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51-623: Jagdgeschwader were the series of fighter wings of initially, the German Empire's Luftstreitkräfte air arm of the Deutsches Heer , then the successor fighter wings of the Third Reich 's original Luftwaffe air arm of its combined Wehrmacht armed forces (1935-45), and after 1949, the fighter wings of the air arm of the current Federal German Republic 's Bundeswehr armed forces,

102-571: A 600 observation balloons to just 3,000 allied planes and 370 observation balloons. According to other sources, the Luftstreitkräfte shot down 7,783 allied aircraft (7,425 Western Front, 358 Eastern Front) and 614 captive balloons. In addition, 1,588 allied aircraft and 2 airships were shot down by German anti-aircraft guns. Jagdgeschwader 7 In August 1944, the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL—Air Force High Command) ordered

153-410: A designation that included (1) the name of the manufacturer, (2) a function or "class" letter, and (3) a Roman numeral . The three-part designation was needed for a unique designation to simplify logistics support of the many types of aircraft in operation – especially as Luftstreitkräfte squadrons more often than not were equipped with several different types. The designation system evolved during

204-543: A military wing and a naval wing, was formed in February 1912. The initial units of the Luftstreitkräfte , dedicated to observation, were known as Feldflieger Abteilungen (Field Flier Detachments) and had an official establishment of six unarmed, two-seat "A" (monoplane), and/or "B"-class (biplane) aircraft apiece. Each "FFA" unit was assigned to an army unit in their local area and usually numbered with

255-559: Is believed that Major Weissenberger, Oberfähnrich Windisch and Oberfeldwebel Pritzl each destroyed a B-17. Major Ehrler and Leutnant Rudolf Rademacher probably accounted for a Mustang each. On 7 April JG 7 flew 59 sorties, the largest number in one day, though most failed to engage the Allies. The jets claimed five Allied aircraft destroyed for the loss of two of their own. On 7 April 1945 elements of III./JG 7 and I.(J)/ KG 54 (totaling some 60 Me 262s) were sent to intercept

306-480: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Luftstreitkr%C3%A4fte The Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte ( German: [ˈdɔʏtʃə ˈlʊftˌʃtʁaɪtkʁɛftə] , German Air Combat Forces) – known before October 1916 as Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches (The Imperial German Air Service, lit. "The flying troops of the German Kaiser’s Reich") – was

357-833: Is difficult to quantify due to the loss of Luftwaffe records; between 136 and 420 Allied aircraft may have been claimed shot down. About 20 Me 262s of I. Gruppe and 7 of III. Gruppe took off during the early morning to intercept 460 RAF and RCAF Lancasters and Halifaxes bombing Hamburg, (including the RCAF units of No. 419 Squadron (Moose), No. 434 Squadron (Bluenose), No. 408 Squadron (Goose), No. 415 Squadron (Swordfish) and No. 425 Squadron (Alouette)). Oberleutnant Sturm, Oberleutnant Hans Grünberg (2), Leutnant Todt (2), Leutnant Schenk (2), Oberleutnant Franz Schall (2), Fähnrich Ehrig (2), Leutnant Hans-Dieter Weihs (1 probable) and Flieger Gerhard Reiher had achieved 13 aerial victories without loss. The days victory total

408-609: The Eisernes Kreuz , for the Prussian military medal . The Balkenkreuz , a black Greek cross on white, replaced the earlier marking from late March 1918 (especially in early April — Richthofen's last Dr.I, 425/17 , was changed over just before he was killed), although the last order on the subject, standardising the new national marking , was dated 25 June 1918. Between January and September 1918 German pilots shot down 3,732 Allied planes while losing 1,099 aircraft. By

459-474: The Kingdom of Saxony formed seven and the Kingdom of Württemberg four. On 24 June 1917, the Luftstreitkräfte brought a quartet of Jasta squadrons together to form its first fighter wing , Royal Prussian Jagdgeschwader I , incorporating Jastas 4, 6, 10 and 11, and set the pattern for using Roman numerals in the Luftstreitkräfte in the titles of such larger units. Manfred von Richthofen

510-931: The Luftwaffe Named 1 "Oesau" 2 "Richthofen" 3 "Udet" 5 "Eismeer" 6 "Horst Wessel" 7 "Nowotny" 26 "Schlageter" 27 "Afrika" 51 "Mölders" 53 "Pik As" 54 "Grünherz" 77 "Herz As" 134 "Horst Wessel" 142 "Horst Wessel" 234 "Schlageter" Numbered 4 11 20 21 25 28 50 52 70 71 72 76 80 130 131 132 133 135 136 137 138 141 143 144 231 232 233 300 301 302 331 333 334 400 Training 101 103 104 Ergänzungs-Jagdgeschwader Special Jagdgeschwader z.b.V. Jagdverband 44 Kommando Nowotny [REDACTED] Index of articles associated with

561-1402: The Luftwaffe . Jagdgeschwader 1 Royal Prussian Jagdgeschwader I (World War I) Jagdgeschwader 1 Oesau (Luftwaffe) Jagdgeschwader 2 Richtofen Royal Prussian Jagdgeschwader II (World War I) Jagdgeschwader 3 Udet Jagdgeschwader III (World War I) Royal Bavarian Jagdgeschwader IV (World War I) Jagdgeschwader 5 Eismeer Jagdgeschwader 26 Schlageter Jagdgeschwader 27 Afrika Jagdgeschwader 50 Jagdgeschwader 51 Mölders Jagdgeschwader 52 Jagdgeschwader 53 Pik As Jagdgeschwader 54 Grünherz Jagdgeschwader 71 Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 71 "Richthofen" (Bundeswehr) Jagdgeschwader 71 (World War II) Jagdgeschwader 73 or Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 73 "Steinhoff" (Bundeswehr) Jagdgeschwader 77 Herz As Jagdgeschwader 104 Jagdgeschwader 130 Jagdgeschwader 132 Jagdgeschwader 133 Jagdgeschwader 135 Jagdgeschwader 138 Jagdgeschwader 141 Jagdgeschwader 144 Jagdgeschwader 231 Jagdgeschwader 232 Jagdgeschwader 234 Jagdgeschwader 300 Jagdgeschwader 301 See also [ edit ] Wing (military aviation unit) Ergänzungs-Jagdgeschwader v t e [REDACTED] Jagdgeschwader ( fighter wings) of

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612-545: The Pfalz E-series monoplanes, that were being detached from their former FFA units during the winter of 1915–1916 and brought together in pairs and quartets at particularly strategic locations, as KEK units were formed at Vaux , Avillers , Jametz , Cunel and other strategic locations along the Western Front, to act as Luftwachtdienst (aerial guard force) units, consisting only of fighters. Following

663-511: The " Goldenes Militär-Verdienst-Kreuz " ( Military Merit Cross ), the highest Prussian bravery award for non-commissioned officers and enlisted men. Among them were Gottfried Ehmann , the highest scoring air gunner of the war (12 victories). About 391 German pilots are credited with shooting down at least five Allied aircraft. German and Austro-Hungarian military aircraft at first used the cross pattée insignia, most often known in German as

714-476: The Allied bombers. 3 March saw 29 sorties for 8 kills claimed (one jet was lost). On 18 March III./JG 7 conducted their biggest attack numerically thus far, some 37 Me 262s engaging a force of 1,200 American bombers and 600 fighters. This action also marked the first use of the new, unguided R4M rockets . 12 bombers and 1 fighter were claimed for the loss of 3 Me 262s. The total numbers of aircraft shot down by JG 7

765-473: The Allies (Art. 202). German casualties totalled 4,579 aircrew and 299 ground personnel killed, 1,372 missing/prisoner and 5,123 wounded, along with 1,962 men killed in flying accidents in Germany. Material losses by enemy action were 3,126 aircraft, 546 balloons and 26 airships. Although adding up all of the confirmed kills by allied aces, gives a total of a little under 5,000 German aircraft destroyed, as well

816-590: The American balloon corps they had seen while observing the American Civil War , with varying forms of organisation from 1884 to 1901 until a Balloon Battalion was finally formed. The rapid development of aeronautics led to trials of airships and the choice of rigid types built by Zeppelin and Schutte-Lanz . The first military aircraft to be acquired by the German Army entered service in 1910 and

867-647: The Fokker E.I following the deliveries of the M.5K/MG airframes late in the summer of 1915, with early E.Is going to aces like Max Immelmann , who received IdFlieg serial number E.13/15 in August 1915. The first step towards specialist fighter-only aviation units within the German military was the establishment of Kampfeinsitzer Kommando (single-seat battle unit, abbreviated as KEK) formations by Inspektor-Major Friedrich Stempel in February 1916. These were based around Eindeckers and other new fighter designs emerging, like

918-475: The Fokker firm were also internal. The latter has no direct connection with the official Third Reich -era German "V" designation, also signifying "versuchs" , for prototype aircraft, promulgated by the RLM from 1935. The Kaiserliche Marine's Marine-Fliegerabteilung maritime aviation service used manufacturers' designations rather than the systematic Luftstreitkräfte system described above. For example,

969-515: The German Empire: simultaneously, on 12 January 1916, after shooting down eight Allied aeroplanes each). The award to Immelmann may have caused the decoration to acquire its popular nickname, the "Blue Max". With more and more pilots reaching this mark the required air victories were steadily increased to about 30 in 1918. In total 76 airmen were awarded the Pour le Mérite . 69 airmen received

1020-536: The Geschwader flew intermittently against the USAAF bomber formations. On 3 February JG 7 intercepted USAAF bomber formations and 5 bombers were claimed shot down. By the end of February 1945 JG 7 had claimed around 45 four-engined bombers and 15 fighters, but at this stage of war this success rate had no effect whatsoever on the Allied air offensive. During March JG 7 began to deliver larger scale attacks against

1071-570: The JG 7 fought the last aerial battle of World War II in Europe. At about 15:20 Oberleutnant Fritz Stehle and his wingman took off on Me 262 to intercept Soviet Yak-9 fighters and came upon the surprised enemy over Freiberg . Stehle claimed a Yak-9 but the plane shot down was probably an Airacobra . Actually Soviet records show that two P-39 - piloted by M.Lt Sergey Stepanov of 129 GIAP and Aleksey Ivanyuk of 152 GIAP - had been lost. Stehle's victory

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1122-726: The Me-262s during takeoff and landing, as was common practice for other Luftwaffe jet units, such as Jagdverband 44 . However, the numbers and exact usage of JG 7's Bf-109Gs are unknown, as there is no Luftwaffe documentation regarding these BF-109Gs. The allies captured Bf-109Gs with the same markings as JG 7's Me-262s , the blue and red tail band, but this does not confirm the Bf-109Gs purpose. The technical troubles and material shortages meant initial tentative sorties were only in flight strength, usually no more than 4 or 6 aircraft. Flying from Brandenburg-Briest , Oranienburg and Parchim ,

1173-793: The air arm of the Imperial German Army . In English-language sources it is usually referred to as the Imperial German Air Service , although that is not a literal translation of either name. German naval aviators of the Marine-Fliegerabteilung were an integral part of the Imperial German Navy ( Kaiserliche Marine ). Both military branches operated aeroplanes, observation balloons and airships . The Imperial German Army created an experimental balloon company inspired by

1224-834: The armies, just as balloons had been used during the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) and as far back as the Battle of Fleurus (1794) during the French Revolutionary Wars . The French Aviation Militaire (army air service) was created in 1909 and became the Aéronautique Militaire in 1912. The Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers , with two companies, was established in November 1911. The Royal Flying Corps (RFC), with

1275-547: The command of Major Erich Hohagen . Kdo. Nowotny had been formed on 26 September 1944 under the command of Major Walter Nowotny to evaluate and establish tactics for the newly developed Me 262 jet fighter. Following Nowotny's death on 8 November, the Kommando was withdrawn from combat operations and its pilots sent to Ergänzungs-Jagdgeschwader 2 , a replacement training unit at Lechfeld Airfield, for further training. On 19 November, remnants of Kdo. Nowotny

1326-548: The end of the war, the German Army Air Service possessed a total of 2,709 frontline aircraft, 56 airships, 186 balloon detachments and about 4,500 flying personnel. After the war ended in German defeat (→ Armistice of 11 November 1918 ), the service was dissolved completely on 8 May 1920 under the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles (Article 198), which demanded that its aeroplanes be completely handed over to

1377-517: The era of the KEK units through the summer of 1916, Jagdstaffeln (hunting squadrons), established by the reorganization that started in the late summer of 1916 were fielded by four kingdoms of the German Empire. Individually – each of these units was often known by the abbreviation "Jasta" . The Kingdom of Prussia was predominant, with a fighter force eventually comprising 67 squadrons. The Kingdom of Bavaria formed ten of these units,

1428-516: The fighter escorts accompanying 1,261 bombers over Northern Germany, while the 180-strong fighter formation of Sonderkommando Elbe attacked the bomber forces. The jets claimed some 18 victories but over 60 of the Bf 109 force was destroyed along with 27 Me 262s almost half of those committed. Some 19 pilots were killed or missing, while five were wounded. U.S. losses from all causes were 19 bombers and 8 escort fighters. At 16:00 on 8 May 1945 fighters of

1479-437: The first five aviation battalions were established on 1 October 1913. The Imperial German Air Service ( Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches ) and other branches concerned with air matters such as anti-aircraft, home defence and air intelligence were unified in the Luftstreitkräfte on 8 October 1916. The duties of such aircraft were initially intended to be reconnaissance and artillery spotting in support of

1530-591: The formation JG 7. Initially it was planned to equip the Geschwader with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 radial engine powered fighter, formation and preparation was intended to be done at Königsberg in der Neumark , present-day Chojna in northwestern Poland. Due to lack of pilots and aircraft, formation had to be postponed. In October, the plan was changed and the Geschwaderstab (headquarters unit)

1581-474: The former II. Gruppe of JG 3 became the new I. Gruppe of JG 7. This Gruppe was then placed under the command of Hauptmann Theodor Weissenberger which was based at Kaltenkirchen . The first formation of II. Gruppe of JG 7 was also ordered on 25 August. The idea was to transfer the disbanded II. Gruppe KG 1 and equip them with the Fw ;190 fighter. Like I. Gruppe of JG 7,

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1632-604: The landplane Gotha bombers were numbered in an "LD" (for "land biplane") series by their manufacturer, but in the "G" series in the Luftstreitkräfte – while the Gotha seaplanes used by the navy were (and continue to be) known by their manufacturer's "WD" (for Wasserflugzeug-Doppeldecker , or "seaplane biplane") designation. Similarly, the sizable number of German seaplane designs from Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen , were all known in naval service by their "FF" factory designations. Army and navy airships were individually numbered, in

1683-554: The military "J" series of armored aircraft designs was quite distinct from the Junkers aviation firm's own "J" factory type designations – the factory designation of the (military) Junkers J.I armored, all-metal sesquiplane, for example, was the Junkers J.4. The "M" (for "Militär" or military) and "V" (for "Versuchs" or experimental, according to some source initially meant a Verspannungslos or "unbraced" airframe) designations of

1734-426: The most successful fighter pilot of the war. The first "confirmed" German aerial fighter victory of the war credited to a synchronized-gun -equipped aircraft went to Leutnant Kurt Wintgens on 15 July 1915, after downing two similar Morane-Saulnier L parasol monoplanes to the victim on 15 July, one each on 1 and 4 July that remained unconfirmed – this fortnight of unprecedented German aerial victories initiated

1785-545: The period of the Fokker Scourge . Other notable German pilots from the Fokker Scourge onwards included Ernst Udet , Erich Löwenhardt , Werner Voss , Josef Jacobs , Lothar von Richthofen , Wilhelm Frankl , Hermann Göring , Max Immelmann and the master aerial tactician Oswald Boelcke (the latter pair were the first to be awarded the Pour le Mérite , the highest decoration for gallantry for officers in

1836-647: The plan was changed on 24 November and the Gruppe became the IV. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 301 (JG 301—301st Fighter Wing). On 12 January 1945, the General der Jagdflieger (General of Fighters) made a second attempt at creating a II. Gruppe of JG 7 and placed under the command of Major Hermann Staiger . III. Gruppe of JG 7 was formed from the remnants of Kommando Nowotny (Kdo. Nowotny—Commando Nowotny) on 24 November at Lechfeld Airfield under

1887-728: The same day, JG III consolidated Jasta 2 Boelcke and Jastas 26, 27 and 36 under Bruno Loerzer . Finally, on 2 September 1918, the Royal Prussian Marine Jagdgeschwader was formed from the Kaiserliche Marine 's Marine Feld Jastas I through V and placed in charge of Gotthard Sachsenberg . Bavaria established the Royal Bavarian Jagdgeschwader IV on 3 October 1918, from Jastas 23, 32, 34 and 35 under Eduard Ritter von Schleich . During

1938-470: The same name This set index article includes a list of related items that share the same name (or similar names). If an internal link incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jagdgeschwader&oldid=920933025 " Category : Set index articles Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description

1989-478: The same number as the army they were assigned to serve. The Luftstreitkräfte organization changed substantially as the war progressed, to accommodate new types of aircraft, doctrine, tactics and the needs of the ground troops, in particular the artillery. During this time the system of organisation and unit designations evolved that would form the basis of those used in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany, when it

2040-532: The same way as contemporary German destroyers and submarines , and were outside any system of "type" designation. Fighter pilots received the most attention in the annals of military aviation, since it produced high-scoring "aces" such as Manfred von Richthofen , known in German as der Rote Kampfflieger (the Red Air Fighter) and in English as The Red Baron. With 80 confirmed kills he is considered

2091-605: The summer of 1915 occurred within the Feldflieger Abteilung , which were being equipped with one or two of the new Fokker Eindecker fighter aircraft for each unit, starting with the five Fokker M.5K/MG production prototypes of the Eindecker, bearing serial numbers E.1/15 through E.5/15. The buildup of the Eindecker fighter force rapidly progressed with regular lMG 08 "Spandau"-armed production examples of

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2142-610: The twin-engined designs from the Gothaer Waggonfabrik ( Gotha ) and the enormous, multi-engined heavy bombers produced by Zeppelin-Staaken and rigid airships from Luftschiffbau Zeppelin (the Zeppelin Company) and Schütte-Lanz as well as various types of airship from other firms. During the First World War, German aircraft officially adopted for military service were allocated

2193-434: The war 'D' was only used for biplane fighters, 'E' for monoplane fighters and 'Dr' for triplane fighters, however by the end of the war the 'D' designation was used for all single-seat fighters, including monoplanes (and, in theory at least, triplanes). Most manufacturers also had their own numbering systems quite separate from the official military designations for their products. These sometimes cause confusion – for instance

2244-492: The war, the Imperial Army Air Service used many types of aircraft, ranging from fighters (such as those manufactured by Albatros-Flugzeugwerke , Fokker , Pfalz Flugzeugwerke and Siemens-Schuckert ), reconnaissance aircraft ( Aviatik , Deutsche Flugzeug-Werke (DFW) and Rumpler ), two-seat fighters from Halberstädter Flugzeugwerke and Hannoversche Waggonfabrik and heavy bombers, largely

2295-460: The war. Initially, all military aircraft were classed as "A" (monoplanes) or "B" (biplanes). The new "C" class of armed (two seat) biplane began to replace the "B" class aircraft as reconnaissance machines in 1915, the Bs continuing to be built, but as trainers. The "E" class of armed monoplane was also introduced in 1915 – the other classes were added later as new aircraft types were introduced. For most of

2346-410: Was initiated on 25 August 1944 by reequipping the former II. Gruppe of Kampfgeschwader 1 "Hindenburg" (KG 1—1st Bomber Wing) with Fw 190 aircraft which was cancelled due to lack of resources. The OKL then ordered the detachment of the Gruppe which was then subordinated to Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing), becoming JG 3's new II. Gruppe while at the same time

2397-710: Was moved up from command of Jasta 11 to command JG I. Much as Jasta 2 had been renamed as Jasta Boelcke in December 1916 after Oswald Boelcke , Germany's top fighter tactician had been lost in a mid-air collision in October 1916, following the "Red Baron's" death in action in late April 1918, JG I was renamed to honor von Richthofen by order of the Kaiser. The Prussians established three more Jagdgeschwader . On 2 February 1918, JG II formed from Jastas 12, 13, 15 and 19, with Adolf Ritter von Tutschek in command. On

2448-544: Was raised by at least six during the afternoon when Oberleutnant Stehle led a formation against one of the numerous Lancaster formations. The Staffelkapitän of 2./JG 7 Fritz Stehle shot down a Lancaster near Osnabrück . 11. Staffel and the Stabsschwarm engaged the 8th Air Force in the Zeitz , Brandenburg and Braunschweig areas. American records show the loss of 3 B-17s, 2 B-24s and 4 P-51s mostly to Me 262s. It

2499-650: Was redesignated at Lechfeld Airfield to III. Gruppe of JG 7 and ordered to Brandenburg-Briest where they joined the Geschwaderstab of JG 7. III./JG 7 was the only element of JG 7 ready to operate against the Allies . Throughout its existence JG 7 suffered from an irregular supply of new aircraft, fuel and spares. With such a radically new aircraft, training accidents were also common, with 10 Me 262s being lost in six weeks. Additionally, JG 7 operated Bf-109Gs . These Bf-109Gs likely operated as top cover for

2550-629: Was revealed in 1935. During 1916, the German High Command ( Oberste Heeresleitung , OHL) reorganised Die Fliegertruppen by creating specialist fighter, bomber and reconnaissance units such as single-seat fighter squadrons ( Jagdstaffeln , Jastas , hunting squadrons) to counter the Royal Flying Corps and the French Aviation Militaire . The initial deployment of fighter aircraft in

2601-563: Was to receive the Messerschmitt Bf 109  G-14 fighter. This plan also had to be abandoned and in November the OKL ordered the formation of JG 7 with three Gruppen (groups), all of which equipped with the new Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. On 1 December, Oberstleutnat Johannes Steinhoff was given command of JG 7 which transferred to Brandenburg - Briest in early December. The creation of I. Gruppe of JG 7

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