13 JG 52

Last updated
13 JG 52
Active1941 to 1944
Country Nazi Germany
Branch Luftwaffe
Type Staffel
Roleair supremacy
Size12 aircraft
Part of Jagdgeschwader 52
Equipment Messerschmitt Bf 109 E,F,G
EngagementsEastern Front

13. Staffel (slowakisches) Jagdgeschwader 52 (13.(slovak)/ JG 52) was a front-line unit of the Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe made up of Slovak personnel during World War II.

Contents

They operated on the Eastern Front using Messerschmitt Bf 109s (E,F and G), between 1941 and 1943.

Formation

The 13th Fighter Flight of the Slovak Air Force was formed in late 1939 as part of a re-organisation of the Air Force to cope with reducing manpower as Czech personnel left for the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. It was equipped with Avia B-534 biplane fighters. [1] In July 1941, Slovakia sent troops to Ukraine to take part in the German invasion of the Soviet Union, and the Slovak Air Force, including the 13th Fighter Flight, was sent into the Soviet Union in support of the Slovak ground forces. The Slovak fighters escorted Slovak Letov Š-328s and German Henschel Hs 126 reconnaissance aircraft, and attacked ground targets during the advance towards Kiev, but the Slovaks had problems supporting the B-534s owing to shortages of spares and the special fuel used by the fighter's engine, and the 13th Fighter Flight was withdrawn back to Slovakia in August 1941. [2]

Operations with the Luftwaffe

On 25 February 1942 18 Slovak pilots were sent to Karup, Denmark for conversion training to the Bf 109. In July that year, the pilots returned to Slovakia, where they joined the 13th Fighter Flight based at Piešťany. After re-equipping with Bf 109Es diverted from the Luftwaffe, on 27 October the 13th Flight was deployed to the Eastern Front, where it was attached to the German fighter Geschwader, Jagdgeschwader 52, becoming its 13th Staffel, or 13.(Slow)/JG 52. The unit, equipped with 12 Bf 109Es, operated over the Crimea and the Kuban. It made its first aerial claim on 28 November 1942 when a pair of Bf 109s attacked nine Polikarpov I-153 biplanes, the Slovaks claiming three without loss. [3]

In January 1943, as the Bf 109E was becoming increasingly obsolete, the unit received more modern Bf 109Fs on loan from the Luftwaffe, and in March these were supplemented by Bf 109Gs. As these aircraft were on loan, they retained standard German markings, distinguished by white, red and blue propeller spinners. [4]

13 Staffel flew some 2000 sorties while part of JG 52, claiming between 204 and 215 enemy aircraft shot down, for the loss of seven pilots killed, although the claims may have been exaggerated for propaganda purposes, it being stated post-war by surviving pilots that most of the victories had been fabricated. [4] Three of the unit's pilots defected to the Soviets. [5] The leading aces were Ján Režňák with 32 confirmed victories and Izidor Kovárik with 28 confirmed victories. [4]

Return to Slovakia

The Slovak unit, which was suffering from poor morale, was withdrawn back to Slovakia in October 1943, leaving the Luftwaffe-owned Bf 109Fs and Gs with JG 52. The 13th Fighter Flight was equipped with a mixture of Bf 109Es and Avia B-534s on its return to Slovakia, where it was based at Vajnory and then Piešťany, tasked with the defense of Bratislava. [6] It re-equipped with factory-fresh Bf 109G-6s in early 1944, [6] operating under the control of the Jagdfliegerführer Ostmark (Fighter Leader Austria).

On 26 June 1944 eight Bf 109s of the 13 Fighter Flight engaged an American heavy bomber formation near Bratislava. They managed to shoot down a B-24, and damaging two others before five 109s were shot down by the escorts and two more badly damaged. Three pilots were killed, including the unit commander. These losses virtually wiped out the 13th Fighter Flight, and its surviving aircraft were transferred to the 12th Fighter Flight. This was itself disbanded when German forces disarmed Slovak forces as a result of the Slovak National Uprising. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Bodenplatte</span> January 1945 Nazi air force offensive

Operation Bodenplatte, launched on 1 January 1945, was an attempt by the Luftwaffe to cripple Allied air forces in the Low Countries during the Second World War. The goal of Bodenplatte was to gain air superiority during the stagnant stage of the Battle of the Bulge so that the German Army and Waffen-SS forces could resume their advance. The operation was planned for 16 December 1944, but was delayed repeatedly due to bad weather until New Year's Day, the first day that happened to be suitable. It resulted in almost 500 destroyed Allied airplanes.

<i>Jagdgeschwader</i> 52 German World War II fighter wing

Jagdgeschwader 52 was a German World War II fighter Geschwader (wing) that exclusively used the Messerschmitt Bf 109 throughout the war. The unit originally formed near Munich in November 1938, then moved to a base near Stuttgart. JG 52 became the most successful fighter-Geschwader of the war, with a claimed total of more than 10,000 victories over enemy aircraft during World War II. It was the unit of the top three scoring flying aces of all time, Erich Hartmann, Gerhard Barkhorn and Günther Rall.

<i>Jagdgeschwader</i> 27 Fighter wing of the Luftwaffe during World War II

Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27) "Afrika" was a fighter wing of the Luftwaffe during World War II. The wing was given the name "Africa" for serving in the North African Campaign predominantly alone in the period from April 1941 to September 1942. Elements of JG 27 fought in every major theatre of operations in which the Wehrmacht operated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josef Priller</span> German World War II flying ace and wing commander (1915–1961)

Josef "Pips" Priller was a German military aviator and wing commander in the Luftwaffe during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 101 enemy aircraft shot down in 307 combat missions. All of his victories were claimed over the Western Front, including 11 four-engine bombers and at least 68 Supermarine Spitfire fighters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avia B-534</span> Type of aircraft

The Avia B-534 is a Czechoslovak biplane fighter developed and manufactured by aviation company Avia. It was produced during the period between the First World War and the Second World War. The B-534 was perhaps one of the most well-known Czechoslovakian aircraft of the era.

<i>Jagdgeschwader</i> 5 Military unit

Jagdgeschwader 5 was a German Luftwaffe fighter wing during World War II. It was created to operate in the far north of Europe, namely Norway, Scandinavia and northern parts of Finland, all nearest the Arctic Ocean, with Luftflotte 5, created specifically to be based in occupied Norway, and responsible for much of northern Norway.

<i>Jagdgeschwader</i> 77 Military unit

Jagdgeschwader 77 Herz As was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during World War II. It served in all the German theaters of war, from Western Europe to the Eastern Front, and from the high north in Norway to the Mediterranean.

<i>Jagdgeschwader</i> 1 (World War II) German World War II fighter unit

Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1) "Oesau" was a German World War II fighter wing created in 1939. Between 1940 and 1942, JG 1 operated primarily over the Western Front and northern occupied Europe. During the initial days of the war, JG 1 faced little resistance, apart from occasional Royal Air Force (RAF) excursions. The unit was rarely engaged in large-scale confrontations during this time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jagdgeschwader 2</span> Military unit

Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2) "Richthofen" was a German fighter wing during World War II. JG 2 operated the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 single-seat, single-engine interceptor aircraft.

<i>Jagdgeschwader</i> 3 Military unit

Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" was a Luftwaffe fighter wing of World War II. The Geschwader operated on all the German fronts in the European Theatre of World War II. It was named after Ernst Udet, an important figure in the development of the Luftwaffe, in 1942.

<i>Jagdgeschwader</i> 26 German fighter-wing of World War II

Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26) Schlageter was a German fighter-wing of World War II. It was named after Albert Leo Schlageter, a World War I veteran, Freikorps member, and posthumous Nazi martyr, arrested and executed by the French for sabotage in 1923. The wing fought predominantly against the Western Allies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert</span> German fighter ace and Knights Cross recipient

Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a fighter ace credited with 174 enemy aircraft shot down in 715 combat missions. The majority of his victories were claimed over the Eastern Front, with 51 in the Mediterranean theatre and 20 over the Western Front. He was "ace-in-a-day" four times, shooting down five or more aircraft on a single day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siegfried Freytag</span> German World War II flying ace and member of the French Foreign Legion

Siegfried Freytag was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot and wing commander. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 102 aerial victories of which 49 victories were claimed over the Eastern Front. Among his victories over the Western Front are at least 2 four-engine bombers. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Freytag had been nominated for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, but the war ended before the paperwork had been processed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gustav Rödel</span> German flying ace (1915–1995)

Gustav Rödel was a German fighter pilot and fighter ace who served during World War II in the Luftwaffe.

<i>Jagdgeschwader</i> 11 Military unit

Jagdgeschwader 11 was a fighter wing of the German Luftwaffe during World War II. Its primary role was the defense of Northern Germany against Allied day bomber raids. Formed in April 1943 as a split from Jagdgeschwader 1, the unit primarily used the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans Ehlers</span> German fighter pilot during World War II (1914–1944)

Hans Ehlers was a German military aviator who served in the Luftwaffe during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 55—that is, 55 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft—claimed in an unknown number of combat missions. He claimed eleven victories on the Eastern Front and 44 over the Western Allies, including 23 four-engine bombers.

Ernst Düllberg was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Ernst Düllberg was credited with 45 victories in 650 combat missions, 36 over Western Front and 9 victories over the Eastern Front.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croatian Air Force Legion</span> Military unit

The Croatian Air Force Legion, or HZL, was a unit of the Luftwaffe, composed entirely of volunteers drawn from the nazi puppet-state, the Independent State of Croatia. Many of them had previously served in the Royal Yugoslav Air Force in April 1941 during the Nazi Invasion of Yugoslavia.

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid-1930s. It was one of the first true modern fighters of the era, including such features as all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, a retractable landing gear, and was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine.

Heinz-Edgar Berres was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Berres was shot down on 25 July 1943 over Sicily. Berres claimed 52 victories in 354 missions. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross and promoted to Hauptmann.

References