40 FLYPAST September 2018
Spotlight
Messerschmitt
Bf 109
Another War
for the ’109
As World War Two began, Luftwaffe ghter pilots already had combat
experience and a formidable weapon, the Messerschmitt Bf 109E. Chris Goss
describes JG 53’s rst months of combat
A
s Europe spiralled into
another world war in the
summer of 1939, some
of the Luftwaffe’s pilots
were no strangers to combat, having
honed their skills in Spain as it tore
itself apart in a civil war lasting
nearly three years from July 1936.
Fighter pilots in particular had been
able to develop tactics operationally,
and it was in the Spanish Civil War
that Germany’s fighter spearhead,
the Messerschmitt Bf 109, had been
blooded and improved.
One unit to benefit from this
expertise was Jagdgeschwader 334
(JG 334), formed on March 15,
1937 under the command of Great
War ‘ace’ Oberst Bruno Lörzer, and
initially equipped with Arado Ar
68 biplanes. In early 1938 it began
converting to the Bf 109B.
Its headquarters flight
(Stab) and I Gruppe (I./
JG 334) were led by
Hptm Hubert Merhart von Bernegg,
and II Gruppe by Hptm Hans-
Detlev Herhudt von Rohden.
At first, JG 334 was entirely based
at Mannheim-Sandhofen but,
along with the Stab, it moved to
Wiesbaden-Erbenheim via Frankfurt
Rebstock in May 1937.
The Geschwader (wing) boasted
an exceptional experience pool: 24
of its pilots had served as part of the
Legion Condor in Spain. Eighteen
had achieved ‘kills’ (see panel) and,
of those, four had become ‘aces’.
Many would go on to be successful
and highly decorated fighter pilots –
but few would survive the war that
began with the invasion of Poland
on September 1, 1939.
Top-scorer
One name stands out: Werner
‘Vati’ (Daddy) Mölders. Born in
Gelsenkirchen on March 18, 1913,
he joined the German military in
1931 and began flying training in
- His first posting as a fighter
pilot was to JG 134 and he became
the Staffel Kapitän (St Kap) of 1./JG
334 on its formation.
It was mid-April 1938 before
Mölders arrived in Spain, after
which he took command of 3
Staffel/Jagdgruppe 88 (3./J88) from
Oblt Adolf Galland – another pilot
who became very successful. Unlike
Mölders, Galland left Spain without
a single ‘kill’ to his name, due to
flying most of his missions against
ground targets.
Mölders scored his first two
victories on July 15. By the time
he handed over command to Oblt
Hubertus von Bonin at the start of
December, he had shot down 14
aircraft, his last on November 3.
As the top scorer of the Legion
Condor, he was awarded the
Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords
and Diamonds.
Below
Bf 109Es of 1./JG
53 at Wiesbaden-
Erbenheim at the
outbreak of war.