Werner Schröer

Werner Schröer (12 February 1918 – 10 February 1985) was a German military aviator and wing commander in the Luftwaffe during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 114 enemy aircraft shot down in 197 combat missions. He claimed twelve aerial victories on the Eastern Front with the remaining claims filed over the Western Allies, including 26 four-engine heavy bombers.

Born in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Schröer joined the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany in 1937. Initially serving as ground personnel, he was posted to ''Jagdgeschwader'' 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) in August 1940. This unit was transferred to North Africa where on 19 April 1941, Schröer claimed his first aerial victory. In June 1942, he was appointed ''Staffelkapitän'' (squadron leader) of 8. '' Staffel'' (8th squadron) of JG 27. Schröer was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in October 1942 for 49 victories. In April 1943, Schröer was appointed ''Gruppenkommandeur'' (group commander) of II. '' Gruppe'' (2nd group) of JG 27 and awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves in August for 85 victories. He then led III. ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) fighting in defense of the Reich. In February 1945, Schröer was given command of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 "Udet" (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) as ''Geschwaderkommodore'' (wing commander). With JG 3, he claimed twelve further aerial victories on the Eastern Front and was awarded Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords in April 1945. After the war, Schröer worked for Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm. He died on 10 February 1985 in Ottobrunn.

Early life and career

Schröer was born on 12 February 1918 in Mülheim an der Ruhr, at the time in the Rhine Province of the Kingdom of Prussia. He was the son of Friedrich Johann Schröer and his wife Maria, née Schmitz. Schröer attended school from 1924 to 1937 and graduated with his ''Abitur'' (School Leaving Certificate). From April to October 1937, he then completed the compulsory ''Reichsarbeitsdienst'' (Reich Labour Service). Schröer joined the military service with the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany in 1937. His recruit training began on 3 November 1937 with the 4. ''Kompanie'' (4th company) of ''Fliegerersatzabteilung'' 24 (24th Flier Replacement Unit) in Quakenbrück. On 1 April 1938, he was transferred to the ''Flughafenbetriebskompanie'' (Airport Operation Company) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 132 (JG 132—132nd Fighter Wing) to Düsseldorf, serving with the ground personnel.

On 1 July 1938, Schröer was posted to the 7. '' Staffel'' (7th squadron) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 234 (JG 234th—234th Fighter Wing) where his flight training began. He then served with the ''Fliegerhorstkompanie'' (Airfield Company) in Düsseldorf from 13 August 1938 to 30 June 1939. While serving with this unit, he was promoted to ''Gefreiter'' (airman first class) on 1 October 1938 and to ''Unteroffizier'' (corporal) on 1 April 1939.For an explanation of Luftwaffe unit designations see Organization of the Luftwaffe during World War II. On 1 July 1939, Schröer was then transferred to II. '' Gruppe'' (2nd group) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing), named after the Nazi martyr Albert Leo Schlageter, where he was posted to the 6. ''Staffel'' where he made his first flight. From 1 September to 15 October 1939, Schröer attended an air observer course at the ''Aufklärungsfliegerschule'' (Reconnaissance Flying School) at Hildesheim. Schröer then continued his pilot training at the flight schools in Kamp and Schafstädt . On 16 May 1940, he completed his flight training with ''Flugkommando'' 23 (Flight Commando) in Braunschweig. During this training period, he was promoted to ''Feldwebel'' (sergeant) on 1 December 1939. Schröer then received fighter pilot training at the ''Jagdfliegerschule'' 1 (fighter pilot school) at Werneuchen. There he learned to fly the Arado Ar 68 and Ar 96, the Messerschmitt Bf 108 and Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Bücker Bü 131, the Focke-Wulf Fw 56, and the Heinkel He 45 and He 51. From 22 July to 17 August 1940, Schröer completed his fighter pilot training with the 2. ''Staffel'' of ''Ergänzungsjagdgruppe'' Merseburg, a supplementary training unit based in Merseburg.

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. On 20 August 1940, Schröer was transferred to the 2. ''Staffel'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing), a front line fighter unit. JG 27 at the time was under the command of ''Oberst'' (Colonel) Max Ibel and based in Plumetot, France on the Channel Front. There, JG 27 was subordinated to ''Jagdfliegerführer'' 3 (Jafü 3), the fighter force commander of ''Luftflotte'' 3 under the command of ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) Hugo Sperrle, and fought in the Battle of Britain (10 July – 31 October 1940). On 28 August 1940, JG 27 relocated from the vicinity of the Cotentin Peninsula to an airfield at Peuplingues, about southwest of Calais and subsequently was placed under the command of ''Jagdfliegerführer'' 2. Operating over the English Channel and southern England, Schröer flew his first combat missions and claimed three aerial victories which were not confirmed.

I. ''Gruppe'' was withdrawn from the Channel Front on 30 September 1940. Relocation to Stade, west of Hamburg, began on 1 October. There, I. ''Gruppe'' was placed under the command of '' Geschwaderstab'' (headquarters unit) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 1 (JG 1—1st Fighter Wing). During the following three weeks, I. ''Gruppe'' was tasked with flying combat air patrols over the German Bight. In parallel, the ''Gruppe'' replenished its losses of 14 men killed or missing in action, four wounded and seven taken prisoner of war, losses sustained while fighting over Britain. Also the losses in aircraft had to be replenished and the equipment underwent a maintenance overhaul. On 21 October, I. ''Gruppe'' was again ordered to France, then based at Dinan in northeastern Brittany under the command of Jafü 3 again. On 3 December, I. ''Gruppe'' relocated again, this time to Döberitz with the orders to provide fighter protection for Berlin. Following the arrival in Döberitz, the majority of the flying and ground personnel were sent on vacation. Between end-February to early March 1941, the I. ''Gruppe'' relocated to Munich-Riem where it stayed for four weeks. On 24 February, the pilots of 1. and 2. ''Staffel'' were temporarily sent to Sicily where they flew missions against Malta, protecting the German naval convoys taking the ''Afrika Korps'' to Tripoli. During this period, 2. ''Staffel'' was based at Comiso. From 7 to 10 March, the pilots returned to Munich-Riem. During this brief interlude, Schröer was promoted to ''Leutnant'' (second lieutenant) and transferred to 1. ''Staffel'' on 1 March. On 4 April 1941, the ''Gruppe'' relocated to Graz in preparation of operation Operation ''Marita'', the Battle of Greece. On 11 April, I. ''Gruppe'' flew fighter escort missions for Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers in this campaign. The next day, the unit deployed to Zagreb before transferring to Africa.

North Africa

On 15 April 1941, the first elements of 1. and 2. ''Staffel'' began relocation to North Africa to Tripoli. From Tripoli, the ''Staffeln'' were ordered to Ayn al-Ġazāla airfield, west of Tobruk, where they arrived between 18 and 24 April 1941. Schröer was credited with his first aerial victory on 19 April, a Royal Air Force (RAF) Hawker Hurricane fighter of the No. 274 Squadron shot down near Tobruk. That day, the ''Gruppe'' claimed its first four victories in Africa. In this encounter, Schröer was shot down in his Bf 109 E-7 (''Werknummer'' 3790—factory number), resulting in a forced landing at Ayn al-Ġazāla. Schröer's victor was Pilot Officer Spence. Schröer was the first German Bf 109 pilot shot down in Africa. For this, Schröer was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class (). Two days later, on 21 April, I. ''Gruppe'' engaged in combat with Hurricane fighters over Tobruk, claiming one victory by ''Oberfeldwebel'' Albert Espenlaub for the loss of ''Unteroffizier'' Hans Sippel who was killed in action. Schröer's Bf 109 E-7 (''Werknummer'' 4170—factory number) also sustained combat damage in this encounter. He managed to fly his aircraft back to Ayn al-Ġazāla, making another forced landing and slightly injuring himself. It is possible that his victor was Pilot Officer Spence, making it the second time in 48 hours the RAF pilot shot him down.

Schröer claimed his second aerial victory over two months later. On 25 June, he claimed a Hurricane shot down, presumably from 2 Squadron of the South African Air Force (SAAF). On 8 July, Schröer claimed another Hurricane shot down in combat west of Bardia. On 19 July 1941, a flight of three ''Schwärme'', flights of four aircraft, from I. ''Gruppe'' encountered a mixed flight of Hurricanes and Curtiss P-40 "Tomahawk" fighters on a combat air patrol north of Sidi Barrani. Twelve Hurricanes from No. 73 Squadron RAF, augmented by P-40s from 2 Squadron SAAF, provided fighter escort for Allied shipping destined for Tobruk. In this encounter, the Germans claimed three victories without sustaining any losses. Schröer was credited with his fourth victory that day, a P-40 claimed at 18:17 northeast Ras Asaz. On 21 August, Schröer claimed his fifth victory, a Hurricane from No. 229 Squadron on an escort mission for a flight of Martin Maryland bombers from 24 Squadron SAAF on a bombing mission to Menastir, near Bardia.

On 29 August 1941, Schröer engaged in aerial combat with the top Australian ace Clive Caldwell of No. 250 Squadron RAF north-west of Sidi Barrani. In the course of the battle Schröer damaged Caldwell's P-40 "Tomahawk". Caldwell suffered bullet wounds to the back, left shoulder, and leg but was still able to shoot down Schröer's wingman and heavily damage Schröer's own aircraft and thus forced him to disengage. According to Prien, Rodeike and Stemmer, authors of ''Messerschmitt Bf 109 im Einsatz bei Stab und I./Jagdgeschwader 27, 1939 – 1945'' 'Messerschmitt Bf 109 in Action with the Headquarters Unit and I./Jagdgeschwader 27, 1939 – 1945'' I. ''Gruppe'' did not record any loss or damaged aircraft in this encounter. On 3 September, Schröer was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class (). In support of German ground forces on 14 September, Schröer claimed his seventh aerial victory when he shot down a Hurricane. The next day, he received the Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Silver (). In late October, I. ''Gruppe'' was reequipped with the Bf 109 F-4/trop. To retain operation status, 1. and 3. ''Staffel'' left North Africa on 22 October while 2. ''Staffel'' stayed. In Italy they handed over their Bf 109 E variants and continued the journey back home by train. The pilots were sent on a short home-leave before returning to Ayn al-Ġazāla on 10 November.

On 21 January 1942, ''Generalleutnant'' Erwin Rommel launched his counter-offensive in the area of Ajdabiya. Within one week, German forces reached Msus and from here they advanced towards Benghazi on 27 January, reaching Timimi on 10 February. This offensive negated much of the territory lost during Operation Crusader fought from 18 November to 30 December 1941. In March, Schröer became ''Gruppen-Adjutant'', adjutant in I. ''Gruppe'' of JG 27 learning command under the experienced Eduard Neumann, they were back at Martuba, east of Derna. He succeeded ''Leutnant'' Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt who was transferred in this capacity. Schröer claimed his first aerial victory while flying with the ''Gruppenstab'' (headquarters unit) on 30 May over a P-40 northeast of Bir Hacheim during the Battle of Gazala. On 10 June, he claimed another P-40 near Bir Hacheim. On 15 June, I. ''Gruppe'' escorted Ju 87s to Acroma. On this mission, Schröer claimed two P-40s shot down near Al Adm.

Squadron leader

Schröer was transferred to 8. ''Staffel'' of JG 27, a squadron of III. ''Gruppe'', in June 1942. Schröer, who was scheduled to take command of 8. ''Staffel'', flew his first combat mission with this unit on 23 June. On this mission, he claimed his 12th aerial victory, a P-40 shot down south of Sidi Omar. His most successful day to date was 26 June when Schröer claimed three aerial victories following the Axis capture of Tobruk. That day, he shot down a Hurricane and two P-40s near Mersa Matruh. On 1 July, Schröer was appointed ''Staffelkapitän'' (squadron leader) of 8. ''Staffel'' of JG 27, based further forward at Fuka, succeeding ''Oberleutnant'' Hans Lass. That day, Axis (German and Italian) forces launched the First Battle of El Alamein.

With Rommel charging onto El Alamein, the ''Gruppe'' moved to Bi'r Mu'min Busak located approximately west of Sidi Abdel Rahman. On 2 July, five Bf 109s intercepted RAF bombers and their escort fighters. In the resulting encounter Schröer claimed two P-40s near El Alamein. The following day, Schröer led a flight of four Bf 109s to El Alamein. The flight encountered 8 to 10 Hurricanes and P-40s. In this engagement, Schröer claimed two Hurricanes and a P-40 shot down, taking his total to 20 aerial victories. On 4 July, the airfield at Mu'min Busak came under attack. Engaging the attacking aircraft, Schröer claimed a P-40 destroyed. Two days later, he claimed two further P-40s shot down. On 8 July, the ''Gruppe'' moved to a makeshift airfield named Quotaifiya, located approximately east of Fuka. Schröer then claimed a Supermarine Spitfire fighter and a P-40 on 11 July, followed by three Hurricanes on 13 July. The next day, Schröer shot down a P-40 southwest of El Alamein. He was credited with his 30th aerial victory on 16 July when he again claimed a P-40 southwest of El Alamein. The next day, he shot down another P-40 near El Alamein.

On 22 July, III. ''Gruppe'' moved to an airfield named Haggag el Qasaba located approximately southeast of Mersa Matruh. When on 26/27 July, the Battle of El Alamein ended with a stalemate, aerial combat for III. ''Gruppe'' lessoned. Aerial combat increased again on Rommel launched (Operation Surf) leading to the Battle of Alam el Halfa. Following his 31st aerial victory, Schröer was awarded the Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe () in August 1942. On 3 September, the ''Gruppe'' was moved closer to El Alamein and moved to an airfield named Turbiya located approximately halfway between El Dabaa and El Alamein. Here on 8 September, Schröer claimed two Spitfires shot down, his 32nd and 33rd aerial victories. The following day, he was awarded the German Cross in Gold ().

On 15 September, Schröer claimed six aerial victories, five P-40s and a Spitfire, making him an " ace-in-a-day" and taking his total to 40 aerial victories. According to Brown, these claims on 15 September are a matter of controversy. That day, JG 27 submitted claims for 26 aircraft shot down—including six by Schröer. In fact only five Allied aircraft were shot down in aerial combat that day. That day, Schröer's Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe was upgraded to Gold (). On 30 September, Schröer was leading 8. ''Staffel'' on a Ju 87 escort mission covering the withdrawal of the group and relieving the outward escort, III. ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing), which had been deployed to support JG 27 in Africa. Hans-Joachim Marseille's 3. ''Staffel'' visually sighted the RAF fighters but were unable to make contact. Marseille vectored Schröer onto the enemy aircraft. Marseille heard Schröer claim a Spitfire over the radio at 10:30. Both flights remained airborne over the next hour on patrol. At 11:30 Marseille radioed his engine was smoking and his flight escorted him to German lines. Marseille bailed out but struck the vertical stabilizer and fell to earth without his parachute deploying. Schröer arrived near 3. ''Staffel'' in time to see Marseille's Bf 109 hit the ground but saw no parachute. He later learned of Marseille's death.

He continued claiming regularly in October, downing further fifteen aircraft. Schröer was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () on 21 October for 49 victories. Two days later, Montgomery launched his victorious Second Battle of El Alamein. In the frantic air battles overhead, Schröer shot down 10 aircraft in a week. On 1 November, he was promoted to ''Oberleutnant'' (first lieutenant). Three days later, III. ''Gruppe'' relocated to Benghazi. That day, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) attacked the harbor at Benghazi. Defending against this attack, Schröer claimed his 60th aerial victory when he shot down a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber between Sollum and Benghazi.

On 12 November, the air elements of III. ''Gruppe'' were withdrawn from North Africa and was ordered to regroup on Crete while the ground personnel were reassigned to ''Jagdgeschwader'' 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing). While based at Kasteli Airfield, the ''Gruppe'' was replenished with new pilots and a few Bf 109 G-2 trop aircraft. The time was spent with training flights. On 18 January 1943, Schröer was ordered to relocate his 8. ''Staffel'' to Rhodes Airfield. Here, the ''Staffel'' was tasked with protecting German and Italian shipping from attacks by RAF bombers and torpedo bombers in the Aegean Sea. Here, Schröer was promoted to ''Hauptmann'' on 1 February. On 11 February, on a shuttle flight from Rhodes to Crete, Schröer intercepted and claimed two light bombers which he identified as Bristol Beaufort bombers north-northeast Karpathos. RAF records show that two Martin B-26 Marauder bombers were lost on 15 February and the time of the claims filed by Schröer. Authors Prien, Rodeike and Stemmer argue that at the time the B-26 was a new and unknown aircraft type to Schröer while the date discrepancy cannot be explained. After that he had extended leave at home for his wedding.

Sicily and Italy

On 22 April 1943, a number of command position were changed, impacting Schröer. The ''Geschwaderkommodore'' (wing commander), Eduard Neumann was ordered to the staff of the '' General der Jagdflieger'' (General of Fighters) Adolf Galland. The vacancy in the ''Geschwaderkommodore'' position was back-filled by the ''Gruppenkommandeur'' (group commander) of II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 27 based at Trapani in Sicily, Gustav Rödel who surrendered his command to Schröer. In consequence, command of 8. ''Staffel'' was passed to ''Oberleutnant'' Dietrich Boesler. The ''Gruppe'' was up against complete Allied air superiority and had the hopeless task of trying to protect transport aircraft making desperate evacuation flights of remaining wounded and specialists out of the beleaguered Afrika Korps, now bottled up in Tunis. Just before Schröer took over command, on the evening of 18 April, only 6 transports had made it to Sicily out of 65 leaving Tunis. Flying at sea level, half had been shot down and the remainder turned back damaged. On 29 April, Schröer claimed two Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighters shot down, his 64th and 65th aerial victories. II. ''Gruppe'' had intercepted P-38s from the USAAF 95th Fighter Squadron heading for Cape Bon. In the resulting head-on encounter, II. ''Gruppe'' pilots claimed three P-38s shot down, including two by Schröer, for no loss of their own. While 95th Fighter Squadron pilots claimed six aerial victories and three further probable for the loss of two of their own.

On 5 May, II. ''Gruppe'' flew fighter protection for the cargo ship SS ''San Antonio'' (), escorted by a torpedo boat, heading for Bizerte. The ship came under attack by 26 B-24s which sank the ''San Antonio''. In an attempt to protect the ship, Schröer was credited with the destruction of one B-24 bomber northwest Marettimo. On 9 May, Sicily came under heavy aerial attacks. That day, Schröer claimed a B-24 and a P-38 shot down over sea. In support of the German retreat from North Africa on 11 May, Schröer claimed a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber near Cape Bon and an escorting P-38 shot near Marsala. On 19 June, II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 27 was ordered to relocate to Lecce, located at the heel of the Italian Peninsula where they arrived on 20 June. Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily, started on 10 July.

On 28 July, the unit was ordered to hand its aircraft over to other units and the pilots and crews returned to Germany for much-needed rest and re-equipment. At Foggia, the remaining aircraft were handed over to ''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing), JG 53 and JG 77. The pilots took a train to Vienna-Aspern. On 2 August, Schröer was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (), his tally at the time was 85 victories. The presentation was made by Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair, Hitler's headquarters in Rastenburg, present-day Kętrzyn in Poland. Five other ''Luftwaffe'' officers were presented with awards that day by Hitler, ''Hauptmann'' Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld, ''Hauptmann'' Manfred Meurer, ''Hauptmann'' Heinrich Ehrler, ''Oberleutnant'' Joachim Kirschner, ''Oberleutnant'' Theodor Weissenberger were also awarded the Oak Leaves, and ''Major'' Helmut Lent received the Swords to his Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.

In defense of the Reich

In late July 1943, II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 27 was ordered back to Germany. At first ordered to Wiesbaden-Erbenheim Airfield, where they arrived on 9 August, the unit then moved to Eschborn Airfield on 20 August. There, the ''Gruppe'' received new Bf 109 G-6 aircraft and replacement pilots and trained for defense of the Reich missions. On 6 September, II. ''Gruppe'' flew its first operational combat mission when the USAAF VIII Bomber Command targeted Stuttgart. At 10:45, the ''Gruppe'' intercepted a B-17 formation near Stuttgart. In this encounter, pilots of II. ''Gruppe'' claimed nine aerial victories, six were later confirmed including three by Schröer. II. ''Gruppe'' was ordered to Saint-Dizier Airfield in France on 12 September. On 14 October during the second Schweinfurt raid at 13:28, II. ''Gruppe'' was scrambled at Saint-Dizier and intercepted approximately 150 bombers without escorting fighter protection shortly after 14:00 over the Palatinate. During this aerial battle, Luftwaffe pilots of II. ''Gruppe'' claimed nine bombers shot down, including a B-17 near Alzey by Schröer for his 89th aerial victory. On 1 November 1943, Schröer was promoted to ''Major'' (major). The ''Gruppe'' returned to Wiesbaden-Erbenheim Airfield on 18 November. The USAAF attacked Bremen on 29 November. Defending against this attack, Schröer claimed his 90th aerial victory when he shot down a B-17 south-southwest of Bremen.

On 7 January 1944, Schröer was credited with the destruction of a P-38 piloted by Joseph P. Marsiglia of the 55th Fighter Group, 338th Fighter Squadron. Marsiglia had to bail out and was apprehended near Holz in the district of Saarbrücken. This was Schröer's 92nd aerial victory. On 11 January 1944, VIII Bomber Command targeted German aircraft production in central Germany, attacking the cities Halberstadt, Magdeburg, Oschersleben and Braunschweig. In total, the USAAF dispatched 663 heavy bombers, escorted by 592 fighter aircraft. The attack however did not proceed as planned and the bombers of the 2nd and 3rd Bombardment Division were ordered to return prior to reaching the target area and bombed various "targets of opportunity" in the area of Osnabrück, Bielefeld, Herford, Meppen and Lingen. In consequence of this order, the USAAF fighter protection was dispersed. II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 27 was scrambled at 11:47 and vectored to a formation of B-24 bombers near Assen. In this encounter, II. ''Gruppe'' pilots claimed seven aerial victories and two ''Herausschüsse'' (separation shot)—a severely damaged heavy bomber forced to separate from its combat box which was counted as an aerial victory. Schröer was credited with the destruction of a B-24 bomber and an ''Herausschuss'' of a second B-24 bomber.

On 14 March 1944, Schröer was appointed ''Gruppenkommandeur'', III. ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing). At the time, the ''Gruppe'' was based at Lüneburg Airfield and subordinated to 2. ''Jagd-Division'' (2nd Fighter Division). On 20 April, III. ''Gruppe'' relocated to Landau an der Isar for conversion training to the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. In consequence of this relocation, the ''Gruppe'' came under the control of 7. ''Jagd-Division'' (7th Fighter Division). Conversion training was relatively short and the ''Gruppe'' flew its first mission on the Fw 190 against attacking USAAF heavy bombers on 19 May.

On 24 May, Schröer claimed a North American P-51 Mustang fighter and two B-17s, making him the 73rd Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. When Allied forces launched Operation Overlord, the invasion of German-occupied Western Europe on 6 June, III. ''Gruppe'' was immediately ordered to relocate to Villacoublay Airfield. That day, the ''Gruppe'' reached Nancy, arriving in Villacoublay the following day where it was subordinated to II. ''Fliegerkorps'' (2nd Air Corps). Its primary objective was to fly fighter-bomber missions in support of the German ground forces. The ''Gruppe'' flew its first missions on 7 June to the combat area east of Caen and the Orne

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