Jagdgeschwader 5

Jagdgeschwader 5 (JG 5) was a German Luftwaffe fighter wing during World War II. It was created to operate in the far north of Europe, namely Norway, Scandinavia and northern parts of Finland, all nearest the Arctic Ocean, with ''Luftflotte'' 5, created specifically to be based in occupied Norway, and responsible for much of northern Norway.

Formation

In 1942, the Luftwaffe reorganized its fighter units based in Norway and Finland. In this context, the new fighter wing ''Jagdgeschwader'' 5 (JG 5—5th Fighter Wing) was created, the wing was later referred to as "''Eismeergeschwader''" (Arctic Sea Fighter Wing). Creation of JG 5 happened in three stages, in January, March and July 1942. On 10 January, the ''Stab'' (headquarters unit) of ''Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen'' was detached and formed the ''Geschwaderstab'' of JG 5. At the same time a new Stab of ''Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen'' was created and placed under the command of ''Oberst'' (Colonel) Carl-Alfred Schumacher. ''Major'' Gotthard Handrick received the command position of ''Geschwaderkommodore'' (wing commander) of JG 5. However, Handrick assumed command of JG 5 in late April 1942. Until then, Schumacher acted in his behalf.

I. ''Gruppe''

On 3 January 1942, I. '' Gruppe'' (1st group) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing), already stationed in Norway, was renamed to I. ''Gruppe'' and assigned to JG 5. The ''Gruppenstab'' remained unchanged and was commanded by ''Major'' Joachim Seegert. 1. '' Staffel'' (1st squadron) of JG 77 was renamed to 1. ''Staffel'' of JG 5, 2./JG 77 to 2./JG 5 and 3./JG 77 to 3./JG 5.

II. ''Gruppe''

In 1941, ''Luftflotte'' 5 (5th Air Fleet) had created ''Jagdgruppe'' z.b.V. (JGr z.b.V.—''zur besonderen Verwendung''), a fighter group for special deployment, under the command of ''Major'' Henning Strümpell. On 3 January 1942, JGr z.b.V. became the nucleus of II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 5. The 13. ''Staffel'' of JG 77 was renamed to 4./JG 5. The 5. ''Staffel'' was officially created from 15. ''Staffel'' of JG 77, a squadron which had just been created. Creation of 6. ''Staffel'' was deferred until mid-March 1942. On 21 March, 1./JG 5 was renamed and became 6./JG 5. Shortly later, a new 1./JG 5 was created from 10. ''Staffel'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 1 (JG 1—1st Fighter Wing).

III. ''Gruppe''

In January 1942, various residual ''Ergänzungsjagdgruppen'', supplementary fighter groups of multiple fighter wings, were consolidated in Vannes, France and formed IV. ''Gruppe'' (4th group) of JG 1 with three squadrons named 10., 11. and 12. ''Staffel''. IV. ''Gruppe'' first major task was Operation Donnerkeil, an air superiority operation to support the ''Kriegsmarine'' (German Navy) Operation Cerberus. The objective of this assignment was to give the German battleships and and the heavy cruiser fighter protection in the breakout from Brest to Germany. End-February to early March 1942, IV. ''Gruppe'' began relocating north to Trondheim. On 21 March, IV./JG 1 was renamed to III. ''Gruppe'' of JG 5 and placed under the command of ''Hauptmann'' (Captain) Günther Scholz.

7. '' Staffel'' (7th squadron) of JG 5 was created from the ''Ergänzungsjagdgruppe'' 3 of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing). On 31 December 1941, the ''Ergänzungsjagdgruppe'' 3 was detached from JG 3 and subordinated as an autonomous ''Staffel'' to ''Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen''. On 24 April 1942, 7. ''Staffel'' arrived in Pechenga, also referred to as Petsamo, where it was subordinated to III. ''Gruppe''. 8. ''Staffel'' had its roots in the ''Ergänzungsjagdgruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 26 (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) which had been created on 22 June 1941. On 27 January 1941, the ''Staffel'' became 11./JG 1 and was moved to Trondheim-Lade on 6 March. There it was renamed to 8./JG 5.

1942

Other elements came from ''Jagdgeschwader'' 1 in May. The unit had the responsibility for providing fighter-cover over occupied territories under ''Luftflotte'' 5, and also to provide fighter support for the German Army units having a war on the Arctic front in the Murmansk area.

at the start of the polar summer of 1942, ''Luftflotte'' 5 had been reinforced and by July 1942 possessed a total of 250 serviceable aircraft. Due to the air superiority established by II. and III./JG 5 early in the year, ''Luftflotte'' 5 enjoyed a numerical and considerable qualitative superiority, and the Soviet opposition amounted to just 170 serviceable combat aircraft. The command also benefited from an early-warning Freya radar network.

During the summer the Soviet air force brought in new units, including 20 IAP equipped with the new Yakovlev Yak-1, an effective counter to the Bf 109F. ''Luftflotte'' 5 recorded 26 combat losses in July 1942, while the VVS lost 32 of its own aircraft shot down or missing, mainly to JG 5. On 21 August, 6./JG 5 claimed 14 Soviet fighters shot down. According to Soviet records, 2 LaGG-3s and 2 I-16s were shot down over Vayenga and two aircraft made forced landings. JG 5 lost two Bf 109s, one was posted missing. JG 5 claimed some 72 victories in August, but Soviet records indicate 24 Soviet aircraft lost with another 7 damaged and 13 aircraft missing, and another 4 were shot down by ground fire. For the rest of 1942, elements of the unit were stationed in Trondheim and Kirkenes, from where they undertook attacks on the Arctic convoys.

1943

By January 1943, the units of the wing were stationed in southern Norway and Finland and were equipped with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 aircraft.
Mid-1943 saw JG 5 at its maximum strength, consisting of 14 ''Staffeln''; 12 regular single-engined fighter ''Staffeln'' equipped with the Bf 109 and Fw 190, one Bf 110-equipped ''Zerstörerstaffel'', and the '' Jabo'' unit, 14.(J)/JG 5 with the Fw 190A. 1943 was also the last year in which JG 5's four ''Gruppen'' operated as a single unit. I and II. ''Gruppe'' left Norway and Finland in late 1943 to fight the rest of the war away from their parent ''Geschwader''.

In mid-1943, half of the 70 to 80 fighters of JG 5, contained in I ''Gruppe'' were based above the Arctic Circle, protecting supply-shipping.

On 1 September 1943, ''Major'' Günther Scholz succeeded ''Oberstleutnant'' Gotthard Handrick as ''Geschwaderkommodore'' (Wing Commander) of JG 5.

In November 1943, I./JG 5 was moved to Romania as protection for the Ploieşti oil refineries. It was placed under the command of ''Luftflotte'' 1 and then redesignated as III./ JG 6; it was not replaced. IV./JG 5 was stationed on the Arctic Front and then in Southern Norway. Up to the end of the war, this unit formed the air defence against the Allied raids on the submarine bases at Trondheim and Bergen in Norway.

1944

On 1 August 1944, Heinrich Ehrler was appointed ''Geschwaderkommodore'' of JG 5, replacing ''Oberstleutnant'' Scholz who was given the position of ''Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen''.

On 12 November 1944 Avro Lancaster bombers of RAF Squadrons 9 and 617 attacked the '' Tirpitz'' in Tromsø fjord. Ehrler, commanding officer of JG 5, scrambled a formation to intercept, but the German fighters were too late. The ''Tirpitz'' was sunk with the loss of a thousand sailors. Ehrler was court-martialed; he sentenced to three years and stripped of his command. Ehrler was later reinstated; he was killed flying with JG 7 on 4 April 1945. Karl Dönitz was the driving force behind the conviction. Only Ehrler's record as a fighter pilot saved him from execution.

1945

In early January 1945 and following Ehrler's conviction by the ''Reichskriegsgericht'', ''Oberstleutnant'' Scholz, in addition to his obligations as ''Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen'' in Stavanger-Forus, assumed command of JG 5 again.

The German surrender at Lüneburg Heath is signed on 4 May 1945. All German armed forces in the Netherlands, in northwestern Germany, including the Frisian Islands and Heligoland and all other islands, as well forces in Schleswig-Holstein and in Denmark, lay down their arms and to surrender unconditionally. This surrender includes the last German soldiers in Norway as well as JG 5. In total, pilots of JG 5 claimed approximately 3,200 aerial victories during World War II. At the end of hostilities, losses had amounted to 435 men either killed in action or taken prisoner of war.

Commanding officers

''Geschwaderkommodore''

Gruppenkommandeure

''Gruppenkommandeure''

I. ''Gruppe'' of JG 5

Formerly the I. ''Gruppe'' of JG 77, re-designated to II. ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 6 on 15 October 1944:

III. ''Gruppe'' of JG 5

Formerly the IV. ''Gruppe'' of JG 1:

References

Citations

Bibliography

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Jagdgeschwader 005
Military units and formations established in 1942
Military units and formations disestablished in 1945