Zerstörergeschwader 1
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''Zerstörergeschwader'' 1 (ZG 1—1st Destroyer Wing) (lit. ''destroyer wing'') 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 ...
heavy/destroyer
Fighter Aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...
-
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 ...
.


Formation

''Zerstörergeschwader'' 1 (ZG 1—1st Destroyer Wing) was formed with two ''
Gruppen ''Gruppen'' (german: Groups) for three orchestras (1955–57) is amongst the best-known compositions of German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen, and is Work Number 6 in the composer's catalog of works. ''Gruppen'' is "a landmark in 20th-century m ...
'' (groups) before the war. Initially, no '' Geschwaderstab'' (headquarters unit) nor III. ''Gruppe'' (3rd group) was formed. I. ''Gruppe'' (1st group) was formed by renaming II(s). ''Gruppe'' (2nd group) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 132 "Richthofen" (JG 132—132nd Fighter Wing) to I. ''Gruppe'' of ''Zerstörergeschwader'' 141 (ZG 141—141st Destroyer Wing) on 1 November 1938 flying the
Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...
single engine fighter. On 1 May 1939, I. ''Gruppe'' of ZG 141 became I. ''Gruppe'' of ZG 1. During this entire time, the ''Gruppe'' was commanded by ''Major''
Joachim-Friedrich Huth Joachim-Friedrich Huth (31 July 1896 – 27 March 1962) was a German general in the during World War II and the Air Force of the in West Germany. Huth retired from the military service in 1961 holding the rank of . Biography Huth was born in ...
. This unit was initially based at Jüterbog- Damm until it was moved to Mackfitz, present-day Makowice in north-western Poland, on 24 August 1939. The II. ''Gruppe'' was formed on 15 May 1939 at
Fürstenwalde Fürstenwalde/Spree (; Lower Sorbian: ''Pśibor pśi Sprjewje'') is the most populous town in the Oder-Spree District of Brandenburg, Germany. Geography The town is situated in the glacial valley (''Urstromtal'') of the Spree river north of the ...
and was also equipped with the Bf 109. The ''Gruppe'' had originally been formed as II(l). ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 135 (JG 135—135th Fighter Wing). It was then renamed to I. ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 333 (JG 333—333th Fighter Wing) on 1 November 1938 which was then briefly given the designation I. ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) on 1 May 1939. During this creation process, the ''Gruppe'' was cammanded by ''Major'' Rudolf Stoltenhoff, who turned over command to ''Major'' Hellmut Reichard on 15 May 1939.


World War II


Invasion of Poland and Phoney War

On the outbreak of World War II the unit was based with 1. ''Fliegerdivision'' in Central Germany. During the
German invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week afte ...
ZG 1 was part of ''Luftflotte'' 3. Only the I. ''Gruppe'' was fit for action at
Mühlen Eichsen Mühlen Eichsen is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Nordwestmecklenburg district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. References

Nordwestmecklenburg {{Nordwestmecklenburg-geo-stub ...
. The group operated the Bf 110 C. The division and air fleet supported the 4th army on most northern part of the line as it advanced to capture Danzig and
Bydgoszcz Bydgoszcz ( , , ; german: Bromberg) is a city in northern Poland, straddling the meeting of the River Vistula with its left-bank tributary, the Brda. With a city population of 339,053 as of December 2021 and an urban agglomeration with more ...
. Only three of the ten ''Zerstörergruppen'' were genuine units (I./ZG 1, I./
ZG 76 ZG, Zg, or zg may refer to: Arts and entertainment: * Z-G, a collectible action figure game * ZOEgirl, a pop rock band * Zubeen Garg, Indian singer and actor, known as ZG. Places: * Aspen and Pitkin County, Colorado (former vehicle plate code ZG) ...
, I(Z)./ LG 1). The rest were given Bf 109s and nominated ''Jagdgruppen'' (for example II./ZG 1 was renamed II./JGr 101). Among the operational Bf 110 units there were barely 100 aircraft available. Little is known of I./ZG 1's activities other than the fact that they were the least successful of all the fighter units in Poland. In one long-range fighter escort mission I./ZG 1 claimed two Polish fighters but lost ''Hauptmann'' von Freiherr Mullenheim. In December 1939 II./''Trägergruppe'' 186 (Carrier Air Group 186; TrGr 186) which was officially attached to ZG 1 but placed under Stab./ JG 1 for defensive duties under ''
Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
'' Heinrich Seeliger. JGr 101 was attached to ZG 1 and eventually became II./ZG 1. It was commanded by ''Major'' Hellmuth Reichardt. JGr. 101 fought in the Battle of the Heligoland Bight. Only a ''rotte'' from 3. ''Staffel'' made contact with the bombers and claimed two. Dietrich Robitzsch wrote off a Bf 109. Two more pilots were wounded. In April 1940 ZG 1 was subordinated to ''Fliegerkorps'' X for
Operation Weserübung Operation Weserübung (german: Unternehmen Weserübung , , 9 April – 10 June 1940) was Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign. In the early morning of 9 Ap ...
, the
German invasion of Denmark The German invasion of Denmark (german: Operation Weserübung – Süd), was the German attack on Denmark on 9 April 1940, during the Second World War. The attack was a prelude to the invasion of Norway (german: Weserübung Nord, 9 April – 10 ...
and Norwegian Campaign on 6 April, three days before the invasion began. I. ''Gruppe'' was commanded by
Wolfgang Falck Wolfgang Falck (19 August 1910 – 13 March 2007) was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot and wing commander and one of the key organisers of the German night fighter defences. As a fighter ace, he claimed eight enemy aircraft shot down in 90 c ...
, a pioneer of
night fighter A night fighter (also known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor for a period of time after the Second World War) is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility. Night fighters began to be used i ...
operations. 3./ZG 1 escorted 28
Heinkel He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a "wolf in sheep's clothing". Due to restrictions placed on Germany after th ...
bombers from
KG 4 ''Kampfgeschwader'' 4 "General Wever" (KG 4) (Battle Wing 4) was a Luftwaffe bomber wing during World War II. The unit was formed in May 1939. The unit operated the Dornier Do 17, Junkers Ju 88 and Heinkel He 111 medium bombers, with later serv ...
on a demonstration flight over
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
. Falck led I./ZG 1 to attack the
Royal Danish Air Force The Royal Danish Air Force ( da, Flyvevåbnet, lit=The Flying weapon) (RDAF) is the aerial warfare force of The Kingdom of Denmark and one of the four branches of the Danish Defence. Initially being components of the Army and the Navy, it was ...
base at Vaerlose where four
Fokker D.XXI The Fokker D.XXI fighter was designed in 1935 by Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker in response to requirements laid out by the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force (''Militaire Luchtvaart van het Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger'', ML ...
were taking off. Falck shot one down. 13 other Danish fighters, including
Fokker C.V The Fokker C.V was a Dutch light reconnaissance and bomber biplane aircraft manufactured by Fokker. It was designed by Anthony Fokker and the series manufacture began in 1924 at Fokker in Amsterdam. Development The C.V was constructed in the earl ...
s, were strafed and destroyed. I./ZG 1 at
Aalborg Aalborg (, , ) is Denmark's fourth largest town (behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Odense) with a population of 119,862 (1 July 2022) in the town proper and an urban population of 143,598 (1 July 2022). As of 1 July 2022, the Municipality of Aalb ...
experienced repeated air attacks by
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 ...
. Falck arranged interception procedures with the local commanding officer to enable interceptions in
dusk Dusk occurs at the darkest stage of twilight, or at the very end of astronomical twilight after sunset and just before nightfall.''The Random House College Dictionary'', "dusk". At predusk, during early to intermediate stages of twilight, enou ...
hours. He led three Bf 110s in an interception on 30 April, and although these did not yield a victory, Falck was invited to
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
to discuss his ideas with
Ernst Udet Ernst Udet (26 April 1896 – 17 November 1941) was a German pilot during World War I and a ''Luftwaffe'' Colonel-General (''Generaloberst'') during World War II. Udet joined the Imperial German Air Service at the age of 19, and eventually ...
,
Erhard Milch Erhard Milch (30 March 1892 – 25 January 1972) was a German general field marshal ('' Generalfeldmarschall'') of Jewish heritage who oversaw the development of the German air force (''Luftwaffe'') as part of the re-armament of Nazi Germany fo ...
, and
Albert Kesselring Albert Kesselring (30 November 1885 – 16 July 1960) was a German '' Generalfeldmarschall'' of the Luftwaffe during World War II who was subsequently convicted of war crimes. In a military career that spanned both world wars, Kesselring beca ...
, though the senior command was preoccupied with
Fall Gelb The Manstein Plan or Case Yellow (german: Fall Gelb) also known as Operation Sichelschnitt (german: Sichelschnittplan, from the English language, English term sickle cut), was the Military operation plan, war plan of the German Army (Wehrmacht), ...
, the coming
Battle of Belgium The invasion of Belgium or Belgian campaign (10–28 May 1940), often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' Campaign (french: Campagne des 18 jours, nl, Achttiendaagse Veldtocht), formed part of the greater Battle of France, an Military o ...
and
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 ...
. Falck was sure that a Bf 110 unit could defend the airspace at night with assistance from
radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...
operators. Falck convinced Kesselring, Milch and Udet at the RLM.
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 ...
, commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, ordered Falck to created a ''Nachtjagdgeschwader'' at
Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
on 22 June 1940. He formed
Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 1 (NJG 1) was a German night fighter-wing of World War II. NJG 1 was formed on 22 June 1940 and comprised four (groups). NJG 1 was created as an air defence unit for the Defence of the Reich campaign; an aerial war waged by the ...
. In the first week of May 1940, I./ZG 1 was seconded to Fall Gelb, and was replaced at Aalborg by I(J)./
LG 2 ''Lehrgeschwader'' 2 (LG 2) (Demonstration Wing 2) was a Luftwaffe unit during World War II, operating three fighter, night fighter, reconnaissance and ground support ''Gruppen'' (groups). ''Lehrgeschwader'' were in general mixed-formation unit ...
.


Battle of the Low Countries and France, operations over Switzerland

ZG 1 was assigned to ''Luftflotte'' 2. I./ZG 1 was based at
Kirchhellen Bottrop () is a city in west-central Germany, on the Rhine–Herne Canal, in North Rhine-Westphalia. Located in the Ruhr industrial area, Bottrop adjoins Essen, Oberhausen, Gladbeck, and Dorsten. The city had been a coal-mining and rail cent ...
with 22 of the 35 Bf 110s operational. II./ZG 1 had 26 of its 36 Bf 110s operational at
Gelsenkirchen Gelsenkirchen (, , ; wep, Gelsenkiärken) is the 25th most populous city of Germany and the 11th most populous in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with 262,528 (2016) inhabitants. On the Emscher River (a tributary of the Rhine), it lies ...
. Of the 145 Bf 110s in the air fleet, just 82 were combat ready on 10 May 1940. ZG 26 supported ZG 1 in heavy fighter operations. The unit fought in the
Battle of the Netherlands The German invasion of the Netherlands ( nl, Duitse aanval op Nederland), otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands ( nl, Slag om Nederland), was a military campaign part of Battle of France, Case Yellow (german: Fall Gelb), the Nazi Ge ...
. ZG 1 was engaged in the
Offensive counter air Offensive counter-air (OCA) is a military term for the suppression of an enemy's military air power, primarily through ground attacks targeting enemy air bases: disabling or destroying parked aircraft, runways, fuel facilities, hangars, air traffi ...
operations against the Royal Dutch Air Force on 10 May. 4. ''Staffel'' is known to have fought in combat with the Dutch 5e JaVA (5th Fighter Unit) which cost it one aircraft. One flight of ZG 1 Bf 110s shot down five from six
Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...
s from
No. 600 Squadron RAF No. 600 (City of London) Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air Force is a squadron of the RAF Reserves. It was formed in 1925 and operated as a night fighter squadron during the Second World War with great distinction. After the war, 600 Squadron went on t ...
, which had taken off from
RAF Manston Royal Air Force Manston or more simply RAF Manston is a former Royal Air Force station located in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site was split between a commercial airport Kent International Airpo ...
to bomb
Waalhaven Waalhaven Airport in 1932, with the Graf Zeppelin in the background. The Waalhaven is a harbour in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. It used to be home to an airport, Vliegveld Waalhaven (Waalhaven Airport). It was the second civilian airport in the ...
. On 11 May
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 ...
sent No. 18 and No. 53 to bomb the
Albert Canal The Albert Canal (, ) is a canal located in northeastern Belgium, which was named for King Albert I of Belgium. The Albert Canal connects Antwerp with Liège, and also the Meuse river with the Scheldt river. It also connects with the Dessel ...
near
Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
. Four
Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...
s failed to return; one was a victim of JG 1, two to ground-fire, but the other fell to Bf 110s from II./ZG 1. ZG 1 continued counter-air operations by strafing airfields. I. and II. ''Gruppe'' attacked
Haamstede Haamstede is a village in the Dutch province of Zeeland. It is a part of the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland. The village is known for Haamstede Castle. History The village was first mentioned in 1229 as Haemstede, and means "place with a ho ...
,
Flushing Flushing may refer to: Places * Flushing, Cornwall, a village in the United Kingdom * Flushing, Queens, New York City ** Flushing Bay, a bay off the north shore of Queens ** Flushing Chinatown (法拉盛華埠), a community in Queens ** Flushing ...
, and
Oostvoorne Oostvoorne is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westvoorne, and lies about north of Hellevoetsluis. In 2001, the town of Oostvoorne had 5,403 inhabitants, the built-up area of the town was , and ...
. I./ZG 1 claimed 26 Dutch aircraft on the ground. True Dutch losses are unstated. The command flight of II./ZG 1 encountered
No. 615 Squadron RAF No. 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron was a unit of the British Auxiliary Air Force and later the Royal Auxiliary Air Force between 1937 and 1957. History Formation and early years No. 615 squadron was formed at RAF Kenley as part of the Auxilia ...
and the British unit lost one pilot killed near
Courrière Courrière ( wa, Côrire) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Assesse, located in the province of Namur, Belgium. Until 1977, it was an independent municipality. Courrière is located at the junction of two major road ...
. ZG 1 conducted patrols during the Battle of Gembloux, a major engagement in the
Battle of Belgium The invasion of Belgium or Belgian campaign (10–28 May 1940), often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' Campaign (french: Campagne des 18 jours, nl, Achttiendaagse Veldtocht), formed part of the greater Battle of France, an Military o ...
, and accounted for a
No. 87 Squadron RAF No. 87 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force during the First World War and Second World War. World War I 87 Squadron Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was first formed on 1 September 1917 at Upavon from elements of the Central Flyi ...
pilot killed near the town on 14 May. No. 87 and ZG 1 clashed again later in the day. Along with No. 79 Squadron RAF, they attempted to attack He 111s from II./ LG 1 near
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
. Three German bombers were shot down but it cost No. 79 Squadron one pilot killed. No. 87 Squadron lost one
Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...
and it spilot wounded in action with 1./ZG 1. The air battles were costly; over the 10 to 13 May, ZG 1 and ZG 26 lost five Bf 110s between them reakdown unknown On 14 May 5./ZG 1 lost its ''Staffelkapitän''
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 ...
Kiippers during a full-scale strafing of
Vlissingen Vlissingen (; zea, label=Zeelandic, Vlissienge), historically known in English as Flushing, is a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic l ...
airfield. On 16 May, over Brussels, five 1./ZG 1 Bf 110s fought No. 85 and No. 87 Squadrons; the British claimed three though no losses were sustained; one German pilot was wounded. The German unit claimed one, though any RAF casualties in the dogfight are unstated. Later in the day,
No. 3 Squadron RAF Number 3 Squadron, also known as No. 3 (Fighter) Squadron, of the Royal Air Force operates the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, since reforming on 1 April 2006. It was first formed on 13 May 1912 as one of the first squ ...
fighters killed one of ZG 1's crews in combat. In return,
Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...
P Gifford DFC was killed in action with 1./ZG 1. ZG 1 are known to have fought in the
Battle of Dunkirk The Battle of Dunkirk (french: Bataille de Dunkerque, link=no) was fought around the French port of Dunkirk (Dunkerque) during the Second World War, between the Allies and Nazi Germany. As the Allies were losing the Battle of France on ...
; on 1 June 1940 I. ''Gruppe'' claimed three Hurricanes over the port. ZG 1 remained active during
Fall Rot ''Fall Rot'' (Case Red) was the plan for a German military operation after the success of (Case Yellow), the Battle of France, an invasion of the Benelux countries and northern France. The Allied armies had been defeated and pushed back in th ...
, the second phase of 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 Luftwaffe had proven successful in the
Air interdiction Air interdiction (AI), also known as deep air support (DAS), is the use of preventive tactical bombing and strafing by combat aircraft against enemy targets that are not an immediate threat, to delay, disrupt or hinder later enemy engagement of fr ...
role, but became a victim of its own success when German logistics began to strain because of the infrastructure damage caused by bombing. An effort was made to repair French and Belgian road, bridges and railway lines. Fuel shortages occurred, but I./ZG 1 at Norrent-Fontes, for example, reported of aviation fuel on 7 June just days into the beginning of the second offensive. II./ZG 1 was based at Trier-Euren and both served under Jagdfliegerführer 3. German bomber wings were ordered to attack rail traffic in the
Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...
and shipping in
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
. They overflew
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
for convenience and as a mark of arrogance in their perceived superiority. The Swiss Air Force intercepted on one occasion, and with some units equipped with German-built Bf 109s, shot down six He 111s. Göring was furious and ordered missions to continue with Bf 110 escort. The second mission resulted in the destruction of one Swiss fighter. The Nazi leaderships obsession with saving face, resulted in II./ZG 1 being ordered to fly missions over Swiss air space. This cost the unit five Bf 110s, and the commanding officer of 6. ''Staffel'' on 8 June. Thereafter, operations over Switzerland were stopped.


Battle of Britain and Channel Front

The
Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...
began in July 1940, but ZG 1 was already being broken up to form new units. On 22 June I./ZG 1 became I./
Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 1 (NJG 1) was a German night fighter-wing of World War II. NJG 1 was formed on 22 June 1940 and comprised four (groups). NJG 1 was created as an air defence unit for the Defence of the Reich campaign; an aerial war waged by the ...
, a night fighter wing and returned to Germany. On 26 June 1940 II./ZG 1 was renamed III. ''Gruppe'' of ''Zerstörergeschwader'' 76 (ZG 76—76th Destroyer Wing). ZG 1 had formally ceased to exist for the next 18 months. I. ''Gruppe'' retained its ''Zerstörer'' status into July 1940 for it is listed on the Quartermaster of the Luftwaffe as I(Nacht)/ZG 1. Two aircraft belonging to this unit were reported destroyed on 25 July; one in action with an RAF bomber and another in an accident. Two crewmen were killed and two wounded.


Eastern Front

In June 1941 the Wehrmacht and its Allies began
Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa (german: link=no, Unternehmen Barbarossa; ) was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and many of its Axis allies, starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during the Second World War. The operation, code-named after ...
, the invasion of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
, initiating the war on the Eastern Front. The failure of Barbarossa and the requirement for heavy fighter groups which could act with versatility in a variety of support roles was realised. ZG 1 was to reform, this time with a Stab and three ''gruppen'', common in most Luftwaffe wings. ZG 1 began operations in the Soviet Union in the winter 1941/42, though combat operations did not occur until after 1 January 1942. I./ZG 1 was reformed from I./
SKG 210 ''Schnellkampfgeschwader'' 210 (SKG 210) was a Luftwaffe fast-bomber wing during the Second World War. The unit was created in April 1941 and absorbed by the Zerstörergeschwader 1 on 4 January 1942. Operational history SKG 210 had its origin ...
in January 1942. Stab and I./ZG 1 was assigned to support
Army Group South Army Group South (german: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland Army Group Sou ...
, under
Luftflotte 4 ''Luftflotte'' 4For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organisation (Air Fleet 4) was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed on March 18, 1939, from Luftwaffenkomm ...
. The combat units were to support the German defence on the
Mius River The Mius (, ) is a river in Eastern Europe that flows through Ukraine and Russia. It is long, and has a drainage basin of .Миус
after their defeat in the Battle of Rostov in December 1941. The Bf 110, which had not succeeded as a
fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...
, had been converted to the fighter-bomber role in the Battle of Britain. The type was a success in the night fighter role, neccessating the withdrawal of the Bf 110 from the Eastern Front in late 1941. The need to counter
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
advances in early 1942 saw a number of night fighter units reconverted back to ground attack units—I. and II./
NJG 4 Luftwaffe Wings, Nachtjagdgeschwader 004 Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 ...
became ZG 26 and their deployment to the Eastern Front weakened the night fighter force. II./ZG 1 was transferred to
Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen Wolfram Karl Ludwig Moritz Hermann Freiherr von Richthofen (10 October 1895 – 12 July 1945) was a German World War I flying ace who rose to the rank of '' Generalfeldmarschall'' in the Luftwaffe during World War II. Born in 1895 into a f ...
's Fliegerkorps VIII to support
Army Group Centre Army Group Centre (german: Heeresgruppe Mitte) was the name of two distinct strategic German Army Groups that fought on the Eastern Front in World War II. The first Army Group Centre was created on 22 June 1941, as one of three German Army fo ...
and help it defend against the enormous Soviet counter-offensive following the
Battle of Moscow The Battle of Moscow was a military campaign that consisted of two periods of strategically significant fighting on a sector of the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front during World War II. It took place between September 1941 and January ...
. The Bf 110 ''Zerstörer'' pilots were hated by Soviet soldiers for their destructive effect. In the winter battles the roads had been cleared, often leaving huge mountains of snow on either side. Congested columns of men and vehicles proved vulnerable to strafing attacks. German pilots described the appalling effects; Oberleutnant Johannes Kiel remarked they "saw the snow becoming stained red by all the blood." The operations were not without cost to the Germans. II./ZG 1's commanding officer, Hauptmann Rolf Kaldrick killed on 3 February 1942 along with another crew when Soviet
MiG-3 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-3) was a Soviet fighter-interceptor used during World War II. It was a development of the MiG-1 by the OKO (opytno-konstruktorskij otdel — Experimental Design Departme ...
fighters intercepted them. The Bf 110 units lost two of their
Knight's Cross Knight's Cross (German language ''Ritterkreuz'') refers to a distinguishing grade or level of various orders that often denotes bravery and leadership on the battlefield. Most frequently the term Knight's Cross is used to refer to the Knight's Cr ...
holders within a week. Kaldrack became the first ''Zerstörer'' pilot to receive the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross. In the last five days of February 1942 five II./ZG 1 aircraft were shot down. The 120 IAP (Independent Fighter Regiment) were responsible for the majority of these losses. In late March, early April 1942, I./ZG 1 was pulled off the frontlines to rest and recuperate. I. and II./ZG 1 returned to the Eastern Front under Luftflotte 4 to support
Army Group South Army Group South (german: Heeresgruppe Süd) was the name of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland Army Group Sou ...
in
Operation Blue Case Blue (German: ''Fall Blau'') was the German Armed Forces' plan for the 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia between 28 June and 24 November 1942, during World War II. The objective was to capture the oil fields of the Cauca ...
, Hitler's offensive towards the Soviet
Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...
oilfields near
Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
on the
Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...
. 71 Bf 110s were operational from a total of 108. III./ZG 1, with 7. ''Staffel'' of ''Zerstörergeschwader'' 2 (ZG 2—2nd Destroyer Wing) attached, was also assigned to the air fleet by 27 July 1942. On 10 June 1942, ZG 1, with ZG 2 and other Luftwaffe units began "Operation Wilhelm" to establish staging areas for Operation Blue near Volchansk. On the first day alone, 20 German aircraft were lost in the ground support role—10 belonged to ZG 1 and ZG 2. By 20 July, Luftflotte 4's number of serviceable aircraft shrank by 45 percent. ZG 2 had to be removed from combat and handed its remaining Bf 110s to ZG 1. At the time of the withdrawal, both heavy fighter wings could muster only 86 combat ready Bf 110s between them. For the battles on the Don bend, ZG 1 was assigned to
Kurt Pflugbeil __NOTOC__ Kurt Leopold Pflugbeil (9 May 1890 – 31 May 1955) was a German general (General der Flieger) in the Luftwaffe during World War II who commanded 4th Air Corps and Luftflotte 1. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cros ...
's IV Fliegerkorps in support of
Army Group A Army Group A (Heeresgruppe A) was the name of several German Army Groups during World War II. During the Battle of France, the army group named Army Group A was composed of 45½ divisions, including 7 armored panzer divisions. It was responsibl ...
. In August 1942, ZG 1 supported close air support to Army Group A in the advance south to the Caucasus. On 2 September ZG 1 were attacking areas to the north west of
Stalingrad Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stal ...
, near
Kotluban Kotluban (russian: Котлубань) is a rural locality (a settlement) and the administrative center of Kotlubanskoye Rural Settlement, Gorodishchensky District, Volgograd Oblast Volgograd Oblast (russian: Волгогра́дская о́б ...
. Here, they were intercepted by Yak-1s from the 220 IAD and lost three crews, while their opponents suffered one loss. The Red Air Force provided fierce resistance throughout the battles. During the advance southward, ZG 1 set up a night fighter unit in September 1942, named 10(Nacht) ''Staffel'' which produced the successful Josef Kociok. II. ''Gruppe'' pilot Rudolf Scheffel emerged as one of ZG 1's purportedly successful anti-tank pilots; he claimed five aircraft shot down and ten times the number of tanks. Scheffel was awarded the Knight's Cross on 29 October 1942. Hans Peterbus from II./ZG 1 was awarded the decoration on 25 November for 18 aircraft shot down, 26 on the ground, and 19 tanks destroyed. I./ZG 1 was given credit for 44 aircraft, 41 tanks, 15 locomotives, 11 artillery guns, and 157 trucks destroyed. The
Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
Operation Uranus Operation Uranus (russian: Опера́ция «Ура́н», Operatsiya "Uran") was the codename of the Soviet Red Army's 19–23 November 1942 strategic operation on the Eastern Front of World War II which led to the encirclement of Axis ...
turned the tide in the
Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II where Nazi Germany and its allies unsuccessfully fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (later re ...
. ZG 1 was ordered to perform escort fighter roles from their base in Tatsinskaya, for
Junkers Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. Development of the Ju 52 commenced during 1930, headed by German Aeros ...
transports supplied the encircled Axis armies but were not successful. ZG 1 opened the
Operation Winter Storm Operation Winter Storm (german: Unternehmen Wintergewitter), a German offensive in December 1942 during World War II, involved the German 4th Panzer Army failing to break the Soviet encirclement of the German 6th Army during the Battle of St ...
, an attempt to relive the trapped armies, by attacking the Soviet airbase at Abganerovo before reverting to breaking up Soviet lines of resistance. II./ZG 1 lost five aircraft in combat on 16 December 1942. On 26 December ZG 1 and KG 3 attempted to check Soviet advances in the Novaya Kalitva area but accounted strong resistance from Soviet fighters. The 814 IAP claimed five German aircraft shot down on this date. In January 1943, I. and II./ZG 1, with the 13(Pz)/
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 ...
and II/
SG 1 ''Schlachtgeschwader'' 1 (originally abbreviated Schl.G. 1 and latter SG 1) was a German Luftwaffe wing during World War II. It operated the Henschel Hs 123, Henschel Hs 129, Focke-Wulf Fw 190, and the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Formation ''Schlacht ...
formed the backbone of the defence at Tatsinskaya and
Morozovsk Morozovsk (russian: Моро́зовск) is a town and the administrative center of Morozovsky District in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the Bystraya River (left tributary of the Seversky Donets), northeast of Rostov-on-Don, the administra ...
and against the 1st Guards Army at
Millerovo Millerovo (russian: Миллерово) is the name of several inhabited localities in Rostov Oblast, Russia. ;Urban localities *Millerovo, Millerovsky District, Rostov Oblast, a town in Millerovsky District Millerovsky District (russian: Ми́ ...
and 3rd Guards Army at
Morozovsk Morozovsk (russian: Моро́зовск) is a town and the administrative center of Morozovsky District in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the Bystraya River (left tributary of the Seversky Donets), northeast of Rostov-on-Don, the administra ...
. Though they were successful in delaying the advances, they did not prevent the encirclement of the German 3rd Mountain Division north of Millerovo. I. and II./ZG 1 made efforts to support the defence of air transport bases at
Novocherkassk Novocherkassk (russian: Новочерка́сск, lit. ''New Cherkassk'') is a city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located near the confluence of the Tuzlov and Aksay Rivers, the latter a distributary of the Don River. Novocherkassk is best known as t ...
and
Zverevo Zverevo (russian: Зве́рево) is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Rostov-on-Don. Population: History Zverevo grew from a mining settlement, which was founded in the beginning of the 20th century. It was granted urban ...
, thereby keeping open the bottleneck through to Rostov. On 21 January 1943, operations of this kind cost ZG 1 six crews. A lst effort was made by I./ZG 1, with support from Stab/JG 3, to fly a long-range patrol over Stalingrad. They returned with two victory claims, but commanding officer
Eduard Tratt Eduard Tratt (24 February 1919 – 22 February 1944) was a ''Luftwaffe'' fighter aircraft, fighter, test pilot and flying ace of World War II. Major (Germany), Major Eduard Tratt was the highest scoring Zerstörer pilot of the war with 38 victori ...
narely survived a crash-landing. Operations were costly. Proportionately, ZG 1's casualties were comparable to the German 6th army in the Battle of Stalingrad. At the end of the year, the two groups could muster a handful of aircraft between them but were still forced into battle.
Erhard Milch Erhard Milch (30 March 1892 – 25 January 1972) was a German general field marshal ('' Generalfeldmarschall'') of Jewish heritage who oversaw the development of the German air force (''Luftwaffe'') as part of the re-armament of Nazi Germany fo ...
personally ordered the Six Bf 109s and five Bf 110s left to conduct patrols over the city regardless of the protests of
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 ...
's commanding officer, coordinating fighter operations near Stlaingrad, that the Bf 110 element was not up to the task. The missions went ahead, with but experienced the expected losses. On 31 January 1943, most of ZG 1 personnel were ordered out of the Soviet Union. II./ZG 1 was sent to the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
; III./ZG 1 had been in the theatre and
North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
since the previous autumn. I./ZG 1 remained on the front to serve on the central sector from May 1943. On 5 July Stab and I./ZG 1 had 44 Bf 110s, 37 combat ready, to serve in the
Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk was a major World War II Eastern Front engagement between the forces of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union near Kursk in the southwestern USSR during late summer 1943; it ultimately became the largest tank battle in history. ...
. An independent anti-tank staffel, Pz.Jg.St/ZG 1 operated 12 Bf 110s equipped with
BK 3,7 The Bordkanone 3,7 (BK 3,7) ("on-board cannon 3.7") was a German anti-tank/bomber autocannon of World War II and based on the earlier 3.7 cm Flak 18 made by Rheinmetall. It was mounted on Luftwaffe aircraft such as the Junkers Ju 87 G-1 ...
cannon with little success.


Mediterranean, African Front and Bay of Biscay

III./ZG 1 was sent from the Soviet Union to Crete on 6 August 1942 having suffered grievous losses on the Eastern Front. The unit regrouped, rested and began defensive patrols over convoys, escorting transports between
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
and
Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...
. A third of the Luftwaffe was engaged in these activities in the Mediterranean, indicating a shift to the defensive. The unit partially reequipped with Bf 109 E fighter bombers. The group was transferred to Africa (under
Luftflotte 2 __NOTOC__ ''Luftflotte'' 2For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organisation (Air Fleet 2) was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed 1 February 1939 in Braunsch ...
) and fought in the North African Campaign. On 1 September 1942, Hauptmann Roland Borth was shot down over
El Alamein El Alamein ( ar, العلمين, translit=al-ʿAlamayn, lit=the two flags, ) is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Arab's Gulf, Mediterranean Sea, it lies west of Alexandria and northwest of Cairo. , it had ...
and died of wounds eight days later. The ''gruppe'' lost another pilot killed on 17 September. Personnel from III./ZG 1, with fighter-bomber ''staffeln'' from
JG 27 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 27 (JG 27) "''Afrika''" was a fighter wing of the Luftwaffe during World War II. The wing was given the name "Africa" for serving in the North African Campaign predominantly alone in the period from April 1941 to Septemb ...
and
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 ...
were used to form the nucleus of II./
SG 2 ''Schlachtgeschwader'' 2 (SG 2) ''Immelmann'' was a Luftwaffe dive-bomber wing of World War II. It was named after Max Immelmann, the first German pilot to earn the Pour le Mérite. This close-support ''Stuka'' unit fought principally in the so ...
on 30 September 1942. III./ZG 1 fought on as the German front at Alamein collapsed and saw action in the
Battle of Tunisia The Tunisian campaign (also known as the Battle of Tunisia) was a series of battles that took place in Tunisia during the North African campaign of the Second World War, between Axis and Allied forces from 17 November 1942 to 13 May 1943. T ...
. Two of the new
Messerschmitt Me 210 The Messerschmitt Me 210 was a German heavy fighter and ground-attack aircraft of World War II. Design started before the war, as a replacement for the Bf 110. The first examples were ready in 1939, but they proved to have unacceptably poor fl ...
s were lost to Sptifires on 13 November. The following day one of the few victory claims for the group, a
Bristol Beaufort The Bristol Beaufort (manufacturer designation Type 152) is a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber. At l ...
, was claimed. On 18 November, two pilots were killed over Apollonia. A week later, one Me 210 was shot down and two damaged in combat over
Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...
. The group was operating the
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' (" Shrike") is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, ...
at this stage; one was reported damaged over Bizerte. On 6 March III./ZG 1 managed to deliver a surprise attack on the airfield at Neffatia. One 2 Squadron SAAF P-40 was damaged. On 25 March 1943, III./ZG 1 were forced to jettison their bombs early in the face of fighter opposition. Seven
Messerschmitt Me 210 The Messerschmitt Me 210 was a German heavy fighter and ground-attack aircraft of World War II. Design started before the war, as a replacement for the Bf 110. The first examples were ready in 1939, but they proved to have unacceptably poor fl ...
s, which now equipped the group, were damaged in an air raid on
Sfax Sfax (; ar, صفاقس, Ṣafāqis ) is a city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD849 on the ruins of Berber Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterrane ...
on 29 March 1943. The following day, 12 Me 210s escorted by 18 Bf 109s dropped their bombs over their own lines for a second time when they sighted 12 Spitfires from
No. 92 Squadron RAF Number 92 Squadron, also known as No. 92 (East India) Squadron and currently as No. 92 Tactics and Training Squadron, of the Royal Air Force is a test and evaluation squadron based at RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire. It was formed as part of the R ...
, covering
P-40 The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time an ...
s on an armed reconnaissance. Operation Flax began in April 1943. The Allied powers sought to use large numbers of fighters to cut the air bridge from Tunisia to Sicily and prevent the Axis forces supplying their divisions in Africa. III./ZG 1, with III./ZG 26, used Sicily as their base from this time. The heavy fighter ''gruppen'' were attached to
Theo Osterkamp Theodor "Theo" Osterkamp (15 April 1892 – 2 January 1975) was a German fighter pilot during World War I and World War II. A flying ace, he achieved 32 victories in World War I. In World War II, he led ''Jagdgeschwader'' 51 up to the Battle of B ...
's ''Jagdfliegerführer Sizilien''. On 5 April, the operation's first day, eight ZG 1 Me 210s were damaged by bombs at their base near
Trapani Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an impor ...
. Two were shot down. On 9 April III./ZG 1 claimed four US-flown Spitfires for two losses. Only one US Spitfire was shot down in air combat; the 2nd Squadron
52nd Fighter Group The 52nd Fighter Wing (52 FW) is a wing of the United States Air Force stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. It flies the F-16CJ fighter aircraft. It was activated in 1948, but derives significant elements of its history from the predece ...
pilot survived. On 10 April ZG 1 lost one Bf 110 in a collision with a
Lockheed 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 twi ...
form the US 82nd Fighter Group over Cape Bon while escorting Ju 52s. The Allied operation was a resounding success. 432 Axis aircraft were destroyed at a cost of 35 fighters. Coupled with the Stalingrad losses, the German air transport fleet never recovered from ''Flax''. After the capitulation of the
Panzer Army Africa As the number of German troops committed to the North African Campaign of World War II grew from the initial commitment of a small corps, the Germans developed a more elaborate command structure and placed the enlarged ''Afrika Korps'', with I ...
on 13 May 1943, ZG 1 was sent to Germany for ''Reichsverteidigung'',
Defence 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 d ...
duties against the
United States Army Air Force 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 ...
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 ...
and Fifteenth Air Force in August 1943. The exception was III./ZG 1, which was sent to France. III./ZG 1 operated from France for two weeks with the new
Messerschmitt Me 410 The Messerschmitt Me 410 ''Hornisse'' (Hornet) is a German heavy fighter and ''Schnellbomber'' used by the ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II. Though an incremental improvement of the Me 210, it had a new wing plan, longer fuselage and engin ...
but soon departed for Germany. II./ZG 1 briefly replaced it. The group stayed for 10 weeks and lost 12 Bf 110s. In October 1943, I./ZG 1 was disbanded to become I./ZG 26. Some ''staffeln'' of the former I./ZG 1 was merged into V./
KG 40 ''Kampfgeschwader'' 40 (KG 40) was a Luftwaffe medium and heavy bomber wing of World War II, and the primary maritime patrol unit of any size within the World War II Luftwaffe. It is best remembered as the unit operating a majority of the four-eng ...
and subordinated to Fliegerführer Atlantik. The purpose of their transfer was to provide air cover for German
U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...
s as
RAF Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...
intensified its
anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...
operations in the
Bay of Biscay The Bay of Biscay (), known in Spain as the Gulf of Biscay ( es, Golfo de Vizcaya, eu, Bizkaiko Golkoa), and in France and some border regions as the Gulf of Gascony (french: Golfe de Gascogne, oc, Golf de Gasconha, br, Pleg-mor Gwaskogn), ...
. Based at
Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
, ZG 1 conducted heavy fighter patrols with their newly arrived
Junkers Ju 88 The Junkers Ju 88 is a German World War II ''Luftwaffe'' twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called ''Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") that would be too fast ...
C heavy fighters. They achieved 137 interceptions and claimed 69 aircraft shot down. The Luftwaffe's bid to protect U-boats over the Bay of Biscay in 1943 cost it 122 aircraft; 79 to enemy action including 48 ''Zerstörer''. Coastal Command ended its 41-month offensive in the Bay in May 1944. It sank 50 U-Boats and lost 350 aircraft. ZG 1 suffered in the air battles. On 10 March 1944, for example, while escorting an
Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
submarine it lost half its aircraft plus commanding officer Oberstleutnant Janson. In escorting U-225 a month later it lost seven Ju 88s and claimed four
de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or ...
s. By the
D-day landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
ZG 1 had destroyed only 10 Coastal Command aircraft in 1944. U-boat crews accounted for 12. ZG 1 provided up to 24-strong formations of fighter escort for
KG 26 ''Kampfgeschwader'' 26 (KG 26) "Löwengeschwader" (in English ''Bomber Wing 26'' aka ''"Lions' Wing"'' by virtue of its insignia) was a German air force Luftwaffe bomber wing unit during World War II. Its units participated on all of the fronts ...
anti-shipping aircraft in aerial attacks on ships, but this did not prevent their charges for suffering heavy losses to long-range fighters and Allied return fire.


Defence of the Reich, disbandment

ZG 1, ZG 26 and ZG 76 joined the RLV in the autumn, 1943. The resurrection of the ''Zerstörergeschwader'' was ordered because the
Oberkommando der Luftwaffe The (; abbreviated OKL) was the high command of the air force () of Nazi Germany. History The was organized in a large and diverse structure led by Reich minister and supreme commander of the Air force (german: Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaf ...
still believed the destructive power of the Bf 110 and Me 410 would prove decisive against unescorted American
heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually bombs) and longest range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the larges ...
s. II./ZG 1 was placed in
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, the prime operating area of the US Fifteenth Air Force. III./ZG 1 was renamed II./ZG 26, but then immediately refounded in France and joined I./ZG 1 flying maritime operations. III./ZG 1, under the command of Major Karl Boehm-Tettlebach, operated Me 410s armed with the
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 ...
air-to-air mortar. On 10 October 1943 III./ZG 1 went into action, leading III./ZG 26, as the Eighth Air Force attacked
Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...
. The 2. ''Jagddivision'' moved north to provide north as part of a 350-fighter strong intercept force. ZG 1 attacked the 14th Bombardment Wing, 3rd Bombardment Division, already shattered by single-engine fighter units. The ''Zerstörer'' pilots attacked from the rear while Bf 109 and Fw 190 units attacked head-on. As it appeared the leading element was to be annihilated, the US 56th Fighter Group appeared and broke up the assault. The German units destroyed 30
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 ...
bombers, one
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-bombe ...
, losing 25 fighters and 12 airmen. Nine of those losses were ''Zerstörer''. It was clear to the Luftwaffe that these aircraft had to be shielded from US escorts. Four days later was the
Second Raid on Schweinfurt The second Schweinfurt raid, also called Black Thursday, was a World War II air battle that took place on 14 October 1943, over Nazi Germany between forces of the United States 8th Air Force and German ''Luftwaffe'' fighter arm (''Jagdwaffe''). ...
. The 3. ''Jagddivision'' was overwhelmed and so every ''Zerstörer'' unit in Germany and Austria was ordered to help. Seven ''Zerstörer'' ''gruppen'' filed claims (11 nachtjagdgruppen also claimed). The Eighth lost 60 bombers, with another seven scrapped. The RLV lost 38 fighters. II./ZG 1 remained in Austria, the sole representative of the wing in the RLV uppon the renaming of III./ZG 1. By early 1944 it shared Fels-am-Wagram airbase with
JG 27 ''Jagdgeschwader'' 27 (JG 27) "''Afrika''" was a fighter wing of the Luftwaffe during World War II. The wing was given the name "Africa" for serving in the North African Campaign predominantly alone in the period from April 1941 to Septemb ...
. Operations continued into 1944. On 7 January II./ZG 1 attempted to intercept the US Fifteenth's attack on
Wiener Neustadt Wiener Neustadt (; ; Central Bavarian: ''Weana Neistod'') is a city located south of Vienna, in the state of Lower Austria, in northeast Austria. It is a self-governed city and the seat of the district administration of Wiener Neustadt-Land Distr ...
and lost one aircraft to the US 14th Fighter Group without success. On 24 February the Eighth began a three-stage attack on
Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...
,
Schweinfurt Schweinfurt ( , ; ) is a city in the district of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the surrounding district (''Landkreis'') of Schweinfurt and a major industrial, cultural and educational hub. The urban agg ...
and
Rostock Rostock (), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (german: link=no, Hanse- und Universitätsstadt Rostock), is the largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the state, c ...
. The Fifteenth sent the 5th Bombardment Wing to
Steyr Steyr (; Central Bavarian: ''Steia'') is a statutory city, located in the Austrian federal state of Upper Austria. It is the administrative capital, though not part of Steyr-Land District. Steyr is Austria's 12th most populated town and the 3rd l ...
. The lack of fighters caused the staff to provide fighters for the withdrawal phase only. II./ZG 1 reacted and succeeded in reaching the bombers. II./ZG 1 reported contact near
Klagenfurt Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...
and reported numerous victories. 19 B-17s and 21
Consolidated 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 were destroyed. P-38 fighter groups could claim only one victory for three losses. By mid-June 1944, ZG 1 was based in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
, part of 8. ''Jagddivision''. On 13 June 1944, II./ZG 1, with 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 ...
, I./
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''" ...
, I./ZG 76 claimed 20 B-24s one P-38, two
P-51 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...
s. Actual losses were nine B-24s, two B-17s, seven P-38s and one P-51. US fighters claimed 40; 16 German and
Royal Hungarian Air Force The Hungarian Air Force ( hu, Magyar Légierő), is the air force branch of the Hungarian Defence Forces. The task of the current Hungarian Air Force is primarily defensive purposes. The flying units of the air force are organised into a single ...
fighters were lost. On 26 June 1944, the Fifteenth sent 677 bombers to attack six oil refineries. II./ZG 1 and JG 300 were ordered to intercept the bomber stream heading to
Moosbierbaum Moosbierbaum is part of the municipality (commune) of Atzenbrugg in the Lower Austria. History In 1913, the Škoda Wetzlar gunpowder factory was established in Moosbierbaum as a subsidiary of IG Farben AG. As a target of the Oil Campaign of Wo ...
. 27 Bf 110s of II./ZG 1 observed the
304th Bombardment Wing 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
begin its bomb run, and noticed the 455th Bombardment Group far out from the main stream. They attacked head-on and achieved several successes before 61 fighters from JG 300 attacked. The 455th Group lost 10 B-24s, its worst day of the war. II./ZG 1 claimed four but lost five killed, two wounded, and four Bf 110s. On 27 June II./ZG 1 and I./ZG 76 intercepted the 460th Bombardment Group on a raid to
Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...
and shot down four over
Lake Balaton Lake Balaton () is a freshwater lake in the Transdanubian region of Hungary. It is the largest lake in Central Europe, and one of the region's foremost tourist destinations. The Zala River provides the largest inflow of water to the lake, and th ...
. Another attack on the city on 2 July involved 22 of the group's aircraft. Though the unit only lost one fighter it claimed no victory. Other units suffered high losses. In mid-1944, the RLV (now
Luftflotte Reich Luftflotte ReichFor an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organisation (Air Fleet ''Reich'') was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed on February 5, 1944 in Berlin ...
) made several organisational changes. I./ZG 1 ceased to exist and became II./
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 ...
, with the heavily armed "sturm" Fw 190 A-8/R-2. A Bf 109 G group was formed from III./ZG 1, which was disbanded and formed as III./JG 4. It took time to convert the ex-ZG 1 pilots onto Fw 190s and Bf 109s. By the end of July 1944 most of the ''Zerstörergeschwader'' were no longer operational and had been converted to single-engine fighter units. The last surviving ZG 1 unit, II. ''Gruppe'' ZG 1 became III./ JG 76, which had been formed mostly from ZG 76.


Commanding officers

* Major
Arved Crüger Arved Crüger (25 June 1911 – 22 March 1942) was a Luftwaffe wing commander during World War II and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipient. He married the German movie actress Carola Höhn in 1941. He was appointed ''Geschwaderkommodore' ...
, 4 January 1942 – 2 March 1942 * Major
Ulrich Diesing Ulrich Diesing (12 March 1911 – 17 April 1945) was a German pilot in the Luftwaffe during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. On 17 April 1945, Ulrich Diesing was killed in an accident near B ...
, 3 March 1942 – 21 September 1942 * Oberstleutnant
Ralph von Rettberg Ralph von Rettberg (1 March 1911 – 25 February 2004) was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot and wing commander. As a fighter ace, he claimed eight enemy aircraft shot down. Early life and career On 7 April 1931, he began his pilot training ...
(acting), 22 September 1942 – 5 October 1942 * Oberstleutnant
Paul-Friedrich Darjes 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 the Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awa ...
, 6 October 1942 – 1 March 1943 * Oberstleutnant
Alfred Druschel Alfred Druschel (4 February 1917 – missing in action 1 January 1945) was a German Luftwaffe combat pilot during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords of Nazi Germany. Military ca ...
(acting), 1 March 1943 – 12 April 1943 * Oberstleutnant Joachim Blechschmidt, 12 April 1943 – 13 July 1943 * Oberstleutnant Lothar von Janson, 1943 – 10 March 1944 * Oberstleutnant
Erich von Selle This is a list of fighter aces in World War II from Germany. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. It is relatively certain that 2,500 German fighter pilot ...
, March 1944 – July 1944


I ''Gruppe'' of ZG 1

* Major
Joachim-Friedrich Huth Joachim-Friedrich Huth (31 July 1896 – 27 March 1962) was a German general in the during World War II and the Air Force of the in West Germany. Huth retired from the military service in 1961 holding the rank of . Biography Huth was born in ...
, 1 May 1939 – 13 December 1939 * Hauptmann
Wolfgang Falck Wolfgang Falck (19 August 1910 – 13 March 2007) was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot and wing commander and one of the key organisers of the German night fighter defences. As a fighter ace, he claimed eight enemy aircraft shot down in 90 c ...
, 14 December 1939 – 22 June 1940 * Major
Ulrich Diesing Ulrich Diesing (12 March 1911 – 17 April 1945) was a German pilot in the Luftwaffe during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. On 17 April 1945, Ulrich Diesing was killed in an accident near B ...
, 1 January 1942 – 2 March 1942 * Hauptmann Wolfgang Schenck, 7 March 1942 – 20 August 1942 * Major Joachim Blechschmidt, 20 August 1942 – 12 April 1943 * Haupmann Max Franzisket, 14 April 1943 – 19 July 1943


II ''Gruppe'' of ZG 1

* Hauptmann
Rolf Kaldrack Rolf Kaldrack (25 June 1913 – 3 February 1942) was a Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooti ...
4 January 1942 – 3 February 1942 * Major Günther Tonne, 4 February 1942 – 1 February 1943 * Major
Heinz Nacke 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 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded ...
, 26 May 1943 – 2 August 1943 * Hauptmann Karl-Heinrich Matern, 3 August 1943 – 8 October 1943 * Hauptmann
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 ...
, 9 October 1943 – July 1944


References


Citations


Bibliography

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Further reading

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zerstorergeschwader 1 Luftwaffe Wings Military units and formations established in 1939 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944