FIGHTER GENERAL BY GRAEME LOTHIAN
Fighter general shows 'Dolfo' Galland leading a schwarm of BF109's out low
at tree top height over the Kent countryside after doing battle with
spitfires, during the last week of August 1940. This remarkable pilot was
awarded the Knights Cross as a Major on the 15th August. His daring and
leadership won the hearts of his men and respect from RAF Pilots. the Oak
leaves was awarded on the 23rd September 1940 and crossed Swords in June
1941 after 69 victories. At the end of 1941 at age only 29 he was
promoted Inspector General of the Fighter Arm. Leaving his post as
Kommodore JG26 to Gerhard Schoepfel he was awarded the Diamonds to the
Knights Cross in January 1942 at Oberst. As the youngest General in the
German High Command he held this post until 1944, after open disagreements
with Goring let to his dismissal. Reverting to combat flying he formed,
with Steinhoff, the legendary JV-44, flying the ME262 jet fighter. His
score by wars end stood at 104 all on the western Front. he was the only
General to lead a squadron into battle.
General Leutnant Walter Krupinski, Born in 1920 in eats Prussia, Walter Kuprinski joined the Luftwaffe as
a 19 year old on the day of the war. Commissioned as a Leutnant in 6/JG52
in February 1941. He was awarded the Knights Cross in October 1942 after
56 victories. promoted Staffelkapitan of 7?jg52 in March 1943. awarded Oak
leaves in march 1944 after 154 Victories. taking over II/JG11 on the
invasion of France and later III?JG26. he led that group until its
disbandment on 26th march 1945. Haupmann Krupinski joined
Adolf Galland's squadron of experts of JV44 scoring 2 victories in the
ME262 Jet. Bringing his total to 197 confirmed victories Krupinski's
5 wounds were recognised by the award of the Wound Badge in Gold.
Major Erich Rudorffer Born in 1917, Rudorffer won his Ritter Kreuz in May 1941. Whilst with
JG2 he down 45 RAF planes over the Channel and a further 27 in
Tunisia. But it was with JG54 in Russia that he had his spectacular
victories, scoring 5 Soviet Aircraft in 4 minutes on one mission and 7
aircraft in 7 minutes. But his most outstanding feat of arial combat was
13 enemy aircraft in just 17 minutes. The Oak Leaves followed on April
1944 and the Crossed swords on January 1945. he finished the War as an Ace
on Jets with JG7 scoring 12 victories in the mE262. In his remarkable
career he never went on leave, was shot down 16 times, bailed out 9 times,
flew over 1,000 missions and scored 222 victories, the seventh highest
ranking expert.
Major Gerhard Schoepfel. Born in 1912, Transferred to the Luftwaffe from the infantry in 1935,
he was Steffelkapitan 9/JG26 at the beginning of the war. he succeeded Galland
as Kommandeur of III?JG26 when Galland was promoted Kommodore and was
awarded the Knights Cross in September 1940. he took over as
Kommodore when Galland was Promoted. A post he held for just over a
year. Serving as fighter operations officer in Italy then
JAFU, Norway and later Hungary. As Kommodore JG6 in Czechoslovakia he was
captured by the Russians and remained a prisoner of War until 1949. he
flew 700 combat missions with the Jadwaffe.
Major Heinz Lange Began his combat in the polish Campaign and in 1939 shot down his first
aircraft, a British Blenheim Bomber, During the Battle of Britain he flew
76 missions. After service with JG 54 he was given command of
3/JG51. By May 1944 he led IV Gruppe JG51 and reached
his total of 70 victories being awarded the Knights Cross in November.
promoted Major was appointed Kommodore of Molders JG51 and in all flew 628
combat missions.
Colonel Heinz Marquardt He was born in Braunsberg in 1922 and spent his entire combat time with
JG51 and in 320 combat missions with the Luftwaffe Heinze Negus Marquardt
was accredited with 121 aerial victories, all scored on the eastern Front.
Flying both the BF109 and FW190. With 16 more unconfirmed. He was himself
shot down 8 times and on 7th October 1944 he downed 8 enemy aircraft in
one day and was awarded the German Cross in September 1944 and the coveted
Knights Cross in November 1944.
Captain Ernst-Wilhelm Reimert Born in 1919 this well known and highly decorated fighter pilot had by
21942 achieved over 100 victories on the eastern Front with JG27. He was
posted to Tunisia where he became the top scoring Luftwaffe Ace in this
theatre of war. With JG77 sent to Italy he continued to score spectacular
and ended the war flying 715 combat mission and scored 174 aerial
victories and was awarded the Knights Cross with oak leaves and Crossed
Swords.
Leutnant Fritz Tegtmeier Born in 1917 he joined 2/JG-54 in October 1940, but after being injured
in a crash it wasn't until 1941 that he achieved his first victory. A
brief time as a fighter Instructor in 1943 he returned to the Russian
Front and his score soon started to mount, By May 1944 he had over 100
victories. August 1944 saw his appointment as Staffelkapitan of
3/JG-54. In March 1945 he transferred to JG-7 flying mE262 Jet. By
the end of the war he had flown 700 combat missions and had 146 victories.
he was awarded the Knights Cross.
Leutnant Peter Duttmann Peter Duttmann Joined the luftwaffe at the beginning of the war and
after Fighter training was posted to 5/JG-52 in the Spring of 1943 and
stayed with this top-scoring unit until the end of the War when he
was a Staffel-Kapitan. he was shot down or crash landed 17 times and on 3
occasions landed far behind Russian lines and each time walked back to his
unit, sometimes taking days to do so. The 2 years
Peter spent on the front he flew 395 missions and had 152 confirmed
victories and more unconfirmed, all in the BF109 including2
tanks. His decorations include the Knights Cross and was
recommended for the Oak leaves at the very end of the war.
The Last Patrol by David Pentland A pair of Bf109 G-14s of 9th
Staffel, Jagdgeswader 54 (Greenheart
Wing) make a final sortie during the last days of March 1945.
No Escape by David Pentland Bf109 G2 of Major Gunther Rall pursues and downs an unidentified
Soviet aircraft over the Caucasus, Russia, early Autumn 1943. Rall went
on to become the third highest scoring ace of all time, with 275
victories in only 621 missions.
The Last
Eagle, Innsbruck, Austria, May 1945 by David Pentland Abandoned Me 109G-10, 3rd Staffel JG4.
Caucasus Dawn by Graeme Lothian Günther Rall leading 111 JG52 squadron April 1943. Signed by four
top German aces: Walter Wolfrum, Franz Woidich, Gunther Rall, Werner
Hohenberg.
COMBAT OVER NORMANDY BY GRAEME LOTHIAN pitfires of R.C.A.F 144 Wing led by Wing Commander Johnson in combat
with ME109's of JG3 over Arromanches, France June 1944.
with
three signatures of British RAF fighter Pilots
Air Vice Marshal
J E Johnnie JOhnson C.B, C.B.E D.S.O , D.F.C D.L
Air
Commodore Pete BrothersC.B.E. D.S.O D.F.C (Wing Commander Flying
Culmhead Wing)
Wing Commnder Geoffrey page D.F.O D.F.C
Wing Commander flying 125 Wing
One to One by Ivan Berryman A Messerschmitt BF109 E of JG27 closes on a 501 squadron Hawker
Hurricane during the typical combat in the skies over southern England
during the Battle of Britain, in the summer of 1940.
Achtung - Indianer, Rechts by Iain Wyllie Leutnant
Julius Maimberg in Messerschmitt ME 109E white 11 and his 'Katschmarek'
Unteroffizier Rudolf Miese of 4 Staffel, J.G.2 'Richtofen' turn towards a
distant squadron of RAF fighters during the Battle of Britain
Foes
Now Friends by Alan S Holt Symbolically Johnnie Johnsons Spitfire
Mk9 flies with Adolf Gallands ME109E on the 60th anniversary of the
Battle of Britain. The two top scoring fighter aces represent all
the pilots of the Allies and the Luftwaffe who fought against each other
in WW2.
Kursk - Clash of
Steel by
Nicolas Trudgian. The Germans launched their attack on the Kursk salient
on 5th July 1943, and for both sides this was maximum effort. The
Soviets, however, informed by intelligence of the impending German
attack, had ample time to prepare huge defensive works with hundreds of
planned anti tank belts. They deployed 10 Tank Corps, 5 Tank
Armies, 1 mechanised Corps and 14 Field Armies equipped with 4000 anti
tank guns and 6000 tanks. The Soviet Air Forces were equally
impressive - 2600 aircraft. The Germans, outnumbered in every
department, were forced to scrape together whatever serviceable tanks
they could from their badly under strength Panzer formations. Most
of the tanks deployed were old Panzer IIIs or IVs, with only 147 Tigers
available for action. The northern German attack made very little
headway, but, in the south, the Germans had grouped all of the SS Panzer
forces into the II SS Panzer Corps and these units, despite the enormous
Soviet forces ranged against them, began to smash their way through the
Soviet defences. The Luftwaffe too had brought together 1200
aircraft and these made an immediate impact on the fighting - on the
first day alone German fighters broke up massive formations of Soviet
aircraft, over 400 victories being claimed.
The Black Tulip by Philip E West. Erick Hartmann flying his Me 109 Black Tulip during a quiet
moment, late on a busy day of combat. By wars end he had scored
352 combat victories during 1400 missions. Hartmann was decorated
with the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, Germanys
highest military award.
Looking for Trouble by Philip E West. Messerschmitt Bf109. The longest serving of all German
interceptors. This classic aircraft was the cornerstone of the
Luftwaffes fighter force throughout the second world war, built in
greater numbers and credited with more air victories than any other
fighter in history.
