Fly Past

September 2018 September 2018 September 2018 September 2018 September 2018 September 2018 September 2018 September 2018 FLYPAST 41

SPOT FACT The prototype was assigned

the civil registration D-IABI

Bf 109

in combat

victories were scored in total by the top three Bf 109 aces

928928

Another War

for the ’109

Returning to Germany, Mölders

joined the staff of the Inspektor der

Jagdflieger (fighter inspectorate)

of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium

(air ministry) in Berlin where his

extensive combat experience was put

to good use in developing tactics

and techniques.

Under another Great War pilot,

Obstlt Werner Junck, JG 334

had been redesignated JG 133 in

November 1938, and Mölders

reassumed command of 1 Staffel

in March 1939. His fellow St Kap

leaders were also former Legion

Condor pilots – Oblt Rolf-Peter

Pingel in 2 Staffel and Hptm

Lothar von Janson in 3 Staffel.

Shortly afterwards, Von Janson took

over I Gruppe and was replaced by

Oblt Wolfgang Lippert, another

Spanish veteran.

The commanders of II Gruppe

were a mix of combat-hardened

and relatively inexperienced pilots.

Hptm Hubert Merhart von

Bernegg had been Gruppen

Kommandeur (Gr Kdr) of I./JG

334 and moved to II Gruppe as

overall CO. Former Legion Condor

pilots Oblt Hubert Kroeck and Oblt

Rudolf Goy commanded 4 and 5

Staffeln respectively.

“Mölders was posted onto the

staff of the Inspektor

der Jagd ieger in Berlin. His

extensive combat experience was

put to good use in developing

tactics and techniques”

Above

Offi cers of I./JG 53 in

April 1938. Hptm Lothar

von Janson is centre and

Werner Mölders stands

seventh from right.

Left centre

Werner Mölders’ Bf

109E-4 (with evidence

of his meteoric rise

painted on the vertical

tail) photographed at the

end of May 1940. He was

awarded the Ritterkreuz

shortly after the photo

was taken.

Left

Uffz Heinrich Bezner of

1 Staffel, one of four pilots

who shot down Mureaux

115s on September 10.