Jagdgeschwader 5

Jagdgeschwader 5
Squadron badge
active	January 20, 1942 to May 1945
Country	German Empire
Armed forces	Wehrmacht
Armed forces	air force
Branch of service	Air force
Type	Jagdgeschwader
structure	Squadron staff and 4 groups
Nickname	Arctic Ocean Squadron
Aircraft type	Messerschmitt Bf 109 , Focke-Wulf Fw 190
Squadron commodors
First commodore	Gotthard Handrick Lieutenant Colonel
Last commodore	Günther Scholz Lieutenant Colonel

The Jagdgeschwader 5 was an Air Force - fighter squadron during the Second World War . This unit was used in northern Europe, mainly Norway and northern Finland . Because of this, it was also called the Arctic Ocean Squadron. More than two dozen aircraft from this unit are still preserved today - more than from any other World War I unit of the Luftwaffe.

history

1942

The Jagdgeschwader 5 was formed in January 1942 from units of the I. Group of Jagdgeschwader 77 , which were already stationed in Norway and were renamed I./JG 5. The II. Group was completely reorganized and the III. Group was formed in May from parts of Group I of Jagdgeschwader 1. The unit had the task of ensuring air sovereignty in the occupied Scandinavian countries and providing support for the Wehrmacht operations in the area around Murmansk . Jagdgeschwader 5 also had the task of preventing the Soviet supply of the Karelian Front via the Murman Railway .

The I. Group was stationed in Stavanger on the west coast of Norway to prevent Allied attacks on German ship convoys. The II. And the III. Group were stationed in Petsamo, Finland to support operations on the Eastern Front . Jagdgeschwader 5 had to contend with operational conditions that were probably unique in the history of the Luftwaffe: a summer in which the sun was in the sky around the clock, a winter with complete darkness and the arctic temperatures in these latitudes.

At the beginning of the summer of 1942, Luftflotte 5 was reinforced and now had 250 operational aircraft. She was subordinate to the Fliegerführer Nord-Ost Obstlt. Walter Lehweß-Litzmann (responsible for front operations) and the Fliegerführer Lofoten , Colonel Ernst-August Roth (responsible for anti-ship operations). In the course of spring, the II. And III./JG 5 achieved some outstanding successes due to their air superiority, also because the Soviet Union only had 170 operational aircraft. Luftflotte 5 also benefited from the use of a Freya radar device .

During the summer, the Soviet Union brought new forces to the front, including units equipped with the Yakovlev Jak-1 . This aircraft was Bf 109 F equal. On July 19, Lt. Bodo Helms and Ofw.Franz Dorr each shot one Jak-1, Uffz. Werner Schumacher claimed two shots (the total loss of the Soviet side was 5 aircraft: a MiG-3 , 3 Airacobras and Kittyhawks and a hurricane ). On the German side, Fw. Leopold Knier and Uffz. Hans Dobrich were shot down. Both pilots were able to save themselves - Knier was taken prisoner of war, while Dobrich managed to return to his unit.

The air fleet 5 reported in July 1942 26 own losses during the Soviet Air Force lost 32 aircraft, mainly by the fighter squadron. 5

On August 21, the 6./JG 5 claimed the downing of 14 Soviet aircraft; Russian records only count the loss of two LaGG-3s and two I-16s via Wajenga . Two more planes were forced to land due to damage. Jagdgeschwader 5 lost two Bf 109s, one of which was flown by the squadron captain of 6./JG 5, ObIt. Hans Dieter Hartwein.

During this time, both sides reported unrealistic kill numbers - the Jagdgeschwader 5 claimed 72 victories, while the Soviet side recorded only 24 total losses as well as 7 damaged aircraft and 13 missing. Four other aircraft were lost to anti-aircraft fire.

As 1942 progressed, Allied military pressure on Norway and Finland increased. For this reason, parts of the III. Group and the newly formed IV. Group moved to the area around Trondheim . Another part of the III. The group was stationed in Kirkenes . This was done on the one hand to combat the increasing attacks by the Soviet air forces, and on the other hand to be able to intensify the attacks on Allied ship convoys in the North Sea. Lieutenant Heinrich Ehrler (6./JG 5) was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his 64th victory in the air on September 4th .

1943

In January 1943, the I. and IV./JG 5 were stationed in southern Norway, equipped with Fw 190A-2 , A-3 and A-4. The I./JG 5 was based in Lista , Sola , Kjevik and Herdla . IV./JG 5 was distributed on bases around Trondheim , equipped with Bf 109F and Fw 190A. The II. And III. Group fought Soviet forces on the northern polar front, mainly with Bf 109F-4. The staff, the 4./JG 5 and the 6./JG 5 were stationed in Alakurtti; The 5th, 8th and 9th / JG 5 were stationed in Kirkenes and the 7th / JG 5 in Petsamo. At the beginning of March, the 6th squadron under the command of Captain Heinrich Ehrler recorded its 500th aerial victory.

At the beginning of 1943 an additional fighter-bomber squadron was set up, the 14th (J) / JG 5. It was equipped with modified Fw 190A under the command of Captain Friedrich-Wilhelm Strakeljahn. In May 1943, the unit destroyed two Russian submarines and two freighters in just three days; at the end of the year cargo ships with a total of 39,000 GRT had been sunk.

In June 1943 he became Lt. Colonel. Gotthard Handrick transferred to the 8th Hunting Division and replaced by the group commander of III./JG 5, Major Günther Scholz. In mid-1943, Jagdgeschwader 5 also reached its maximum operational strength. It now consisted of 14 squadrons; 12 regular Hunter scales, equipped with Bf 109 and Fw 190, a BF 110 - destroyer relay and a fighter-bomber unit (14 (J) / JG 5). 1943 was also the last year in which the deployment of Jagdgeschwader 5 in the previous operational area made sense for tactical reasons. At the end of the year, Groups I and II were withdrawn and operated separately from the rest of the squadron for the remainder of the war.

In November 1943, the I. Group was moved to Romania to protect the oil fields in Ploieşti , which were important for the war effort . It was subordinated to Air Fleet 1 . The group commander had been Captain Gerhard Wengel since February 1943. He died during a mission on January 10, 1944 when his Bf 109 crashed near Radomir. Wengel was replaced on March 26, 1944 by Captain Horst Carganico. After a dogfight with American B-17 bombers, he died on May 27, 1944 near Chevry (France) when his Bf 109 crashed after it got into a high-voltage line. Carganico achieved 60 aerial victories.

1944

Memorial plaque for Captain Gerhard Wengel in Sofia

In 1944 the I. Group was renamed III./ Jagdgeschwader 6 and relocated to France . In June - July 1944, group commander Theodor Weissenberger won 25 aerial victories in Normandy (half of all victories for the entire unit).

Group II was relocated to Northern Russia and placed under the command of Air Fleet 1 and flew missions from Évreux over Normandy for a few weeks from mid-June , then reorganized to IV./Jagdgeschwader 4 and relocated to Germany in spring 1945.

IV./JG 5 and 14./JG 5 were relocated from southern Norway to the Arctic front in August 1944. The group took part there on October 9th in the first of several air battles as part of the Soviet offensive against Petsamo. At the end of the day the III. and the IV./JG 5 a total of 85 kills by Soviet aircraft for themselves (including the 3,000th aerial victory for Jagdgeschwader 5) - with only one loss of their own.

On August 1, 1944, Major Heinrich Ehrler was promoted to squad commodore of Jagdgeschwader 5.

In November 1944 IV./JG 5 returned to southern Norway. Until the end of the war she was responsible for protecting the German submarine bases in Trondheim and Bergen .

The sinking of the Tirpitz

On November 12, 1944, Avro Lancaster bombers of No. 9 and the No. 617 Squadron arrives at the German battleship Tirpitz in the Tromsø Fjord . Major Ehrler tried to prevent the attack with a Bf 109G formation that had only arrived in nearby Bardufoss a few days earlier , but came too late. The Tirpitz sank after heavy bomb hits - more than a thousand crew members were killed. Ehrler was relieved of his command, brought to justice and sentenced to three years imprisonment (he died on a mission in Jagdgeschwader 7 on April 4, 1945).

Fighter Wing 5 aircraft still preserved today

21 Messerschmitt Bf 109s of JG 5, including six E-models, eight F-models and seven G-models; and six Focke-Wulf Fw 190s (five A-models and one F-model) exist to this day in whole or in part. This is (with a total of about 27 aircraft) the highest maintenance rate of a German air force unit of the Second World War. The oldest existing aircraft of Jagdgeschwader 5, a Bf 109E-3 with the serial number 1983 is now at Charleston Aviation Services in Colchester , England and is currently being restored. The oldest Fw 190, an A-2 model with serial number 5476, is scheduled for restoration in Texas. Another aircraft, a Fw 190F, is being restored in Florida and is to be made airworthy again with an original BMW 801 engine.

Conservation status: (F) = fit to fly (A) = exhibited (R) = in restoration (E) = stored (W) = wreck (U) = unknown

Messerschmitt Bf 109E

• Bf 109E-3 1983 , ex-5./JG 5 "Rote?", Charleston Aviation Services, Colchester , UK (R)
• Bf 109E-3 2023 , ex-Bf 109E-7, ex-8./JG 5 "Schwarze 9" (Pilot Ofw. Walter Sommer) - crashed on May 27, 1943, Fighter Factory Virginia Beach , Virginia, USA (R)
• Bf 109E-3 3285 , ex-Bf 109E-7, ex-4./JG 5 "Black 12", "White 4", "Yellow 2", Aviation Museum of Central Finland , Tikkakoski (E)
• Bf 109E-3 3523 , ex-CS + AJ, ex-Bf 109E-7, ex-5./JG 5, "Rote 6", Jim Pearce, Sussex, UK (E)
• Bf 109E-7 5975 , ex-6./JG 5 "Yellow 4" - shot down on May 10, 1942, Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum , Savannah , Georgia, USA (A) Note: Cockpit section of the Bf 109G-2

Messerschmitt Bf 109F

• Bf 109F-4 7108 , ex-NE + ML, ex-9./JG 5, Aviation Museum of Central Finland, Tikkakoski, Finland (A)
• Bf 109F-4 7485 , ex-9./JG 5, "Schwarze 1" Charleston Aviation Services, UK (E)
• Bf 109F-4 10144, ex-6./JG 5, "Yellow 7" (Pilot Fw. Albert Brunner) - crashed on September 5, 1942, Air Assets International, Bloomfield , Colorado (R)
• Bf 109F-4 10212 , ex-JG 5, Air Assets International, Bloomfield, Colorado, USA (E) Note: only wings and other parts received
• Bf 109F-4 10256 , ex-11./JG 5, Air Assets International, Bloomfield, Colorado, USA (E)
• Bf 109F-4 10276 , ex-JG 5, Air Assets International, Bloomfield, Colorado, USA (E)

• Bf 109F-4 serial number unknown , ex-JG 5, "White 4", Belgium (R)

Messerschmitt Bf 109G

• Bf 109G-2 10394 , ex-6./JG 5, "Yellow 2" (Pilot Fw. Erwin Fahldieck) - crashed on April 29, 1943, Malcolm Laing, Texas, USA (R) Note: only individual parts have been preserved
• Bf 109G-2 13427 , ex-9./JG 5, "Yellow 2", Russia (E)
• Bf 109G-2 / R1 13470 , ex-CI + KS, ex-8./JG 5, "White 4", Norsk Luftfartsmuseum, Bodo, Norway (R)
• Bf 109G-2 / R6 13927 , ex-6./JG 5, "Yellow 6", USA (W)
• Bf 109G-1 / R2 14141 , ex-DG + UF, ex-2./JG 5, "Schwarze 6", Flyhistorisk Museum, Sola , Norway (R)
• Bf 109G-2 14658 , ex-KG-WF, ex-6./JG 5, "Yellow 2", Severomorsk , Russia (A)
• Bf 109G-2 14798 (VH-EIN), ex-GJ + QP, ex-8./JG 5, "Black 10", Christopher Kelly, Seaforth , Australia (R)
• Bf 109G-6 411768 ex-FN + RX, ex-RW + ZI, ex-II./JG 5, "Black 1", Vadim Zadorozny Technical Museum, Moscow, Russia (A)

Focke-Wulf Fw 190

• Fw 190 A-2, Wk. No. 5476, ex-JG 5, owned by Wade S. Hayes, Texas, USA. This is probably the oldest surviving Fw 190. (R)
• Fw 190 A-3, Wk. No. 2219, ex-IV./JG 5, Salvage from the Sea, is currently being restored for the Norwegian Air Force Museum. (R)
• Fw 190 A-8, Wk. No. 350177, ex-12./JG 5, property of John W. Houston, Texas Air Museum, San Antonio , Texas, USA. (R)
• Fw 190 A-8, Wk. No. 732183, ex-12./JG 5, flown by Rudi Linz (79 victories). Shot down over Norway on Black Friday February 9, 1945 by a British Mustang . The aircraft is now owned by John W. Houston and is being restored at the Texas Air Museum. (R)
• Fw 190 F-8, Wk. No. 931862, 9./JG 5, "White 1", flown by Sergeant Heinz Orlowski. Shot down by a P-51 over Norway on February 9, 1945. Restoration in Kissimmee , Florida, USA by The White 1 Foundation , the aim is to restore airworthiness. Orlowski personally assessed the progress of the restoration in 2005. (R)

Commanders

Squadron commodors

• Lieutenant Colonel Gotthard Handrick , May 1942 - June 1943
• Lieutenant Colonel Günther Scholz, June 1943 - May 1944
• Major Heinrich Ehrler , May 1944 - February 1945
• Lieutenant Colonel Günther Scholz, February 1945 - May 1945

Group commanders

I. group

• Major Joachim Seegert, January 1942 - April 1942
• Captain Joachim von Wehren, April 1942 - February 1943
• Captain Gerhard Wengel, February 1943 - January 10, 1944
• First Lieutenant Robert Müller, January 10, 1944 - January 25, 1944
• Major Erich Gerlitz, January 25, 1944 - March 16, 1944
• Major Horst Carganico, March 26, 1944 - May 27, 1944
• Captain Theodor Weissenberger , June 4, 1944 - October 14, 1944

II group

• Major Hennig Strümpell, January 1942 - April 1942
• Captain Horst Carganico, April 1942 - March 26, 1944
• Captain Theodor Weissenberger, March 26, 1944 - June 3, 1944
• First Lieutenant Hans Tetzner, June 4, 1944 - July 19, 1944
• Lieutenant Colonel Franz Wienhusen, September 1, 1944 - October 1944
• Captain Herbert Staircase, February 1945 - May 1945

III. group

• Captain Günther Scholz, March 1942 - June 1943
• Major Heinrich Ehrler , June 1943 - May 1944
• Captain Franz Dörr, May 1944 - May 1945
• First Lieutenant Rudolf Glöckner, 1944/1945

IV. Group

• Captain Hans Kriegel, unknown - April 1944
• First Lieutenant Rudolf Lüder, October 3, 1943 - unknown
• Captain Fritz Stendel, May 15, 1944 - May 1945

Squadron captains

13th (Z) season

• First Lieutenant Felix Maria Brandis, January 25, 1942 - February 2, 1942
• Oberleutnant Max Franzisket, February 1942 - March 1942
• First Lieutenant Karl-Fritz Schloßstein, March 1942 - June 1942
• First Lieutenant Hans Kirchmeier, June 1943 - September 1943
• Captain Herbert Staircase, September 1943 - July 1944

14th (Jabo) season

• Captain Friedrich-Wilhelm Strakeljahn, February 1943 - February 1944

Known squadron members

• Gotthard Handrick (1908–1978), won the gold medal in the modern pentathlon at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin

credentials

1. ↑ In action over Europe - the fighter pilot Günther Scholz remembers. Ingo Möbius, Chemnitz 2009, ISBN 978-3-00-027503-6 .
2. ↑ 5975 (Warbird Recovery) ( Memento of the original from March 22, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ 7108 (Preserved Axis Aircraft Collection)
4. ↑ White 4 (preserved axis aircraft page)
5. ↑ 411768 "Black 1 (airliners phto collection)

• Luftwaffe.no, reference to the Air Force operations in Norway and Finland .
• Bjørn Hafsten et al .: Flyalarm. Luftkrigen over Norge 1939–1945. Sem & Stenersen AS, Oslo 1991, ISBN 82-7046-058-3 .
• Werner Girbig: Jagdgeschwader 5 "Eismeerjäger". A chronicle of documents and reports 1941–1945. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1976, ISBN 3-87943-365-8 .