''Jagdgeschwader'' 76 (JG 76) 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 ...

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 76 was first formed in 1939 in

Wien en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Aspern Aspern () is part of Donaustadt, the 22nd district of Vienna, Austria. History The area is known because of the Battle of Aspern-Essling, which was fought in the nearby Lobau on 21 and 22 May 1809. In that battle, the Austrian army, led by A ...

with only I. ''Gruppe'' (1st group). The ''Geschwader'' was renamed II./ Jagdgeschwader 54 on 4 July 1940. The ''Geschwader'' was recreated in July 1944 at

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

from the '' Stab''/

Zerstörergeschwader 76 ''Zerstörergeschwader 76'' (ZG 76) was a ''Zerstörer'' (heavy fighter; lit. "destroyer") ''geschwader'' (Wing (air force unit), wing) of the German ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II. The wing operated the Messerschmitt Bf 109 in the early phas ...

. From 22 July 1944 to August the gruppe was based at

Rotenburg Rotenburg may refer to: *Rotenburg (district), Lower Saxony, Germany *Rotenburg an der Wümme, capital of the district *Rotenburg an der Fulda, near Kassel in Hesse *Rothenburg ob der Tauber, in the Franconia region of Bavaria *Hersfeld-Rotenburg, ...

and Athis in France.

Operational history

The unit participated in the invasion of Poland, claiming 6 aircraft shot down. JG 76 then flew operations through the summer of 1940, and during the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

the unit claimed some 69 Allied aircraft downed, with Ltn. Roloff von Aspern (8), Ltn.

Hans Philipp Hans Philipp (17 March 1917 – 8 October 1943) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. He is credit ...

and Ofw.

Max Stotz Max Stotz (13 February 1912 – 19 August 1943) was an Austrian Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a fighter ace credited with shooting down 189 enemy aircraft claimed in more than 700 combat missions. Born in Mannswörth, Stotz ...

(both 7) Oblt.

Dietrich Hrabak Dietrich "Dieter" Hrabak (19 December 1914 – 15 September 1995) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and wing commander during World War II. Following the war, he became a '' Generalmajor'' (major general) in the German Air Force of West ...

(6) the top scorers. JG 76 saw very limited combat in the autumn of 1944, mainly during operations in response to

Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allies of World War II, Allied military operation during the World War II, Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a Salient (military), salient into G ...

. Some 46 aircraft were claimed shot down during 1944-45. Based in Athis, France, on 25 August 1944 III./JG 76 were intercepted by USAAF P-51 Mustang fighters and ''Gruppenkommandeur'' Oblt.

Egon Albrecht-Lemke Egon Albrecht-Lemke (19 May 1918 – 25 August 1944) was a German-Brazilian Luftwaffe fighter pilot and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Albrecht claimed 25 aerial victories, 10 over the Western Front and 15 ...

was shot down and killed in his Bf 109G-14 over Creil. Hpt. Hans Morr took command of the gruppe. On 28 August 1944 six USAAF P-38s were claimed by III./JG 76 over

Creil Creil is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. The Creil station is an important railway junction. History Archaeological remains in the area include a Neolithic site as well as a late Iron Age necropolis, perhaps belonging to ...

. 11 September saw 5 P-51s claimed downed near

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2020 ...

, while on 12 September 1944 seven B-17s were shot down. 19 September 1944 26 Bf 109Gs of I./JG 76 saw action over

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both banks of ...

and lost two aircraft, in return ''Uffz.''Ibold of 2./JG 76 claimed a P-51. The next day 15 fighters made low-level strafing attacks on troops around Nijmegen. No losses were suffered. On 24 September 26 Bf 109's joined III./

JG 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 ...

and IV./

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 ...

as part of the temporary tactical formation ''Gefechstverband Späthe'' in anti-fighter sweeps over the Netherlands. Two fighters were lost on 26 September flying ground attack missions. On 27 September 1944 a formation of some 29 I./JG 76 Bf 109s were attacked by No 412 and 443 RCAF Spitfires over the Arnhem-Nijmegen area. Five Bf 109s were lost in return for five Spitfires claimed shot down. On 29 September 1944 eight further aircraft were lost, in return for six Spitfires and a P-47 claimed, Ltn. Böer claiming two. Ltn. Fick, of 2./JG 76 claimed a Spitfire on 2 October 1944. Thirteen P-47s were claimed through October. IV./

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 Stab ...

was formed from elements of I./JG 76 at the beginning of October 1944. The unit was disbanded on 24 April 1945 in

Wien en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Commanding officers

* 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 ...

, 21 July 1944 – 7 October 1944 * Major

Ernst Düllberg Ernst Düllberg (28 March 1913 – 27 July 1984) was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Ernst Düllberg was credited with 45 victories in 650 combat missions, 36 o ...

, 7 October 1944 – April 1945

References

Citations

Bibliography

* {{Jagdgeschwader of the Luftwaffe Jagdgeschwader 076 Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1940 Military units and formations established in 1944 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945