''Jagdgeschwader'' 300 (JG 300) was a
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
fighter-
wing
A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...
of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. JG 300 was formed on June 26, 1943 in
Deelen
Deelen is a hamlet in the Netherlands, 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 "parce ...
as Stab/Versuchskommando Herrmann, from July 18, 1943 as Stab/JG Herrmann and finally renamed on August 20, 1943 to Stab/JG 300. Its first ''
Geschwaderkommodore
{{unreferenced, date=May 2019
''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 K ...
'' was
Oberstleutnant
() 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, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedis ...
Hajo Herrmann
Hans-Joachim "Hajo" Herrmann (1 August 1913 – 5 November 2010) was a World War II Luftwaffe pilot and officer and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.
After the war Hermann became a Nazi activist and l ...
.
Genesis and ''Wilde Sau''
JG 300 had its origins in April 1943, when Major
Hajo Herrmann
Hans-Joachim "Hajo" Herrmann (1 August 1913 – 5 November 2010) was a World War II Luftwaffe pilot and officer and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.
After the war Hermann became a Nazi activist and l ...
, a decorated bomber pilot, advocated the use of single-seat day fighters as night fighters against the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
(RAF) bomber offensive. He suggested that single seat fighters could operate in the bombers' general target area using the light of target indicators, massed searchlights and the fires on the ground to spot their targets. These operations were tested over Berlin during May and June 1943 and codenamed ''
Wilde Sau
''Wilde Sau'' ( Lit. wild sow; generally known in English as "Wild Boar") was the term given by the ''Luftwaffe'' to the tactic used from 1943 to 1944 during World War II by which British night bombers were engaged by single-seat day-fighter airc ...
''.
Recruiting a group of experienced bomber pilots and former instructors with the requisite blind-flying experience, a test unit was set up on June 26, 1943 in
Deelen
Deelen is a hamlet in the Netherlands, 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 "parce ...
as Stab/Versuchskommando Herrmann to test Herrmann's theory. Standard
Fw 190-As and
Bf 109-Gs were used, initially 'borrowed' from their parent day units, principally ''
Jagdgeschwader 1'' and ''
Jagdgeschwader 11
''Jagdgeschwader'' 11 (JG 11) was a fighter wing (german: Jagdgeschwader) of the German Luftwaffe during World War II. Its primary role was the defense of Northern Germany against Allied day bomber raids. Formed in April 1943 as a split from ...
''.
''Jagdgeschwader 300'' employed the ''Wilde Sau'' tactic in single-engined fighters for the first time on the night of 3/4 July 1943, when 653 RAF aircraft attacked Cologne's industrial area on the east bank of the
Rhine
), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source1_coordinates=
, source1_elevation =
, source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein
, source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland
, source2_coordinates=
, so ...
. The German fighters, taking advantage of the illumination from searchlights, target indicator flares and ground fires, claimed 12 aircraft shot down but had to share their claims with the
anti-aircraft batteries
Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
who also claimed the 12 bombers. To avoid losses to
friendly fire
In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy/hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while eng ...
, anti-aircraft batteries were ordered to restrict the height of their flak barrage and the fighters operated above that ceiling.
[RAF History – Bomber Command 60th Anniversary]
,
. Accessed 21 July 2008
The test unit expanded into ''JG 300'', its ''I. Gruppe'' officially formed on August 20, 1943. Sister units ''
JG 301
''Jagdgeschwader'' 301 (JG 301) was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. The order to form JG 301 was issued on 26 September 1943 and formed on 1 October 1943 in Neubiberg with ''Stab'' and three ''Gruppen'' (groups) as a "Wilde Sau" (wild ...
'' and ''
JG 302
''Jagdgeschwader 302 (JG 302)'' was a ''Luftwaffe'' fighter-wing of World War II. ''JG 302'' was formed on 1 November 1943 in Stade, Germany with a theoretical establishment of ''Stab'' and three ''Gruppen'' (groups) known as a "''Wilde Sau''" ...
'' were also formed on similar lines at this time, collectively brought together as ''
30. Jagd-Division'' under Herrmann's command. Special variants of the Bf 109 were later adapted for this night fighter duty; the Bf 109 G-6(N) and Bf 109 G-6(Y). The former was fitted with the ''
FuG 350 Naxos Z'' passive homing detector and the latter with the "Y" interception radio system; initially the single-seat fighters used no radar or radio aids.
Although ''30. Jagd-Division'' was initially far from a fully established ''Jagdgeschwader'', the formation process was sped up with
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 of Germany in World War II. From 1942 onward, the British bo ...
deployment in July 1943 of Window; radar-jamming tin-foil strips which had rendered the
Luftwaffe radar control system ineffective. ''JG 300'' and its sister units were the only interim counter measure, while Luftwaffe radar researchers strove to overcome this jamming.
''JG 300'' night operations met with considerable initial success. Its first formal defensive operation on 27/28 July 1943 saw the unit claim four of the 17 bombers downed that night for one loss. Some 13 (out of a ''Nachtjagd'' total of 56 claimed) bombers were claimed shot down by ''JG 300'' on the night of 24 August, while a further 12 were claimed on 27–28 August. 10 (from a total of 47) were claimed 1 September and another 18 on 5–6 September.
The number of night accidents involving single-seat fighters caused by poor weather in the winter of 1943, led to unsustainable losses in pilots and aircraft. Thus by the end of 1943, ''JG 300'' fielded 3 Fw 190 A-6 (''Stab''), 14 Bf 109 G-6 (''I Gruppe''), 4 Fw 190 A-6 (''II Gruppe'') and 1 Bf 109 G-6 (''III Gruppe''). On 1 January 1944, parts of ''I./JG 300'' was detached and used to form ''1./
Nachtjagdgruppe 10''. By early 1944 the ''Nachtjagdgeschwaders'' has been equipped with the advanced and "window-proof"
Lichtenstein SN-2 VHF airborne radar and ''JG 300'' gradually evolved into a standard day fighter unit, flying operations against the USAAF 8th and 15th Air Forces over Western Europe as a part of ''Reichsverteidigung'' (
Defense of the Reich
The Defence of the Reich (german: Reichsverteidigung) is the name given to the strategic defensive aerial campaign fought by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany over German-occupied Europe and Germany during World War II. Its aim was to prevent the ...
).
Night operations were still sometimes flown, as on the 24/25 March 1944, when ''I.'' and ''II./JG 300'' claimed 7 RAF bombers for one loss. By this time Oblt.
Klaus Bretschneider
Klaus is a German, Dutch and Scandinavian given name and surname. It originated as a short form of Nikolaus, a German form of the Greek given name Nicholas.
Notable persons whose family name is Klaus
* Billy Klaus (1928–2006), American baseba ...
of ''5./JG 300'' had claimed 14 ''Wilde Sau'' victories, during 20 combats.
By May 1944, ''JG 300'' at last had numbers approaching a full establishment of aircraft, with ''I./JG 300'' having 42 (14 operative) Bf 109 G-6 at
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...
Hangelar; ''II./JG 300'' stationed at
Dortmund
Dortmund (; Westphalian nds, Düörpm ; la, Tremonia) is the third-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia after Cologne and Düsseldorf, and the eighth-largest city of Germany, with a population of 588,250 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the la ...
with 25 (13) Fw 190 A-6 and ''III./ JG 300'' with 46 (25 operative) Bf 109 G-6 at
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
/Erbenheim. Major
Walther Dahl
Walther Dahl (27 March 1916 – 25 November 1985) was a German pilot and a fighter ace during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. Dahl claimed some 128 enemy aircraft shot do ...
was appointed ''Kommodore'' of ''JG 300'' on 27 June.
''JG 300'' lost several of its top aces in the summer of 1944. On 28 July 1944, Oblt. Ernst-Erich Hirschfeld (24 claims, 9 at night) of ''5. JG 300'' was shot down and killed in his Fw 190 A-8 near
Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...
, as was Leut. Gerhard Bärsdorf (7 claims) who collided with his wing man. On 29 July 1944, ''Oberfeldwebel''
Hermann Wischnewski
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The decoration was awarded for a wide range of ...
(26 claims) of ''I./JG 300'' shot down two B-17 bombers and a P-51 fighter but was then shot down and badly injured.
Sturmgruppen
![Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-674-7765-17, Bei Alikendorf, abgeschossene B 24](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-674-7765-17%2C_Bei_Alikendorf%2C_abgeschossene_B_24.jpg)
In the summer of 1944 ''Sturmgruppe'' units were raised, equipped with
heavily armoured and armed FW 190 fighters and charged with breaking up the massed ranks of USAAF daylight bombers. Initially manned by volunteers, each pilot was trained to close with the enemy and engage in extremely short-range combat, attacking from the front and the rear in tight arrowhead formations, even to contemplate deliberately
ramming
In warfare, ramming is a technique used in air, sea, and land combat. The term originated from battering ram, a siege weapon used to bring down fortifications by hitting it with the force of the ram's momentum, and ultimately from male sheep. Thus, ...
enemy bombers when circumstances permitted.
''II./ JG 300'' became such a ''Sturmgruppe'' unit at this time and, equipped with the Focke-Wulf 190 A-8/R2 or R8 with two
MK 108
The MK 108 (German: ''Maschinenkanone''—"machine cannon") was a 30 mm caliber autocannon manufactured in Germany during World War II by Rheinmetall‑Borsig for use in aircraft.
The cannon saw widespread use as an anti-bomber weapon during t ...
30mm cannon, and two
MG 151/20 20mm cannon, enjoyed initial success in downing bombers, but also suffered heavy losses to the massed fighter escorts. From June 1944 until the end of October 1944, ''II Gruppe'' suffered some 73 killed, 2 missing, and 32 wounded.
On 7 July 1944 a force of 1,129
B-17 Flying Fortress
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
es and
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 des ...
s of the
United States Army Air Forces
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 ...
(USAAF)
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Force ...
set out from England to bomb aircraft factories in the
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
area and the synthetic oil plants at
Boehlen,
Leuna
Leuna is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, eastern Germany, south of Merseburg and Halle, on the river Saale.
The town is known for the ''Leunawerke'', at 13 km2 one of the biggest chemical industrial complexes in Germany, where a very wide range of ...
-Merseburg and Lützkendorf. This formation was intercepted by a German ''Gefechtsverband'' comprising ''IV. (Sturm) Gruppe'' ''
Jagdgeschwader 3
''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 (JG 3) "Udet" was a ''Luftwaffe'' fighter wing of World War II. The ''Geschwader'' operated on all the German fronts in the European Theatre of World War II. It was named after Ernst Udet, an important figure in the devel ...
'', escorted by two ''Gruppen'' of Bf 109s from ''JG 300'' led by Major
Walther Dahl
Walther Dahl (27 March 1916 – 25 November 1985) was a German pilot and a fighter ace during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. Dahl claimed some 128 enemy aircraft shot do ...
. Dahl drove the attack to point-blank range behind the Liberators of the 492nd Bomb Group, which at the time was temporarily without fighter cover, before opening fire. Within about a minute the entire squadron of twelve B-24s had been annihilated. The USAAF 2nd Air Division lost 28 Liberators that day, the majority to the ''Sturmgruppe'' attack. ''IV. /JG 3'' lost nine fighters shot down and three more suffered damage and made crash landings; five pilots were killed.
![Ellgaard, Ich ramme 1944](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Ellgaard%2C_Ich_ramme_1944.jpg)
USAAF escort fighters were increasingly effective. On 11 September 1944 ''II. (Sturm)/JG 300'' lost 13 Fw 190s to P-51 Mustangs, with 10 pilots killed and two wounded. They claimed nine Mustangs, actual Mustang losses was just one 339th Fighter Group P-51, damaged by Flak and shot down by an Me 262. ''I. /JG 300'', flying top cover lost 13 Bf 109s without claiming a kill. One pilot was killed and one wounded.
Major
Alfred Lindenberger
Leutnant (later Major) Alfred Lindenberger was a World War I flying ace credited with twelve aerial victories. He also scored four victories during World War II while serving as commander of a fighter group.The Aerodrome website 98http://www.thea ...
, (a forty-seven-year-old Prussian World War I ace with 12 victories) was posted to ''II. /JG 300'' in June 1944 and was made ''Gruppenkommandeur'' later in 1944. On 28 September 1944 he was shot down by P-51s and wounded. Owing to his age and inexperience with modern fighters he flew most sorties as a wingman. Lindenberger claimed two US four-engined bombers on 17 December 1944.
As the year progressed the ''30 Jagddivision'' was broken up, as ''JG 301'' left for
Ploiești
Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest.
The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commu ...
in Romania while ''JG 302'' flew combat over Hungary and Austria. Only ''JG 300'' remained in the Reich. Major Dahl was dismissed from his command of ''JG 300'' by
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...
on 30 November 1944, for refusal to launch what he considered a suicidal interception mission.
During the Ardennes offensive in late 1944, ''JG 300'' was one of the few units remaining on
Reich defence duties, with most other fighter units sent to support attacking ground forces. The Geschwader took heavy losses in late 1944, particularly on 17 December when 100 aircraft of ''JG 300'' intercepted USAAF bombers, claiming 33 shot down but losing 43 of their own number. Many of the pilots killed were irreplaceable ''Experten'', including on 24 December 1944, the Staffelkapitän of ''5. /JG 300'' Oblt
Klaus Bretschneider
Klaus is a German, Dutch and Scandinavian given name and surname. It originated as a short form of Nikolaus, a German form of the Greek given name Nicholas.
Notable persons whose family name is Klaus
* Billy Klaus (1928–2006), American baseba ...
, who was shot down by 357th FG P-51s (who claimed 28 fighters for 2 losses).
On 14 January 1945 a mixed formation of ''JG 300'' and ''JG 301'' were attacked by USAAF escort fighters, during an interception against the USAAF 3rd Air Division, bombing oil targets over central Germany. The two ''Geschwader'' claimed 18 B-17s, 7 P-51s and one P-47 downed, although the mixed formation lost 89 aircraft with 52 killed and 18 wounded. (''JG 300'' lost 51 fighters, with 32 pilots killed and 10 wounded).The 357th Fighter Group claimed over 50 kills, and the 56th FG and the 20th FG also claimed victories.
On 14 February 1945, operations against the USAAF bomber streams by ''JG 300'' and ''JG 301'' led to ''I.'' and ''III. /JG 300'' losing 3 Bf 109s and ''II. /JG 300'' losing 6 Fw 190s.
Commanding officers
* Oberstleutnant
Hajo Herrmann
Hans-Joachim "Hajo" Herrmann (1 August 1913 – 5 November 2010) was a World War II Luftwaffe pilot and officer and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.
After the war Hermann became a Nazi activist and l ...
, June – 26 September 1943
* Oberstleutnant Kurt Kettner, 26 September 1943 – 27 June 1944
* Oberstleutnant
Walther Dahl
Walther Dahl (27 March 1916 – 25 November 1985) was a German pilot and a fighter ace during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. Dahl claimed some 128 enemy aircraft shot do ...
, 27 June 1944 – 26 January 1945
* Major
Kurd Peters
Kurd Peters (7 August 1914 – 24 July 1957) was a German officer ( Major) in the Luftwaffe during World War II, and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. He was credited with four aerial victories in Defense of the ...
(acting), December 1944 – January 1945
* Major
Anton Hackl
Anton "Toni" Hackl (25 March 1915 – 10 July 1984) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a fighter ace credited with 192 enemy aircraft shot down in over 1,000 combat missions. The majority of his victories were claimed ...
, 30 January – 20 February 1945
* Major Kurd Peters (acting), March – April 1945
* Major
Günther Rall
Günther Rall (10 March 1918 – 4 October 2009) was a highly decorated German military aviator, officer and General, whose military career spanned nearly forty years. Rall was the third most successful fighter pilot in aviation history, ...
, 20 February – 8 May 1945
See also
Organization of the Luftwaffe during World War II
An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose.
The word is derived from ...
Notes and references
Citations
Bibliography
*
* Bethke, Herbert and Henning, Friedhelm (2000). ''Jagdgeschwader 300: Wilde Sau: TEIL 1''. .
* Bethke, Herbert and Henning, Friedhelm (2001). ''Jagdgeschwader 300: Wilde Sau: TEIL 2''. .
*
*
*
* Lorant, Jean Yves and Goyat, Richard (2005). ''Jagdgeschwader 300 "Wilde Sau" - Volume One: June 1943 – September 1944''. Eagle Edition Ltd. .
* Lorant, Jean Yves and Goyat, Richard (2007). ''Jagdgeschwader 300 "Wilde Sau" - Volume Two: September 1944 – May 1945''. Eagle Edition Ltd. .
*
{{Subject bar
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, portal2=Military of Germany
, portal3=World War II
Fighter wings of the Luftwaffe 1933-1945
Military units and formations established in 1943
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945