| Jagdgeschwader 6 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | Late July 1944 – 8 May 1945[1] |
| Country |  Nazi Germany |
| Allegiance | Axis powers |
| Branch | Air Force |
| Type | Fighter Aircraft |
| Role | Air superiority Offensive counter air Fighter-bomber |
| Size | Air Force Wing |
| Nickname | Horst Wessel |
| Patron | .svg){kind=logo} Horst Wessel |
| Battle honours | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Gerhard Barkhorn Gerhard Schöpfel |
Jagdgeschwader 6 (JG 6)Horst Wessel was aLuftwaffefighterwing duringWorld War II. Created late in the war as one of the lastJagdgeschwader, JG 6 fought on the Western and Eastern Fronts and in theDefence of the Reich over Germany. This period of the air war was characterised by few successes and heavy losses among the German fighter arm.
A LuftwaffeGeschwader (wing formation) was the largest homogenous flying formation. It typically was made up of three groups (gruppen). Each group contained approximately 30 to 40 aircraft in three squadrons (staffeln). AJagdgeschwader could field 90 to 120fighter aircraft. In some cases a wing could be given a fourthgruppe. Each wing had aGeschwaderkommodore (wing commander) supporting by threeGruppenkommandeur (Group Commanders). Each squadron was commanded by aStaffelkapitän (squadron leader). Thestaffel contained approximately 12 to 15 aircraft.[2] The identification in records were different depending on the type of formation. Agruppe was referred to inroman numerals, for example I./JG 27, whilestaffeln were described with their number (1./JG 27).[3] The wing could be subordinated to aFliegerkorps,Fliegerdivision orJagddivision (Flying Corps, Division and Fighter Division) all of which were subordinated toLuftflotten (Air Fleets).[2][4] The use ofFliegerdivision became redundant and the descriptionFliegerkorps supplanted it until the use ofJagddivision later in the war.[4]
The backdrop to JG 6 and its creation was a general deterioration of Germany's military position. In the air war, the Luftwaffe had been driven fromNorth Africa in May 1943, and by the end of the year was largely absent from theItalian Campaign.[5] TheCombined Bomber Offensive had ground the Luftwaffe down severely in the first half of 1944. TheOberkommando der Luftwaffe had finally decided to abandon thecult of the offensive, and focus on the production offighter aircraft.[6] On theEastern Front, the Luftwaffe had long since lostair superiority, from theBattle of Kursk in July 1943.Operation Bagration collapsed the front in June 1944, cleared the majority ofWehrmacht forces from theSoviet Union while on theWestern Front,Operation Overlord and theNormandy landings were pushing the Germans out of France.Hugo Sperrle'sLuftflotte 3 was bled white over Normandy.[7]
The Stabstaffel, I and IIGruppen were established atKönigsberg, part of an effort to increase the size of the single-engine fighter force in late July 1944. Thegruppen were created fromZerstörergeschwader 26 (Heavy Fighter Wing 26) which had flown theMesserschmitt Bf 110 andMesserschmitt Me 410, then hopelessly vulnerable types in the era of long-range and numerous Americanfighter escorts. This reclassification ended the Zerstörergeschwader. Stab, I and IIGruppen ZG 26 became Stab, I and IIGruppen JG 6.[1]Oberstleutnant Johann Kogler was appointedGeschwaderkommodore.[8] I and III/JG 6 were formed in October and November 1944 leaving IGruppe and Stabstaffel the only units available in August 1944.[citation needed]Hauptmann Willi Elstermann commanded IIGruppe.[9] Thisgruppe converted to the Fw 190A-8 at Königsberg–Neumark.[10]
IIGruppe replaced some of the depleted German fighter units from Normandy.[9]General der JagdfliegerAdolf Galland strongly objected to the move, which ultimately cost thegruppe 19killed in action and fourwounded in action in a short time.[11] On 23 August 1944, it was ordered toHerpy nearReims. According to one member of the unit,Feldwebel Fritz Bucholz, who arrived with 11 hours of experience on single-engine fighters and nodogfighting experience, the airfield was nothing more than flat ground surrounded by trees to hide their aircraft. Tents were provided for shelter, and much attention was paid to camouflage. Thegruppe used nearby cattle to roam the airfield while no flights were ongoing to obscure the tracks made by the landing gear and deceive Allied reconnaissance aircraft.[9] The Normandy campaign was coming to an end, two days after their arrivalParis was liberated. Hauptmann Willi Elstermann led thegruppe in action towards the battle zone nearSt Quentin that day, 25 August.[9]
NearClastres, they observedLockheed P-38 Lightnings from the US394th Fighter Squadron strafing the airbase. In their first action, they shot down six of the P-38s.[9] Distress calls summoned the P-38s from the367th Fighter Group which lost one further P-38 but accounted for 16 of thegruppe fighters destroyed plus several more damaged.[9] The two formations were numerically even, and theFocke-Wulf Fw 190 was more than a match for the P-38, but the Germans had little dogfighting experience. During the disastrous action, which cost theGruppe half its strength,Leutnant Rudi Dassow, a 22-victory ace on the Bf 110 and Me 410, was killed.[9] The following day thegruppe was in action again over theSeine area, and Fritz Bucholz was shot down. He was picked up by aWaffen SS rearguard and crossed the Seine by ferry. His wounds kept him out of action for six weeks. On his return, just four of the 40 pilots remained from the original cohort.[9] The experience of IIGruppe JG 6 was repeated in many of the German fighter units over Normandy.[9] Willi Elstermann was relieved of his command. The lack of tactical training on the Fw 190 contributed to the losses.[11]
On 26 September 1944 III/ZG 26, which provided most of its personnel toMesserschmitt Me 262 unit ErprKdo 262, was renamed IIIGruppe JG 6.[12] Thegruppe was committed to battle on 26 November as the USEighth Air Force made a maximum effort in theHannover area. The target of the1st Bombardment Division and2nd Bombardment Division targeted the Misburg hydrogenation plant.[13] It flew as top cover for I and II/JG 1. JG 1 managed to dispatch three91st Bombardment GroupB-17 Flying Fortress bombers before the356th Fighter Group reacted. JG 6 lost 12Messerschmitt Bf 109s; six killed and six wounded.[13] Their charges lost 15 Fw 190s, 12 killed and three wounded.[13] The days fighting costLuftflotte Reich 62 killed, 32 wounded and 122 fighters in exchange for 42 US bombers and 11 fighters; a ruinous loss rate.[14]
In December 1944, JG 6 was allocated to theArdennes Offensive,Adolf Hitler's last gamble on the Western Front, designed to split the British Commonwealth and American armies by capturingAntwerp. On 14 December, east ofBonn, the IIJagdkorps organised a conference byDietrich Peltz. Kogler attended and was surprised to hear that a bomber pilot and commander was to control fighter operations and the ambitious nature of the plans.[8] Kogler briefed hisStaffelkapitän andGruppenkommandeure immediately, and provided detailed maps and plans for theOffensive counter air operation atVolkel airfield. He even went so far as to build a sand model of the airfield. This all-outair superiority attack was to be carried out by 1,100 German fighters before theWaffen SS andWehrmacht forces advanced.[15] The Luftwaffe commanders present were more hopeful for a German success than they had been in months; but the attack did not take place immediately.[16] On 16 December 1944, the German offensive began under bad weather, holding off most of the Allied tactical air forces. OnChristmas Eve, 1944, JG 6 joined I/JG 27 andJG 3 in anti-bomber missions over the front. A large air battle developed withP-51 Mustang groups protecting the bombers. Described as the "greatest air battle" of the offensive, JG 6 reported 13 pilots killed.[17] JG 27 lost four pilots killed or missing, while JG 3 reported the loss of 20 pilots killed or missing.[17] Later in the day twogruppen were in action with elements of theRAF Second Tactical Air Force. Later in the day the wing flew with JG 27 and JG 3 against the Eighth Air Force. The German fighters shot down four B-17s, including that ofBrigadier GeneralFrederick Walker Castle.[18] OnChristmas Day, 1944, III/JG 6 and four othergruppen opposed the9th Bombardment Division, which committed 629medium bombers against roads and rail targets in Germany and Belgium includingSt. Vith. The P-51s of the352nd Fighter Group protected the bombers. A total of 223 of the bombers were damaged, primarily by Germananti-aircraft artillery.[19] Later, IIIGruppe took off fromOldenburg in a bid to stop the USNinth Air Force; the Bf 109G-14s were intercepted by Allied fighters betweenCologne andDüren. In combat withHawker Typhoons fromNo. 93 Squadron RAF, thegruppe lost five.[20] The RAF Squadron reported no loss.[21]
Theairfield operation, planned for the 16 December 1944, was revived and put into action on 1 January 1945.Operation Bodenplatte mustered the remaining German fighter force in the west, numbering approximately 800 fighters, into one final effort to achieve air superiority and revive the stalled offensive. JG 6 was ordered to attackVolkel Air Base. The Fw 190G-1s equipped thestaffeln.[22]
I and III./JG 6 were to attack while II./JG 6 was to provide cover against fighters. I./JG 6 got 29 of its 34 Fw 190s ready, while 25 of II./JG 6's fighters took part. Overall, most of the 99 Fw 190s were made available for the operation. III./JG 6 received orders to target petrol installations on the airfield only. 78 Fw 190s took off. JG 6 approached the airfield of Heesch and some of its pilots assumed it to beVolkel airfield. It is unlikely that the Heesch strip, built in October 1944, was known to theLuftwaffe.No. 126 Wing RCAF was based there and had dispatched its 411 and442 Squadrons on recce missions early that morning so the majority of its units were airborne. Its 401 Squadron was readying for take-off when JG 6 appeared.[23]
Most of the German pilots had failed to notice the airfield, concentrating on keeping formation at low altitude. 401 Squadronscrambled. Some of the German fighters were authorised to engage, while the main body continued to search for Volkel. Stab., and II./JG 6 stumbled on another strip at Helmond, which contained no aircraft. Several German pilots believed it to be Volkel and attacked, losing several of their number to ground fire. II./JG 6 suffered severely from Spitfire and Tempests based at Helmond.[23] Very little damage was done at Heesch or Helmond. All fourGruppen failed to find Volkel and itsHawker Tempests remained untouched.[24]
The only success JG 6 had was I./JG's erroneous attack onEindhoven, which claimed 33 fighters and six medium bombers. Like Volkel, Helmond and Heesch had escaped damage. In the dogfights over Helmond, JG 6 claimed six victories. In fact, only two Spitfires were shot down and one badly damaged. Only one further fighter, aHawker Typhoon, was shot down. Stab./JG 6 lost theKommodore, Kogler, as aprisoner of war. Of I./JG's 29 Fw 190s, seven were lost and two damaged; of II./JG 6's 25 Fw 190s, eight were destroyed and two damaged; III./JG 6 lost 12 out 20 Bf 109s. In total, JG 6 lost 43% of its strength and suffered 16 pilots killed or missing and seven captured. As well as Kogler, one other commanding officer was lost—Gruppenkommandeure Helmut Kühle. ThreeStaffelkapitane were lost:Hauptmann Ewald Trost was captured,Hauptmann Norbert Katz was killed and Lothar Gerlach was posted missing, presumed killed.[23]
I./JG 6
II./JG 6
III./JG 6
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