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| Aviation Art Collecton - JG2 |
Jagdgeschwader 2 was formed from parts of Jagdgeschwader 131 "Richthofen" on 1 May 1939 in Döberitz and its first commander was Oberst Robert Ritter von Greim. At the outbreak of the war JG 2 was tasked with defence of the Reich and based in the Berlin area under Luftgaukommando III. Stab and II. Gruppe were equipped with the Bf 109E and were located at Döberitz with 10.(N) staffel flying the Bf 109D in Straussberg. 10.(N) Staffel was one of the first night fighter units formed in the Luftwaffe. Later this staffel was expanded into IV.(N) Gruppe. This Gruppe gained the Luftwaffe’s first night kill over the RAF Bomber Command on the night of 25/26 on April 1940 when Ofw Förster shot down a Handley Page Hampden. The unit saw little combat until the Western offensive against France and the Low Countries from 10 May 1940 onwards. During the campaign against France, JG 2 was tasked with escorting raids and defending German airspace to the south of Heinz Guderian's Panzer forces which were encircling the French and the British Expeditionary Force further north. Leutnant Helmut Wick, who later became part of a trio of outstanding aces (including Adolf Galland from Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26) and Werner Mölders from Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51)) in the Battle of Britain, attained his first and the Geschwader's second kill on 22 November 1939, a French Curtiss Hawk Model 75. The first victory for the JG 2 was scored by Oberfeldwebel Kley (3. Staffel) at the same day. JG 2 took part in the Battle of Britain, operating Bf 109Es over the South Coast of England and the English Channel from bases in Cherbourg and Normandy. Major Helmut Wick emerged as one of the Battle’s top Luftwaffe aces, claiming 31 kills for a personal total of 56, before being killed (MIA) in action versus Spitfires of No. 609 Squadron in November 1940. Wick was seen to bail out successfully but was not found by German Air/Sea Rescue attempts. The Spitfire who dispatched him was immediately shot down by Oberleutnant Rudolf Pflanz. Ofw. Schnell, Ofw. Machold and Olt. Hans "Assi" Hahn also claimed heavily during this period, with 16 kills each. Some 42 JG 2 pilots were killed or made POW during the battle. |
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| Aircraft for : JG2 | ||
| A list of all aircraft known to have been flown by JG2. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | ||
| Squadron | Info | |
Fw190 
Manufacturer : Fokke-Wulf Production Began : 1940 Retired : 1945 | Fw190 The Focke-Wulf 190 development project began in 1937. Conceived as a hedge against total dependence on the Messerchmitt 109, the 190 was designed by Kurt Tank utilizing a radial engine. This was against generally accepted design criteria in Germany, and many historians believe that the decision to produce a radial engine fighter was largely due to the limited manufacturing capacity for in-line, water-cooled engines which were widely used on all other Luftwaffe aircraft. Despite these concerns, Tanks design was brilliant, and the 190 would become one of the top fighter aircraft of WWII. The first prototype flew in mid-1939. The aircraft had excellent flying characteristics, a wonderful rate of acceleration, and was heavily armed. By late 1940 the new fighter was ordered into production. Nicknamed the butcher bird, by Luftwaffe pilots, early 190s were quite successful in the bomber interceptor role, but at this stage of the war many Allied bombing raids lacked fighter escort. As the war dragged on, Allied bombers were increasingly accompanied by fighters, including the very effective P-51 Mustang. The Allies learned from experience that the 190s performance fell off sharply at altitudes above 20,000 feet. As a result, most Allied bombing missions were shifted to higher altitudes when fighter opposition was likely. Kurt Tank had recognized this shortcoming and began working on a high-altitude version of the 190 utilizing an in-line, water-cooled engine. Utilizing a Jumo 12-cylinder engine rated at 1770-HP, and capable of 2,240-HP for short bursts with its methanol injection system, the 190D, or Long Nose or Dora as it was called, had a top speed of 426-MPH at 22,000 feet. Armament was improved with two fuselage and two wing mounted 20mm cannon. To accommodate the changes in power plants the Dora had a longer, more streamlined fuselage, with 24 inches added to the nose, and an additional 19 inches added aft of the cockpit to compensate for the altered center of gravity. By mid 1944 the Dora began to reach fighter squadrons in quantity. Although the aircraft had all the right attributes to serve admirably in the high altitude interceptor role, it was not generally focused on such missions. Instead many 190Ds were assigned to protect airfields where Me-262 jet fighters were based. This was due to the latter aircrafts extreme vulnerability to Allied attack during takeoff and landing. The 190Ds also played a major role in Operation Bodenplatte, the New Years Day raid in 1945 which destroyed approximately 500 Allied aircraft on the ground. The High Command was impressed with the 190Ds record on this raid, and ordered most future production of the Doras to be equipped as fighter-bombers. In retrospect this was a strategic error, and this capable aircraft was not fully utilized in the role for which it was intended. | |
| Signatures for : JG2 | |||||||
| A list of all signatures from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | |||||||
| Name | Info | ||||||
 Gerhard Barkhorn Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Gerhard Barkhorn
| Gerhard Barkhorn Gerhard Barkhorn joined II/JG52 in August 1940. In June 1943 he was promoted Kommandeur II/JG52, and in November that year he became only the fifth fighter pilot to reach 200 victories. He achieved his 300th victory on 5th January 1945. Promoted Komodore of JG6 near the end of the war, he was then summoned by Galland to join JV44. Barkhorn flew 1104 missions, and with 301 victories was the second highest scoring Ace in history. He was awarded the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Born 20th May 1919, died alongside his wife 8th January 1983 in a car accident. | ||||||
  Oberleutnant Siegfried Bethke Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Oberleutnant Siegfried Bethke | Oberleutnant Siegfried Bethke Siegfried Bethke joined the Luftwaffe in 1935 and was posted to II./JG2 shortly before the Battle of France. During the Battle of Britain he was Staffelkapitan of 2. Staffel JG2, and by the end of 1940 his tally had reached 10. He flew on the Channel Dash but later a serious accident halted his flying career. Awarded the Iron Cross I and II Class, he had a total of 14 victories. | ||||||
 Kurt Buhligen Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by or with the mounted signature of Kurt Buhligen
| Kurt Buhligen Kurt Buhligen was born in 1917. He had a strong desire to fly so he joined the Luftwaffe on its inception. He joined initially as a mechanic but his forceful character soon qualified him as fighter pilot material. The Luftwaffe accepted his request for a transfer, and he underwent pilot training throughout 1938 – 1939. By July 1940 he was assigned to JG2 Richthofen. He scored his first victory on 4th September 1940 during the Battle of Britain, one year later his score had risen to 21. In December 1942 he was transferred to Tunisia, where he showed what a true fighter pilot he was – shooting down no less than forty aircraft. Transferred back to the west in defence of his homeland in early 1943, his score had reached 96. By 1944 he had shot down his 100th victim. While flying over Soviet held territory his engine malfunctioned and he was forced to land. He was captured by the Russians and held as a POW until 1950. He had scored a total of 112 victories. Buhligen loved to fight P-47s. He would let the P-47 get on his tail, then would do an Immelmann Loop, come up on the P-47s tail and shoot it down. He was awarded the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Buhligen died at his home on 11th August 1985. All our signatures of Kurt Buhligen were signed during an interview in the 1980s. | ||||||
 Hauptmann Hugo Dahmer Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Hauptmann Hugo Dahmer
| Hauptmann Hugo Dahmer Hugo Dahmer . Flying with Adolf Galland's 6./JG26, Hugo Dahmer was one of II Gruppe's most successful pilots. By Feb 1941 Hugo Dahmer had in total 12 victories, built up during the Battles in France and Britain. He then served in Norway with 1./JG77 Dahmer was awarded the Knight's Cross during the invasion of Russia. For a short while back with JG26, then III./JG2. He scored 57 victories, flying a total of 309 missions. Hugo Dahmer passed away on 1st August 2008. | ||||||
  Adolf Dickfeld Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by or with the mounted signature of Adolf Dickfeld
| Adolf Dickfeld A highly successful Ace, Adolf Dickfeld was posted to Russia with III/JG52 in 1941. He was one of the first pilots to score 100 victories. Later with JG2 in North Africa, and JG11 in Defence of the Reich, bringing his total to 136 victories. He was awarded the Knights Cross. Sadly, Adolf Dickfeld died 17th May 2009. | ||||||
  General Adolf Galland Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by or with the mounted signature of General Adolf Galland
| General Adolf Galland Adolf Galland fought in the great Battles of Poland, France and Britain, leading the famous JG26 Abbeville Boys. He flew in combat against the RAFs best including Douglas Bader, Bob Stanford Tuck and Johnnie Johnson. In 1941, at the age of 29, he was promoted to Inspector of the Fighter Arm. In 1942 Hitler personally selected Galland to organise the fighter escort for the Channel Dash. He became the youngest General in the German High Command but open disagreements with Goering led to his dismissal at the end of 1944. He reverted to combat flying, forming the famous JV44 wing flying the Me262 jet fighter, and was the only General in history to lead a squadron into battle. With 104 victories, all in the West, Adolf Galland received the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. Born 19th March 1912, died 9th February 1996. Born in 1911, Adolf Galland learned to fly at a state-sponsored flying club in the early 1930s. In 1933 he was selected to go to Italy for secret pilot training. Galland flew for a brief time as a commercial airline pilot prior to joining the clandestine Luftwaffe as a Second Lieutenant. In April of 1935 he was assigned to JG-2, the Richtofen Fighter Wing, and in 1937 he joined the ranks of the Condor Legion flying the He-51 biplane fighter in support of General Franco during the Spanish Civil War. Despite flying 280 missions, Galland attained no aerial victories, a rather inauspicious start for a pilot would go on to attain more than 100 aerial victories - the highest for any pilot who flew on the Western Front. During Germanys invasion of Poland, Galland was assigned to an attack squadron and he flew over fifty ground sorties. He was promoted to Captain for his efforts, but Galland was anxious to return to a fighter squadron, and he got his wish in October of 1939 when he was transferred to JG-27. It was with JG-27 that Galland first learned to fly the Bf-109. In May of 1940 JG-27 flew in support of the invasion of Belgium, and Galland achieved his first combat victory on May 12. Two months later his score had risen to more than a dozen, and at this time he was once again transferred to JG-26 situated on the Channel Coast. Engaging the RAF on a daily basis during the Battle of Britain, Gallands score rose steadily until it exceeded 40 victories by September. After a short leave Galland rejoined JG-26 in Brittany, where the squadron played a defensive role. Following Germanys invasion of Russia in June of 1941, JG-26 became one of only two German fighter squadrons left on the Channel Coast. This resulted in plenty of flying, and by late in 1941 Gallands victory totals had reached 70. Following a near brush with death when the fuel tank of his 109 exploded, Galland was grounded for a time, and sent to Berlin where he was made the General of the Fighter Arm, reporting directly to Goring and Hitler. Galland spent most of the next few years carrying out inspection tours, and was at odds with his superiors about the need for an adequate fighter defense to negate ever-increasing Allied bombing of Germanys cities. He continued to fly combat missions when the opportunity presented itself, despite Gorings orders to the contrary. In January of 1945 almost 300 fighters were lost in an all-out attack on Allied airfields in France, a mission Galland did not support. He was dismissed as General of the Fighter Arm for his insubordination, but reflecting his flying abilities Hitler ordered Galland to organize JV-44, Germanys first jet-equipped fighter squadron. By March of 1945 Galland had recruited 45 of Germanys best surviving fighter pilots, and this new squadron was given the difficult task of trying to counter the daily onslaught of 15th Air Force bombers coming at Germany from the South. Gallands final mission of the War occurred on April 26 when he attained his 102nd and 103rd confirmed aerial victories prior to crash landing his damaged Me262. Several days later the War was over for both Galland and Germany. General Galland died in 1996.
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 Feldwebel Ernest Giefing Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Feldwebel Ernest Giefing | Feldwebel Ernest Giefing Ernest Giefing was born on February 7th, 1924 in Stockerau, Austria. After graduating from flight school he joined the training unit Jagdschule 107 in July, 1943 and later joined Jagdschule 107 as a flying instructor. Five months later, Giefing was posted to Jagdgeschwader 2 Richthofen (JG2) followed by a posting to JG7 in December 1944. Ernest Giefing held the rank of Flight Sergeant by the end of the war, having flown approximately 75 combat missions including 12 in Me262 jets, and gaining four confirmed aerial victories, two in the Me262 and two flying the Me109. Ernest Giefing was shot down four times, the fourth time on March 24th, 1945 - the day of his last combat mission. | ||||||
  Oberfeldwebel Werner Hohenberg Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Oberfeldwebel Werner Hohenberg
| Oberfeldwebel Werner Hohenberg Werner Hohenberg joined JG52 in July 1942, flying with 8th Staffel. On July 9th 1942 he was badly wounded when his aircraft was hit by Russian flak, causing him to be in hospital until November 1st, 1944. He was then posted to JG2 'Richtofen' on the Western Front. On January 1st, 1945 he took part in Operation Bodenplatte, and was again shot down, this time by US flak. Landing behind British lines he was taken POW. Werner Hohenberg flew over 200 combat missions, scoring 33 air victories. He was awarded the Iron Cross. He died in October 2001. | ||||||
 Unteroffizier Rudolf Miese Click the name above to see prints signed by Unteroffizier Rudolf Miese
| Unteroffizier Rudolf Miese Rudolf Miese flew the Me109 with 4./JG2 Richthofen' during the Battle of Britain and was awarded the Iron Cross. On August 23rd 1940 he was shot down by John Glendenning of 74 Squadron and badly wounded. Taken POW he was repatriated back to Germany in 1944. Sadly, he passed away in March 2009. | ||||||
 Oberleutnant Erhard Nippa Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Oberleutnant Erhard Nippa | Oberleutnant Erhard Nippa Erhard Nippa served first with 10./JG2 'Richthofen', one of the most successful fighter bomber units attacking the British shipping on the Channel Front, amalgamating with 15./SK210 in 1942. Erhard then fought in the Mediterranean theatre before joining II./SG10in Russia. He flew over 300 missions and was awarded the Knight's Cross in 1944. | ||||||
  Major Erich Rudorffer Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by or with the mounted signature of Major Erich Rudorffer | Major Erich Rudorffer Erich Rudorffer was born on November 1st 1917 in the town of Zwickau in Saxony. Erich Rudorffer joined the Luftwaffes I./JG2 Richthofen in November 1939, and was soon flying combat patrols in January 1940 and was assigned to I/JG 2 Richthofen with the rank of Oberfeldwebel. He took part in the Battle of France, scoring the first of his many victories over a French Hawk 75 on May 14th, 1940. He went on to score eight additional victories during the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain. Rudorffer recalled an incident in August 1940 when he escorted a badly damaged Hurricane across the Channel - ditching in the English Channel was greatly feared by pilots on both sides. As fate often does, Rudorffer found the roles reversed two weeks later, when he was escorted by an RAF fighter after receiving battle damage. By May 1st 1941 Rudorffer had achieved 19 victories, which led to the award of the Knights Cross. In June 1941 Rodorffer became an Adjutant of II./JG2. In 1942 Rudorffer participated in Operation Cerberus (known as the Channel Dash) and flew over the Allied landings at Dieppe. Erich Rudorffer along with JG2 was transferred to North Africa in December 1942. It was in North Africa that Rudorffer showed his propensity for multiple-victory sorties. He shot down eight British aircraft in 32 minutes on February 9th 1943 and seven more in 20 minutes six days later. After scoring a total of 26 victories in Tunisia, Rudorffer returned to France in April 1943 and was posted to command II./JG54 in Russia, after Hauptmann Heinrich Jung, its Kommodore, failed to return from a mission on July 30th 1943. On August 24th 1943 he shot down 5 Russian aircraft on the first mission of the day and followed that up with three more victories on the second mission. He scored seven victories in seven minutes on October 11th but his finest achievement occurred on November 6th when in the course of 17 minutes, he shot down thirteen Russian aircraft. Rudorffer became known to Russian pilots as the fighter of Libau. On October 28th 1944 while about to land, Rudorffer spotted a large formation of Il-2 Sturmoviks. He quickly aborted the landing and moved to engage the Russian aircraft. In under ten minutes, nine of the of the II-2 Sturmoviks were shot down causing the rest to disperse. Rudorffer would later that day go on and shoot down a further two Russian aircraft. These victories took his total to 113 and he was awarded the Oak Leaves on April 11th 1944. Rudorffer would on the 26th January 1945 on his 210th victory receive the addition of the Swords. In February 1945 Rudorffer took command of I./JG7 flying the Me262. He was one of the first jet fighter aces of the war, scoring 12 victories in the Me262. He shot down ten 4-engine bombers during the Defense of the Reich missions. He was the master of multiple scoring - achieving more multiple victories than any other pilot. Erich Rudorffer never took leave, was shot down 16 times having to bail out 9 times, and ended the war with 222 victories from over 1000 missions. He was awarded the Knights Cross, with Oak Leaves and Swords.
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  Oberleutnant Gunther Seeger Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Oberleutnant Gunther Seeger
| Oberleutnant Gunther Seeger In February 1940, Gunther Seeger was an Unteroffizier with 3./JG2, scoring his first victory in the early days of the Battle of Britain. he served on the Channel Front until December 1942, including several months with the Geschwaderstabsschwarm. He transferred to the Mediterranean theatre with II./JG2 before joining 6./JG53. In February 1943 he joined 7./JG53 becoming Staffelkapitan in September 1944. Awarded the Knight's Cross, Gunther Seeger scored 56 victories. | ||||||
 General Johannes Steinhoff Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by or with the mounted signature of General Johannes Steinhoff
| General Johannes Steinhoff By early 1940 Macky Steinhoff was leading 4 / JG-52 during the Battle of Britain. He was then transferred to the eastern front where his success continued. In the final stages of the defence of the Reich he joined JV-44 flying the ME 262 in which he scored 6 victories before being seriously burned in a crash. He flew 939 missions scored 178 victories and was awarded the Knights Cross with Oak leaves and swords. | ||||||
Major Helmut Wick Click the name above to see prints signed by Major Helmut Wick
| Major Helmut Wick At the outbreak of war Helmut Wick was an experienced Leutnant with 1./JG53. During the Battle of Britain his meteoric rise and remarkable career saw him promoted Staffelkapitan of 3./JG53 in July 1940, Gruppenkommandeur of 1./JG2 on 7th September, achieve his 40th victory on 6th October, and promoted to Kommodore of JG2 on 20th October. With 56 victories to his credit in a period of intense action on the Western Front, on 28th November 1940 he was shot down over the English Channel, parachuted into the sea, but his body was never recovered. Together with Molders and Galland he had been the most successful Luftwaffe fighter pilot during the autumn of 1940, and had been awarded the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves. | ||||||
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