Zerstörergeschwader 26
Zerstörergeschwader 26 "Horst Wessel" | |
---|---|
Messerschmitt Me 410 | |
Engagements | World War II |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Joachim-Friedrich Huth |
Insignia | |
Identification symbol | Geschwaderkennung of 3U |
Zerstörergeschwader 26 (ZG 26) "Horst Wessel" was a
Formed on 1 May 1939, ZG 26 was initially armed with the
In 1941 ZG 26 served again with success in the
From mid-1943, ZG 26 served and fought against the US Eighth Air Force and Fifteenth Air Force in the Defence of the Reich campaign with moderate success until US long-range fighters made further operations too costly. ZG 26 was disbanded in September 1944 and re-designated a Bf 109-unit, Jagdgeschwader 6.
Formation
Zerstörergeschwader 26 was formed in 1939 from the Jagdgeschwader 134 "Horst Wessel". The Geschwaderstab and I. Gruppe was located in Dortmund, II. Gruppe in Werl and III. Gruppe in Lippstadt.[citation needed] ZG 26 was formally named on 1 May 1939, from ZG 142.[1]
World War II
In 1939 the production of Bf 110s precluded the equipment of Zerstorer wings with the type. The heavy fighter was intended as a long-range fighter escort, air superiority and anti-
On 1 September 1939 the German
On 6 December ZG 26 incurred one of its first casualties when a Bf 110 from 2./ZG 26 collided with an
Elements of the wing fought at the
On 15 December 1939, I./ZG 26 was based at Lippstadt, under the command of Fliegerkorps I. III./ZG 26 was subordinated to Luftgau XI and Bönninghardt. Stab. and II./ZG 26 remained at Dortmund and Werl respectively under the command of Fliegerkorps IV.[15] Thereafter, the assignment of Stab./ZG 26 is unknown. The units does not appear on the air corps' order of battle on 10 May.[16] On 10 May 1940 II./ZG 26 had moved to Kaarst-Neuss, under the command of Fliegerkorps I.[17] By 5 June 1940 it had been assigned to Fliegerdivision 9. I./ZG 26 was deleted from I Fliegerkorps' order of battle by the 10 May, and its location is not known.[17] The Stab/ZG 26 had all three Bf 110s operational. I./ZG 26 could field only 11 of the 34 Bf 110s it had, while III./ZG 26 reported 30 of 37 aircraft combat ready. II./ZG 26 reported 25 of 35 Bf 110s operational.[18]
Western Europe
On 10 May 1940
The long-range Bf 110s were used in the
On 15 May ZG 26 and 73 Squadron met in combat again. III./ZG 26 escorted 40 DO 17s of I. and II./
85 Squadron encountered ZG 26 three days later, when six of their Hurricanes, including a section [A Flight] from
On 19 May large air battles occurred over
On 20 May, the
From 25 May 1940 ZG 26 was reassigned from
Battle of Britain
In July 1940, the Churchill Government rejected Adolf Hitler's offers of a peace settlement. Hitler authorised the planning for Operation Sea Lion, a proposed amphibious landing in the United Kingdom. The Luftwaffe began an air campaign against Channel convoys, beginning the first phase of what became known as the Battle of Britain. The Kanalkampf was designed to draw out RAF Fighter Command and achieve air superiority by defeating it in battle, and by bombing airfields and known supporting facilities; radar stations and factories.
ZG 26 was based at multiple locations in northern France. Huth and the Stab./ZG 26 was based at
On 29 July, Eight Bf 110s from 1. Staffel and three from 2. Staffel/
On 13 August the Luftwaffe initiated Operation Eagle Attack—Adlertag. The morning weather was bad and Hermann Göring ordered a postponement of raids.[58] KG 2 were not informed and took off at 04:50 for their target. ZG 26 were scheduled as their escort, but received the cancellation order. Oberstleutnant Huth took off to warn the Dorniers of the cancellation. Unable to contact the bombers by radio, Huth tried to signal them by flying in front of them and performing aerobatics. Commander of the bomber force, Johannes Fink, ignored him and flew on. The raid was detected but incorrectly plotted causing Fighter Command to miss the unprotected Dorniers.[59] On the 15 August (known as "black Thursday" in the Luftwaffe), ZG 26 did not suffer losses, but the following day the wing reported two losses, one destroyed one damaged, in combat with Spitfires from No. 19 Squadron RAF over Harwich. The damaged fighter belonged to the Stab./ZG 26.[60] The burden of the Zerstörergeschwader 15 August operations fell to ZG 76, which suffered heavy casualties operating from bases in Norway.[61]
On 18 August, a date known as
In the afternoon ZG 26 provided escort for KG 53 bombers bombing
The results of the Hardest Day highlighted the vulnerability of Bf 110, which along with the
In October 1940, ZG 26 flew low-level attacks on towns in southern England. On 7 October II. and II./ZG 26 mounted an attack on Yeovil. ZG 26 lost seven aircraft, three from II./ZG 26 and four from III./ZG 26. The losses were inflicted by No. 238 and No. 601 Squadrons and other "Yeovil" defences. One 601 Spitfire was damaged and landed.[86] The Battle of Britain came to an end on 31 October 1940, and Sea Lion was postponed indefinitely.
Eastern Mediterranean and Balkans
ZG 26 relocated to southeast Europe in 1941. III./ZG 26 supported the
III./ZG 26 carried out strafing attack on
II./ZG 26 joined Bf 109s from I(J)/
Following the swift collapse of the
I./ZG 26 attacked the
ZG 26 supported the rapid advance of ground forces to Athens, where, on 20 April, ZG 26 took part in what has been called the "
On 22 May 1941 the final phase of the Greek campaign, the
North Africa; Libya and Egypt
In response to the failed
7./ZG 26 lost one Bf 110 during the battle of
In early April the frontline consolidated. The
On 30 June, while escorting 20 Ju 87s, with 12 Italian fighters and 10 Bf 109s, five ZG 26 Bf 110s were engaged by
On 20 November two crews were wounded and three Bf 110s were shot down in combat on 24 November resulting in the capture of two pilots, one from 8 and 9./ZG 26. The latter combat took place against 4 Squadron SAAF and No. 80 Squadron RAF. The following day four Bf 110s and their crews were lost in what was described as a "bad day for the Bf 110s of III./ZG 26."[120] On 4 December, over the Trigh Capuzzo, Sergeant Dodd, 274 Squadron shot down a Bf 110 piloted by Major Karl Kaschka. Oberleutnant Wehmeyer landed alongside the wreck to find the gunner dead and Kaschka dying.[121] On 12 December the group shot down two 12 Squadron SAAF Martin Maryland bombers and a 55 Squadron Blenheim over the sea. However, on 24 December, Kaschka's replacement at III./ZG 26, Hauptmann Thomas Steinberger was lost at sea with another 9./ZG 26 crew on a ferry flight from Crete.[122]
By 31 December 1941, III./ZG 26 had flown 2,962 sorties in North Africa. 483 of these were close air support. They had lost 11 killed, six in accidents, 27 missing, nine captured and 16 wounded.[123] By 16 January 1942, only 7./ZG 26 remained on the frontline in Africa. It possessed eight aircraft, but only four were operational.[124] Twelve days later, on 26 January another crew was lost; one was captured the others died of wounds. On 13 April, in an unusual episode, Bf 110s of 7./ZG 26 landed at an abandoned British airfield [name unspecified] and destroyed the installations after climbing out of their aircraft.[125] Further details in updated sources indicate six 7./ZG 26 Bf 110s escorted Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM.82s to the airfield. While three Bf 110s flew cover, 60 Italian personnel landed and destroyed abandoned fuel and lubrication tanks in an operation lasting until 10:00.[126] ZG 26 engaged in maritime and air escort sorties. On one such operation it lost one of three 7./ZG 26 Bf 110s escorting Junkers Ju 52 transports. They were unable to prevent nine Ju 52s from being shot down by Allied fighters on 12 May. KGrzbV 400 and III./KGrzbV 1 lost four each, KGrzbV1 lost a single transport.[127]
The wing operated in the close air support role in May 1942, losing one on 2nd and 12th, then operating in support of the
Defeat in Africa: From Egypt to Tunisia
III./ZG 26's activities from the beginning to end of the
ZG 26 continued over-water operations claiming a P-38 on 1 February, losing three crews and one damaged to the US 82nd Fighter Group protecting two tankers from 319th Bomb Group on 3rd. By 28 February 1943,
On 13 May 1943
Invasion of the Soviet Union
III./ZG 26 remained in North Africa in June 1941. Stab, I and II./ZG 26 moved to Eastern Europe, still under the command of Fliegerkorps VIII. The wing was under the strategic control of Luftflotte 2.[147]
ZG 26 spearheaded the air strikes against the
ZG 26 concentrated in airfield strikes as Army Group North pushed toward
On 27 August the
The two groups fought in the successful early phase of the battle. On 20 October 1941, I./ZG 26 was ordered to return to Germany and was renamed II./
Defence of the Reich and dissolution
In the late summer and early autumn the ZG wing's joined the RLV forces for the
Hitler favoured the Rheinmetall BK-5 cannon for use in the Me 410 and they equipped II./ZG 26. The recoil and feed mechanisms were not designed for aerial combat, the gun having been designed initially as an anti-tank weapon. The weapon frequently jammed and rarely could a pilot fire off more than a single round before the gun ceased to function. The fighters could carry an additional Werfer-Granate 21 aerial mortar, as could the Bf 109 or Focke-Wulf Fw 190.[158] In addition, II./ZG 26 was placed under the command of Eduard Tratt, regarded as the leading Zerstörer pilot of the war.[159] By the second week in October, 1943, ZG 26 was operating as a three-gruppen wing.[160]
On 10 October 1943, ZG 26 made its first notable interception of an American
In 1944 the long-range USAAF fighter escorts began to appear. In February,
Big Week began on 20 February, part of the
On 22 February, 799 bombers were dispatched by the Eighth. The 2nd and 3rd Bombardment Divisions were recalled, leaving only 99 bombers from the 1st Bombardment Division to carry out the mission in scattered over Germany. US escorts claimed 59 destroyed seven damaged and 26 probable victories against German fighters for the loss of 11 and one damaged.
ZG 26 operated on 6 March 1944 in defence of
The casualty count reached 16 of the 41 Me 410s and Bf 110s engaged along with five Bf 109s and two Fw 190s. The 1st Bombardment Division lost eight bombers to gunfire, three in collisions, and several damaged and dropped out of formation. Four P-51s were lost from the 4th Fighter Group.
The German Wehrmachtbericht singled out Kogler as the "leader of a Zerstörerverband that especially distinguished itself" despite crippling losses. The heavy fighters had been touted as wonder weapons in their new role as bomber-destroyers, and their extreme vulnerability was kept from Hitler and the German public.[170]
On 23 April no German twin-engine fighters were seen by the American formations despite large-scale raids on Münster and Braunschweig. By month's end, ZG 26 had relocated to Königsberg in East Prussia. III./ZG 26's war diary observed the mission now would be to "battle enemy formations that penetrate east of Berlin without escort."[171] On 9 April 1944 the 3rd Bombardment Group gave ZG 26 such an opportunity when it flew against targets in East Prussia and Poland. I./ZG 26 had been rendered non-operational, III./ZG 26 had been installing rockets for a ground-attack mission on the Eastern Front when the order to scramble came through. 18 Bf 110s got airborne, were unable to find the bombers and landed at an airfield without the appropriate fuel and were out of commission for the rest of the day. Only II./ZG 26 made an attack, claiming three B-17s for the loss of two Me 410s.[172]
On 11 April the 3rd Bombardment Division, with support from 1st and 2nd, flew against six separate targets in central and eastern Germany. The 3rd took the Baltic Sea route, while the other divisions flew the well-trodden path south to the
On 12 May 1944 the Eighth struck at targets in the
On 7 July 1944
The actions were the last major contributions of ZG 26 to the defence of the Reich. On 26 September 1944, III./ZG 26 began plans to convert to the
Commanding officers
- Oberst Kurt-Bertram von Döring, 1 May 1939 – 14 December 1939
- Oberstleutnant Joachim-Friedrich Huth, 14 December 1939 – 1 November 1940
- Oberst Johann Schalk, 1 November 1940 – 29 September 1941
- Oberstleutnant Karl Boehm-Tettelbach, October 1943 – June 1944
- Oberstleutnant Johann Kogler, June 1944 – July 1944
I./ZG 26
- Hauptmann Karl Kaschka, 1 February 1939 – January 1940
- Hauptmann Wilhelm Makrocki, 27 January 1940 – 21 May 1941
- Hauptmann Herbert Kaminski, May 1941 – 1941
- Hauptmann Wilhelm Spies, 27 January 1942
II./ZG 26
- Major Friedrich Vollbracht, 1 May 1939 – April 1940
- Hauptmann Ralph von Rettberg, April 1940 – April 1942
- Hauptmann Eduard Tratt, 11 October 1943 – 22 February 1944
III./ZG 26
- Hauptmann Johann Schalk, 1 May 1939 – 1 September 1940
- Major Karl Kaschka, 1 September 1940 – 4 December 1941 (KIA)
- Hauptmann Thomas Steinberger, 4 December 1941 – 24 December 1941
- Hauptmann Georg Christl, 25 December 1941 – 12 July 1943
- Major Fritz Schulze-Dickow, 12 July 1943 – 11 February 1944
- Major Johann Kogler, 11 February 1944 – 2 June 1944
- Hauptmann Werner Thierfelder, 2 June 1944 – 18 July 1944
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Citations
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- ^ Shores & Ring 1969, pp. 77, 82.
- ^ Shores & Ring 1969, p. 83.
- ^ Shores & Ring 1969, p. 88.
- ^ Shores & Ring 1969, p. 104.
- ^ Shores, Massimello & Guest 2012b, p. 78.
- ^ Shores, Massimello & Guest 2012b, pp. 209–212.
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- ^ a b Shores, Massimello & Guest 2012b, pp. 389–432.
- ^ a b Shores, Ring & Hess 1975, p. 10.
- ^ a b Shores, Ring & Hess 1975, p. 54.
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- ^ a b Bergström 2007a, p. 61.
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- ^ a b c d Caldwell & Muller 2007, p. 155.
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- ^ a b c Caldwell & Muller 2007, pp. 158–159.
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Bibliography
- Ansel, Walter (1972). Hitler and the Middle Sea. Duke University Press. ISBN 978-0-8223-0224-7.
- Aders, Gebhard (1978). History of the German Night Fighter Force, 1917–1945. London: Janes. ISBN 0-354-01247-9.
- Bergström, Christer (2007a). Barbarossa - The Air Battle: July–December 1941. London: Chevron/Ian Allan. ISBN 978-1-85780-270-2.
- Bergström, Christer (2015). The Battle of Britain: An Epic Conflict Revisited. Oxford, UK: Casemate. ISBN 978-1612-00347-4.
- ISBN 978-1-85410-721-3.
- Bowman, Martin (2015). The Wellington Bomber. Barnsley: Pen and Sword. ISBN 9781473853508.
- Caldwell, Donald L.; ISBN 978-1-85367-712-0.
- Chorley, William (2005). Aircraft and crews lost during 1939 - 1940. London: Midland. ISBN 978-0904597851.
- Cull, Brian; Lander, Bruce; Weiss, Heinrich (1999). Twelve Days in May. London: Grub Street Publishing. ISBN 978-1-902304-12-0.
- ISBN 1-904943-43-8.
- ISBN 978-1-85780-055-5.
- Holmes, Robin (2010). The Battle of the Heligoland Bight, 1939: The Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe's Baptism of Fire. London: Grub Street. ISBN 978-1-906502-56-0.
- Hooton, E.R. (1994). Phoenix Triumphant; The Rise and Rise of the Luftwaffe. London: Arms & Armour Press. ISBN 978-1-85409-181-9.
- Hooton, E.R. (2007a). Luftwaffe at War; Gathering Storm 1933–39: Volume 1. London: Chevron/Ian Allan. ISBN 978-1-903223-71-0.
- Hooton, E.R. (2007b). Luftwaffe at War; Blitzkrieg in the West: Volume 2. London: Chevron/Ian Allan. ISBN 978-1-85780-272-6.
- Hooton, E.R. (1999). Eagle in Flames: Defeat of the Luftwaffe. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-1-85409-343-1.
- James, T; ISBN 978-0-7146-8149-8.
- Mackay, Ron (2000). Messerschmitt Bf 110. Wiltshire: The Crowood Press. ISBN 1-86126-313-9.
- Mason, Francis (1969). Battle Over Britain. London: McWhirter Twins. ISBN 978-0-901928-00-9.
- ISBN 978-1-84425-820-8.
- Saunders, Andy (2010). Convoy Peewit: August 8, 1940: The First Day of the Battle of Britain?. London: Grub Street. ISBN 978-1-906502-67-6.
- Shores, Christopher F. (1985). Duel for the Sky: Ten Crucial Battles of World War II. London: Grub Street. ISBN 978-0-7137-1601-6.
- Shores, Christopher F.; Cull, Brian; Malizia, Nicola (1992). Air War for Yugoslavia, Greece and Crete: 1940–41. London: Grub Street. ISBN 978-0-948817-07-6.
- Shores, Christopher; Foreman, John; Ehrengardt, Chris (1992). Fledgling Eagles (1st ed.). London: Grub Street. ISBN 978-0-948817-42-7.
- Shores, Christopher F.; Massimello, Giovanni; Guest, Russell (2012b). A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940–1945 Volume 2: North African Desert, February 1942 – March 1943. London: Grub Street. ISBN 978-1-909166-12-7.
- Shores, Christopher; Ring, Hans (1969). Fighters over the Desert. London: Neville Spearman Limited. ISBN 978-0-668-02070-1.
- Shores, Christopher F.; Ring, Hans; Hess, William N. (1975). Fighters Over Tunisia. London: Neville Spearman. ISBN 978-0-85435-210-4.
- Weal, John (1999). Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstörer Aces of World War 2. Oxford: Osprey. ISBN 978-1-85532-753-5.
Further reading
- Aubusson, Charles (December 1999). "Le III/Zerstörer Geschwader 26 dans la Campagne d'Afrique (1941/1943)" [III/ZG 26 in the North African Campaign (1941–1943)]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et Son Histoire (in French) (81): 7–17. ISSN 1243-8650.
- Bergström, Christer; Mikhailov, Andrey (2001). Black Cross / Red Star: Air War Over the Eastern Front, Volume II, Resurgence January–June 1942. Pacifica Military History. ISBN 978-0-935553-51-2.
- Bergström, Christer (2007b). Stalingrad — The Air Battle: November 1942 – February 1943. London: Chevron/Ian Allan. ISBN 978-1-85780-276-4.
- Claasen, Adam R. A. (2001). Hitler's Northern War: The Luftwaffe's Ill-Fated Campaign, 1940–1945. Lawrence, KS: ISBN 978-0-7006-1050-1.
- de Zeng, H.L.; Stankey, D.G.; Creek, E.J. (2007). Bomber Units of the Luftwaffe 1933–1945; A Reference Source, Volume 1. Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-279-5.
- de Zeng, H.L.; Stankey, D.G.; Creek, E.J. (2009). Dive-Bomber and Ground-Attack Units of the Luftwaffe, 1933–1945: A Reference Source, Vol. 1. Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-9065-3708-1.
- Hayward, Joel (Summer 1997). "The German use of air power at Kharkov, May 1942". Air Power History. 44 (2).
- ISBN 978-0-7006-1146-1.
- Holland, James (2003). Fortress Malta: An Island Under Siege, 1940–1943. London: Miramax Books. ISBN 978-1-4013-5186-1.
- Jackson, Robert (1974). Air War Over France, 1939-1940. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-0510-5.
- Muller, Richard (1992). The German Air War in Russia, 1941-1945. Baltimore: The Nautical & Aviation Publishing Company of America. ISBN 1-877853-13-5.
- North, Richard (2012). The Many Not The Few: The Stolen History of the Battle of Britain. London: Continuum. ISBN 978-1-4411-3151-5.
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