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Jagdgeschwader 26
Image:JG26-Emblem.gif
Active 1939-1945
Country Germany
Branch Air Force
Type Fighter Aircraft
Role Air superiority
Size Air Force Wing
Nickname Schlageter
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Adolf Galland (22. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed Air superiority is the dominance in the Air power of one side's air forces over the other side's during a Military campaign. Adolf "Dolfo" Joseph Ferdinand Galland ( 19 March 1912 9 February 1996) was a World War II German fighter 8. 40 - 5. 12. 41)

Josef Priller (11. Josef "Pips" Priller ( 27 July 1915 &ndash 20 May 1961) was a Luftwaffe World War II Fighter ace. 1. 43 - 27. 1. 45)

Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26) Schlageter was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. A fighter aircraft is a Military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other Aircraft, as opposed to a Bomber, which is designed Wing is a term used by different Air forces for a unit of command World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including It operated mainly in Western Europe against Great Britain, France and the United States. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the It was named after Albert Leo Schlageter, a World War I veteran and Freikorps member arrested and executed by the French for sabotage in 1923. Albert Leo Schlageter ( 12 August 1894 — 26 May 1923) was a member of the German Freikorps and a Martyr -figure for the World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The designation of Freikorps ( German for "Free Corps " was originally applied to voluntary armies formed in German lands from the middle of 18th century

Contents

Formation of the unit

The I. and II. Gruppe of JG 26 was formed 1 May 1939 in Odendorf and Bönninghardt from I. Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. Extended links Website of the municipality Swisttal (German and II. /JG 132. Initially they had a strength of three squadrons per Gruppe, but in 1943 they had their strength increased to four. The III. Gruppe was formed 23 September 1939 in Werl from parts of I. Events 1122 - Concordat of Worms. 1459 - Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English Werl is a town located in the district of Soest in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. and II. /JG26. It too saw its strength increased from three to four squadrons in 1943. The IV. Gruppe was formed 25 February 1945 in Varrelbusch from III. Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor /JG 54. Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54 Grünherz (Green Hearts was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during the Second World War.

Service in World War 2

Campaign in the West

JG 26 took part in the Battle of France from 10 May 1940 onwards, flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter. In World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout To help with identification the unit had the undernoses of their aircraft painted yellow. Some aircraft had their entire cowling thus painted. [1] JG 26 claimed 160 French and British aircraft shot down, for relatively light losses of 17 pilots killed. [2] After the fall of France JG 26 took part in the Battle of Britain, based in the Pas de Calais region. The Battle of Britain (German ''Luftschlacht um England'' is the name given to the sustained strategic effort by the German Luftwaffe during the summer and Pas-de-Calais is a department in northern France. Its name is the French language equivalent of the Strait of Dover, which it borders In late August it was becoming apparent to the German High Command that the Battle of Britain was not going as planned. The Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL was the air force High Command of the Third Reich. A frustrated Göring relieved several Geschwaderkommodoren of their commands, and appointed younger, more aggressive men in their place. Hermann Wilhelm Göring (also spelled Goering) (12 January 1893 15 October 1946 was a German Politician, Military leader and a leading member Geschwaderkommodore is a Luftwaffe position (not rank that is the equivalent of a Royal Air Force Group Commander or USAF Wing Commander [3] Thus Major Adolf Galland was given command of JG 26 on 22 August. Adolf "Dolfo" Joseph Ferdinand Galland ( 19 March 1912 9 February 1996) was a World War II German fighter Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26 Schlageter was a Luftwaffe fighter - wing of World War II. Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. During the Battle of Britain, the Geschwader claimed 285 fighters shot down, for losses of 76 aircraft and 45 pilots killed, and 29 prisoners of war. [4]

In 1941 most of the fighter units of the Luftwaffe were sent east to the Eastern Front, or south to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, thus leaving JG 26 and Jagdgeschwader 2 Richthofen as the sole single-engine fighter Geschwadern in France. The Eastern Front of World War II (die Ostfront 1941-1945, der Rußlandfeldzug 1941-1945 (Russian campaign or der Ostfeldzug 1941-1945 (Eastern Campaign This page deals with the United States military 's Mediterranean Theater of Operations Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2 Richthofen was a World War II Luftwaffe wing. For the next two years these two Geschwadern were the main adversaries to the RAF’s day offensives over Occupied Europe. The two Jagdgeschwader maintained around 120 serviceable Bf 109 E and F’s to face the increasing number of aggressive RAF Fighter Command sweeps conducted to wear down the Luftwaffe in a war of attrition and so relieve pressure on the Eastern Front. Fighter Command was one of three functional commands that dominated the public perception of the Royal Air Force for much of the mid-20th century

Galland's careful husbanding of his resources and astute tactical awareness meant JG 26 kept their losses to a minimum while inflicting maximum damage on the RAF's Spitfires through 1941. This became even more evident with the arrival of the potent Focke-Wulf Fw 190A to units in late 1941 - early 1942, which completely outclassed the current Spitfire Mark Vb in service with the RAF. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout In late 1941 JG 26 started converting to the Fw 190A fighter. I. and II. Gruppe were soon fully equipped with this aircraft, and although the III Gruppe started converting, the process was stopped and it continued using various versions of the Bf 109 for the remainder of the war. By the end of 1941 JG 26 had claimed more than 900 victories since September 1939 (some 400 since May 1941), and had lost some 95 pilots killed (34 POW) in return. The highest scoring pilots at this time were Galland (97), Hptm Müncheberg (62) and Hptm Josef Priller (58).

JG 26 and JG 2 had to defend the entire Atlantic Wall from the Spanish border through Belgium, until late 1942 when more units were directed West after the Allied bombing campaigns increased in ferocity. The Atlantikwall ( English: Atlantic wall) was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by the German Third Reich Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those

The Abbeville boys

Although JG 26 was not known by specific name to their opponents, JG 26 built a fearsome reputation among Allied aircrews. [1] The skill and determination of the Luftwaffe fighter units when attacking USAAF bomber formations led the Allied bomber crews to become wary whenever any yellow-nosed Bf 109 or Fw 190 aircraft attacked them. Because some elements of the unit was based in Abbeville-Drucat the Allies dubbed any yellow-nosed Bf 109 or Fw 190 aircraft who aggressively and effectively attacked them the nickname The Abbeville Boys and perceived them as the Luftwaffe's special hand-picked elite group of aces, although from the Luftwaffe's perspective they were just another — albeit highly experienced and effective — fighter Geschwader. Abbeville ( Abbegem in Flemish is a city in Picardie in northern France.

Mediterranenan (1941)

In February 1941, 7. /JG 26[5] under Hpt Joachim Müncheberg operated in the Mediterranean theatre against Malta from bases in Sicily. Joachim Müncheberg ( 18 December 1918 &ndash 23 March 1943) was a German fighter ace of World War II. Malta, officially the Republic of Malta (Repubblika ta' Malta is a European Microstate, comprising an Archipelago of three islands Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. The unit was to achieve success out of all proportion to its moderate size, claiming 52 victories over the island's defenders without losing a single Bf-109E. Müncheberg claimed almost half of the victories. In addition to flying missions over Malta, 7. JG 26 also flew over Yugoslavia in support of the German invasion of the Balkans. See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian The Balkans Campaign was the Axis Powers ' invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia during World War II. On 7 May 1941, Müncheberg was awarded the Eichenlaub to his Ritterkreuz and the Italian Medaglia d'Oro, with 43 victories to his credit. Events 558 - In Constantinople, the dome of the Hagia Sophia collapses For other meanings please see Iron Cross (disambiguation The Iron Cross ( was a Military decoration of the Kingdom of Prussia The Gold Medal for Military Valor ( Italian language: Medaglia d'oro al Valore Militare) is an Italian Medal established on 21 May After a spell in Libya during June-July 1941 to support Rommels Afrika Korps, 7. Libya ( ليبيا ar-Latn Lībiyā; Libyan vernacular: Lībya; Amazigh:) officially the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel ( ( 15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) (also known as the " Desert Fox " Wüstenfuchs The German Afrikakorps ( German: Deutsches Afrikakorps DAK) was the original German blocking force (Sperrverband = Armored Blocking Force in Libya /JG 26 was transferred back to France.

Dieppe (1942)

The ill-fated Allied landing at Dieppe on 19 August 1942 was intended as a reconnaissance in force to learn the techniques required to breach the Atlantic Wall along the French coast. Dieppe is a town and commune in the Seine-Maritime department and Haute-Normandie region of France. Events 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul. The air operations in conjunction with Operation Jubilee resulted in some of the fiercest and intensive air battles since 1940. The Dieppe Raid, also known as The Battle of Dieppe or Operation Jubilee, during the Second World War, was an Allied attack on the The RAF’s objectives were to throw a protective umbrella over the Naval and Army forces involved and to force the Luftwaffe fighters into an attritional conflict on the Allies’ own terms. 51 fighter squadrons of Spitfires and Typhoons were committed, with 8 squadrons of Hurricane fighter-bombers, 4 squadrons of reconnaissance Mustang Mk I’s and 7 squadrons of light bombers. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Opposing were the 115 operational fighters of Jagdgeschwader JG 2 and JG 26. The German fighters were therefore outnumbered by about three to one. Although initially slow to respond to the raid, the German fighters soon made their presence felt over the port as the day wore on. While the Allied fighters were moderately successful in protecting the ground and sea forces from aerial bombing, the RAF came off second best versus the experienced and well-equipped Jagdgeschwaders. RAF victory claims included 50 destroyed Fw 190s and Bf 109s for a loss of 71 pilots and 10 aircrew killed or missing and 106 aircraft, including 88 fighter aircraft. Actual Luftwaffe losses were 48 aircraft, with just 23 fighters lost, a mere 7 from JG 26, with 14 pilots killed, 6 from JG 26. JG 26 claimed 38 kills of a total of 97.

Jabos

At the end of March 1942, a specialist fighter bomber staffeln were created; 10. (Jabo)/JG 26. Equipped with the the Fw 190 A-3/U3 alng with sister unit 10. (Jabo)/JG 2 the staffel operated from June onwards against channel shipping and port towns on the south-eastern coasts of England. Often operating in small numbers at at high speed and low altitude, these pin-prick raids were almost impossible for the RAF fighters to defend against. On 31 October 1942 Canterbury was attacked in the largest daylight raid mounted by the Luftwaffe since the Battle of Britain, with some 60 Fw 190s attacking the city, killing 32 and injuring 116 (one Fw 190 was lost). The most effective counter to these attacks were wasteful standing patrols by the Hawker Typhoon and the Griffon engined Spitfire Mk XII, which were both fast enough at low level to catch the Fw 190. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout As 1943 progressed however the Jabo units were suffering ever higher losses. For example, in the London raid of 20 January 1943, JG 26 jabos and their escorts (some 90 fighters in all) lost eight aircraft and pilots to the RAF.

In February 1943, 10. (Jabo)/JG 26 became 10. (Jabo)/JG 54, but continued to operate under the control of JG 26. In April these Jabo units were amalgamated into IV gruppe, Schnellkampfgeschwader 10 ((SKG 10) and switched to night operations over southern England.

A New Enemy and service in Russia (1943)

The dawn of 1943 saw the period of the RAF's massive circus operations pass, with the 'Schlageter' Geschwader increasingly involved in operations against a new enemy, in the form of the increasingly intensive daylight heavy bomber operations of the USAAF Eighth Air Force. Eighth Air Force is a Numbered Air Force (NAF of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC

The bomber formations were initially the bait with which to lure the Luftwaffe fighters into combat, although the bombers also now had the capability to destroy or severely damage their ground targets. No longer would JG 26 have the luxury of picking and choosing the time and place of combat. The unit's FW 190's performance fell off rapidly above 25,000 feet, and thus massed head-on attacks were developed to maximise the fighter's fire-power and to exploit the bomber's weakness in forward facing armament.

Meanwhile JG 26 were notified that they were to be posted to the Eastern Front, replacing JG 54 Grünherz who were to transfer west. Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54 Grünherz (Green Hearts was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during the Second World War. The changeover was to be by Gruppe strength, and I. /JG 26 (under Major Johannes Seifert) and 7. /JG 26 (Hpt. Klaus Mietusch) moved into Northern Russia in late January 1943. However, during the spring of 1943 the planned phased transfer was postponed, and by early June I. /JG 26 was back in France, as was 7. /JG 26 in July. Some 199 Soviet Air Force aircraft had been claimed shot down, for just 11 pilots killed.

D-Day and beyond (1944)

Jagdgeschwader 26's first operations during the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944 was conducted by Geschwaderkommodore Obstlt. Josef Priller, flying an Fw 190A-8 W. Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Josef "Pips" Priller ( 27 July 1915 &ndash 20 May 1961) was a Luftwaffe World War II Fighter ace. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Nr. 170346 Black 13, and his wingman from his base at Lille-Nord; an event that would be portrayed graphically in the book by Cornelius Ryan and the resultant film The Longest Day. Lille (lil Rijsel is a city in northern France. It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest Metropolitan area in the country Cornelius Ryan, ( 5 June 1920 &ndash 23 November 1974) was an Irish-American Journalist and Author mainly known The Longest Day is a 3-hour-long War film with a very large cast based on the 1959 history The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan Priller and his wingman, Uffz. Heinz Wodarczyk, took off in their Focke-Wulfs and headed west at low altitude, dodging several formations of Spitfires in the process. Crossing the coast at Le Havre the duo spotted the ships of the assault force. The pair made a high speed strafing pass over what was the British Sword Beach. Sword Beach was the codename of one of the five main landing beaches in Operation Neptune, the initial assault phase of Operation Overlord, the Allied Anti-aircraft fire forced the unscathed Focke-Wulfs to seek cloud cover. JG 26 (with JG 2) flew the bulk of the 172 sorties by the Luftwaffe Fighter arm on D-Day. By contrast the Allies Air Forces flew 14,000 sorties the same day.

The Luftwaffe's fighters were mobilised as part of a long-standing plan in the event of an invasion to reinforce the French based units of JG 2 and JG 26 with home-based Reich Defence gruppen. Alongside these some 20 gruppen from the newly arrived Jagdgeschwaders under the command of Jagd Division 5 , JG 26 would fly intensively over the invasion battlefield during the summer of 1944, flying sweeps against the ever present hordes of Allied fighter-bombers. Inevitably the overwhelming Allied air superiority inflicted heavy losses on pilots and planes. By late summer few of the battle-hardened JG 26 experten of earlier years remained with the Geschwader, with novice recruits of less than 180 hours flying experience drafted in. JG 26 claimed just 30 kills in July, and suffered 20 pilots killed and 16 injured.

By late August the Geschwader was stationed in Belgium, mustering just 56 aircraft. JG 26 claimed 76 kills for the month, with 40 pilots killed in action (their highest monthly loss of the war), 6 killed in accidents, and 20 injured.

The Geschwader, based close to the Dutch border, was heavily involved in operations against Operation Market Garden, the airborne offensive around the Rhine bridges. Operation Market Garden ( September 17, 1944 – September 25, 1944) was an Allied military operation fought in the Netherlands Efforts to disrupt the transport aircraft were thwarted by the numerous Allied fighter patrols. Major Klaus Mietusch, the 72-kill ace commander of III/JG 26, and the longest serving member of the Geschwader (since 1938), was killed in combat at this time.

In November 1944 II Gruppe withdrew to re-equip with the improved FW 190 D-9 the 'Dora'.

1945

JG 26 took part in Operation Bodenplatte, the low-level massed fighter attacks on the Allied air bases in the Low Countries. Unternehmen Bodenplatte (German "Operation Baseplate" or "Operation Ground Plate" launched on January 1 1945, was an attempt by the The Low Countries, the historical region of de Nederlanden, are the countries on low-lying land around the delta of the Rhine, Scheldt Led by Oberst Priller. over 60 FW 190D's of I/JG 26 and the subordinated III/JG 54 attacked the RAF base at Grimbergen, destroying 5 bombers and a Mustang, along with various trucks and equipment. Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54 Grünherz (Green Hearts was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during the Second World War. Grimbergen is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. However , 24 aircraft failed to return, over half falling to German friendly fire. Friendly fire or non-hostile fire, a term originally adopted by the United States military, refers to fire from one's own side or allied forces as II. and III. /JG 26 meantime attacked Brussels - Evere the home of the RCAF's crack 127 Wing, flying Spitfires. Brussels (Bruxelles pronounced; Brussel pronounced) officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is Evere is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. Just 11 Spitfires were destroyed, the attackers losing 17 aircraft. JG 26's losses were indicative of the Lufwaffe's casulties that day, with some 300 of the 900 fighters involved failing to return safely. The operation marked the end of the Luftwaffe's hopes for effective and concerted operations against the Allies in the future.

JG 26's task for the rest of the war was to provide what support it could for the German Armies defending the Northern sector of the Western Front against the thrusts of the Canadian and British Armies. Despite chronic shortages of fuel and equipment, the unit flew intercept sorties against Allied reconnaissance aircraft and 'freie Jagd' against the ground-attack and tactical formations. Combat air patrol (CAP is a type of flying mission for Fighter aircraft.

JG 26 Statistics

Although many Luftwaffe records were lost at the end of the war, research suggests that JG 26 claimed around 2,700 aircraft shot down, with 763 pilots killed (631 in action, 132 in accidents). Some 67 were shot down and became prisoners.

Geschwaderkommodoren

JG 26 Knight's Cross Recipients

The following soldiers received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross or a higher grade while being assigned to Jagdgeschwader 26. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ( German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, often simply Ritterkreuz) was a grade of the Iron Cross

      This along with the * (asterisk), indicates that the Knight's Cross was awarded posthumously. A posthumous recognition is a ceremonial award given after the recipient has died usually in honor of an action associated with their death

Name Rank Knight's Cross Oak Leaves Swords Diamonds
Adolph, Walter Hauptmann 13 November 1940
Borris, Carl Major 25 November 1944
Dortenmann, Hans Oberleutnant 20 April 1945
Ebeling, Heinz Leutnant 5 November 1940
Galland, Adolf Major 29 July 1940 24 September 1940 21 June 1941 28 January 1942
Galland, Wilhelm-Ferdinand Hauptmann 18 May 1943
Glunz, Adolf Oberfeldwebel 29 August 1943 24 June 1944
Groß, Alfred Leutnant 20 April 1945
Hofmann, Karl-Wilhelm Leutnant 24 October 1944
Mayer, Wilhelm Leutnant 12 March 1945*
Meier, Johann-Hermann Leutnant 16 December 1944
Mietusch, Klaus Hauptmann 26 March 1944 18 November 1944*
Müncheberg, Joachim Oberleutnant 14 September 1940 7 May 1941 9 September 1942[6]
Priller, Josef Oberleutnant 19 October 1940[7] 20 July 1941 2 July 1944
Radener, Waldemar Oberleutnant 12 March 1945
Schmid, Johann Hauptmann 21 August 1941
Schöpfel, Gerhard Hauptmann 11 September 1940
Seifert, Johannes Hauptmann 7 June 1942
Sprick, Gustav Leutnant 1 October 1940
Vogt, Gerhard Leutnant 25 November 1944
Willius, Karl Leutnant 9 June 1944

Notes

  1. ^ a b JG26 "The Abbeville Boys" Luftwaffe Fighter Unit in WWII
  2. ^ Caldwell JG 26 Top Guns of the Luftwaffe
  3. ^ Deighton, Fighter: The True Story of the Battle of Britain, p. Walter Adolph was a Luftwaffe Fighter ace. He was born on 11 June 1913 and died on 18 September 1941. Adolf "Dolfo" Joseph Ferdinand Galland ( 19 March 1912 9 February 1996) was a World War II German fighter Wilhelm-Ferdinand "Wutz" Galland (born 23 October 1914 in Bochum – Killed in action 17 August 1943) was Adolf "Addi" Glunz was a World War II Flying ace in the Luftwaffe (German Air Force Joachim Müncheberg ( 18 December 1918 &ndash 23 March 1943) was a German fighter ace of World War II. Josef "Pips" Priller ( 27 July 1915 &ndash 20 May 1961) was a Luftwaffe World War II Fighter ace. Major Gerhard Schöpfel ( 19 December, 1912 &ndash 17 May, 2003) was a German World War II Luftwaffe Gustav “Micky” Sprick ( 29 November 1917 &ndash 28 June 1941) was a former German Luftwaffe Fighter ace Gerhard Vogt was a former German Luftwaffe Fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II 182
  4. ^ Caldwell JG 26 Top Guns of the Luftwaffe
  5. ^ For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Organization of the Luftwaffe during World War II
  6. ^ Swords with JG 51
  7. ^ Knight's Cross with JG 51

References

See also

Organization of the Luftwaffe during World War II

Organization of the Luftwaffe: The German Air Force ( Luftwaffe) of World War II had a distinct organization and command structure
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