Jagdgeschwader II
Jagdgeschwader II | |
Active | 2 February 1918 |
---|---|
Disbanded | 13 November 1918 |
Country | Meuse-Argonne Offensive |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Hauptmann Rudolf Berthold |
Aircraft flown | |
Fighter | Pfalz D.III Albatros D.V Fokker Dr.I Siemens-Schuckert D.III Fokker D.VII Siemens-Schuckert D.IV |
Jagdgeschwader II (Fighter Wing II, or JG II) was the
His hasty replacement was 28-victory ace Hauptmann
Intruding French and British formations became larger, more elaborate, harder for JG II to combat. Fresh new American air units began to appear. The Allies launched their final offensive on 8 August, including a huge effort by the
On 1 November 1918, Jagdgeschwader II retreated to its final base at Carignan. By the time its final victim had been shot down on 6 November, it had tallied at least 339 confirmed aerial victories. When the war ended on 11 November 1918, the wing's personnel began to straggle back to Germany. On 13 November 1918, Jagdgeschwader II was dissolved.
Operational history
Foundation
Jagdgeschwader II (Fighter Wing II, or JG II) was created because
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/World_War_One_German_Aviator_Obltn._Adolf_von_Tutschek.jpg/220px-World_War_One_German_Aviator_Obltn._Adolf_von_Tutschek.jpg)
Appointed to organize and command the new wing was
Tutschek commanded Jagdstaffel 12 (Jasta 12) when JG II was founded. As he acquired staff members for his nascent wing, he assigned them to Jasta 12, making it the Stab Staffel or headquarters squadron of the wing. Tutschek flew the new wing's first combat patrol on 13 February. On 18 February, he tested one of the new triplanes. He also began to circulate among his squadrons to make himself known.[5]
Into battle
Jagdstaffel 13 (Fighter Squadron 13, or Jasta 13) led JG II into combat, scoring the new wing's first victory on 17 February 1918. Three days later, it suffered the new wing's first casualty, as the jasta Staffelführer (Commanding Officer) was killed in a takeoff accident.[6] Nevertheless, during the runup to the German spring offensive, JG II continued to score as its commander led from the front. On 6 March Tutschek downed his 27th foe, raising the wing's score to 18. However, on 15 March 1918, Adolf Ritter von Tutschek was killed in action.[7][8]
With JG II tasked to support 18th Armee, and only six days remaining until the offensive kicked off, replacement of the JG II commander was crucial. Hauptmann Rudolf Berthold, a Pour le Merite winner credited with 28 victories was appointed to the post.[note 2] His appointment was problematic. The battered and narcotic-dependent hero was still recovering from his latest wound and his second near-death hospitalization; his paralyzed infected right arm was in a sling.[note 3] Although he could not fly because his recuperation was incomplete, he had talked a doctor into returning him to his dual command of Jagdstaffel 18 (Jasta 18) and Jagdgruppe 7 (Hunting Group 7) on 1 March 1918. On 10 March, his best friend, Hauptmann Hans-Joachim Buddecke, was killed in action while under his command. A grieving, ill, and addicted grounded pilot was appointed to command of a wing of fliers on the eve of a huge offensive.[7][9]
The Berthold swap
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/cc/Rudolf_Berthold_%28fighter_pilot%2C_born_1891%29.jpg/220px-Rudolf_Berthold_%28fighter_pilot%2C_born_1891%29.jpg)
Berthold wanted to trade what had been his
Operation Michael
Preliminary orders for JG II charged them with gaining aerial dominance on the left flank of the scheduled attack. The German spring offensive was launched on 21 March 1918, in a heavy fog that restricted air operations. On 22 March, Berthold gave the eulogy for Buddecke in Berlin. When Berthold returned to his command on 23 March, a victory-less JG II was being ordered to "deploy all available forces immediately". For the latter part of March 1918, the wing did just that as it fought the Allied fighters and followed the advancing German assault troops. As the ground attack sputtered into a stalemate, JG II moved forward 40 miles (64 km) after eight days to occupy the former British airfield of Balâtre.[14]
April 1918 saw an attempt by the Germans to restart their offensive, with its aim of splitting apart the French and British armies. As the ground combat churned on through the evening of the 5th, the fighting above it intensified. JG II continued to fight and down enemy aircraft and observation balloons. In turn, British bombers ineffectively struck Balâtre on several occasions. Also, on 10 April, Jasta 13 lost its commander; Leutnant Walter Göttsch was killed in action.[15]
Bombardment
Several other jagdstaffelln shared Balâtre with JG II; there were a total of about 150 German aircraft quartered on the field. However, an Allied high altitude air raid at noon on 11 April did little to discomfit the Germans.[16]
On 12 April, just after "lights out" at 2230 hours, the first shells hit Balâtre. As a French artillery spotter circled overhead calling the shots, the men of JG II sought cover in
Lull in air activity
During this quiet spell, Berthold wrote a letter home on 25 April 1918. He stated his determination to fly again. He also confided his suspicions that three of his squadron commanders were plotting his removal from command of the wing. By the end of May, all of JG II's squadrons except Jagdstaffel 19 (Jasta 19) had new Staffelführern (squadron commanders).[18]
Berthold also fulfilled a request from 18th Armee headquarters for an appreciation of the new wing's operations. His 28 April memorandum delineated the differences between the earlier ad hoc Jagdgruppe and the more recent Jagdgeschwader. The Jagdgruppe, consisting of several squadrons temporarily grouped together, concentrated its efforts on shielding nearby German reconnaissance and artillery direction two-seaters from Allied attacks. On the other hand, an Armee headquarters could launch a Jagdgeschwader anywhere along the Armee's front to counterattacking Allied flights, whether fighters or bombers. Berthold proposed having air defense officers trail along with the front-line infantry to report incoming enemy aircraft to JG II. He also asked for, and received, sufficient motor transport for JG II to quickly shift bases as it followed the ground fighting.[19]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Motore_aeronautico_-_Museo_scienza_tecnologia_Milano_08146_dia.jpg/220px-Motore_aeronautico_-_Museo_scienza_tecnologia_Milano_08146_dia.jpg)
On 8 May, Berthold's aggressive leadership led to him being entrusted with deploying all of the fighter aircraft attached to 18th Armee.[20] Indeed, by 20 May, JG II had 57 confirmed victories while in support of Operation Michael. However, on 26 May, Jasta 12 and Jasta 19 were both grounded for lack of aircraft. And, by late May, the new Siemens-Schuckert D.IIIs supplied to the wing had been returned to their factory for modification. Their departure left the already understocked wing very short of serviceable aircraft, but the Siemens-Schuckert D.IIIs were experiencing engine failures in as little as seven hours running. Their Siemens-Halske Sh.III 11 cylinder counter-rotary engines were lubricated with synthetic castor oil, and failing for lack of actual, organic-base castor oil.[21]
Berthold's return
On 27 May, the depleted JG II was detailed to cover the start of the Aisne Offensive with high altitude patrols against invasive Allied aircraft, ending in trench strafing. On 28 May, Rudolf Berthold returned to the air. He had acquired a new Fokker D.VII, and thought he could fly it because of its sensitive controls. He promptly scored his 29th victory while ignoring the pain of his festering arm. The success left him feeling he had gained additional control over his unit. He could now demonstrate his adherence to his iron code of combat to his pilots. He insisted that none of his pilots could turn back for engine trouble, jammed guns, or depletion of ammunition.[22]
Despite JG II's boost in morale at Berthold's return, the increasingly hot summer weather degraded aircraft readiness. Jasta 15 had been fitted with new Fokker D.VIIs. However, Jasta 12's lack of replacement Fokker Triplanes took them out of action for a while, and Jasta 13 was crippled. When replacement aircraft did show up for Jasta 12, they were 10 old used Triplanes instead of new Fokker D.VIIs.[23]
With fuel and oil in short supply, JG II seldom flew as an entire wing. Customarily, one jasta flew, one sat ready, and the others rested. Finally, in early June, Jasta 13 was half-equipped with new Fokker D.VIIs. However, by mid-June, Jasta 19 still was not fully equipped with Fokker D.VIIs, and Jasta 12 still flew a complement of Triplanes. There were even some Albatros D.Vs still in service with the wing.[24]
On 12 June 1918, the JG II Triplanes were grounded. Each jasta was now restricted to a monthly ration of 14,000 liters of fuel and 4,000 liters of oil. The scarce fuel and lubricants usually went to the newer and more effective Fokker D.VIIs.[25]
On 19 June, Jagdstaffeln 12 and 19 were again grounded for lack of airplanes. However, new Fokker D.VIIs began to arrive. Jasta 13 and half of Jasta 19 were issued the new planes. Any Triplanes they had were passed along to Jasta 12, but to no avail. They were forced to surrender all Triplanes as unserviceable on 24 June. On 28 June, 20 Fokker D.VIIs arrived and were split between Jagdstaffeln 12, 15, and 19.[26]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Assaut-chemin-des-dames.jpg/220px-Assaut-chemin-des-dames.jpg)
By now, Berthold was the leading surviving German ace, with 37 victories. Flying in agony as his wounded arm deteriorated, using only one hand, he was still an effective air fighter, but he welcomed rainy day groundings as a chance to recoup. Meanwhile, Jagdstaffeln 13 and 15 were involved in massive dogfights over Chemin des Dames almost every evening in late June.[27]
JG II now faced an invisible foe—
The last German offensive
As German troops moved into their assault on 15 July 1918, JG II was assigned to ground attack duties. Finding no worthwhile ground targets, the German fliers engaged enemy aircraft instead. By the 17th, ground combat was stalemated. As Allied aircraft struck the bridges over the
French air tactics changed. Their Breguet 14 B2 bombers were now shepherded by Caudron R.11 gunships; a screen of SPAD fighters would rove outside the formation to meet German attacks. The shift began on 22 July, when 30 Germans, including Jasta 19, attacked a French formation of 50.[30]
On 24 July, JG II moved to Chéry-lès-Pouilly to support 9th Armee. They received several modified Siemens-Schuckert D.IIIs and Siemens-Schuckert D.IVs. As Berthold scored his 40th victory, JG II began to face fresh American fliers newly committed to combat.[31]
Berthold's departure
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Observer%2C_pilot%2C_and_Bristol_Fighter_F2B_aircraft.jpg/220px-Observer%2C_pilot%2C_and_Bristol_Fighter_F2B_aircraft.jpg)
On 8 August 1918, the Allies launched the
On 11 August, Jasta 19 intercepted a huge force of about 100 Breguet bombers flying in formations of eight to ten planes. In the fighting, JG II lost its leading surviving ace when Leutnant
On 23 August, JG II's war diary gave a breakdown of aerial victories between 21 March and 21 August 1918. Jasta 12 was credited with 24 victories; Jasta 13 with 65; Jasta 15 with 83; Jasta 19 with 30. The wing's total was 202 confirmed victories, with French victims predominating.[34]
Combating the Americans
On 31 August 1918, JG II received a new commander, 21 victory ace Oberleutnant Oskar Freiherr von Boenigk. After the wing moved three times in quick succession, it settled in near the front lines at Giraumont and Doncourt by early September. They were now positioned to intercept Allied bombing missions into Germany.[35]
On 12 September, Colonel Billy Mitchell of the United States Army Air Service mounted an enormous air offensive of almost 1,500 aircraft to support the Battle of Saint-Mihiel. To oppose this incursion, the Germans had about 213 aircraft; a few more than 70 were fighters, with JG II fielding a significant number of those. Despite foul weather, the wing downed nine attacking aircraft with no loss. The next day, they downed nine more, with a single loss. On 14 September, JG II had a record day—19 aerial victories, with only a single German pilot lost to captivity. Jasta 15 celebrated its 150th victory overall.[36]
On 15 September, the American assault ground to a halt. The aviation highlight of the day was the Jasta 15 attack on the incoming
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/German_observation_balloon_%2813960919051%29.jpg/220px-German_observation_balloon_%2813960919051%29.jpg)
September's German victories in the air had little influence on the fighting. Nor did the aerial battles entirely favor the Germans. On the Allied side, there was a drive to destroy or burn the German observation balloons, thus blinding the German army.
The end
On 26 September 1918, the
As the battle continued, the Americans pushed fresh ground troops into the attack on 4 October. As the air combat raged, on 9 October the wing destroyed its first enemy observation balloon in more than six weeks. On that same day, a massive formation of 150 Allied two-seater aircraft crossed the German lines, and only one of them fell to the wing.[43] The overwhelming weight of enemy numbers, plus the dwindling supply of essential fuel, lubricants and aircraft engines, was grinding the wing down.[44]
As the fighting raged through October, JG II's personnel began to lose heart. News of peace negotiations for ending the war were being leaked to them. So was information about the soldier's revolutionist councils burgeoning in the German military. There was even news of
On 1 November 1918, the wing began to withdraw to
When the Armistice took effect on 11 November 1918, the wing's personnel began the journey home by vehicle or foot. On 13 November, stragglers from JG II gathered at Halle an de Salle to be officially demobilized as the wing was dissolved.[47]
Commanding officers
(Interim commanders are marked @)
- Hauptmann Adolf Ritter von Tutschek: 1 February—15 March 1918[48]
- Hauptmann Rudolf Berthold: 18 March—10 August 1918
- @Hauptmann Hugo Weingarth: 10 August—12 August 1918
- @RittmeisterHeinz Anton von Brederlow: 12 August 1918
- Hauptmann Rudolf Berthold: 12 August—13 August 1918
- @Leutnant Josef Veltjens: 13 August—31 August 1918
- Oberleutnant Oskar Freiherr von Boenigk: 31 August—28 September 1918
- @Leutnant Josef Veltjens: 28 September—12 October 1918
- Oberleutnant Oskar Freiherr von Boenigk: 12 October—25 October 1918
- @Oberleutnant Fritz Krapfenbauer: 25 October—2 November 1918
- Oberleutnant Oskar Freiherr von Boenigk: 2 November—11 November 1918[49]
Notable members
Among the pilots of Jagdgeschwader II were the following honorees for their acedom.
- Leutnant Franz Büchner won 38 of his 40 victories while with JG II, and was awarded the Pour le Merite.[50]
- Leutnant Ulrich Neckel won 30 victories in Jasta 12—26 with the wing—and the Pour le Merite.[51]
- Leutnant Pour le Merite.[52]
- Leutnant (later Colonel) Josef Veltjens scored 25 of his 35 victories with JG II and won the Pour le Merite.[53]
- Leutnant Hermann Becker achieved 20 of his 23 victories in the wing, and was awarded the House Order of Hohenzollern.[54]
- Pour le Merite awardee Hauptmann Rudolf Berthold scored 16 of his 44 victories while leading JG II.[55]
- Leutnant Johannes Klein had 16 victories with JG II, winning the Hohenzollern.[56]
- Leutnant Hans Martin Pippart had 16 of his 22 victories with JG II, and received the Hohenzollern.[57]
- Leutnant Georg von Hantelmann shot down 15 enemy aircraft for the wing and won the Hohenzollern.[58]
- General-major) Oskar Freiherr von Boenigk won the last five of his 26 victories with JG II, as well as the Pour le Merite.[60]
Aircraft inventory
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Zd3.jpg/220px-Zd3.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/SSW_D.III.jpg/220px-SSW_D.III.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/25/DVa2.jpg/220px-DVa2.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/D7f.jpg/220px-D7f.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Fokkdri.jpg/220px-Fokkdri.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Siemens-Schuckert_D.IV_-_Ray_Wagner_Collection_Image_%2821439712675%29.jpg/220px-Siemens-Schuckert_D.IV_-_Ray_Wagner_Collection_Image_%2821439712675%29.jpg)
The squadrons being consolidated into the fighter wing were equipped with Pfalz and Albatros fighters.[5]
The pilots transferring into Jasta 15 from Jasta 18 on 20 March 1918 brought their airplanes with them. The squadron livery of their aircraft was based on the uniform color of Berthold's old cavalry unit. It consisted of a royal blue fuselage and scarlet engine cowling. Their Fokker Dr.I triplanes would later carry the same color scheme.[61] The other three squadrons of JG II copied the blue fuselages. However, Jasta 12 had white cowlings. Jasta 13 elected hunter green. The cowlings of Jasta 19 aircraft were white.[62]
On 6 April 1918, nine Siemens-Schuckert D.IIIs were added to JG II's inventory. Much was expected of these craft because they were the fastest climbing planes the German pilots had yet seen. [63]
The bombardment of their airfield on 12/13 April took 25 aircraft out of operation.[64]
By the end of May, engine failures caused withdrawal of the Siemens-Schuckert D.IIIs, depleting an already under-strength wing inventory. On 26 May, Jadgstaffeln 12 and 19 were grounded for lack of aircraft. However, the wing began to receive a mixture of new Fokker D.VIIs and 10 worn Fokker Dr.Is as replacements. The wing even had some Albatros D.Vs still in stock.[65]
By 19 June 1918, Jadgstaffeln 12 and 19 were again grounded for lack of airplanes. Then re-equipment of Jasta 13 and Jasta 19 began; as they got their new Fokker D.VIIs, they passed on Fokker Dr.Is to Jasta 12. On 24 June, all Fokker Dr.Is were removed from the wing, leaving Jasta 12 with four unusable Siemens-Schuckerts.[12] When 20 new D.VIIs arrived on 28 June, the six with BMW engines were posted to Jasta 15 with the others divided between Jasta 12 and Jasta 19.[26]
On 14 July 1918, JG II finally standardized on a single mark of aircraft when it received 20 more replacement Fokker D.VIIs. On 24 July, several of the modified Siemens-Schuckerts were returned to the wing.[66]
See also
- Jagdstaffel 18, Rudolf Berthold's old command and August Raben's new one
Footnotes
- ^ Jagdgeschwader III was founded simultaneously with JG II; its founding squadrons were Jagdstaffeln 2, 26, 27, and 36.
- ^ Berthold had been advocating the concept of a fighter wing since January 1917, and he had been importuning the General Staff for a wing command.
- ^ Berthold's medical history up to March 1918:
June 1915: Dysentery
10 February 1916: Wounded hand
25 April 1916: Coma. Broken leg, nose, and upper jaw; transitory blindness
24 April 1917: Bullet wound right shin
10 October 1917: Ricocheting bullet pulverized his right humerus, resulting in lingering paralysis of right hand
Endnotes
- ^ VanWyngarden (2016), pp. 6–7.
- ^ a b Kilduff (2012), p. 111.
- ^ a b VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 6–8.
- ^ Franks & Giblin (2004), p. 131.
- ^ a b VanWyngarden (2005), p. 8.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), p. 16.
- ^ a b c VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 21–23.
- ^ Kilduff (2012), pp. 110–112.
- ^ Kilduff (2012), pp. 110–115.
- ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), pp. 35–37.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2011), p. 72.
- ^ a b VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 71–72.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 21–25.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 25–28.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 28–29.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), p. 29.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 30–32.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 35–36.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), p. 36.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), p. 38.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 43–44.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 45, 50.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 45–46.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 46, 49–50, 65.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 65, 68.
- ^ a b VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 71–74.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 71, 73.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), p. 76.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 77–78.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 78–79.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), p. 79.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 79–80.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 82–84.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), p. 88.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 88–90.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 90–92, 95–96.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 97–104.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 98–99.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 124–125.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 58–59, 80.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), p. 107.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 108–109.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), p. 109.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), p. 114.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 110–116.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 117–118.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 118–119.
- ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), p. 219.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), p. 120.
- ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), pp. 68–69.
- ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), p. 173.
- ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), p. 68.
- ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), pp. 222–223.
- ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), p. 69.
- ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), pp. 71–72.
- ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), p. 145.
- ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), p. 180.
- ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), pp. 123–124.
- ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), p. 144.
- ^ Franks, Bailey & Guest (1993), p. 77.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), p. 25.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), p. 39.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), p. 30.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), p. 32.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 43–46, 49, 65.
- ^ VanWyngarden (2005), pp. 76, 79.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0-948817-73-1.
- Franks, Norman; Giblin, Hal (2004). Under the Guns of the Kaiser's Aces: Böhme, Muller, Von Tutschek and Wolff: The Complete Record of Their Victories and Victims. London: Grub Street. ISBN 978-1904010029.
- Kilduff, Peter (2012). Iron Man: Rudolf Berthold: Germany's Indomitable Fighter Ace of World War I. Oxford: Grub Street. ISBN 978-1-908117-37-3.
- VanWyngarden, Greg (2005). Jagdgeschwader Nr II: Geschwader Berthold. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-727-7.
- VanWyngarden, Greg (2011). Osprey Elite Aviation Units #40: Jasta 18 - The Red Noses. Oxford UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84908-335-5.
- VanWyngarden, Greg (2016). Aces of Jagdgeschwader Nr III. Oxford UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-47280-843-1.