in early May 1941. The purpose of Special Staff F was to aid General Rashid Ali's rebel government after it overthrew the pro-British regime the previous month. On 29 May, the mission retreated from Iraq. Later in the war, Junck led forces as Jagdfliegerführer Deutsche Bucht (Fighter Leader German Bight) in the Baltic campaign.

Later years

In 1960 he was appointed honorary chairman of the ''Gemeinschaft der Jagdflieger'', the Association of Fighter Pilots.

Awards

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 ...

(1939) 2nd and 1st Class *

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 ...

on 9 June 1944 as ''

Generalmajor is the Germanic languages, Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central Europe, Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and R ...

'' and commanding general of the II. JagdkorpsScherzer 2007, p. 425.

Endnotes

References

* Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank W.; Guest, Russell (1993). ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918''. Oxford:Grub Street. , . * Krzyżan, Marian (1988). ''Międzynarodowe turnieje lotnicze 1929-1934''. Warsaw: WKiŁ. . * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Junck, Werner 1895 births 1976 deaths German World War I flying aces German test pilots Lieutenant generals of the Luftwaffe Luftwaffe World War II generals Generals of Aviators Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Luftstreitkräfte personnel Reichswehr personnel Prussian Army personnel Military personnel from Magdeburg Military personnel from the Province of Saxony Burials at Munich Waldfriedhof People of the Anglo-Iraqi War