Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Jagdgeschwader 77
Image:JG_77_Emblem.gif
JG 77 Herz As
Active 1939-1945
Country Germany
Branch Air Force
Type Fighter Aircraft
Role Air superiority
Size Air Force Wing
Nickname Herz As
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Gordon Gollob (16 May 1942 - 1 October 1942), Johannes Steinhoff (1 April 1943 - 1 December 1944)

Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77) Herz As {Ace of Hearts) was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during World War II. 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. Gordon M Gollob ( 16 June 1912 &ndash 8 September 1987) was an Austrian fighter pilot and Flying ace Johannes Steinhoff ( September 15, 1913 – February 21, 1994) was a German Luftwaffe Fighter ace of ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. 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 served in all the German theaters of war, from Western Europe to the Eastern Front, and from the high north in Norway to the Mediterranean.

Contents

Formation and unit restructures

JG 77 was formed in May 1939 with I. and II. Gruppe. III. /JG 77 was formed on 5 July 1940 in Trondheim from the II(J). Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England. (Trondhjem is a city and municipality in the county of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. /JG 186. I. / JG 77 was reorganized on 21 November 1940 into IV. Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem. /JG 51 and a new I. Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51 Mölders was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during World War II, named after the fighter ace Werner Mölders /JG 77 was established. In January 1942 I. /JG 77 was transferred to I. /JG 5 and a new I. /JG 77 was created. In April 1942 1. Staffel was transferred to Romania and designated the defence unit for the Ploieşti oil fields at Mizil. Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania Ploieşti (ploˈjeʃtʲ older spelling Ploeşti) is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia, Romania (This staffel was redesignated 1. /JG 4 in August 1942. Jagdgeschwader 4 (JG 4 was a Luftwaffe fighter - wing of World War II. )

Service in World War II

Invasion of Poland, campaign in the West and the Balkans

I. /JG 77 took part in the Invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, while attached to Luftflotte 3. The Invasion of Poland (1939 precipitated World War II. It was carried out by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small German-allied Events 462 - Possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. Luftflotte 3 (Air Fleet 3 was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. II. /JG 77 took part in the first Jagdwaffe victories in the West, which occurred on 4 September 1939, when II. Events 476 - Romulus Augustus, last emperor of the Western Roman Empire, is deposed when Odoacer proclaims himself /JG 77 shot down 2 RAF bombers over the North Sea.

In April 1940 JG 77 took part in Operation Weserübung, the invasion of Norway. Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Operation Weserübung was the codename for Nazi Germany 's assault on Denmark and Norway during World War II and the opening operation Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional A third Gruppe was created in Norway in July, while the original two Gruppen took part in the Battle of France from 10 May 1940. 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. After the successful invasion of France I. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Gruppe initially supported Fliegerkorps X (under Luftflotte 5) in operations against Britain from bases in Norway. Luftflotte 5 (Air Fleet 5 was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located While the rest of JG 77 was based in France during the Battle of Britain, III. 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 /JG 77 remained deployed around Berlin. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. 7. & 8. Staffel was transferred to Dinan, France, in late 1940.

While I. /JG 77 remained in Norway and Denmark, in May 1941 II. and III. /JG 77 were used in support of the invasion of Greece and the paratroop assault on Crete. The Battle of Greece (also known as Operation Marita, Unternehmen Marita was a World War II battle that occurred on the Greek mainland and in southern Albania The Battle of Crete ( German Luftlandeschlacht um Kreta; Greek Μάχη της Κρήτης) was a battle during World War II In fighter-bomber operations against the Royal Navy, III. /JG 77 claimed some 34,000 tonnes of shipping sunk, including the 22,000 ton freighter 'Hellas' as well as damaging the RN cruiser HMS Fiji and a destroyer. Early career Fiji was built by John Brown and launched on 31 May 1939 On 22 May, Oblt Wolf Huy and Oblt Kurt Ubben attacked the Royal Navy’s Force “C” off the islands of Kythera and Antikythera. Kurt "Kuddel" Ubben (born 18 November 1911 in Dorstadt, Harz, Killed in action 27 April 1944 Both pilots gained bomb hits on the battleship HMS Warspite. Early career Warspite's first commanding officer upon commissioning in 1915 was Captain Edward Montgomery Phillpotts.

Invasion of the Soviet Union

Following the operations in Crete, JG 77 was withdrawn to Romania in order to prepare for Operation Barbarossa. During this time, III. Gruppe was in the process of converting to the new Bf 109F, a process that would be completed shortly after the attack on the Soviet Union began. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout As Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, started on 22 June 1941, II. Operation Barbarossa ( Unternehmen Barbarossa) was the Codename for Nazi Germany 's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. and III. Gruppe plus Stab supported the advance East as part of Army Group South, while I. Army Group South (Heeresgruppe Süd was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II. Gruppe served on the Finland front. The Jagdgeschwader scored quickly ; Oblt. Walter Hoeckner of 6. /JG77 claimed 8 of 10 Tupolev SB-2s claimed on 25 June by III. /JG 77 and on 26 June Oblt. Kurt Ubben shot down 4 SB-2s. That same day Ofw. Reinhold Schmetzer claimed 5 SB-2s shot down. In the period 22 June - 5 December 1941 the unit, and its attachment I. Events 217 BC - Battle of Raphia: Ptolemy IV of Egypt defeats Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid kingdom. Events 63 BC - Cicero reads the last of his Catiline Orations. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. (J)/LG 2, destroyed 1,166 Soviet aircraft, in return for 52 losses in aerial combat and two aircraft on the ground[1].

By early 1942 German Army Group South and Luftflotte 4 in the eastern Ukraine had three fighter units at his disposal: III. Luftflotte 4 (Air Fleet 4 was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. /JG 52 at Kharkov-Rogan, I. Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52 (52nd Fighter Wing was the most successful Luftwaffe fighter - wing of World War II, with a claim total of more than (J)/LG 2 (later redesignated I. /JG 77) at Mariupol, and III. /JG 77 on the Crimean. Due to the adverse weather and the numerical weakness of the Soviets in the region, III gruppe and its sister units had little contact with the enemy, so that in January 1942, III. /JG 77 recorded a 2. 7 to 1 victories to loss ratio, a ratio far below the average for the other eastern Front Jagdgruppen.

The war in the Crimea flared up in late February 1942 after a Soviet offensive aimed at relieving the Sevastopol area and pushing the Germans from the Crimea. III. /JG 77's Oblt. Wolf-Dieter Huy claimed the Gruppe's 600th victory on 11 March, but was badly injured. Although combats on 16 March yielded 10 victory claims, three Bf 109s were lost. Soon after, III. /JG 77 was returned to Germany for a period of rest. Replacing III gruppe was II. /JG 77 after a three-month refit in Germany. Led by the capable and experienced Hptm. Anton Mader, the gruppe claimed 21 Soviet aircraft for no losses on 19 March. Oberstleutnant Anton Mader (born 7 January 1913 in Castelnuovo - Dalmatia – died 19 February 1984 in Four days later, II. / JG 77 bounced a group of 247 lAP Yak-1s and shot down two, killing 21-kill ace Major Mikhail Fedoseyev. In ten days of intensive operations II. /JG 77 managed to achieve sixty victories against just four combat losses.

Meantime in the Southern Ukraine sector of Mius were I. /JG 77, commanded by Hptm. Herbert Ihlefeld. Herbert Ihlefeld (born 1 June 1914 in Pinnow Pommern, died 8 August 1995 in Wenningsen Lower Saxony) was a Of the 62 victories claimed by I. /JG 77 in April 1942, (without losses) some 43 were claimed by Ihlefeld and his wingman, Oblt. Friedrich Geisshardt. Friedrich "Fritz" Geisshardt ( 22 January 1919 &ndash 5 April 1943) was a German former Luftwaffe Fighter On 22 April, Ihlefeld passed the 100-victory mark, while Geisshardt attained his 60th claim. Two days later Ihlefeld was awarded the 'Swords' to the Ritterkreuz and was promoted to the rank of Major. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ( German language: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, often simply Ritterkreuz) was a grade of the Iron Cross Shortly afterwards he was taken out of operations to be trained as a Geschwaderkommodore.

Hauptmann Gordon Gollob (86 kills) was sent from the Test Centre at Rechlin to take over as Geschwaderkommodore on 16 May 1942, and Hauptmann Heinrich 'Pritzl' Bär (91 victories) was transferred from IV. Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as Captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies Gordon M Gollob ( 16 June 1912 &ndash 8 September 1987) was an Austrian fighter pilot and Flying ace Rechlin-Lärz Airfield is an airfield in the village of Rechlin, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, which is certified for aviation equipment Geschwaderkommodore is a Luftwaffe position (not rank that is the equivalent of a Royal Air Force Group Commander or USAF Wing Commander Colonel Heinz (Oskar-Heinrich "Pritzl" Bär ( 21 March 1913 – 28 April 1957) was a German Luftwaffe /JG 51 as Gruppekommandeur to command I. Gruppenkommandeur is a Luftwaffe ( German air force position that is the equivalent of a commander of a group or wing in other air /JG 77. The total victory claims tally of Jagdgeschwader 77 by 19 May was 2,011.

The fighter units directed against Sevastopol - III. /JG 3, plus II. /JG 77 and the returned III. /JG 77 - were led by Hptm. Gollob. When Sevastopol fell after a month's battle, the Germans had claimed 123 Soviet aircraft shot down against 30 of their own destroyed or severely damaged. During the summer of 1942, Bär and Gollob would dominate the air war over the Kerch area. Gollob became the first fighter pilot to claim 150 air victories in August 1942 and left JG 77 soon after, being replaced by Major Joachim Müncheberg from Jagdgeschwader 26. Joachim Müncheberg ( 18 December 1918 &ndash 23 March 1943) was a German fighter ace of World War II. Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26 Schlageter was a Luftwaffe fighter - wing of World War II.

Service in the Mediterranean

I. Gruppe, which was still based in Norway, was reorganized into I. Gruppe/JG 5 in January 1942, and the entire JG 77 (with a newly created I. Jagdgeschwader 5 (JG 5 Eismeer was a Luftwaffe fighter Wing that served during World War II. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Gruppe) was then transferred south to the Mediterranean area.

During operations against Malta from June-Oct 1942, I. Malta, officially the Republic of Malta (Repubblika ta' Malta is a European Microstate, comprising an Archipelago of three islands /JG 77, still commanded by Bär, claimed 99 aircraft shot down to add to the 900 claimed in Russia. Oblt. Freytag claimed 25 kills over Malta, Obfw. Walter Brandt claiming 14.

III. /JG 77, with Geschwaderkommodore Maj. Müncheberg, arrived direct from the Russian Front, replacing Jagdgeschwader 27 in North Africa in October 1942. Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27 Afrika was a World War II Luftwaffe Geschwader. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan II. /JG 77 arrived in December 1942, with 1,300 victories claimed on the Eastern Front. The two Gruppen had claimed between them a total of 775 Soviet aircraft in the last four months, with a quarter of these claimed by just four pilots (Setz, Hackl, Clausen and Reinhardt). Heinrich Setz ( 12 March 1915 – 13 March 1943) was a German World War II Luftwaffe 138 victories Anton "Toni" Hackl ( 25 March 1915 in Regensburg – 10 July 1984 in Regensburg) was a German

JG 77 saw extensive action against the Desert Air Force fighter-bombers, the unit's aces continuing to build their scores. The Desert Air Force (DAF also known as Air HQ Western Desert, the Western Desert Air Force and the First Tactical Air Force ( 1TAF) was During the Mareth offensive in Feb-March 1943, JG 77 claimed 18 Kittyhawks on 26 February. Events 747 BC - Epoch (origin of Ptolemy 's Nabonassar Era 364 - Valentinian I is proclaimed Total Allied air superiority led to the various JG 77 bases in Tunisia coming under constant air attack, and a large number of Bf109's were written off on the ground. Tunisia (تونس Tūnis officially the Tunisian Republic ( is a country located in North Africa. After claiming a further 23 kills, Maj. Müncheberg was killed in action with USAAF Spitfires on 23 March. The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. It was as a tribute to Müncheberg that the red heart emblem was adopted as JG 77's badge. (Müncheberg had been Staffelkapitän of 7. Staffelkapitän is a Luftwaffe position (not a rank that is the equivalent of Royal Air Force / US Air Force Squadron Leader. JG 26 in 1940-41 who had first used the red heart motif. )

The experienced Oberstleutnant Johannes Steinhoff took over as Kommodore. Johannes Steinhoff ( September 15, 1913 – February 21, 1994) was a German Luftwaffe Fighter ace of

Even under increasingly difficult circumstances, the Geschwader did their utmost to protect the retreating Afrika Korps forces. The German Afrikakorps ( German: Deutsches Afrikakorps DAK) was the original German blocking force (Sperrverband = Armored Blocking Force in Libya Hpt. Bär claimed 61 victories during their African service (45 over Tunisia), while Oblt Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert of II. Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert ( 2 February 1919 &ndash 5 September 2007) was a German former Luftwaffe Fighter ace /JG 77 claimed another 51 kills and I/JG 77's Oblt. Freytag claimed 19. By the 20 April 1943, JG 77 were the sole fighter presence in Northern Africa. Events 1303 - The University of Rome La Sapienza is instituted by Pope Boniface VIII. The unit flew out on 8 May, withdrawing to Sicily, leaving most of their ground crews behind. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen The Wing had suffered heavy losses in the air and on the ground, while claiming 333 air kills in total in North Africa. While I. and II. /JG 77 returned to Germany to re-equip, III. /JG 77 remained in Italy, based at Foggia, north-east of Naplesand flying sorties into Sardinia and Sicily. Foggia is a city of Puglia, Italy, capital of the Province of Foggia. Naples ( Napoli, Neapolitan: Nàpule) is a historic City in southern Italy, the Capital of the In mid June I. /JG 77 flew into Sciacca on Sicily. Sciacca ( Greek:; Latin: Thermae Selinuntinae, Thermae Selinuntiae, Thermae, Aquae Labrodes and Aquae Labodes

Defence of the South Front

Now based in Italy and Sicily the Geschwader, now part of FliegerKorps II (Süd), prepared for the Allies to invade Sicily. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. For a vivid account of Luftwaffe operations at this time see Steinhoff's book Messerschmitts over Sicily: Diary of a Luftwaffe Fighter Commander (Stackpole Military History Series).

During the rest of 1943 and 1944 JG 77 was stationed on the Southern Front, mainly in the Balkans Sardinia and Italy, but also in Romania. Year 1943 ( MCMXLIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sardinia (sɑrˈdɪnɪə Sardegna Sardigna or Sardinnya is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily) Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Romania ( dated: Rumania, Roumania On 24 April 1944 III. Events 1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to /JG 77 intercepted USAAF heavy bombers raiding Ploieşti, losing Hpt. Ploieşti (ploˈjeʃtʲ older spelling Ploeşti) is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia, Romania Emil Omert (70 kills) killed in action. By June 1944, just two gruppen of JG 77 were the sole air defense left in Italy and the eastern Mediterranean.

Back to Germany

In 1945 JG 77 was relocated to Germany itself to help with the Reichsverteidigung (Defense of the Reich). Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar Defense of the Reich ( German language: Reichsverteidigung) refers to the defensive aerial battles fought by the Luftwaffe over German occupied In the last months of the war part of JG 77 was employed against Soviet Air Force in Silesia. Etymology One theory claims that the name Silesia is derived from the Silingi, who were most likely a Vandalic (East Germanic people In this area on 7 March 1945 Kommodore Major Erich Leie, a 118-kill ace, was killed in combat with Yak-9 fighters. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Erich Leie (born 10 September 1916 in Kiel, Killed in action 7 March 1945 in Czechoslovakia) was a

Commanding officers

Geschwaderkommodore

Gruppenkommandeure

I. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Oberst Bernhard Woldenga was born 4 December 1901 in Hamburg and died 19 January 1999. Events 1790 - The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Suvorov and his Russian armies Karl Hermann Gotthard Handrick ( 25 October 1908 &ndash 30 May 1978) was a German Olympic athlete and Fighter Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish Gordon M Gollob ( 16 June 1912 &ndash 8 September 1987) was an Austrian fighter pilot and Flying ace Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. Joachim Müncheberg ( 18 December 1918 &ndash 23 March 1943) was a German fighter ace of World War II. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Johannes Steinhoff ( September 15, 1913 – February 21, 1994) was a German Luftwaffe Fighter ace of Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne Johannes Wiese ( 7 May 1915 - 16 August 1991) was a German World War II Fighter ace who served in the Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Siegfried Freytag (born 4 May 1917 in Danzig-Langfuhr, died 1 June 2003 in Marseille, France) was a Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. Erich Leie (born 10 September 1916 in Kiel, Killed in action 7 March 1945 in Czechoslovakia) was a Events 1170 - Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket Archbishop of Canterbury is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II Siegfried Freytag (born 4 May 1917 in Danzig-Langfuhr, died 1 June 2003 in Marseille, France) was a Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Major Fritz Losigkeit (born 17 November, 1913 in Berlin - Tegel – died 14 January, 1994 in Hünxe Events 527 - Byzantine Emperor Justin I names his nephew Justinian I as co-ruler and successor to the throne /JG 77

II. Herbert Ihlefeld (born 1 June 1914 in Pinnow Pommern, died 8 August 1995 in Wenningsen Lower Saxony) was a Colonel Heinz (Oskar-Heinrich "Pritzl" Bär ( 21 March 1913 – 28 April 1957) was a German Luftwaffe /JG 77

III. Generalmajor Carl-Alfred Schumacher was born 19 February 1896 in Rheine and died 22 May 1967 in Bad Godesberg Oberstleutnant Anton Mader (born 7 January 1913 in Castelnuovo - Dalmatia – died 19 February 1984 in Siegfried Freytag (born 4 May 1917 in Danzig-Langfuhr, died 1 June 2003 in Marseille, France) was a /JG 77

Ergänzungsgruppe/JG 77

Staffelkapitäne

Ölschutzstaffel/JG 77

Pilots attached to JG 77

See also

Organization of the Luftwaffe during World War II

References

  1. ^ Bergström 2007, p. 116.

External links

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic