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JG5 |
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Name : JG5 Country : Germany |
Eismeer was a Luftwaffe fighter Wing that served during World War II. As the name Eismeer (Ice Sea) implies, it was created to operate in the far North of Europe, namely Norway, Scandinavia and northern parts of Finland, all nearest the Arctic Ocean. Just over two dozen fighter aircraft that once served with JG 5 during the war still survive in the 21st century, more than from any other combat wing of any of the Axis air forces of World War II. |
Known Service Details : | |||||||
Pilot or Aircrew | Rank | Start of Service | End of Service | Known Dates | Aircraft | Airframes | Notes |
unknown | unknown | ||||||
Unteroffizier | unknown | unknown | |||||
Unteroffizier | unknown | 7th May 1943 | Killed in Action | ||||
Major | unknown | unknown | |||||
Oberfahnrich | unknown | unknown | |||||
Major | January 1942 | unknown | |||||
Oberleutnant | unknown | unknown | |||||
Oberleutnant | 6th January 1942 | unknown | |||||
Oberleutnant | unknown | May 1944 | |||||
Leutnant | unknown | unknown | |||||
Unteroffizier | unknown | 20th July 1943 | Killed in Action | ||||
Unteroffizier | unknown | unknown | |||||
unknown | unknown | ||||||
Leutnant | unknown | 13th May 1943 | Killed in Action | ||||
| Pilots and Aircrew for : JG5 | ||
| A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | ||
| Name | Info | |
| Amend, Hermann Click the name above to see a profile of Amend, Hermann
| Amend, Hermann KIA 5 August, 1944. His first known victory, three Soviet P-40s on 12 September, 1943, flying with Walter Schuck, who also downed three P-40s this same date. A 4th, a Pe-2 on 2 December, 1943. A 5th, A Boston III on 17 March, 1944. A 6th, a Boston III on 2 April, 1944. A 7th, another Boston III NE of Berlevaag on 25 May, 1944. Nos. 8 & 9, both Il-2s near Vardö on 26 May, 1944. | |
| Andresen, Lorenz Click the name above to see a profile of Andresen, Lorenz | Andresen, Lorenz | |
| Arnold, Heinz Click the name above to see a profile of Arnold, Heinz | Arnold, Heinz | |
| Artner, Rudolf Click the name above to see a profile of Artner, Rudolf | Artner, Rudolf | |
| Baasch, Dieter Click the name above to see a profile of Baasch, Dieter | Baasch, Dieter | |
| Bartels, Heinrich Click the name above to see a profile of Bartels, Heinrich
| Bartels, Heinrich | |
| Beth, Arthur Click the name above to see a profile of Beth, Arthur | Beth, Arthur | |
| Beulich, Erich Click the name above to see a profile of Beulich, Erich | Beulich, Erich | |
| Beyer, Heinz Click the name above to see a profile of Beyer, Heinz | Beyer, Heinz | |
| Birk, Heinz Click the name above to see a profile of Birk, Heinz | Birk, Heinz | |
| Brunner, Albert Click the name above to see a profile of Brunner, Albert
| Brunner, Albert | |
| Carganico, Horst Click the name above to see a profile of Carganico, Horst
| Carganico, Horst He joined the Luftwaffe in 1937 and attended pilot school at Berlin-Johannisthal. At the outbreak of World War II Carganico was Technical Officer with the staff of Jagdgeschwader 1. In April 1940, he became Adjutant of II./Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77), serving in Norway. He claimed his initial victory on 21 June 1940; a "RAF Hereford" (actually a Bristol Beaufort) near Bergen. He claimed several more victories before II./JG 77 was posted to Northern France in November 1940. He claimed his fifth victory on 30 November, a Bristol Blenheim. Oberleutnant Carganico was made Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 77 in January 1941 and stationed in Sola, Norway. On 25th July 1941, his Me109E-7 0001786 of JG77 was damaged in a crash landing at Petsamo airfield, Finland. He was unharmed. Flying intensively following the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Carganico was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 25 September 1941 for 27 victories. By early 1942 Carganico commanded 6./Jagdgeschwader 5 (JG 5). As a Hauptmann, he was appointed Gruppenkommandeur II./JG 5 in April 1942 and in summer 1942 he claimed 23 victories in six weeks. On 12 August Carganico was part of a Schwarm intercepted by Soviet fighters and Carganico's Bf 109 F-4 was damaged sufficiently to force an emergency landing near Motovsk. He evaded capture and returned to his unit the next day. On 26 March 1944 Hauptmann Carganico was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 5 participating in the Defence of the Reich against the USAAF heavy bomber offensive. Following combat with USAAF four-engined bombers on 27 May 1944, Carganico was killed when his Bf 109 G-5 hit high tension cables while attempting a forced landing near Chevry, France. He was credited with 60 victories in 600 missions, including six victories over the Western Allies. | |
| Carl, Horst Click the name above to see a profile of Carl, Horst | Carl, Horst | |
| Dorr, Franz Click the name above to see a profile of Dorr, Franz
| Dorr, Franz Franz Dörr was born on 10 February 1913 at Mannheim. During 1939-1940, Dörr served as a reconnaissance pilot in Poland and over the Western front. In spring 1941, Feldwebel Dörr was transferred to 1.(Erg.)/JG 3, based in Holland. He claimed his first victory on 29 September 1941, when he shot down a RAF Wellington twin-engine bomber. On 1 January 1942, 1.(Erg.)/JG 3 was redesignated 7./JG 5 and relocated to the Northern front. By the end of 1942, Dörr had raised his victory total to 12. He recorded his 20th victory on 18 August 1943. Dörr was appointed Staffelkapitän of 7./JG 5 on 14 September 1943. By the end of 1943, Dörr had increased his victory total to 37. May 1944 was to see Dörr begin an amazing series of victories: six victories on 16 May, four on 25 May, five on 26 May, four on 15 June, eight on 17 June, five on 27 June, seven on 28 June, five on 4 July and four on 17 July. Oberleutnant Dörr was awarded the Knight’s Cross on 19 August for 99 victories. On 1 August 1944, Dörr was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 5. He claimed six victories on 23 August to record his 100th through 106th victories. In October, Dörr claimed 22 Russian aircraft shot down, including six on 9 October and five on 21 October. Dörr survived the war but died on 13 October 1972 at Konstanz. Franz Dörr was credited with 128 victories in 437 missions. He recorded one victory over the Western front. Included in his victory total are 16 Il-2 Sturmoviks. | |
| Dreisbach, Heinrich Click the name above to see a profile of Dreisbach, Heinrich | Dreisbach, Heinrich | |
| Ehrler, Heinrich Click the name above to see a profile of Ehrler, Heinrich
| Ehrler, Heinrich Heinrich Ehrler started his career in the Luftwaffe in early 1940, when he started his Pilot training after transferring from a Flak-artillery unit. Ehrler joined 4./Jagdgeschwader 77 on his first operational posting and achieved his first victory in May 1940. JG 77 was based in Norway and he spent most of the war on the Northfront. JG 77 was restructured as JG 5 Eismeer in January 1942. JG 5 operated from bases in northern Norway and Finland, and they mostly engaged Russian aircraft, but were also given the task of intercepting British raids on Norway. Ehrler did not achieve his second victory until 19 February 1942. He was promoted to Leutnant and made Staffelkapitän(Squadron Leader) in 6./Jagdgeschwader 5 after his 11th victory on 20 July. On 4 September, he was awarded the Knights Cross for 64 aerial victories. By 1 June 1943 he was promoted to Hauptmann and appointed Gruppenkommandeur for II./JG 5. During this period he was also awarded the Oak Leaves to his Ritterkreuz. On 25 May 1944 he achieved nine victories in one day, bringing his tally up to 155. On 1 August he was appointed to Geschwaderkommodore of JG 5 and at the same time was promoted to Major. | |
| Eichhorn, Gunter Click the name above to see a profile of Eichhorn, Gunter | Eichhorn, Gunter | |
| Gayko, Werner Click the name above to see a profile of Gayko, Werner | Gayko, Werner | |
| Gerlitz, Erich Click the name above to see a profile of Gerlitz, Erich | Gerlitz, Erich | |
| Glockner, Rudolf Click the name above to see a profile of Glockner, Rudolf | Glockner, Rudolf | |
| Halstrick, Heinz Click the name above to see a profile of Halstrick, Heinz | Halstrick, Heinz | |
| Hartwein, Hans-Dieter Click the name above to see a profile of Hartwein, Hans-Dieter
| Hartwein, Hans-Dieter On 22nd June 1941, his Me109T-2 0007760 Black >> of JG77 was damaged in a landing accident at Mandal airfield, Norway. | |
| Helms, Bodo Click the name above to see a profile of Helms, Bodo
| Helms, Bodo | |
| Kern, Heinz Click the name above to see a profile of Kern, Heinz | Kern, Heinz Heinz Kern qualififed as a Luftwaffe pilot and was posted to join III./JG5 Eismeer. He flew both the Me109 and Fw190, and saw action in France, Austria, Norway and Finland. Flying with II./JG5 he flew escort missions in the northern Arctic waters to the Tirpitz, and later flew with IV./JG5 | |
| Klein, Erich Click the name above to see a profile of Klein, Erich | Klein, Erich | |
| Kolb, Gunther Click the name above to see a profile of Kolb, Gunther | Kolb, Gunther Gunther Kolb joined I./JG5 in the autumn of 1944 under the command of Major Weissenberger. A few weeks later, at the end of that year he was posted to join IV./JG5 in norway, where he flew both Me109s and Fw190s on coastal and shipping patrols until the end of the war. | |
| Krupinski, Walter Click the name above to see a profile of Krupinski, Walter
| Krupinski, Walter Walter Krupinski first saw combat against the RAF on the Western Front. Transferring to the east, he became a Squadron Commander in the legendary JG52. In 1943 his victories reached 150 but, in March 1944 with 177 victories to his name, he was transferred to Germany to command JG11. Flying high altitude Me109s, he chalked up another 12 victories before being wounded. In September 1944 he was promoted Kommandeur of III./JG26 and led them on Operation Bodenplatte before joining Galland's famous JV44. He completed the war with 197 victories in over 1100 missions. He received the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. He died in 2000. | |
| Kunz, Josef Click the name above to see a profile of Kunz, Josef | Kunz, Josef | |
| Lilienhoff, Rolf von Click the name above to see a profile of Lilienhoff, Rolf von | Lilienhoff, Rolf von | |
| Linz, Rudolf Click the name above to see a profile of Linz, Rudolf
| Linz, Rudolf | |
| Lubking, August Click the name above to see a profile of Lubking, August | Lubking, August | |
| Lutzka, Click the name above to see a profile of Lutzka, | Lutzka, | |
| Luy, August Click the name above to see a profile of Luy, August | Luy, August | |
| Mecke, Erhardt Click the name above to see a profile of Mecke, Erhardt | Mecke, Erhardt | |
| Mendl, Arthur Click the name above to see a profile of Mendl, Arthur | Mendl, Arthur | |
| Mors, August Click the name above to see a profile of Mors, August
| Mors, August | |
| Muller, Rudolf Click the name above to see a profile of Muller, Rudolf
| Muller, Rudolf Injured on 1st July 1940 when his Me109E-1 of TrGr186 crashed north of Lake Grasjoen. | |
| Neumann, Helmut Click the name above to see a profile of Neumann, Helmut | Neumann, Helmut | |
| Norz, Jakob Click the name above to see a profile of Norz, Jakob
| Norz, Jakob | |
| Oberlander, Horst Click the name above to see a profile of Oberlander, Horst
| Oberlander, Horst | |
| Rost, Wolfgang Click the name above to see a profile of Rost, Wolfgang | Rost, Wolfgang | |
| Scheufele, Ernst Click the name above to see a profile of Scheufele, Ernst
| Scheufele, Ernst Joining the Luftwaffe in October 1940, Ernst Scheufele was posted to Norway in June 1942, to join 4./JG5. There, flying Me109s he carried out a total of 67 escort missions for the German battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz. In October 1943 he joined II./JG5 flying over Arctic waters, in Finland, and on the Russian Front, before transferring to the defence of the Reich in June 1944. On 3 December 1944 he was shot down by an American flak battery near Saxony, wounded and taken prisoner. He had a total of 18 victories. Sadly, Ernst Scheufele died on 18th February 2010. | |
| Schlossstein, Karl-Friedrich Click the name above to see a profile of Schlossstein, Karl-Friedrich | Schlossstein, Karl-Friedrich Karl-Fritz Schlossstein initially flew Me110 heavy destroyers with JG5, when th Group first arrived in Norway in 1942 to provide air cover for the convoys supplying the rapidly increasing German garrison in that country. He commanded 13(Z)/JG5 from the summer of 1942 to June 1943, and then converted to fly Me109s. Later in Norway he flew the Me410 Hornet with ZG76, but finished the war with JG54 Greenhearts flying Fw190s in the Defence of the Reich. | |
| Scholz, Gunther Click the name above to see a profile of Scholz, Gunther | Scholz, Gunther After seeing action in the Spanish campaign, Gunther Scholz flew with 7./JG54 in Poland and France, and during the Battle of Britain. Transferring to the Eastern Front he flew with III./JG5 from February 1942, later with Geschwaderstab JG5. In July 1944 he was posted to Norway. Scholz was awarded the Iron Cross I and finished the war with 33 victories. | |
| Scholz, Gunther Click the name above to see a profile of Scholz, Gunther | Scholz, Gunther After seeing action in the Spanish campaign, Gunther Scholz flew with 7./JG54 in Poland and France, and during the Battle of Britain. Transferring to the Eastern Front he flew with III./JG5 from February 1942, later with Geschwaderstab JG5. In July 1944 he was posted to Norway. Scholz was awarded the Iron Cross I and finished the war with 33 victories. | |
| Schuck, Walter Click the name above to see a profile of Schuck, Walter
| Schuck, Walter Initially with JG3, Walter Schuck was posted north to 7./JG5 in April 1942. On 15 June 1944 he chalked up his 100th victory during a day when he shot down 6 aircraft. Two days later he had his most successful day, achieving 12 victories in twenty-four hours, a feat never surpassed in JG5. On 1 August, he assumed command of 10./JG5. Walter Schuck transferred to fly the Me262 as Staffelkapitan of 3./JG7, and achieved 8 further victories flying the new jet. His final tally was 206 air victories. He was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. | |
| Schulze, Kurt Click the name above to see a profile of Schulze, Kurt | Schulze, Kurt After serving with the Air Signals Corps during the Blitzkrieg through the Low Countries and France, Kurt Schulze then flew as a Me110 Wireless Operator over southern Russia, before returning to the west. Here he flew night missions against England in Do217s with I./KG2. In September 1943 he transferred to train as a fighter pilot, and flew 65 missions in Me109s with III./JG5 on the Arctic Front, scoring three victories. In November 1944 he flew in the ill-fated defence of the German battleship Tirpitz. In March 1945 he commanded I./JG51 in the encircled east German city of Danzig, before returning to Norway in May 1945 to command 16./JG5. | |
| Schumacher, Werner Click the name above to see a profile of Schumacher, Werner | Schumacher, Werner | |
| Schwanecke, Gunther Click the name above to see a profile of Schwanecke, Gunther | Schwanecke, Gunther | |
| Segatz, Hermann Click the name above to see a profile of Segatz, Hermann | Segatz, Hermann | |
| Stendel, Fritz Click the name above to see a profile of Stendel, Fritz | Stendel, Fritz | |
| Vollet, Hans Click the name above to see a profile of Vollet, Hans | Vollet, Hans | |
| Weissenberger, Theodor Click the name above to see a profile of Weissenberger, Theodor
| Weissenberger, Theodor Major Theodor Weissenberger was born 21 December 1914 in Mühlheim am Main, he was unfortunately killed in a car racing accident 10 June 1950 on the Nürburgring ring. Major Theodor was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1936 until the end of World War II in 1945. He flew more than 500 combat missions claiming 208 enemy aircraft shot down. 33 claims were made on the Western Front, including some 7 heavy bombers. Pre-war Major Weissenberger was a keen glider pilot and was an instructor in the early war years. He finally managed an operational posting in mid 1941, to I (Z). /JG 77 in Norway. He claimed his first kill in October 1941, and went on to score a further twenty-one kills in the Bf 110, in addition to fifteen locomotives, two flak installations, and numerous ground targets destroyed. In September 1942 he was posted to II./JG 5, based in Northern Finland. Flying with 6 Staffel, and then as commander of 7 Staffel, he had claimed 104 kills by July 1943, and been awarded the Knights Cross. Becoming Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 5 in April 1944, he had claimed some 175 kills by May 1944 in over 350 missions on the Arctic Front. Taking over I./JG 5 on 4 June, the unit transferred to the Western Front in mid 1944 and through June and July 1944, Weissenberger flew twenty-six sorties and was credited with twenty-five victories over the Invasion Front around Normandy (his claims were half the total score by the whole unit, I./JG 5, during this period). He claimed five P-47's on 7 June, two more P-47's on 9 June, and another three P-47's on 12 June. He scored again on 19 July with three Typhoons and a P-51. On 25 July he claimed two more Spitfires shot down. Major Weissenberger converted to the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter in the second half of 1944. In November 1944 he was posted to command I./JG 7. | |
| Wiegand, Heinrich-Friedrich Click the name above to see a profile of Wiegand, Heinrich-Friedrich | Wiegand, Heinrich-Friedrich Injured on 6th August 1943 when his Me109G-2 0014799 of JG5 was damaged by Russian ground fire. | |
| Wollenweber, Wolfgang Click the name above to see a profile of Wollenweber, Wolfgang | Wollenweber, Wolfgang After his flight training Wolfgang was transferred to JG5 in the Arctic where he flew the Me110 on escort missions over the North Atlantic, Murmansk and Russia, he was then awarded the Iron Cross First Class. After this he retrained on the Fw190 fighter aircraft and rocket fighter Me163. Wolfgang flew the Heinkel He162 as a Squadron Leader of the first jet fighter squadron. This revolutionary jet was demanding even for the most experienced pilots, many of them did not survive, but miraculously he survived 14 missions on this aircraft. | |
| Wollmann, David Click the name above to see a profile of Wollmann, David | Wollmann, David | |
| Zeuch, Gunther Click the name above to see a profile of Zeuch, Gunther
| Zeuch, Gunther Killed on 13th May 1943 when his Me109G-2 010359 of JG5 was shot down by Russian ground fire over Russia. | |
Died : 5 / 8 / 1944Historical Notes :
13-05-1943 - Shot down by Russian ground fire in Russia. Leutnant Gunther Zeuch killed.
13-05-1943 - Shot down by Russian ground fire in Russia. Leutnant Gunther Zeuch killed.
Historical Notes :
09-06-1943 - Damaged in landing accident at Pori airfield.
09-06-1943 - Damaged in landing accident at Pori airfield.
Historical Notes :
06-08-1943 - Damaged by Russian ground fire. Unteroffizier Heinrich-Friedrich Wiegand injured.
06-08-1943 - Damaged by Russian ground fire. Unteroffizier Heinrich-Friedrich Wiegand injured.
Known Individual Aircraft of JG5 : | ||||||||
Type | Serial | Codes | First Flew | Squadron History | Aircrew History | History Notes | Engine | Factory |
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- | no information | |||||||
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| Aircraft for : JG5 | ||
| A list of all aircraft associated with JG5. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | ||
| Aircraft | Info | |
Fw190 
Manufacturer : Fokke-Wulf Production Began : 1940 Retired : 1945 | Fw190 The Focke-Wulf 190 development project began in 1937. Conceived as a hedge against total dependence on the Messerchmitt 109, the 190 was designed by Kurt Tank utilizing a radial engine. This was against generally accepted design criteria in Germany, and many historians believe that the decision to produce a radial engine fighter was largely due to the limited manufacturing capacity for in-line, water-cooled engines which were widely used on all other Luftwaffe aircraft. Despite these concerns, Tanks design was brilliant, and the 190 would become one of the top fighter aircraft of WWII. The first prototype flew in mid-1939. The aircraft had excellent flying characteristics, a wonderful rate of acceleration, and was heavily armed. By late 1940 the new fighter was ordered into production. Nicknamed the butcher bird, by Luftwaffe pilots, early 190s were quite successful in the bomber interceptor role, but at this stage of the war many Allied bombing raids lacked fighter escort. As the war dragged on, Allied bombers were increasingly accompanied by fighters, including the very effective P-51 Mustang. The Allies learned from experience that the 190s performance fell off sharply at altitudes above 20,000 feet. As a result, most Allied bombing missions were shifted to higher altitudes when fighter opposition was likely. Kurt Tank had recognized this shortcoming and began working on a high-altitude version of the 190 utilizing an in-line, water-cooled engine. Utilizing a Jumo 12-cylinder engine rated at 1770-HP, and capable of 2,240-HP for short bursts with its methanol injection system, the 190D, or Long Nose or Dora as it was called, had a top speed of 426-MPH at 22,000 feet. Armament was improved with two fuselage and two wing mounted 20mm cannon. To accommodate the changes in power plants the Dora had a longer, more streamlined fuselage, with 24 inches added to the nose, and an additional 19 inches added aft of the cockpit to compensate for the altered center of gravity. By mid 1944 the Dora began to reach fighter squadrons in quantity. Although the aircraft had all the right attributes to serve admirably in the high altitude interceptor role, it was not generally focused on such missions. Instead many 190Ds were assigned to protect airfields where Me-262 jet fighters were based. This was due to the latter aircrafts extreme vulnerability to Allied attack during takeoff and landing. The 190Ds also played a major role in Operation Bodenplatte, the New Years Day raid in 1945 which destroyed approximately 500 Allied aircraft on the ground. The High Command was impressed with the 190Ds record on this raid, and ordered most future production of the Doras to be equipped as fighter-bombers. In retrospect this was a strategic error, and this capable aircraft was not fully utilized in the role for which it was intended. | |
Me109 
Manufacturer : Messerschmitt Production Began : 1937 Retired : 1945 Number Built : 33984 | Me109 Willy Messerschmitt designed the BF109 during the early 1930s. The Bf109 was one of the first all metal monocoque construction fighters with a closed canopy and retractable undercarriage. The engine of the Me109 was a V12 aero engine which was liquid-cooled. The Bf109 first saw operational service during the Spanish Civil War and flew to the end of World War II, during which time it was the backbone of the Luftwaffe fighter squadrons. During the Battle of Britian the Bf109 was used in the role of an escort fighter, a role for which it was not designed for, and it was also used as a fighter bomber. During the last days of May 1940 Robert Stanford-Tuck, the RAF ace, got the chance to fly an Me109 which they had rebuilt after it had crash landed. Stanford-Tuck found out that the Me109 was a wonderful little plane, it was slightly faster than the Spitfire, but lacked the Spitfire manoeuvrability. By testing the Me109, Tuck could put himself inside the Me109 when fighting them, knowing its weak and strong points. With the introduction of the improved Bf109F in the spring of 1941, the type again proved to be an effective fighter during the invasion of Yugoslavia and during the Battle of Crete and the invasion of Russia and it was used during the Siege of the Mediteranean island of Malta. The Bf109 was the main fighter for the Luftwaffe until 1942 when the Fw190 entered service and shared this position, and was partially replaced in Western Europe, but the Me109 continued to serve on the Eastern Front and during the defence of the Reich against the allied bombers. It was also used to good effect in the Mediterranean and North Africa in support of The Africa Korps. The Me109 was also supplied to several German allies, including Finland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovakia. The Bf109 scored more kills than any other fighter of any country during the war and was built in greater numbers with a total of over 31,000 aircraft being built. The Bf109 was flown by the three top German aces of the war war. Erich Hartmann with 352 victories, Gerhard Barkhorn with 301 victories and Gunther Rall with 275 kills. Bf109 pilots were credited with the destruction of 100 or more enemy aircraft. Thirteen Luftwaffe Aces scored more than 200 kills. Altogether this group of pilots were credited with a total of nearly 15,000 kills, of which the Messerschmitt Bf109 was credited with over 10,000 of these victories. The Bf109 was the most produced warplane during World War II, with 30,573 examples built during the war, and the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 units produced up to April 1945. Bf109s remained in foreign service for many years after World War II. The Swiss used their Bf109Gs well into the 1950s. The Finnish Air Force did not retire their Bf109Gs until March 1954. Romania used its Bf109s until 1955. The Spanish Hispanos flew even longer. Some were still in service in the late 1960s. | |
Me110 
Manufacturer : Messerschmitt Production Began : 1938 | Me110 The Bf-110 grew out of Herman Gorings specifications for a multipurpose aircraft capable of penetrating deep into enemy airspace to clear the sky of enemy fighters in advance of German bomber formations. The aircraft would also be utilized as a long range interceptor, and as a ground support and ground attack bomber. The Bf-110 prototype first flew in 1936. The prototype was under powered with its Daimier Benz DB 600A engines. Several months passed before a go ahead was given for large scale production which commenced in 1938. Utilizing improved DB 601 engines, the early production 110s were as fast as any single engine fighter at that time, and had superior fire power. Their biggest apparent weakness was in the areas of armor protection for the crew, and in terms of maneuverability when compared to single seat fighters. The 110 was produced in large numbers and in many different variants. The 110D was the long range model. An additional belly tank was fitted to that aircraft, with several later variants having the more traditional drop tanks. The first serious test for the Bf-110 came during the Battle of Britain. About 300 Bf-110s were involved. They became easy prey for Hurricane and Spitfire pilots, and Bf-109s were often required to assist the 110s in their own defense. On August 15, 1940, which became known as Black Tuesday, the Bf-110s were ravaged by the RAF, and for the month over 100 aircraft were lost. On the Eastern Front the Bf-110 performed admirably in the early stages of Operation Barbarossa. With the Soviet Air Force weakened in the first several weeks of the attack, 110s were effectively utilized in a ground attack role. Ultimately, the Luftwaffe re-equipped a significant number of its 110s as night fighters. The aircraft performed well in this role because it was a good gun platform with sufficient speed to overtake the RAF night bombers. Such night missions were typically carried out with no Allied fighter escort, so the 110 night fighters would not have to engage or elude Allied fighters in this role. | |
Last edited : 13:45, April 20, 2017
Last editor : HMS
  Eagle's Rest by Ivan Berryman. (PC) |   Tribute to Oberleutnant Heinrich Ehrler by Ivan Berryman. (PC) |   Walter Schuck by Brian Bateman. (P) |   Breaking the Ring by David Pentland. |
JG5 Artwork |
Walter Schuck by Brian Bateman. (P) |   Arctic Hunters by Richard Taylor. |   Eismeer Patrol by Anthony Saunders. |
  Knight's Move by Robert Taylor |   Tribute to Oberleutnant Heinrich Ehrler by Ivan Berryman. |   Eagle's Rest by Ivan Berryman. |
  The Frozen North, Petsamo, Finland, January 1943 by David Pentland. |   Eagle in the Snow, Petsamo, Finland, January 1943 by David Pentland. | Breaking the Ring by David Pentland. |
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