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JG51 - Squadron Profile.

JG51

Founded : August 1939
Country : Germany
Fate :

Jagdgeschwader 51 Mölders was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during World War II, named after the fighter ace Werner Mölders in 1942. JG 51's pilots won more Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes than any other Jagdgeschwader, and flew combat from 1939 in all major theatres of war. Flying Bf 109s and then FW 190s, the wing claimed over 8,000 air victories. Experten included 'Toni' Hafner, Heinz Bär, Richard Leppla, Karl-Gottfried Nordmann, Günther Schack and the legendary Mölders.

Formed in August 1939, and commanded by 48-year-old World War I ace Onkel Theo Osterkamp, the early months of the war JG 51 was based in the West, fighting in the French campaign, and in the Battle of Britain. From late June to mid July JG 51 was the only fighter Geschwader engaged against the RAF constantly. During the whole battle JG 51 lost 68 pilots, the highest casualty rate of the Luftwaffe fighter units engaged. JG 51 was one of the two Geschewader that had four Gruppen. The other being JG 1.

Four Bf 109 of JG 51 in France 1940Whilst based out of the Belgian airfield at Mardyik in late 1940, the German ace Josef "Pips" Priller was a Staffelkapitän with JG 51, flying Bf 109-E "Yellow One". Josef Priller went on to score over 100 victories, the third highest scoring Luftwaffe day fighter ace on the Western Front, fighting solely against the Western Allies.

Against the Western Allies JG 51 had claimed 345 aircraft destroyed by May 1941. JG 51 were therefore one of the Jagdwaffe's elite units, with 'top ten' aces at this time including Werner Mölders with 68 claims, Walter Oesau with 34 claims, and Hermann-Friedrich Joppien with 31. Major Werner Mölders became unit Geschwaderkommodore during July 1940 and led the unit into the invasion of Russia in June 1941.

Barbarossa (1941)

Claiming 69 kills on the first day of the offensive, by 30 June 1941 JG 51 became the first fighter Geschwader to claim 1,000 air victories (113 kills in 157 sorties were claimed for the day). On 24 June JG 51 claimed 57 bombers shot down for the day. Mölders became the first fighter pilot to reach 100 claims in August and in the same month JG 51's Oberfeldwebel Heinz Bär reached 60 claims and was decorated with the Oak Leaves. A total of 500 Soviet claims was reached on 12 July 1941, although 6 pilots had been lost by JG 51 in the intervening 3 weeks since the offensive had started.

After Mölders' departure in September 1941 (and death later that year) the Geschwader adopted his name as a title of honor in early 1942. Jagdgeschwader 51 Mölders was to remain on the centre sector of the Russian front throughout the rest of 1941. However Oberstleutnant Friedrich Beckh ( one of the few fighter pilots to wear spectacles) proved an uncharismatic commander after Mölders, and it was not until Major Karl-Gottfried Nordmann took over in April 1942 that a worthy successor to Mölders was found. In the period 22 June - 5 December 1941 the unit destroyed 1,881 Soviet aircraft, in return for 84 losses in aerial combat and a single aircraft on the ground.

Air support for the Wehrmacht's Army Group Centre was entrusted to General Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen's VIII. Fliegerkorps. In early January 1942, among the fighter units available to von Richthofen were II, III and IV/ JG 51. With the onset of the sub-zero conditions of the Russian winter, the majority of JG 51's available aircraft became grounded.

The Russian winter counter offensive forced III./ JG 51 into flying numerous fighter-bomber operations in direct support of the infantry, and the gruppe filed few aerial 'kill' claims through January 1942. II./ JG 51 however, accounted for most of VIII. Fliegerkorps's aerial victories during the Soviet offensive. Particularly successful was the duo of Lt. Hans Strelow and Ofw. Wilhelm Mink, both of 5. JG 51. They claimed five MiG-3s of 16 IAP on 4 January (Mink claimed three) and 9 days later Mink claimed a Pe-2 and Strelow destroyed two R-Z biplanes for his 30th and 31st victories. On 4 February, Strelow increased his victories to 36 by shooting down four Russian aircraft. The 19 year-old Strelow claimed his 40th victory on 28 February and claimed 4 victories on both 6 March and 17 March. The next day he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and also shot down seven Soviet aircraft. He was awarded the Eichenlaub on 24 March, his claims total at 66.

Normandy (1944)

7./JG 51, (with Bf 109G-6's) was attached to II./JG 1 in May 1944 from Brest-Litovsk, with pilots arriving at Störmede late in May and hurriedly converting to the FW-190. (It was later renamed 8./JG 1 on 15 August 1944 when the four-Staffeln Gruppe became standard) 7. Staffel was led by Ritterkreuzträger (Knight's Cross winner) Hptm. Karl-Heinz Weber with 136 confirmed kills. Its two other experten were Lt. Friedrich Krakowitzer (23 kills) and Ofhr. Günther Heckmann with 12 kills.

7./JG 51 joined II. Gruppe with 15 pilots on strength at the end of May, and during the first two months of the Normandy campaign the staffel was decimated, with twelve pilots killed, one POW and one severely wounded.

As the war turned against Germany JG 51 was forced to operate closer and closer to Germany, finally staging out of East Prussia.

JG51

Top Aces for : JG51
A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown with this squadron.
NameVictories
Heinz Bar220.00
Hermann Graf212.00
Anton Hafner204.00
Joachim Brendel189.00
Gunther Josten178.00
Gunther Schack174.00
Kurt Tanzer143.00
Horst-Günther von Fassong137.00
Karl-Heinz Weber136.00
Joachim Muncheberg135.00
Walter Oesau133.00
Adolf Borchers132.00
Gerhard Hoffmann125.00
Heinz Marquardt121.00
Erich Leie118.00
Franz-Josef Beerenbrock117.00
Werner Molders115.00
Bernhard Vechtel108.00
Viktor Bauer106.00
Hartmann Grasser103.00
Josef Priller101.00
Diethelm Eichel-Streiber96.00
Heinrich Hofemeier96.00
Rudolf Resch95.00
Heinrich Klopper94.00
Oskar Romm92.00
Josef Jennewein86.00
Peter Kalden84.00
Horst Haase82.00
Hermann Lucke81.00
Rudolf Wagner81.00
Otto Wurfel79.00
Georg-Peter Eder78.00
Heinrich Krafft78.00
Karl-Gottfried Nordmann78.00
Maximilian Mayerl76.00
Edwin Thiel76.00
Otto Gaiser74.00
Anton Lindner73.00
Otto Schultz73.00
Wilhelm Mink72.00
Karl-Heinz Schnell72.00
Hermann-Friedrich Joppien70.00
Heinz Lange70.00
Helmut Ruffler70.00
Ernst Weismann69.00
Kurt Dombacher68.00
Herbert Huppertz68.00
Richard Leppla68.00
Fritz Losigkeit68.00
Hans Strelow68.00
Otto Tange68.00
Hubert Strassl67.00
Erwin Fleig66.00
Bernd Gallowitsch64.00
Walter Borchers63.00
Heinrich Hoffmann63.00
Hermann Staiger63.00
Wilhelm Hubner62.00
Hannes Trautloft61.00
Hans-Ekkehard Bob60.00
Alfred Rauch60.00
Walther Wever60.00
Herbert Friebel58.00
Heinrich Dittlmann57.00
Edmund Wagner57.00
Herbert Bareuther56.00
Helmut Schonfelder56.00
Erich Hohagen55.00
Gabriel Tautscher55.00
Kurt Knappe54.00
Heinz Leber54.00
Herbert Puschmann54.00
Franz Barten53.00
Fritz Luddecke50.00
Karl Willius50.00
Friedrich Beckh48.00
Oskar Zimmermann48.00
Wolfgang Bowing-Treuding46.00
Erwin Laskowski46.00
Karl Rammelt46.00
Wilhelm Küken45.00
Gerhard Schöpfel45.00
Wilhelm Moritz44.00
Richard Quante44.00
Gerhard Schneider41.00
Bernhard Lausch39.00
Georg Seelmann39.00
Fritz Stendel39.00
Josef Gabl38.00
Theo Osterkamp38.00
Klaus Neumann37.00
Elias Kuhlein36.00
Herbert Wehnelt36.00
Walter Stengel34.00
Horst Tietzen34.00
Martin Ulbrich33.00
Joachim Hacker32.00
Hermann Segatz31.00
Erich Barz30.00
Josef Fozo30.00
Ralph Furch30.00
Joachim Hamer30.00
Friedrich Heimann30.00
Helmut Pfuller28.00
Hans Kolbow27.00
Horst Petzschler27.00
Johann Knauth26.00
Franz-Josef Zoufahl26.00
Fritz Liebelt25.00
Arnold Lignitz25.00
Karl Stadeck25.00
Gunther Stedtfeld25.00
Horst Walther25.00
Hans Keller24.00
Heinz Busse22.00
Robert Fuchs22.00
Friedrich Simon22.00
Hans-Joachim Steffens22.00
Erich Gerlitz20.00
Gunther Heckmann20.00
Harald Jung20.00
Gerhard Schwarz20.00
Georg Seidel20.00
Ernst Scheufele18.00
Heinz Schumann18.00
Wilhelm Hachfeld11.00
Gunther Rubell11.00
Johannes Buttner8.00
Werner Hubner7.00
Heinz Radlauer15.00
Friedrich Schelker22.00
Leander Mayer11.00
Ernst Terry9.00
Heinz Tornow12.00
Georg Claus18.00
Wilfried Balfanz9.00
Friedrich Eberle17.00
Franz Willinger10.00
Hans John8.00
Wilhelm Gasthaus9.00
Hermann Kohl6.00
Heinz-Günter Flesichhacker7.00
Karl Führing7.00
Arthur Dau7.00
Gottfried Schlitzer14.00
Karl Schmid9.00
Egon Falkensamer5.00
Helmut Lohoff10.00
Michael Sonner9.00
Hans-Karl Keitel6.00


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