''Jagdgeschwader'' 234 was a fighter wing of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

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 ...

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 opposing ...

. It operated during peacetime and conducted formation flying, simulated aerial combat, and firing on ground targets. Many of its pilots came from

Jagdgruppe 88 ''Jagdgruppe'' 88 (J/88) was a German Condor Legion fighter group serving in the Spanish Civil War. J/88 consisted of a headquarters (''Stab'') and four squadrons (''Staffeln''), although the 4th Staffel was short-lived. J/88 had formed on 3 Nov ...

(

Legion Condor The Condor Legion (german: Legion Condor) was a unit composed of military personnel from the air force and army of Nazi Germany, which served with the Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to March 1939. The Condor Legio ...

) operating in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.

Organisation

Main article:

Organisation of the Luftwaffe (1933–45) 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 ...

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 ''Staffelkapitän'' is a position (not a rank) in flying units ( ''Staffel'') of the German Luftwaffe that is the equivalent of RAF/USAF Squadron Commander. Usually today a ''Staffelkapitän'' is of '' Oberstleutnant'' or ''Major'' rank. In the ...

'' (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 numeral Roman numerals are a numeral system that originated in ancient Rome and remained the usual way of writing numbers throughout Europe well into the Late Middle Ages. Numbers are written with combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet, ea ...

s, for example I./JG 234, while ''Staffeln'' were described with their number (1./JG 234). 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 Geschwader headquarters, Jagdgeschwader 234, and a new fighter Gruppe, II/JG 234 were formed at Düsseldorf in early 1937. The headquarters was left un-staffed for more than a year due to the rapid expansion of the Luftwaffe. III/ JG 134 (known as the Köln Gruppe) was re-designated as the I/JG 234 with command being handed over to Hauptmann Walter Grabmann from Hauptmann

Oskar Dinort Oskar Dinort (23 June 1901 – 27 May 1965) was a German general and ground attack aircraft pilot during World War II. Early life and career Oskar Dinort was born in Berlin-Charlottenburg. He volunteered for military service in 1919 and joined ...

. II./JG 234 was led by Major

Eduard Ritter von Schleich Eduard-Maria Joseph Ritter von Schleich (9 August 1888 – 15 November 1947), born Schleich, was a high scoring Bavarian flying ace of the First World War. He was credited with 35 aerial victories at the end of the war. During the Second World ...

, a Great War ''

Pour le mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Order of the Red Eag ...

'' winner known as the "Black Knight". I. ''Gruppe'' flew mainly the

Heinkel He 51 The Heinkel He 51 was a German single-seat biplane which was produced in a number of different versions. It was initially developed as a fighter; a seaplane variant and a ground-attack version were also developed. It was a development of th ...

, while the II. ''Gruppe'' flew the

Arado Ar 68 The Arado Ar 68 was a German single-seat biplane fighter developed in the mid-1930s. It was among the first fighters produced when Germany abandoned the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles and began rearming. Design and development Designe ...

. It wasn't until November 1937 that JG 234 received and fully equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109B. The ''Geschwaderstab'' (headquarters unit) was formed on 1 November 1938 in Düsseldorf and placed under the command of ''Oberst'' Eduard Ritter von Schleich. On this day, the ''Geschwader'' was renamed to ''Jagdgeschwader'' 132 (JG 132–132nd Fighter Wing) and was subordinated to ''Luftgaukommando'' IV (Air District Command). Also, on this day, I. and II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 234 were placed under the command of JG 132 and were then referred to as I. and II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 132. The ''Geschwaderstab'' was equipped with the Bf 109 D-1. On 8 December 1938, JG 132 was given the unit name "Schlageter", named after Albert Leo Schlageter. Schlageter was former member of the ''

Freikorps (, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European military volunteer units, or paramilitary, that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenary or private armies, rega ...

'' who was executed by the French for sabotage and then became a

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

cultivated by the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

Commanding Officers

Geschwaderkommodore

Gruppenkommandeure

I. Gruppe of JG 234 (Containing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Staffeln)

II. Gruppe of JG 234 (Containing 4th, 5th, and 6th Staffeln)

References

Bibliography

* * Fighter wings of the Luftwaffe 1933-1945 Military units and formations established in 1937 {{Germany-mil-unit-stub