42 FLYPAST September 2018
SPOT FACT The machine made its public
debut at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlinmonths of testing took place before the prototype was delivered to the Luftwaffe’s ight centre
Hptm Günther Freiherr von
Maltzahn, who led 6 Staffel, hadn’t
flown in Spain but within five
months he replaced von Bernegg as
II Gr Kdr, and 6 Staffel was taken
over by Oblt Heinz Bretnütz who
had flown in the conflict.Ace of Spades
At the start of May 1939, JG 133
was redesignated yet again, as JG- Equipped with Bf 109E-1s and
E-3s, it would soon to be known
as the ‘Pik As’ (Ace of Spades)
Geschwader, and was still flying
from Wiesbaden-Erbenheim when
Germany invaded Poland on
September 1.
Two days later France and Great
Britain declared war on Germany.
The pilots of I./ and II./ JG 53 did
not have to wait long to experience
combat – but it took some days
before anything happened for the
crews operating in the Saarbrücken/
Trier area, close to neutral
Luxembourg and France.
Werner Mölders was almost JG
53’s first casualty. Some records say
his Bf 109 was damaged in combat
with French Curtiss H-75s of
Groupe de Chasse (fighter group)
II/4 (GC II/4) on the morning of
September 8, which caused him to
force-land behind German lines
near Birkenfeld.
Although his logbook confirmed
he took off from Wiesbaden at 0930
hours for a flight over the front
line, it doesn’t mention meeting
any enemy aircraft before he force-
landed. Apparently his aircraft
overturned, minor injuries keeping
him from flying until September 15.
While Mölders was recuperating,
his Staffel scored the Geschwader’s
first kill of the war. Former
Legion Condor pilot Ofw Heinz
Grimmling shot down a Bloch
131 of Groupes Aériennes de
Reconnaissance 14 at 1136 on
September 9. Three of its crew
perished and one was wounded.
Three hours later Lt Wilhelm
Hoffmann of 3./JG 53 dispatched
a Bloch 200, believed to be from
Groupe de Bombardment I/31
(GB I/31), which crashed near
Zweibrücken with five crew
captured – including GB I/31’s
commandant, Lt Col André Enslen.
The following day brought more
successes for 1 Staffel, Uffz Heinrich
Bezner, Ofw Grimmling and LtGeorg Claus all filing claims and
Oblt Pingel of 2./JG 53 adding one
more to his six kills from Spain. The
victims were all ANF Mureaux high-
wing reconnaissance monoplanes.
The French reported the loss of
just three that day, however – from
Groupe Aériens d’Observation
(GAO) 1/506 and GAO 1/520.
Four crew were killed and two
evaded capture.
On September 17, I Gruppe was
again victorious when Oblt Wilfried
Balfanz claimed a Bloch 151 –
actually a recce Bloch 131 of Groupe
de Reconnaissance (GR) I/22, shot
down over Morsbach, with two crew
killed and two wounded.RAF encounter
It was not until September 20
that II./JG 53 opened its score. At
0955, Oblt Bretnütz of 6 Staffel
was credited with shooting down a
balloon. Two hours later Lts Albert
Richert and Kurt Liedtke of 5 Staffel
claimed two ‘Bristol Blenheims’
(actually Fairey Battles of the RAF’s
88 Squadron) near Bitsch.
Fg Off Reg Graveley, the pilot
of one of the Battles, managed toAbove
Ofw Walter
Grimmling of
1 Staffel, who
shot down the
Geschwader’s
fi rst aircraft on
September 9.Above right
Personnel of 2
Staffel in 1939. Left
to right: Uffz Hans
Kornatz, Lt Rudolf
Schmid, Lt Wilhelm
Heidemeier, Uffz
Franz Kaiser, Stfw
Ignaz Prestele, Oblt
Rolf Pingel, Fw
Franz Gawlik, Uffz
Josef Wurmheller,
(unidentifi ed), Lt
Walter Rupp and Lt
Walter Radlick.Above right
Lt Georg Claus of
JG 53’s 1 Staffel.
Note the Bf 109’s
‘Pik As’ (Ace of
Spades) emblem.Bottom right
Bretnütz’s Bf 109E-4
during an exercise
in 1940.44