Jagdgeschwader 11
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Jagdgeschwader'' 11 (JG 11) was a 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 e ...
(german: Jagdgeschwader) of the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
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 ...
during
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 ...
. Its primary role was the defense of Northern Germany against Allied day bomber raids. Formed in April 1943 as a split from ''Jagdgeschwader 1'', the unit primarily used the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190. The unit was initially based along the North German coast, protecting the northern flank of
occupied Europe German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...
. During the summer of 1943, as the unescorted bombers penetrated deeper into Germany, JG 11 saw intensive action, with about 40 percent of some 1,200 claims submitted by the Western Front fighter wings in this period being credited to JG 1 and JG 11 . JG 11 trialled new tactics such as dropping 250 kg bombs on top of the bomber formations or using the heavy-calibre ''
Werfer-Granate 21 The ''Werfer-Granate 21'' rocket launcher, also known as the BR 21 (the "BR" standing for ''Bordrakete'') in official Luftwaffe manuals, was a weapon used by the German Luftwaffe during World War II and was the first on-board rocket placed into ...
'' unguided, underwing-launched rockets. In spring of 1944 the introduction of P-51 Mustang made the job of units such as JG 11 very difficult as they fought through the escorts to reach the bombers. Several measures were introduced to counter the bomber offensive such as the introduction of Bf 109–G high altitude aircraft with a pressurized cockpit. In January 1945, the Luftwaffe made a last-ditch counterattack to stem the Allied offensives with Operation Baseplate. JG 11 targeted the USAAF base at Asch,
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
called Y–29 and Ophoven, the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. What followed became known as the "Legend of Y–29". JG 11 lost its commander and several group commanders with many pilots. The unit surrendered to British forces in early May 1945.


Formation history

Under the increasing threat of the Allied heavy bombers, the ''Luftwaffe'' decided to augment its fighter strength by creating a new wing (german: Geschwader) by splitting ''Jagdgeschwader 1'' (JG 1). On 31 March 1943, JG 1 had four component groups (german: Gruppen) I., II., III. and IV./JG 1. Of these III./JG 1, located in
Husum Husum (, frr, Hüsem) is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The town was the birthplace of the novelist Theodor Storm, who coined the epithet "the grey town by the sea". It is also the home o ...
, was redesignated as I./JG 11 while I./JG 1, under Günther Beise, located in
Jever Jever () is the capital of the district of Friesland in Lower Saxony, Germany. The name Jever is usually associated with a major brand of beer, Jever Pilsener, which is produced there. The city is also a popular holiday resort. Jever was granted c ...
became II./JG 11. A new III./JG 11 was raised under german:
Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...
Ernst-Günther Heinze at
Neumünster Neumünster () is a city in the middle of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. With more than 79,000 registered inhabitants, it is the fourth-largest municipality in Schleswig-Holstein (behind Kiel, Lübeck and Flensburg). History The city was fi ...
, equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6. A headquarters flight (german: Geschwaderstab) was formed in Jever. Former group commander (german: Gruppenkommandeur) of II./
JG 77 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 77 (JG 77) ''Herz As'' ("Ace of Hearts") was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during World War II. It served in all the German theaters of war, from Western Europe to the Eastern Front, and from the high north in Norway to the Mediter ...
, Major
Anton Mader Anton Mader (7 January 1913 – 19 February 1984) was a German pilot during World War II. He claimed 86 victories and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He commanded the fighter wing ''Jagdgeschwader'' 54 in 1944. Early li ...
was appointed to command the new unit. The new unit was responsible for the day defense of the
German Bight The German Bight (german: Deutsche Bucht; da, tyske bugt; nl, Duitse bocht; fry, Dútske bocht; ; sometimes also the German Bay) is the southeastern bight of the North Sea bounded by the Netherlands and Germany to the south, and Denmark and ...
, southern
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
and western
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...
. This was previously the eastern portion of JG 1's area of responsibility. JG 11 reported to the Fighter Commander of the German Bight (german:
Jagdfliegerführer Deutsche Bucht ''Jagdfliegerführer Deutsche Bucht''A Jagdfliegerführer, or Jafü, was the commander of the Fighter forces of a ''Luftflotte''. For more details see Luftwaffe Organization (Fighter Leader German Bight) was one of the primary divisions of the Germ ...
) in the 2nd Fighter Division (german: 2. Jagd-Division). By mid-1943, JG 11 came under the control of the ''Luftwaffe'' Commander Center (german: Luftwaffenbefehlshaber Mitte) (Lw Bfh), which later formed Air Fleet Germany (german: Luftflotte Reich). In late June 1943 ''Hauptmann'' Günther Specht replaced Major Adolf Dickfeld as II./JG 11's commander. A perfectionist and one of the most competent group commanders, Specht led almost every mission after taking command. In a few months II./JG 11 became one of the most effective day fighter units. In mid-November 1943 Mader had a public fall-out with ''Generalmajor''
Max Ibel Max Ibel (1 January 1896 – 19 March 1981) is credited as one of the creators of the Luftwaffe. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Career Max Ibel was born in 1896 in Munich and joined the Army as a cadet in July ...
of ''2. Jagd-Division'' and was sent to the Eastern Front to command Jagdgeschwader 54. He was replaced by ''Oberstleutnant'' Hermann Graf, an Eastern Front Bf 109 ace and the first pilot to claim 200 victories. 1./JG 11 relocated to
Salzwedel Salzwedel (, officially known as Hansestadt Salzwedel; Low German: ''Soltwedel'') is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, and has a population of approximately 21,500. Salz ...
and 2./JG 11 to
Lüneburg Lüneburg (officially the ''Hanseatic City of Lüneburg'', German: ''Hansestadt Lüneburg'', , Low German ''Lümborg'', Latin ''Luneburgum'' or ''Lunaburgum'', Old High German ''Luneburc'', Old Saxon ''Hliuni'', Polabian ''Glain''), also called ...
in April 1944 remaining there until June 1944, while Specht was transferred to ''Geschwaderstab'' JG 11 as a ''Kommodore''-In-Training. He was replaced by 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, ...
from
JG 52 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 52 (JG 52) was a German World War II fighter ''Geschwader'' (wing) that exclusively used the Messerschmitt Bf 109 throughout the war. The unit originally formed near Munich in November 1938, then moved to a base near Stuttga ...
as ''Gruppenkommandeur'' of II./JG 11, located at
Eschborn Eschborn () is a town in the Main-Taunus district, Hesse, Germany. It is part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area and has a population of 21,488 (2018). Eschborn is home to numerous corporations due to its proximity to Frankfurt and relatively ...
being rebuilt. III./JG 11 was dispatched to
Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...
in anticipation of the impending Soviet offensive, but its ten-week stay did little to effect the outcome of the land battle.


Jasta Helgoland

In 1941, two short runways were built on neighboring sand dunes on
Heligoland Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possessions ...
, an island in the middle of the German Bight. A fighter squadron (german: Staffel) was established on 7 April 1943 under
First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...
(german: Oberleutnant) Hermann Hintzen, equipped with the Bf 109T ''Toni''. This was the only Bf 109 variant able to take off from those short runways due to its longer wing span. The ''Staffel'' reported to ''Jagdfliegerführer Deutsche Bucht''. In mid-April 1943, the ''Staffel'' was subordinated to ''2. Jagd–Division''. This ''Staffel'' worked to a great extent with the units of JG 11. On 30 November 1943, it was merged with JG 11 to boost operational strength of JG 11.


Aircraft of JG 11

JG 11 was initially equipped with the Fw 190 A-4 and Bf 109 G-1. It also used the Fw 190 A-6/R1, which carried six 20 mm
MG 151 cannon The MG 151 (MG 151/15) was a German 15 mm aircraft-mounted autocannon produced by Waffenfabrik Mauser during World War II. Its 20mm variant, the 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon, was widely used on German Luftwaffe fighters, night fighters, figh ...
s. Towards the end of 1943 III./JG 11 started converting to the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. JG 11 tended to use a combination of Bf 109s and Fw 190s, the Bf 109 for attacking fighters and the Fw 190 for attacking bombers. In March 1943 II./JG 11 started to replace the Bf 109 G-1 with the Bf 109 G-6. The G-6 had the option of two 20 mm cannons in underwing gondolas which made it more useful in destroying the tough American bombers. On 26 June 1943 a trial Wilde Sau unit was established to verify the night-fighting theories of ''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 ...
. Equipped with the Bf 109 at Bonn-Hangelar, the unit was expanded into I./
JG 300 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 300 (JG 300) was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. JG 300 was formed on June 26, 1943 in Deelen as Stab/Versuchskommando Herrmann, from July 18, 1943 as Stab/JG Herrmann and finally renamed on August 20, 1943 to Sta ...
and JG 300 ''Geschwaderstab''. With insufficient numbers of Bf 109 aircraft to equip the formation they 'borrowed' aircraft from II./JG 11 (at Rheine) and III./JG 11 (at Oldenburg). Operating aircraft by day and also by night the extra wear and tear on their aircraft and resulting lower serviceability rates made the arrangement very unpopular with the JG 11 maintenance personnel.


Unit Emblems and color schemes

In January 1944 JG 11 was located in Dortmund alongside one group german: Gruppe of JG 1. In order to make it easier to regroup after an engagement and aid unit identification both I./JG 1 and JG 11 followed the new ''Luftwaffe'' policy and painted their aircraft with special ''Defense of the Reich'', aft fuselage bands. I./JG 1 used a red band and JG 11 used a yellow band. The Third ''Staffel'' of JG 11 (3./JG 11) was formed from 9./JG 1 and perpetuated that unit's distinctive logo of a
flintlock pistol Flintlock is a general term for any firearm that uses a flint-striking ignition mechanism, the first of which appeared in Western Europe in the early 16th century. The term may also apply to a particular form of the mechanism itself, also know ...
on a red heart surrounded by the German words, ''"Wer zuerst schiesst hat mehr vom Leben"'', which translates as "Who shoots first gets more out of life".


Wartime history


1943


April – June 1943

JG 11 saw action immediately after its formation, with one of the first large daylight raids on 17 April 1943. 115 aircraft from four B-17 bomb groups attacked the Focke-Wulf factory outside Bremen. They were initially intercepted by II./JG 11, accompanied by ''Jasta Helgoland''. A total of 16 bombers were claimed, II./JG 11 was credited with 7 and ''Jasta Heligoland'' credited with one. The new leader of II./JG 11 Major Adolf Dickfeld claimed the first B-17. ''Oberleutnant'' Heinz Knoke (leading 5./JG 11) shot down one B–17 after missing the original target for his bomb dropped over the formation. The downed bombers included six of the 401st Bomb Squadron ( 91 BG). Four aircraft of II./JG 11 were damaged in
deadstick landing A deadstick landing, also called a dead-stick landing, is a type of forced landing when an aircraft loses all of its propulsive power and is forced to land. The "stick" does not refer to the flight controls, which in most aircraft are either ful ...
s as they exhausted their fuel. One aircraft of the ''Jasta Helgoland'' was shot down north of
Norderney Norderney ( nds, Nördernee) is one of the seven populated East Frisian Islands off the North Sea coast of Germany. The island is , having a total area of about and is therefore Germany's ninth-largest island. Norderney's population amounts ...
but the pilot bailed out. In another raid that same day light bombers of
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) an ...
(RAF)
No. 2 Group No. 2 Group is a Group (military aviation unit)#United Kingdom, group of the Royal Air Force which was first activated in 1918, served from 1918–20, from 1936 through the Second World War to 1947, from 1948 to 1958, from 1993 to 1996, was react ...
bombed
Abbeville Abbeville (, vls, Abbekerke, pcd, Advile) is a commune in the Somme department and in Hauts-de-France region in northern France. It is the chef-lieu of one of the arrondissements of Somme. Located on the river Somme, it was the capital of ...
. With the escorts engaged by other units, I. and II./JG 11 attacked the bombers before their bomb run. Knoke's unit carried bombs, but all the bombs missed. Both ''Gruppen'' conducted frontal attacks on for almost an hour with five claims filed without loss. Three Bf 109s of II./JG 11 ran out of fuel and had to do deadstick landings over the Frisians. On 14 May 1943 multiple groups of heavy bombers conducted several missions across the
Low Countries The term Low Countries, also known as the Low Lands ( nl, de Lage Landen, french: les Pays-Bas, lb, déi Niddereg Lännereien) and historically called the Netherlands ( nl, de Nederlanden), Flanders, or Belgica, is a coastal lowland region in N ...
. One hundred B-17s and B-24s bombed
Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland ...
U-Boat Base on the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...
. II./JG 11, again with ''Jasta Helgoland'' intercepted, now flying the new Bf 109G-6 variant with underwing 20 mm cannon. Knoke's unit still attempted bombing from above the formation and tried to position entire unit above the formation. But when the leading bombers reached the Germania shipyards located on the port's eastern side inner basin Knoke gave up trying and ordered individual pilots to drop their bombs over the bombers and make a head-on pass on a group of bombers slightly separated from the main formation. A B-17 (42-30003) of 92nd BG was hit and according to Knoke, "the Fortress reared like a stricken animal, before falling in steep spirals to the right". Other bomber crews described it "circling and going down under control with one engine out and a stabilizer missing". It went down near
Husum Husum (, frr, Hüsem) is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) Nordfriesland in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The town was the birthplace of the novelist Theodor Storm, who coined the epithet "the grey town by the sea". It is also the home o ...
but the crew of 10 survived. This was Knoke's fifth claim in less than three months, making him the first Bf 109 ace of the "''Defense of the Reich''" campaign. Two other B-17s were shot down, one credited to ''Staffelkapitän'' of 6./JG 11 ''Hauptmann'' Egon Falkensamer. Following this interception I./JG 11, accompanied by Bf 110s of
NJG 3 ''Nachtjagdgeschwader'' 3 (NJG 3) was a Luftwaffe night fighter-wing of World War II. NJG 3 was formed on 29 September 1941 in Stade from Stab./Zerstörergeschwader 26. Commanding officers ''Geschwaderkommodore'' *Major Johann Schalk, 29 March ...
, intercepted and two pilots of I./JG 11 claimed one bomber each. A group of 17 B-24Ds ( 44th BG) were intercepted by II./JG 11 and III./
JG 54 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 54 (JG 54) was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during the Second World War. JG 54 flew most of its missions on the Eastern Front where it claimed more than 9,600 aircraft shot down. It was the second-highest scoring wing in the Luftw ...
, and claimed seven of the B-24s (one credited to Specht) for the loss of five fighters. Five claims were confirmed with 12 bombers damaged. 24 hours later nine B-24 groups attacked the North sea ports of
Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsh ...
and Emden. The formation attacking Wilhelmshaven had to abort due to poor visibility over the target so instead attacked secondary targets, Heligoland Düne; the base of Jasta Heligoland and
Wangerooge Wangerooge is one of the 32 Frisian Islands in the North Sea located close to the coasts of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark. It is also a municipality in the district of Friesland in Lower Saxony in Germany. Wangerooge is one of the East F ...
. They were intercepted by II./JG 1 and III./JG 54. II./JG 11 was credited with four bombers downed ; one each to Dickfeld, Specht, Knoke and ''Unteroffizier'' Helmut Lennartz. Lennartz claimed his B-24 by dropping a bomb above the formation. The mission on 11 June 1943 was the largest thus far, involving 250 B-17s. II./JG 1 and III./JG 1 intercepted a formation approaching Wilhelmshaven, resulting in ten claims for II./JG 11, including one each for Specht and Knoke. Two days later 60 B-17s of 95th BG attacked Kiel. II./JG 11 scrambled accompanied by ''Jasta Helgoland'', but only one was claimed by ''Unteroffizier'' Ewald Herhold west of Neumünster, Herhold being injured in the knee while making two passes at the bombers and bailing out. Another pilot of ''Jasta Helgoland'' crashlanded in
Föhr Föhr ( ''Fering'' North Frisian: ''Feer''; da, Før) is one of the North Frisian Islands on the German coast of the North Sea. It is part of the Nordfriesland district in the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Föhr is the second-largest No ...
. A second 'probable' B-17 was claimed by ''Leutnant'' Kilian of 5./JG 11. Another 6 bombers went down over Kiel. During the raid on 25 June 1943 cloud cover obscured both primary and secondary targets so the B-17s bombed two convoys off of the
Frisian Islands The Frisian Islands, also known as the Wadden Islands or the Wadden Sea Islands, form an archipelago at the eastern edge of the North Sea in northwestern Europe, stretching from the northwest of the Netherlands through Germany to the west of Denma ...
. II and III./JG 11 intercepted, along with six other ''Gruppen'', and claimed six bombers. Specht and Knoke claimed one each but Knoke was injured in the hand.


Operation Gomorrah/Blitz Week

During the period of 24 to 30 July, the RAF and USAAF launched a combined series of attacks on German targets known as "Blitz Week". This was a six-day round-the-clock offensive on targets inside Germany. Weather on 25 July was not favorable so two of the bomber formations attacked secondary targets, while a third abandoned their mission. II./JG 11 along with ''Jasta Helgoland'' intercepted and claimed six destroyed, with four pilots injured. The following day targets included
Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continent, the major landmasses of Earth * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' ( ...
and Nordhafen rubber works in
Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
along with Hamburg U-Boat Yards. A total of 15 bombers were claimed downed, claimants including Specht and 7./JG 11 Staffelkapitän Hugo Frey. On 28 July 1943 15 bombers of the VIII Bomber Command targeted the Fieseler Works in Kassel and the AGO Factory in
Oschersleben Oschersleben () is a town in the Börde district, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. The population in 1905 was 13,271, in 2020 about 19,000. History On November 23, 994 Oschersleben was first mentioned in a document by the Emperor Otto III. In 1235 ...
; used for subcontract work on the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters. II./JG 11 intercepted and after a 20-minute engagement claimed 12 bombers. Those credited included Specht and 4./JG 11 ''Staffelkapitän'' ''Oberleutnant''
Gerhard Sommer Gerhard Sommer (24 June 1921 – 2019) was a German SS-''Untersturmführer'' (second lieutenant) in the 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division ''Reichsführer-SS'' who was involved in the massacre of 560 civilians on 12 August 1944 in the Italian v ...
. Knoke's 5. ''Staffel'' carried out air bombing and claimed seven bombers. ''Unteroffizier'' Wilhelm "Jonny" Fest's bomb hit a B-17F of the 385th BG (42-30257). It collided with two other bombers, ''Betty Boom'' (42-3316) and ''Roundtrip Ticket'' (42-30285) and all three went down west of
Sylt Sylt (; da, Sild; Sylt North Frisian, Söl'ring North Frisian: ) is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian ...
. Allied records attributed the loss of 42-30257 to a flak hit and other sources credit the bomber to underwing rockets of Erprobungskommando 25 attached to I./JG 1 at the time. III./JG 11 claimed two more bombers over Hanover, while a refueled II./JG 1 and ''Jasta Helgoland'' claimed three more on the bomber's return journey. The following day the Eighth Air Force targeted Kiel's U-Boat yards and the Heinkel factory in
Warnemünde (, literally ''Mouth of the Warnow'') is a seaside resort and a district of the city of Rostock in Mecklenburg, Germany. It is located on the Baltic Sea and, as the name implies, at the estuary of the river Warnow. is one of the world's busi ...
. Elements of JG 11 with JG 1 used ''
Werfer-Granate 21 The ''Werfer-Granate 21'' rocket launcher, also known as the BR 21 (the "BR" standing for ''Bordrakete'') in official Luftwaffe manuals, was a weapon used by the German Luftwaffe during World War II and was the first on-board rocket placed into ...
'' (Wfr. Gr. or WGr prefix, also known as the ''Bordrakete 21''/BR 21 in official Luftwaffe manuals) underwing rockets for the first time. The American bomber crews dubbed these "flaming baseballs". While being wildly inaccurate these rockets, containing of explosive, could be launched from well outside the range of the bomber's defensive fire and were intended to break up the bomber formations. The launchers did however seriously reduce the performance of the fighters, making them easy prey to any Allied fighter escort. II. and III./JG 11 engaged the bombers on their return route near Heligoland, JG 11 claiming eight B-17s destroyed (III./JG 11 was credited with three aircraft). One III./JG 11 pilot was injured. On the last day of Blitz Week (30 July) VIII Bomber Command targeted the Fieseler Works in Kassel. III./JG 11 and III./JG 1 were not scrambled until after the bombers crossed into Germany over Eifel. By the time they were in the air the bombers were near
Emmerich am Rhein Emmerich am Rhein ( Low Rhenish and nl, Emmerik) is a city and municipality in the northwest of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The city has a harbour and a quay at the Rhine. In terms of local government organization, it i ...
before they were intercepted. The Bf 109s were surprised by some 100
P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bom ...
s escorts, newly equipped with
drop tank In aviation, a drop tank (external tank, wing tank or belly tank) is used to describe auxiliary fuel tanks externally carried by aircraft. A drop tank is expendable and often capable of being jettisoned. External tanks are commonplace on modern ...
s. III./JG 11 shot down two bombers but in the first major fighter combat of the ''Defense of the Reich'' lost four aircraft, with one pilot wounded and one dead. At the end of Blitz Week JG 11 had claimed some 49 bombers for six pilots injured and one killed.


August – December 1943

VIII Bomber command only had one mission in September 1943 bombing Emden on 27 September. It saw the introduction of
H2X H2X, officially known as the AN/APS-15, was an American ground scanning radar system used for blind bombing during World War II. It was a development of the British H2S radar, the first ground mapping radar to be used in combat. It was also kno ...
radar on four of the bombers and the introduction of larger 108 U.S. gallon single-use, paper-mache drop tanks on the P-47. II./JG 11 intercepted the bombers from the south and Knoke's 5./JG 11 made a pass firing BR 21 under-wing rockets, shooting down two bombers. Despite the escort II./JG 11 claimed six more bombers shot down and 2 P-47 escorts but lost ten pilots, with four wounded. The bombers returned to Emden on 2 October 1943 escorted by the P-47s. III./JG 11, under new leader Anton Hackl, intercepted with II./
JG 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 dev ...
. Hackl was credited with two bombers (taking his score to 127), another bomber was credited to another pilot. Two days later bombers targeted
Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
and
Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and ...
with two separate groups of B-24s splitting the fighter response. The groups made a successful diversionary sweep across the North Sea, disrupting the ''Luftwaffe'' defence. Specht led II., III./JG 11 and Jasta Heligoland in the attack, and I./JG 11 claimed five B-24s for ''gruppenkommandeur''
Erwin Clausen Erwin Clausen (5 August 1911 – 4 October 1943) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a fighter ace credited with 132 aerial victories—that is, 132 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy ai ...
killed, while II./JG 11 claimed six B-24s (Specht and Knoke credited one each) and ''Staffelkapitän'' of ''Jasta Helgoland'', ''Oberleutnant'' Hans-Heinrich Koenig credited with one. ''Feldwebel'' Hans–Gerd Wennekers of 5./JG 11 claimed two with 30 mm
MK 108 cannon 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 the ...
. His attack on the B-24 caused it to collide with the bomber above, taking both down. Allied records state four B-24s were shot down in the action, despite JG 11 claiming eleven victories. After returning to the airfield at Marx (near Wilhelmshaven), Specht bitterly complained to the High Command about the inadequate armament of the Bf 109G that often allowed damaged bombers to return home. Six days later the bombers returned to Bremen and the U-Boat yards of
Vegesack Vegesack is a northern district of the city of Bremen. Geography ''Vegesack'' is located about north from the centre of Bremen-city at the mouth of the river Lesum, beside the river Weser (). Abutting the district of Vegesack to the northwest is ...
. II. and III./JG 11 intercepted and III./JG 11 claimed 11 bombers. ''Gruppenkommandeure'' Specht, Hackl and Olejnik, Knoke and Wennekers all claimed one each, and Siegfried Zick claimed one bomber south of
Quakenbrück Quakenbrück (Northern Low Saxon: ''Quokenbrügge'') is a town in the district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Hase. It is part of the ''Samtgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") of Artland. History Qua ...
. Next day there was another attack on Kiel by B-17s with B-17F (42-5407) ''Fightin Pappy'' possibly downed by Frey. ''General der Jagdflieger'' Adolf Galland flew a Fw 190 during the day's fighting and witnessed some of the attacks over the
Frisian Islands The Frisian Islands, also known as the Wadden Islands or the Wadden Sea Islands, form an archipelago at the eastern edge of the North Sea in northwestern Europe, stretching from the northwest of the Netherlands through Germany to the west of Denma ...
. To his "disgust", he saw the BR 21 rocket-equipped fighters launch from too long a range. He also noted attacks were disorganized. Galland waited for the fighters to return to base before making his own interception, claiming a B-17 on his second pass, though he did not report the kill since he was not officially authorised to fly in combat.


1944

JG 11 was transferred to II. Fliegerkorps for operations over France soon after the Allied invasion of 6 June 1944. Given the overwhelming superiority of the Allied fighter screens over the beach heads, the ''Luftwaffe'' units suffered heavily, JG 11 being no exception. In August 1944 each JG 11 ''Gruppe'' was increased to four ''Staffeln'', with a new 4./JG 11 formed from 10. and 11./JG 11. The old 4./JG 11 became the new 8./JG 11 ''Staffel''. Old 7./JG 11 become 10./JG 11 and a new 7./JG 11 was formed from scratch. On 17 December 1944 I./JG 11 was heavily engaged by P-47s over Munstereifel and later by
P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive tw ...
s. Four German pilots were wounded with
Unteroffizier () is a junior non-commissioned officer rank used by the . It is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers in Austria and Germany. It was formerly a rank in the Imperial Russian Army. Austria , also , is the collective name to ...
Liebeck bailing out successfully. ''Unteroffizier'' Heyer, flying ''Black 1'' shot down one P-38 before being seriously wounded and bailing out. By December 1944 I./JG 11 were frequently paired with the 'Sturm' Fw 190's of IV./
JG 4 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 4 (JG 4) was a ''Luftwaffe'' fighter wing of World War II. Sturmgruppen 1944 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 4 became one of only three ''Luftwaffe'' ''geschwader'' to operate the specialised 'bomber-killer' ''gruppen'' designated ''St ...
in attacking heavy bomber formations over the
Moselle River The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblen ...
. The other two ''Gruppen'' of JG 11 operated under the administrative control of
JG 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 ...
engaging the fighters of Eighth and
Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...
. On 23 December I./JG 11 and JG 4 intercepted American bombers near the Trier region. JG 11 claimed 28 B-26s and several escorts while 12 Fw 190s and one P-51 went down. Major Arthur F. Jeffrey of 479 FG was credited with three victories. ''Fähnrich'' Kaluza and ''Oberleutnant'' Georg Ulrici of I./JG 11 failed to return from operations over
Daun Daun is a town in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the district seat and also the seat of the ' of Daun. Geography Location The town lies in the , a part of the Eifel known for its volcanic history, geogra ...
and
Cochem Cochem is the seat of and the biggest town in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With just over 5,000 inhabitants, Cochem falls just behind Kusel, in the Kusel district, as Germany's second smallest district seat. Since 7 J ...
while ''Unteroffizier'' Ehrke and ''Gefreiter'' were killed near
Gillenfeld Gillenfeld is an '' Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Vulkaneifel district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Daun, whose s ...
. ''Oberfähnrich'' Hans–Joachim Wesener was shot down south of
Kaisersesch Kaisersesch () is a town in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the like-named ''Verbandsgemeinde'', to which it also belongs. Geography The town lies in the eastern Eifel halfway betwee ...
. JG 11's losses included 12 pilots killed, 4 missing and 11 wounded. Later the same day JG 11 scrambled to intercept some seventy B-26 Marauders of 387th and 394th Bombardment Groups heading for Marshalling yards at
Mayen Mayen is a town in the Mayen-Koblenz District of the Rhineland-Palatinate Federal State of Germany, in the eastern part of the Volcanic Eifel Region. As well as the main town, additional settlements include Alzheim, Kürrenberg, Hausen-Betzing, ...
. Over Prüm and St. Vith they ran into the fighter escort and several of the JG 11 pilots were killed, including ''Major'' Erich Putzka, of the ''Gruppenstab'' and ''Oberfeldwebel'' Holland, chased by thirty P-47s. ''Oberfeldwebel'' Titscher was shot down by a
Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...
over
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
. Two others were wounded over Munstereifel. The next day American B-17 Flying Fortresses targeted JG 4 and JG 11's airfields. As JG 11 tried to protect its airfields they lost 4 pilots; ''Unteroffizier'' Stöhr killed over Gross-Ostheim, ''Feldwebel'' Horlacher over Gross-Karben and ''Leutnant'' Richter and ''Feldwebel'' Schulirsch did not return from the Moselle near
Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...
. On 25 December there were more losses. Flight Lieutenant Sherk of No. 402 Squadron RCAF intercepted a lone Fw 190A-8 southeast of Düren, which he shot down. This may have been ''Unteroffizier'' Wolfgang Rosenow of 11./JG 11 who failed to return from a mission to
Euskirchen Euskirchen (; Ripuarian: ''Öskerche'') is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the district Euskirchen. While Euskirchen resembles a modern shopping town, it also has a history dating back over 700 years, having been granted to ...
. III./JG 11 also lost four pilots near Bonn and Cologne. I./JG 11 ran into more fighters over Eifel, and ''Unteroffiziere'' Holzinger and Weismüller were lost.


1945


Operation Baseplate

On New Year's Day 1945, the ''Luftwaffe'' launched Operation Baseplate, a massed low-level fighter strike targeted at Allied airfields in France, Belgium and the Netherlands in support of the German offensive in the Ardennes. Elements of JG 11 were allocated the USAAF air base coded Y-29 at
Asch Asch may refer to: People * Asch (surname) *''Asch.'', taxonomic author abbreviation of Paul Friedrich August Ascherson (1834–1913), German botanist Places * Aš, Czech Republic * Asch (Netherlands), a village Other uses * Asch the Bloody, a ...
where the
366th Fighter Group 366th may refer to: *366th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *366th Division (IDF), also known as the "Path of Fire" Division, a reserve armored division of the IDF *366th Fighter Squadron, inactive United States Air Force ...
(366th FG,
Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...
) and the 352nd Fighter Group (352 FG, Eighth Air Force) were based. Also targeted was the Spitfire airfield at Ophoven, housing the RAF's No. 41, No. 130,
350 __NOTOC__ Year 350 ( CCCL) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sergius and Nigrinianus (or, less frequently, year 1103 '' ...
and No. 610 of the
2nd Tactical Wing The 2nd Tactical Wing ( nl, 2 Tactische Wing, french: 2 Wing Tactique) is a wing in the Air Component of the Belgian Armed Forces based at Florennes air base Florennes Air Base is a Belgian Air Component military airfield located east southea ...
. At 8:00 AM, the three ''Gruppen'' of JG 11 took off from Darmstadt-Griesheim, Gross-Ostheim, and Zellhausen led by Specht. Some 65 Fw 190 and Bf 109s formed over
Aschaffenburg Aschaffenburg (; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Aschebersch'') is a town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not part of the Aschaffenburg (district), district of Aschaffenburg, but is its administrative sea ...
at 8:30 AM, with two
Junkers Ju 188 The Junkers Ju 188 was a German ''Luftwaffe'' high-performance medium bomber built during World War II, the planned follow-up to the Ju 88 with better performance and payload. It was produced only in limited numbers, due both to the presence of i ...
pathfinders leading. With the secrecy surrounding the mission very few were aware of their objectives. At a height of 400 feet they passed over Koblenz. Over Aachen, liberated by the U.S. Army in October 1944,
flak 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 ...
burst around them, hitting the Fw 190 of ''Oberleutnant'' Hans Fielder, adjutant of III./JG 11. He had rejoined his group the previous day from
Göttingen Göttingen (, , ; nds, Chöttingen) is a university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the capital of the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. At the end of 2019, the population was 118,911. General information The ori ...
, force-landing on 23 December due to engine trouble, and was grounded. He was not expecting to participate in this operation but had to fly with a brand new Fw 190A-8 as the wingman for ''Oberleutnant'' Grosser, ''Staffelkapitän'' of 11./JG 11. A lone P-47 shot at him and a result of both flak hits and P-47 fire Fielder was wounded in the head and forced to crash-land becoming a POW. ''Unteroffizier'' Ernst Noreisch was shot down and killed.


=Legend of Y-29

= At 8:42 AM Captain Eber E. Simpson was leading the 391st squadron on a mission to bomb German tanks near St. Vith. They ran into two Bf 109s south of
Malmedy Malmedy (; german: Malmünd, ; wa, Måmdiy) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2018, Malmedy had a total population of 12,654. The total area is 99.96 km2 which gives a populati ...
with Lieutenants John F. Bathurst and Donald G. Holt claiming one each. At 9:10 AM Lieutenant Colonel John C. Meyer of 487th Fighter Squadron ( 352 FG) was preparing for takeoff in "Petie III" P-51 Mustang with 11 others. As he lifted off he noticed flak bursts over Ophoven and one Fw 190 heading straight at him, piloted by ''Gefreiter'' Böhm intent on strafing a
C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in f ...
transport. Meyer had not retracted his landing gear when he fired at the Fw 190 which cartwheeled and exploded next to the C-47. Despite the attack other P-51s were able to take off and JG 11 soon lost eight pilots. ''Obergefreiter'' Karlheinz Sistenich, ''Feldwebel'' Harald Scharz, ''Feldwebel'' Herbert Kraschinski, ''Oberleutnant'' August Engel all died, while ''Feldwebel'' Karl Miller was severely burnt after crash landing. There was one casualty among Allied ground crew. The U.S. flak crews held fire for fear of hitting a friendly aircraft and Allied pilots were cautious of firing at low flying 109s to avoid strafing the base. Flak crews hit one chasing P-51 which had to land damaged. By 9:15 AM eight P-47s of 366th FG "Red" and "Yellow" flights were preparing for
armed reconnaissance Armed (May, 1941–1964) was an American Thoroughbred gelding race horse who was the American Horse of the Year in 1947 and Champion Older Male Horse in both 1946 and 1947. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in ...
over Ardennes. "Red" flight consisted of Captain Lowell B. Smith with Lieutenants John Kennedy, Melvin R. Paisley and Flight Officer Dave Johnson. "Yellow" flight included Lieutenants John Feeny, Robert V. Brulle, Currie Davis and Joe Lackey. Kennedy noticed flak bursts to the northeast, and Red flight discovered JG 11 strafing the base at Ophoven with 50 JG 11 fighters heading back to their own base. Intent on strafing parked aircraft the German pilots did not notice the P-47s. Lieutenant Paisley hit a Bf 109 using an underwing rocket and downed two more using gunfire. Smith and Brulle both shot one down, Brulle damaging another before running out of ammunition. Feeny and Lackey also shot down JG 11 aircraft. Six 352 FG pilots claimed multiple victories. Captain William T. "Whiz" Whisner and Lieutenant
Sanford K. Moats Lieutenant General Sanford Kenneth Moats (born December 4, 1921) is an American Air Force lieutenant general and fighter ace. He was vice commander of the Tactical Air Command, with headquarters at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, responsible fo ...
claimed four each, with Captain Henry M. Stewart II and Lieutenant Alden P. Rigby claiming three each. Meyer and Lieutenant Ray Littge claimed two apiece while Whisner's wingman Lieutenant Walker G. Diamond and Meyer's wingman Lieutenant Alex F. Sears claimed one each. The air battle of Asch, later known as the "Legend of Y-29", was a disaster for JG 11. U.S. fighters claimed 30 German fighters while JG 11 lost 28 aircraft (from 65). 25 pilots were killed. 5./JG 11 was the only unit that returned unscathed, though all the aircraft were damaged. III./JG 11 lost six pilots including ''Major'' Vowinkel. Some 40 percent of the JG 11 pilots died in the operation. At Asch four P-51s were shot down in the attack but the pilots survived. One P-47 and one P-51 were shot up on the ground.


=Other Allied Engagements

= Over
Ophoven Airfield Ophoven Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield which is located west of Opglabbeek (Limburg); approximately northeast of Brussels. History The airfield was built by the United States Army Air Forces IX Engineer Command, 820th E ...
, a Spitfire of No. 610 Squadron flown by Australian Flight Lieutenant A.F.O. "Tony" Gaze took off but was shot at by P-51s chasing JG 11. He however shot down one Fw 190. At Ophoven JG 11 were able to shoot up several Spitfires of
No. 125 Wing RAF No. 125 Expeditionary Air Wing is a former deployable Expeditionary Air Wing of the Royal Air Force based at RAF Leuchars, Fife, Scotland. The current wing was established on 1 April 2006 the wing has history dating back to May 1944: Second Worl ...
with seven fighters of No. 350 Squadron RAF destroyed along with several
C-47 Dakota The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in ...
s. Buildings were also strafed. Although the flak crews claimed eight to ten aircraft downed several claims were duplicated by Allied pilots and flak crews, total claims being 42. III./JG 11 strafed for 45 minutes taking heavy losses. ''Unteroffizier'' Kurt Nüssle, 'Unteroffizier'' Hermann Barion and ''Feldwebel'' Peter Reschke were all shot down and killed, with ''Oberfeldwebel'' Franz Meindl listed as missing. Also among the pilots killed was ''Major'' Specht. Specht received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross after his death. Paisley's wingman Johnson claimed two German fighters shot down but his aircraft was heavily damaged from return fire. Bailing out he landed in a field near Asch. A Bf 109 had "belly landed" not far from the field and he went to inspect it, riding a borrowed bicycle. The Bf 109 was still intact but the pilot was dead. Johnson claimed that the pilot's identification card named him as a Lieutenant Colonel (german: Oberstleutnant) Specht. The claim has been disproved by German records that indicate Specht flew a Fw 190 (''Werknummber'' 205033—factory number), and that he was a ''Major''. Johnson's actual victim that day was ''Oberleutnant'' August Engel. ''Hauptmann''
Horst-Günther von Fassong Horst-Günther von Fassong (27 April 1919 – 1 January 1945) was a German Luftwaffe military aviation, military aviator and fighter ace during World War II. Depending on source, he is credited between 63 and 136 aerial victories achieved in an ...
, commander of III./JG 11, also went missing near
Opglabbeek Opglabbeek (; li, Glabbek) is a village, former municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. In 2018, Opglabbeek had a total population of 10,332. The total area is 24.98 km². The municipality consisted of the following commun ...
shot down by P-47s.


Defense of the Reich January–May 1945

A severely weakened JG 11 faced
Hawker Tempest The Hawker Tempest is a British fighter aircraft that was primarily used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Second World War. The Tempest, originally known as the ''Typhoon II'', was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, intended to a ...
s of No. 3 and 486 Squadrons on 14 January 1945. With the Allied fighters trying to keep the German fighters away from the Saar region, other ''Geschwader'' joined JG 11 and JG 11 lost two pilots in the engagement. JG 11 was finally ordered to move to the Eastern Front in Poland on 23 January 1945. Specht's successor as JG 11 ''Kommodore'' was Jürgen Harder, formerly Gruppenkommandeur of I./
JG 53 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 53 (JG 53) was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. It operated in Western Europe and in the Mediterranean. ''Jagdgeschwader'' 53 - or as it was better known, the "Pik As" ''(Ace of Spades)'' Geschwader - was one of the ...
. He died on 17 February 1945 near
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
, crashing due to oxygen failure. On 24 April 1945, five pilots were killed in action, including ''Unteroffizier'' Willi Kleemann who was killed in battle with Spitfires, P-51s and Yaks over
Tempelhof Tempelhof () is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg. It is the location of the former Tempelhof Airport, one of the earliest commercial airports in the world. The former airport and surroundings are now a park called ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. The unit surrendered to the British forces in early May 1945.


Bomber interception tactics of JG 11

As JG 11 formed in 1943 the bombers of Eighth Air Force were starting to extend their bombing operations, and JG 11 pilots avoided combat until the escorts were forced to break off. As a means of combating the massed firepower of bomber streams, JG 11 personnel trialed the viability of bombing the formations from above with 250 kg bombs, a practice pioneered by Luftwaffe ''Oberleutnant'' Heinz Knoke in March 1943. On 28 July 1943 ''Unteroffizier'' Fest of 5./JG 11 claimed three B-17's with a single bomb. However the loss in performance of the bomb-laden Bf 109's, along with their vulnerability to escorting fighters, soon curtailed the practice. 5./JG 11 were at the forefront of tactical developments for effectively intercepting the day bomber formations. The most effective tactic were mass frontal assaults, while other methods trialed were the use of the aforementioned BR 21 heavy-calibre rocket ordnance. These were inaccurate but were used primarily to break up the bomber formations.


Notable successes and losses

Several 'Bomber-killer' Aces (german: Experten) were among the veterans of II./JG 11. ''Hauptmann''
Gerhard Sommer Gerhard Sommer (24 June 1921 – 2019) was a German SS-''Untersturmführer'' (second lieutenant) in the 16th SS Panzergrenadier Division ''Reichsführer-SS'' who was involved in the massacre of 560 civilians on 12 August 1944 in the Italian v ...
of 4./JG 11 claimed 10 heavy bombers and ''Oberleutnant'' Heinz Knoke of 5./JG 11 claimed 12 victories by the end of 1943. Knoke's 5./JG 11 claimed as many heavy bombers as the other two ''Staffeln'' put together. This prompted 5./JG 11 to consider themselves as experts versus heavy bombers (german: Viermot Experten). Like its sister units engaged in ''Reich'' defense, JG 11 suffered heavy casualties in both pilots and aircraft. Many of the pilots killed were highly experienced and irreplaceable ''
Experten A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
''. ''Hauptmann'' Hugo Frey (32 claims, including 26 heavy bombers, killed 8 March 1944), ''Hauptmann'' Gerhardt Sommer (20 claims, 15 heavy bombers, killed 12 May 1944) and ''Feldwebel'' Wilhelm Fest (15 claims, 8 confirmed victories May 1944) were just three of JG 11's best aces to fall. In April 1944 ''Staffelkapitän'' of 10./
JG 51 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 51 (JG 51) was a German fighter wing during World War II. JG 51's pilots won more awards than any other fighter wing of the Luftwaffe, and operated in all major theatres of war. Its members included Anton Hafner, Heinz Bär ...
, ''Leutnant''
Horst-Günther von Fassong Horst-Günther von Fassong (27 April 1919 – 1 January 1945) was a German Luftwaffe military aviation, military aviator and fighter ace during World War II. Depending on source, he is credited between 63 and 136 aerial victories achieved in an ...
, was transferred to lead 7./JG 11. He was credited with 62 victories on the Eastern Front at the time. He added several B-17s in the next month before promotion to ''Gruppenkommandeur'' of III./JG 11. Von Fassong died on 1 January 1945 during Operation Baseplate, and his aircraft cartwheeled after attack by two
P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bom ...
s. Another major casualty of Operation Baseplate was ''Geschwaderkommodore'' Specht. On 9 July 1944 Hackl was the 78th recipient of the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), 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. The Knight ...
(german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern), following his 150th victory.


Commanding officers


Wing commanders

The list below provides its ''Geschwaderkommodores'' until its dissolution.


Group commanders

;I. ''Gruppe'' of JG 11 ;II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 11 ;III. ''Gruppe'' of JG 11


See also

* Oil Campaign of World War II *
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


Footnotes

* The similar but differing meaning of ''Oberleutnant'' and ''Oberstleutnant'' may have contributed to the misunderstanding. It is not clear whether Johnson himself said Specht's name was on the ID card. Johnson died in 1976 and the authors were unable to confirm this. * It is not known if those three claims were confirmed or not. * Lennartz's claim has not been confirmed by allied records.


Citations


References

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Subject bar , portal1=Aviation , portal2=Military of Germany , portal3=World War II Jagdgeschwader 011 Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945