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JG2 |
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Name : JG2 Founded : 1st May 1939 Country : Germany |
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. |
Known Service Details : | |||||||
Pilot or Aircrew | Rank | Start of Service | End of Service | Known Dates | Aircraft | Airframes | Notes |
Leutnant | unknown | unknown | 18th May 1940 | ||||
Unteroffizier | unknown | unknown | 14th October 1943 | ||||
Leutnant | unknown | unknown | 04th November 1941 | ||||
Hauptmann | unknown | unknown | 19th August 1942 | ||||
Leutnant | unknown | unknown | 28th September 1940 | ||||
Unteroffizier | unknown | unknown | 04th July 1943 | ||||
Unteroffizier | unknown | unknown | 25th June 1944 | ||||
Unteroffizier | unknown | unknown | 10th July 1941 | ||||
Feldwebel | unknown | unknown | 10th July 1941 | ||||
unknown | unknown | ||||||
Uffz | unknown | 8th July 1943 | Killed on the 8th July, 1943 while flying Fw 190A-4 Werk # 0152447 when he crashed into the ground at the Conches airfield. while with I/JG-2 Killed in Action | ||||
Leutnant | unknown | unknown | 08th March 1943 | ||||
Oberleutnant | unknown | unknown | 03rd December 1942 | ||||
Gruppenadjutant | unknown | 23rd June 1942 | Taken prisoner when he landed his FW190 by mistake in England | ||||
April 1935 | October 1939 | ||||||
Leutnant | unknown | unknown | 14th May 1940 | ||||
Hauptmann | unknown | unknown | 23rd December 1944 | ||||
unknown | unknown | ||||||
Hauptmann | November 1939 | July 1943 | |||||
unknown | unknown | ||||||
Feldwebel | unknown | 30th May 1943 | Killed in Action | ||||
| Pilots and Aircrew for : JG2 | ||
| A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | ||
| Name | Info | |
| Adrian, Ulrich Click the name above to see a profile of Adrian, Ulrich | Adrian, Ulrich | |
| Ahrend, Hans Click the name above to see a profile of Ahrend, Hans | Ahrend, Hans | |
| Ahrendt, Werner Click the name above to see a profile of Ahrendt, Werner | Ahrendt, Werner | |
| Albrecht, Karl Click the name above to see a profile of Albrecht, Karl | Albrecht, Karl | |
| Arnim, Harald von Click the name above to see a profile of Arnim, Harald von | Arnim, Harald von | |
| Aue, Lothar Click the name above to see a profile of Aue, Lothar | Aue, Lothar | |
| Auer, Herbert Click the name above to see a profile of Auer, Herbert | Auer, Herbert | |
| Augustin, Helmuth Click the name above to see a profile of Augustin, Helmuth | Augustin, Helmuth | |
| Bach, Otto Click the name above to see a profile of Bach, Otto | Bach, Otto | |
| Bader, Walter Click the name above to see a profile of Bader, Walter | Bader, Walter Crash landed with wounds 29 October, 1940 at Theville airfield as a result of friendly flak fire. | |
| Balthasar, Wilhelm Click the name above to see a profile of Balthasar, Wilhelm
| Balthasar, Wilhelm | |
| Barkhorn, Gerhard Click the name above to see a profile of Barkhorn, Gerhard
| Barkhorn, Gerhard 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 Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Born 20th May 1919, died alongside his wife 8th January 1983 in a car accident. | |
| Basenau, Walter Click the name above to see a profile of Basenau, Walter
| Basenau, Walter Killed on the 8th July, 1943 while flying Fw 190A-4 Werk # 0152447 when he crashed into the ground at the Conches airfield. while with I/JG-2 | |
| Baudach, Helmut Click the name above to see a profile of Baudach, Helmut | Baudach, Helmut | |
| Bertram, Otto Click the name above to see a profile of Bertram, Otto
| Bertram, Otto | |
| Bethke, Siegfried Click the name above to see a profile of Bethke, Siegfried | Bethke, Siegfried 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. | |
| Bolz, Helmut-Felix Click the name above to see a profile of Bolz, Helmut-Felix
| Bolz, Helmut-Felix | |
| Buhligen, Kurt Click the name above to see a profile of Buhligen, Kurt
| Buhligen, Kurt 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. | |
| Burk, Alfred Click the name above to see a profile of Burk, Alfred | Burk, Alfred | |
| Dahmer, Hugo Click the name above to see a profile of Dahmer, Hugo
| Dahmer, Hugo 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. | |
| Dickfeld, Adolf Click the name above to see a profile of Dickfeld, Adolf
| Dickfeld, Adolf 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 Knight's Cross. Sadly, Adolf Dickfeld died 17th May 2009. | |
| Eder, Georg-Peter Click the name above to see a profile of Eder, Georg-Peter
| Eder, Georg-Peter | |
| Einsiedel, Heinrich Graf von Click the name above to see a profile of Einsiedel, Heinrich Graf von | Einsiedel, Heinrich Graf von | |
| Faber, Armin Click the name above to see a profile of Faber, Armin | Faber, Armin 5. Fw 190A-3 (W.Nr. 5313) 'White Chevron and Bar', of Olt. Armin Faber, Gruppenadjutant of III/JG 2, June 1942. Gruppenadjutant Olt. Armin Faber from the 3. Gruppe of JG 2 'Richthofen' accidentally landed on the airfield at Pembrey in South Wales after a combat with a Spitfire of No 310 Sqn on 23 June 1942, thus presenting the RAF with the Luftwaffe's new FW190 | |
| Forster, Hermann Click the name above to see a profile of Forster, Hermann | Forster, Hermann | |
| Galland, Adolf Click the name above to see a profile of Galland, Adolf
| Galland, Adolf Adolf Galland fought in the great Battles of Poland, France and Britain, leading the famous JG26 'Abbeville Boys'. He flew in combat against the RAF's 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 Knight's 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 1930's. 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 Germany's 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, Galland's 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 Germany's 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 Galland's 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 Germany's cities. He continued to fly combat missions when the opportunity presented itself, despite Goring's 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, Germany's first jet-equipped fighter squadron. By March of 1945 Galland had recruited 45 of Germany's 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. Galland's 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. | |
| Giefing, Ernest Click the name above to see a profile of Giefing, Ernest | Giefing, Ernest 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. | |
| Goltzsch, Kurt Click the name above to see a profile of Goltzsch, Kurt | Goltzsch, Kurt | |
| Gratz, Karl Click the name above to see a profile of Gratz, Karl
| Gratz, Karl Karl Gratz was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Gratz flew more than 900 missions, scoring 138 aerial victories, of which 17 were scored on the Western Front. Place of birth Wiener Neustadt Place of death Leck Allegiance Nazi Germany (to 1945) West Germany Service/branch Luftwaffe (Wehrmacht) Luftwaffe (Bundeswehr) Years of service 1936–1945, –1970 Rank Leutnant (Wehrmacht) Oberstleutnant (Bundeswehr) Unit JG 52 Battles/wars World War II Eastern Front Western Front Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross | |
| Greisert, Karl-Heinz Click the name above to see a profile of Greisert, Karl-Heinz
| Greisert, Karl-Heinz During the Spanish Civil War Leutnant Greisert was assigned to 2. Staffel of J 88. He claimed his first and only victory during this conflict on 30 November 1937 when he shot down a Russian made Republican flown Polikarpov I-16 fighter. After fighting on the Western Front for two years and accumulating 22 victories over the French and British, Greisert was transferred to JG 3 on the Eastern Front in the spring of 1942. Beginning in May 1942 he continued his aerial success with victories against the Soviet Air Force. In July 1942, while involved in a low level dogfight, Greisert was shot down and killed when he attempted to bail out of his aircraft and his parachute failed to open before he struck the ground. Greisert was credited with 34 victories. He recorded 11 victories over the Eastern front, including six Il-2 Sturmoviks. Included in his total are eleven Spitfires. | |
| Haberland, Karl Click the name above to see a profile of Haberland, Karl | Haberland, Karl | |
| Hannig, Horst Click the name above to see a profile of Hannig, Horst
| Hannig, Horst | |
| Hartmann, Ludwig Click the name above to see a profile of Hartmann, Ludwig | Hartmann, Ludwig | |
| Hauenschild, Hanns-Jobst Click the name above to see a profile of Hauenschild, Hanns-Jobst | Hauenschild, Hanns-Jobst | |
| Hepe, Hans-Jurgen Click the name above to see a profile of Hepe, Hans-Jurgen | Hepe, Hans-Jurgen | |
| Hermes, Wilhelm Click the name above to see a profile of Hermes, Wilhelm | Hermes, Wilhelm | |
| Hoffmann, Heinz Click the name above to see a profile of Hoffmann, Heinz | Hoffmann, Heinz | |
| Hohagen, Erich Click the name above to see a profile of Hohagen, Erich
| Hohagen, Erich | |
| Hrdlicka, Franz Click the name above to see a profile of Hrdlicka, Franz
| Hrdlicka, Franz | |
| Huppertz, Herbert Click the name above to see a profile of Huppertz, Herbert
| Huppertz, Herbert | |
| Jaenisch, Franz Click the name above to see a profile of Jaenisch, Franz | Jaenisch, Franz | |
| Karch, Fritz Click the name above to see a profile of Karch, Fritz | Karch, Fritz | |
| Keil, Günther Click the name above to see a profile of Keil, Günther | Keil, Günther | |
| Klee, Hans Click the name above to see a profile of Klee, Hans | Klee, Hans | |
| Kley, Erwin Click the name above to see a profile of Kley, Erwin
| Kley, Erwin | |
| Knappe, Kurt Click the name above to see a profile of Knappe, Kurt
| Knappe, Kurt | |
| Krahl, Karl-Heinz Click the name above to see a profile of Krahl, Karl-Heinz
| Krahl, Karl-Heinz | |
| Lambert, August Click the name above to see a profile of Lambert, August
| Lambert, August | |
| Leie, Erich Click the name above to see a profile of Leie, Erich
| Leie, Erich | |
| Lemke, Siegfried Click the name above to see a profile of Lemke, Siegfried
| Lemke, Siegfried | |
| Machold, Werner Click the name above to see a profile of Machold, Werner | Machold, Werner | |
| Mader, Anton Click the name above to see a profile of Mader, Anton
| Mader, Anton | |
| Matoni, Walter Click the name above to see a profile of Matoni, Walter | Matoni, Walter | |
| Meimberg, Julius Click the name above to see a profile of Meimberg, Julius
| Meimberg, Julius Julius Meimberg joined JG2 Richthofen in December 1939 and during the Battle of France flew as wingman to Assi Hahn. An Ace during the Battle of Britain, Meimberg flew with Wick on the day that he was fatally shot down over the Isle of Wight. In 1944 Meimburg was appointed Gruppenkommandeur II./JG53. He was awarded the Knight's Cross and achieved 53 victories in 600 combat missions. Memories from Julius Meimberg of the day that Helmut Wick was shot down : Late in the afternoon of 28th November 1940, we took off for southern England from Beaumont le Roger for our second mission of the day. Climbing towards the Isle of Wight in bright sunshine, I was leading the 4th Staffel and directly ahead of us was the Staff Schwarm of JG2 Richthofen led by Kommodore Major Helmut Wick, at that time the leading fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe. With him were his wingman Oberleutnant Rudi Pflanz, Oberleutnant Leie and Oberfeldwebel Rudorffer. At about 23,000 ft, we were almost above the Isle of Wight when we spotted vapour trails caused by Spitfires above us at a much greater height. Major Wick led his Staff Schwarm towards them at full throttle, with the result that the Schwarm aircraft pulled apart from each other. Climbing with my Staffel to one side, we were soon drawn into the main battle and the Staffel separated. A single Spitfire turned in front of me and disappeared behing my engine cowling as I fired off my weapons. Apparently undamaged, the aircraft went into a spin and I followed it down, expecting the aircraft to pull out at any time, but it never did. The red glow in the cockpit indicated a possible oxygen tank hit. When we landed, Rudi Pflanz reported that Major Wick had shot down a Spitfire, was then in turn shot down by a second Spitfire, which in turn had been shot down by Pflanz. We were all told that no-one had seen what had happened to Wicks aircraft, which left us hoping for the safety of our Kommodore. We returned later next day, and again the following day, but there was no sign of him. What we had not been told was that Rudorffer had witnessed him go down, a large bullet hole passing through the starboard wing trailing edge, straight through the cockpit and engine block. He felt that Wick was already dead as his aircraft corkscrewed downwards, finally plunging into the sea. After the war, I learned that his conqueror had been Flight Lieutenant John Dundas DFC, himself only seconds later shot down by Pflanz and killed. | |
| Miese, Rudolf Click the name above to see a profile of Miese, Rudolf
| Miese, Rudolf 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. | |
| Mix, Erich Click the name above to see a profile of Mix, Erich | Mix, Erich | |
| Nippa, Erhard Click the name above to see a profile of Nippa, Erhard | Nippa, Erhard 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. | |
| Oesau, Walter Click the name above to see a profile of Oesau, Walter
| Oesau, Walter Oberst Walter "Gulle" Oesau was born 28 June 1913. He was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1934 until his death in 1944. He rose to command Jagdgeschwader 1, which was named in his honour after his death. He served with the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War, with 3 Staffel of Jagdgruppe 88 (3./J 88), claiming 8 aircraft during the campaign, becoming one of only 28 people to earn the award of the Spanish Cross in Gold and Diamonds. At the start of World War II, Oesau was given command of 2 Staffel, Jagdgeschwader 20. The group was moved to the Eastern front at the start of the Invasion of Poland, moving back to the Western Front later as the redesignated III Gruppe, Jagdgeschwader 51 (III./JG 51). After his first victory of WWII in the Battle of France, Oesau operated on both the Western and Eastern Fronts, where he was wounded and received the Silver Wound Badge. He returned to operations as Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1). He was killed in action on 11 May 1944 aged 30. JG 1 was given the suffix "Oesau" in his honour. Battle of Britain On 10 July 1940, the first major clashes of the Battle of Britain occurred. 20 Bf 109s of III./JG 51 led by Hauptmann Hannes Trautloft and 30 Bf 110 C of I./Zerstörergeschwader 26 escorted 20 Dornier Do 17 bombers of II./Kampfgeschwader 2 attacking a large convoy off Folkstone. Oberleutnant Oesau was leading 7./JG 51. Trautloft noticed three of a flight of six intercepting Hurricanes of No. 32 squadron higher than the escorts, attempting to intercept the bombers. Soon they were joined by four squadrons of British fighters; No. 56 Squadron, No. 111 Squadron, No. 64 Squadron and No. 74 Squadron. Oesau was able to claim three Spitfires . Two 7./JG 51 aircraft crash landed in France] On 19 July, III./JG 51 were confronted by Defiants of No. 141 Squadron south of Folkestone. As the German pilots were now aware of Defiant's lack of front armament, they soon gained the advantage in combat and claimed 11 Defiants shot down in 8 minutes. Oesau was credited with one Defiant, taking his score to 19. He was the first one of JG 51 to reach double digits in WWII. On 18 August 1940, III./JG 51 escorted Dorniers attacking Hornchurch airfield. Intercepted by Hurricanes over Kent, Oesau claimed one Hurricane shot down as his 20th victory, earning him the Knight's Cross two days later, the first pilot of JG 51 to be thus honoured. On 23 August 1940, Trautloft took over as Geschwaderkommodore of JG 54, and Walter Oesau replaced him as Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 51. By October 1940, Oesau had a total score of 48 (including 26 Spitfires). On 10 November 1940 Oesau succeeded Wilhelm Balthasar as Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 3. With 39 victories he was currently the 4th highest scoring Ace behind Helmut Wick, Werner Mölders and Adolf Galland. On 5 February 1941 he shot down a Hurricane over Desvres, France, his 40th victory. He was awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross next day. It also earned him second entry in the Wehrmachtbericht. In early 1941, JG 3 returned to Germany to replace their Bf 109 'Emils' with the new 'F' variant (Friedrich). They returned to France in May 1941 and Oesau added two more kills on 16 May and 28 May bringing his total to 51. | |
| Pfeiffer, Karl Click the name above to see a profile of Pfeiffer, Karl | Pfeiffer, Karl | |
| Pflanz, Rudolf Click the name above to see a profile of Pflanz, Rudolf
| Pflanz, Rudolf | |
| Prestele, Ignaz Click the name above to see a profile of Prestele, Ignaz
| Prestele, Ignaz | |
| Röders, Carls-Hans Click the name above to see a profile of Röders, Carls-Hans | Röders, Carls-Hans | |
| Roth, Jürgen Click the name above to see a profile of Roth, Jürgen | Roth, Jürgen | |
| Rudorffer, Erich Click the name above to see a profile of Rudorffer, Erich
| Rudorffer, Erich Erich Rudorffer joined I./JG2 'Richthofen' in November 1939, and was soon flying combat patrols. He took part in the Battle of France, and the Battle of Britain, becoming Adjutant of II./JG2 in June 1941. In December 1942 he was transferred to North Africa. In July 1943 he was posted to command II./JG54 in Russia. In February 1945 he took command of I./JG7 flying the Me262. Erich Rudorffer was the master of multiple scoring - achieving more multiple victories than any other pilot. This included 8 RAF aircraft in 32 minutes in December 1943, 7 in 20 minutes a few days later. In Russia he shot down 5 aircraft in only 4 minutes. He ended the war with 222 victories from over 1000 missions. He was awarded the Knight's Cross, with Oak Leaves and Swords. He died on 8th April 2016. | |
| Schellmann, Wolfgang Click the name above to see a profile of Schellmann, Wolfgang
| Schellmann, Wolfgang | |
| Schmale, Wilhelm Click the name above to see a profile of Schmale, Wilhelm | Schmale, Wilhelm | |
| Schmid, Johannes Click the name above to see a profile of Schmid, Johannes
| Schmid, Johannes Was killed when his Me109F-4, Black 1, clipped the sea as he circled a downed Spitfire. | |
| Schnell, Siegfried Click the name above to see a profile of Schnell, Siegfried
| Schnell, Siegfried | |
| Schroter, Fritz Click the name above to see a profile of Schroter, Fritz | Schroter, Fritz | |
| Seeger, Gunther Click the name above to see a profile of Seeger, Gunther
| Seeger, Gunther 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. | |
| Staege, Hermann Click the name above to see a profile of Staege, Hermann
| Staege, Hermann | |
| Steinhoff, Johannes Click the name above to see a profile of Steinhoff, Johannes
| Steinhoff, Johannes 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. | |
| Stolle, Bruno Click the name above to see a profile of Stolle, Bruno | Stolle, Bruno | |
| Stritzel, Fritz Click the name above to see a profile of Stritzel, Fritz
| Stritzel, Fritz | |
| Täschner, Rudolf Click the name above to see a profile of Täschner, Rudolf | Täschner, Rudolf | |
| Temme, Paul Click the name above to see a profile of Temme, Paul | Temme, Paul | |
| Wick, Helmut Click the name above to see a profile of Wick, Helmut
| Wick, Helmut 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. | |
| Willinger, Franz Click the name above to see a profile of Willinger, Franz
| Willinger, Franz | |
| Winterfeldt, Alexander von Click the name above to see a profile of Winterfeldt, Alexander von
| Winterfeldt, Alexander von | |
| Wurmheller, Josef Click the name above to see a profile of Wurmheller, Josef
| Wurmheller, Josef | |
Known Individual Aircraft of JG2 : | ||||||||
Type | Serial | Codes | First Flew | Squadron History | Aircrew History | History Notes | Engine | Factory |
- | no information | no information | ||||||
- | no information | |||||||
- | Ago, Oschersleben (jhe) | |||||||
- | ||||||||
| Aircraft for : JG2 | ||
| A list of all aircraft associated with JG2. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | ||
| Aircraft | 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. | |
  Tribute to Gunther Seeger by Ivan Berryman. |   The Battle for the Skies Over Dieppe, 19th August 1942 by Graeme Lothian. (PC) |   Looking for Business by Ivan Berryman. (PC) |   Eye of the Sun by Robert Taylor. |
JG2 Artwork |
  Bf109E of III./JG2 - Summer 1940 by Ivan Berryman. |   JG2 - Gunther Rall and his Wingman by Ivan Berryman. |   Gunther Rall - 274th Victory by Ivan Berryman. |
  Clipped Signature - Werner Hohenburg. |   Clipped Signature - Julius Meimberg. |   Clipped Signature - Rudolf Miese. |
  The Battle for the Skies Over Dieppe, 19th August 1942 by Graeme Lothian. |  Looking for Business by Ivan Berryman. |   Stormclouds Gather by Nicolas Trudgian |
  Combat Over London by Robert Taylor | Eye of the Sun by Robert Taylor. | Tribute to Gunther Seeger by Ivan Berryman. |
  Head on Pass by David Pentland. |   Lucky 13 by David Pentland. |   African Expedition by David Pentland. |
  Stabsschwarm by David Pentland. |   First Combat by David Pentland. |   Tip of the Spear by David Pentland. |
  Assi and Julius by David Pentland. |   The Channel Dash by Robert Taylor. |
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Died : 3 / 7 / 1941