Kommando Nowotny | |
---|---|
Active | September 1944 – November 1944 |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | Luftwaffe |
Type | Fighter aircraft unit |
Role | Aerial warfare Air combat manoeuvring Air supremacy Airstrike |
Size | Air Force Gruppe |
Commanders | |
Notable commanders | Walter Nowotny Erich Hohagen |
Aircraft flown | |
Fighter | Messerschmitt Me 262 |
Kommando Nowotny was a Luftwaffe fighter Gruppe formed during the last months of World War II for testing and establishing tactics for the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter, and was created and first commanded by Walter Nowotny, from whom it drew its name.
Kommando Nowotny (Kdo. Nowotny—Commando Nowotny) was formed on 26 September 1944 following the disestablishment of the earlier Erprobungskommando 262 test unit at Lechfeld Airfield, sometimes also referred to as Kommondo Thierfelder which was named after its former commander Hauptmann Werner Thierfelder. [1] Operational status was reached on 3 October at Achmer Airfield and Hesepe. [2] The Stab (headquarters unit) of Kommando Nowotny was created from the Stab of III. Gruppe (3rd group) of Zerstörergeschwader 26 (ZG 26—26th Destroyer Wing). [Note 1] At first, III. Gruppe of ZG 26 was renamed to III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 6 (JG 6—6th Fighter Wing). During this transition, 8. and 9. Staffeln (squadrons) of ZG 26 became 9. and 10. Staffel of JG 6. On 16 October, III. Gruppe was detached from JG 6 and was renamed to Kommando Nowotny. [3]
In consequence, the Stab of III. Gruppe of JG 6 became the Stab of Kdo. Nowotny while 9. and 10. Staffel of JG 6 respectively became 1. and 2. Staffel of Kdo. Nowotny. On 5 November, the creation of a 3rd Staffel was ordered, to be completed by 30 November. The creation of a 4th Staffel was ordered on 12 November but never implemented. The objective of Kdo. Nowotny was to evaluate and establish tactics for the newly developed Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. [3] General der Jagdflieger (General of the Fighter Force) Adolf Galland had hoped that the Me 262 would compensate for the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) numerical superiority. [4] The units first commander and namesake was Major Walter Nowotny who had previously commanded I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) on the Eastern Front and the training unit Jagdgeschwader 101 (JG 101—101st Fighter Wing). [3]
After Nowotny took command of the Kommando, he submitted a demand for staff, requesting many former JG 54 pilots as possible. He replaced Oberleutnant Hans-Günter Müller, the commanding officer of the Staffel based at Hesepe, with Oberleutnant Alfred Teumer. Teumer received some training on the Me 262 at Rechlin. On 4 October, Teumer flew from Rechlin to Hesepe. During the landing approach, Teumer's aircraft suffered engine failure killing him in the resulting crash. [5]
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. Jagdgeschwader 7 "Nowotny" (JG 7—7th Fighter Wing) "Nowotny" was then formed and placed under the command of Oberst Johannes Steinhoff. On 19 November, remnants of Kommando Nowotny was redesignated at Lechfeld Airfield to III. Gruppe of JG 7 and ordered to Brandenburg-Briest where they joined the Stab of JG 7. In consequence, the 1., 2. and 3. Staffel of Kdo. Nowotny became the 9., 10, and 11. Staffel of III. Gruppe of JG 7 which Steinhoff had placed under the command of Major Erich Hohagen. [6] On 24 November, Kommando Nowotny was officially disbanded and ceased to exist as an independent unit. [7] Due to the experimental nature of the unit, and the technical difficulties in operating the jet fighters, the unit had a less than illustrious record. In the time from 4 October to 24 November, a total of 24 enemy aircraft were claimed shot down for a loss of 28 Me 262s either damaged or destroyed. [8]
Date | Werknummer factory number | Fate | Pilot |
---|---|---|---|
4 October 1944 | 170044 | Engine failure on landing at Hesepe, 75% damage | Oberleutnant Alfred Teumer killed in flying accident [9] |
4 October 1944 | 170047 | Landing gear failure during landing at Braunschweig-Waggum, 25% damage | Hauptmann Franz Schall [9] |
5 October 1944 | 110405 | Out fuel resulting in an emergency landing on the Autobahn near Braunschweig, 10% damage | Oberfeldwebel Helmut Baudach [9] |
7 October 1944 | 170307 | Aerial combat near Achmer, crashed west of Bramsche, 100% damage | Oberleutnant Paul Bey bailed out [9] |
7 October 1944 | 110395 | Strafed by North American P-51 Mustang fighters during takeoff, 100% damage | Oberfähnrich Heinz Russel wounded [9] |
7 October 1944 | 110405 | Shot down during takeoff, exploded in midair, 100% damage | Leutnant Gerhard Kobert killed in action [10] |
12 October 1944 | 110388 | Out fuel resulting in an emergency landing at Steenwijk, 15% damage | Oberleutnant Paul Bley [10] |
12 October 1944 | 110402 | Out fuel resulting in an emergency landing at Bramsche, 10% damage | Oberfeldwebel Helmut Lennartz [10] |
12 October 1944 | 110399 | Takeoff accident due to pilot error at Achmer, 99% damage | Oberingenieur Karl Leuthner, civilian test pilot killed in flying accident [10] |
13 October 1944 | 110401 | Landing gear failure during landing, aircraft crashed and flipped over at Hesepe, 75% damage | Oberfähnrich Heinz Russel [10] |
28 October 1944 | 110481 | Engine failure following a bird strike during takeoff and crashed at Achmer, 99% damage | Oberleutnant Paul Bley killed in flying accident [10] |
28 October 1944 | 110479 | Landing gear failure during landing, aircraft crashed at Hesepe, 12% damage | Hauptmann Franz Schall [10] |
29 October 1944 | 110387 | Mid-air collision with a Supermarine Spitfire, aircraft crashed near Sieringhoek-Bad Bentheim, 100% damage | Leutnant Alfred Schreiber bailed out [10] |
1 November 1944 | 110386 | Aerial combat with North American P-51 Mustang and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters near Arnhem and Zwolle, 99% damage | Oberfähnrich Willi Banzhaff bailed out [10] |
2 November 1944 | 110368 | Engine failure, crashed during attempted emergency landing 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) southeast of Achmer, 99% damage | Unteroffizier Alois Söllner killed in flying accident [10] |
2 November 1944 | 170278 | Crash landing at Achmer following combat mission, 30% damage | Oberfeldwebel Siegfried Göbel [10] |
4 November 1944 | 110403 | Out fuel following aerial combat with Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters resulting in an emergency landing at Bohmte, 55% damage | Oberfeldwebel Siegfried Göbel [10] |
4 November 1944 | 170310 | Emergency landing at Hesepe following aerial combat and engine failure, 95% damage | Oberfeldwebel Helmut Zander [10] |
4 November 1944 | 110483 | Shot down in aerial combat near Hittfeld/Dibbersen/Eddelsen, 99% damage | Oberfähnrich Willi Banzhaff killed in action [10] |
6 November 1944 | 110389 | Emergency landing at Lemwerder, ground collision following aerial combat and damage sustained by the German anti-aircraft artillery, 50% damage | Leutnant Herbert Spangenberg [10] |
6 November 1944 | 170045 | Engine failure during maintenance flight resulting in an emergency landing at Hesepe, 25% damage | Oberfeldwebel Helmut Baudach [10] |
6 November 1944 | 110402 | Out fuel following aerial combat resulting in an emergency landing at Ahlhorn, 30% damage [10] | Oberfeldwebel Kreutzberg |
6 November 1944 | 110490 | Out fuel following aerial combat resulting in an emergency landing near Bassum, 30% damage | Oberfeldwebel Helmut Lennartz [10] |
8 November 1944 | 110400 | Crash near Bramsche after aerial combat, 100% damage | Major Walter Nowotny killed in action [10] |
8 November 1944 | 110404 | Engine flameout during aerial combat with North American P-51 Mustang fighters, crashed near Quakenbrück, 100% damage | Oberleutnant Franz Schall bailed out [10] |
8 November 1944 | 170293 | Blown tire on takeoff at Hesepe, 35% damage | Feldwebel Erich Büttner [10] |
8 November 1944 | — | Aerial combat with North American P-51 Mustang fighters near Dümmer See, 100% damage | Oberfeldwebel Helmut Baudach bailed out [10] |
16 November 1944 | — | unknown cause and location [10] |
•Major Walter Nowotny | 16 October | – | 8 November 1944 [11] |
•Major Erich Hohagen | November | – | 24 November 1944 [11] |
•Oberleutnant Paul Bley | 16 October | – | 28 October 1944 [11] |
•Hauptmann Georg-Peter Eder | 28 October | – | 24 November 1944 [11] |
•Oberleutnant Alfred Teumer | 25 September | – | 4 October 1944 [11] |
•Oberleutnant Franz Schall | 16 October | – | 24 November 1944 [11] |
•Leutnant Joachim Weber | 16 October | – | 24 November 1944 [11] |
Karl "Quax" Schnörrer was a German military aviator who served in the Luftwaffe during World War II. As a fighter ace, he claimed 46 enemy aircraft shot down in 536 combat missions, eleven of which while flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter in Defense of the Reich.
Walter Nowotny was an Austrian-born fighter ace of the Luftwaffe in World War II. He is credited with 258 aerial victories—that is, 258 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft—in 442 combat missions. Nowotny achieved 255 of these victories on the Eastern Front and three while flying one of the first jet fighters, the Messerschmitt Me 262, in the Defense of the Reich. He scored most of his victories in the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, and approximately 50 in the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Nowotny scored an "ace in a day" on multiple occasions, shooting down at least five airplanes on the same day, including two occurrences of "double-ace in a day" in mid-1943.
Johannes "Macky" Steinhoff was a Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II, German general, and NATO official. He was one of very few Luftwaffe pilots who survived to fly operationally through the whole of the war period 1939–45 until he was severely burned during a failed take-off. Steinhoff was also one of the highest-scoring pilots with 176 victories, and one of the first to fly the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter in combat as a member of the Jagdverband 44 squadron led by Adolf Galland. Steinhoff was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, and later received the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and several foreign awards including the American Legion of Merit and the French Legion of Honour. He played a role in the so-called Fighter Pilots' Revolt late in the war, when several senior air force officers confronted Hermann Göring.
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Jagdgeschwader 7 Nowotny was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during World War II and the first operational jet fighter unit in the world. It was created late in 1944 and served until the end of the war in May 1945.
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Georg-Peter "Schorsch" Eder was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 78 aerial victories achieved in 572 combat missions, including 150 combat missions with the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. This figure includes 10 aerial victories on the Eastern Front, and further 68 victories over the Western Allies, including 36 four-engined bombers.
Theodor Weissenberger was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II and a fighter ace credited with 208 enemy aircraft shot down in 375 combat missions. The majority of his victories were claimed near the Arctic Ocean in the northern sector of the Eastern Front, but he also claimed 33 victories over the Western Front. He claimed eight of these victories over the Western Allies while flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter.
Walther Wever was a Luftwaffe flying ace during the Second World War. The son of former Chief of the Luftwaffe General Walther Wever, Wever served during 1943 on the Eastern Front and from 19 June 1943 until 10 April 1945 he claimed 44 aerial victories in 250 combat missions. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Franz Schall was a German military aviator who served in the Luftwaffe during World War II. As a fighter ace, he flew approximately 550 combat missions and claimed 137 aerial victories—that is, 137 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
Rudolf "Rudi" Rademacher was a German military aviator who served in the Luftwaffe during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 97, potentially up to 126, aerial victories—that is, 97 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft—claimed in over 500 combat missions. The majority of his victories were claimed over the Eastern Front, with sixteen claims over the Western Front, all of which were achieved while flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter.
Erich Alfred Hohagen was a German general in the Bundeswehr. During World War II, he served as a fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe. A fighter ace, Hohagen was credited with 56 aerial victories and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.
Hans "Specker" Grünberg was a German military aviator who served in the Luftwaffe during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 82, aerial victories—that is, 82 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft—claimed in approximately 550 combat missions. The majority of his victories were claimed over the Eastern Front, with 21 claims over the Western Front, including five flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter.
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Hans Dortenmann was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 39 aerial victories achieved in 150 combat missions. This figure includes 17 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 22 over the Western Allies.
Herbert Kutscha was a German Luftwaffe fighter 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. He was one of few Luftwaffe pilots to survive the whole war, serving from 1939 until 1945. During his career he was credited with 47 aerial victories in more than 900 missions.
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