Jagdgeschwader 301
Encyclopedia
Jagdgeschwader 301 was a Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....

 fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...

-wing
Wing (air force unit)
Wing is a term used by different military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing, group or Staffel are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another....

 of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The order to form JG 301 was issued on 26 September 1943 and formed on 1 October 1943 in Neubiberg
Neubiberg
Neubiberg is a municipality south-east of Munich, Germany, founded in 1912. It used to have an airport that was used as a Luftwaffe-base in the Third Reich and after the war as an U.S. airbase and in the following years as the German Air Force officer school. Today the largest part of the area is...

 with Stab
Stab (Luftwaffe designation)
During World War II, the suffix Stab was used in the German Luftwaffe to designate a headquarters unit. This applied to subordinate units in each Gruppe or Geschwader — the equivalent units to wings and groups in other air forces.These command units used the green colour of their aircraft...

and three Gruppen (groups) as a "Wilde Sau
Wilde Sau
Wilde Sau was the term given by the Luftwaffe, during World War II, to the technique by which British night bombers were mainly engaged by single-seat fighter planes.- Origins :...

" (wild boar) single-seat night fighter unit.

The Geschwader was equipped with the Bf 109G
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109, often called Me 109, was a German World War II fighter aircraft designed by Willy Messerschmitt and Robert Lusser during the early to mid 1930s...

 and was reorganised with four Staffeln per Gruppe. Jagdgeschwader 50 , a specialist anti-Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...

 unit, was disbanded in October 1943 and absorbed into I./JG 301. The II. Gruppe was redesignated to II./Jagdgeschwader 302
Jagdgeschwader 302
Jagdgeschwader 302 was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. JG 302 was formed on 1 November 1943 in Stade with a theoretical establishment of Stab and three Gruppen known as a "Wilde Sau" single-seat night fighter unit...

 (JG 302) on 30 September 1944 and replaced by the I./JG 302. II./Jagdgeschwader 7
Jagdgeschwader 7
Jagdgeschwader 7 Nowotny was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II and the first operational jet fighter wing in the world.It was created late in 1944 and served until the end of the war in May 1945, and it operated the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter exclusively.JG 7 was formed under the...

 (JG 7) was attached to IV. Gruppe on 24 November 1944 and disbanded on 19 January 1945.

1943

While I gruppe was formed in Neubiberg II./JG 301 was formed in October 43 at Altenburg
Altenburg
Altenburg is a town in the German federal state of Thuringia, 45 km south of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district.-Geography:...

 from elements of II./JG 300, and without its own establishment of fighters shared aircraft used by I./JG 11. In November the unit was renamed II./JG 302. III gruppe was initially raised in October 1943 at Zerbst
Zerbst
Zerbst is a town in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until the administrative reform of 2007, Zerbst was the capital of the Anhalt-Zerbst district. Since the 1 January 2010 local government reform, Zerbst has about 24,000 inhabitants.It is not clear when was it founded;...

 , but was renamed III./JG 300 the same month.
The gruppe again reformed at Zerbst in November 1943, and was disbanded in May 1944.

JG 301's first Geschwaderkommodore
Geschwaderkommodore
Geschwaderkommodore is a Luftwaffe position , originating during World War II, that is the equivalent of a RAF Group Commander or USAF Wing Commander. A Geschwaderkommodore is usually of Oberstleutnant or Oberst rank...

, Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant is a German Army and Air Force rank equal to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst.There are two paygrade associated to the rank of Oberstleutnant...

Helmut Weinrich was killed on the night of 18 to 19 November 1943. Weinrich, a Knight's Cross recipient while serving with Kampfgeschwader 30
Kampfgeschwader 30
-Service history:Formed on 15 November 1939 in Greifswald. I Gruppe formed 1 September, II Gruppe on 23 September and III Gruppe on 1 January 1940, based in Greifswald then Barth...

, crashed after his engine exploded during the landing approach to Frankfurt-Rhein-Main. He had shot down a bomber but his Focke Wulf FW 190A-5 had sustained heavy damage from return fire.

1944

By January 1944 JG 301's establishment was Stab./JG 301 (2 Bf 109G-6), I./JG 301 (26 Bf 109G-6), II./JG 301 (3 Bf 109G-6), and III./JG 301 (30 Bf 109G-6).

In March 1944 30. Jagddivision
30th Fighter Division (Germany)
30. Jagd Division was one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed in September 1943 in Berlin and disbanded on 16 March 1944....

 (of which JG 301 was a part) were switched to day fighting as a part of Reichsverteidigung (Defense of the Reich
Defense of the Reich
The Defence of the Reich is the name given to the strategic defensive aerial campaign fought by the Luftwaffe over German occupied Europe and Germany itself during World War II. Its aim was to prevent the destruction of German military and civil industries by the Western Allies...

). On occasion night sorties were still flown however; as on 24/25 March, when I. and III. Gruppe engaged RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...

 formations. Ofw. Hans Todt of 1. Staffel claimed two Lancasters, while Fw. Sieghart of 7. Staffel claimed another. III./ JG 301 lost Oblt. Kurt Medinn (8. Staffel) killed in combat after shooting down a bomber. Before switching from night operations to purely day interception, units losses exceeded those claimed, although most losses were not combat-related but were due to poor weather or flying accidents.

Elements of JG 301 then joined defences around the vital oil installations at Ploesti in Rumania.

On 24 April 1944 I./JG 301 attacked elements of a United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....

 (USAAF) bomber formation near Munich, downing 4 B-17s. Eight P-51s of the escorting 355th Fighter Group
355th Fighter Wing
The 355th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command's Twelfth Air Force. It is stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, where in operates the A-10 Thunderbolt II...

 immediately engaged JG 301 in a running battle. Stab./JG 301 and I./JG 301 lost 6 Bf 190G-6’s shot down, with 3 killed and 3 wounded. The Gruppenkommandeur Major Walter Bredensbach was badly wounded and crash landed his Bf 109 at Holzkirchen
Holzkirchen
Holzkirchen is a market town in Bavaria, Germany. With a population of over 16,000 it is the largest town in the Miesbach district.Holzkirchen is located on the Alpenvorland in the county of Miesbach. It was established as a Markt in the 13th century....

 airfield.

480 bombers of the 15th Air Force attacked Ploesti on 31 May 1944. III./ JG 77, I./JG 53, and JG 301's 6. and 10. Staffeln intercepted the raid. The Luftwaffe lost 12 planes, 10./JG 301 losing 4 aircraft (and 3 killed). The German fighters claimed 10 heavies and 4 escorts in return, with 10./ JG 301's Fw. Kiehling claiming one P-38 and 6./ JG 301 collectively claiming one B-24, with 2 B-24's badly damaged. The USAAF lost 12 B-24 bombers, 2 P-51s (of the 52nd Fighter Group) and 2 P-38s (of the 1st Fighter Group).

On 6 June 1944 570 bombers, with fighter escort hit hit the Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...

 marshalling yard and Turnu-Severin canal installations, while B-24s attacked the Ploesti refineries and the marshalling yard at Brasov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....

. II./JG 301 and 10. Staffel JG 301, with JG 53 and III./JG 77 countered the raids.
Fw. Gerhard Zeisler (of 10./ JG 301) claimed one B-24 shot down over Tagoviste for his third victory, but was then shot down in his Bf 109 G-6. II./ JG 301 claimed one B-24, while the 15th Air Force lost 1 B-17, 13 B-24s and 2 P-51s.

On 23 June 1944 400 B-17s and B-24s again attacked oil targets in Rumania. Aircraft of 6./JG 301 tangled with Mustangs over Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....

, Ofw. Max Suzgruber claiming one victory. 6. and 10. Staffel hit the attacking bombers, and Uffz. Brenner claimed one B-24 shot down. Two 109s were lost from 10./ JG 301, in return for 6 B-17s, 3 B-24s and 4 P-51s lost.

The 15th Air Force returned to Bucharest on 28 June with 228 bombers. A response from 120 fighters of III./ JG 77, I./ JG 53, II. and IV./ JG 301 claimed 9 B-24s and 3 P-51s. 6./ JG 301 and 10. Staffel each shot down one B-24. The USAAF lost only 3 B-24s, all from the 485th Bombardment Group. The Luftwaffe lost 20 aircraft to the Mustang fighter cover.

In June 1944 I Gruppe moved westwards to St. Dizier and later to Epinoy
Épinoy
Épinoy is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A farming village situated southeast of Arras at the junction of the N43 and D21 roads.-Population:-Places of interest:* Traces of an old castle....

. In the early hours of 21 July Lt. Horst Prenzel (Staffelkapitan 1./JG 301) landed his Me 109G-6 at RAF Manston
RAF Manston
RAF Manston was an RAF station in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site is now split between a commercial airport Kent International Airport and a continuing military use by the Defence Fire Training and Development Centre , following on from a long...

 by mistake after a 'Wilde Sau' sortie over the invasion area. The RAF evaluated the aircraft at the RAE
Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment , was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the UK Ministry of Defence , before finally losing its identity in mergers with other institutions.The first site was at Farnborough...

 Farnborough
Farnborough Airfield
Farnborough Airport or TAG London Farnborough Airport is an airport situated in Farnborough, Rushmoor, Hampshire, England...

, and then passed to the Air Fighting Development Unit
Air Fighting Development Unit
The Air Fighting Development Unit was an air technical intelligence part of the Royal Air Force which developed operational tactics and tested captured enemy aircraft. It was based at Royal Air Force Stations at Northolt, Duxford and Wittering....

 at RAF Wittering
RAF Wittering
RAF Wittering is a Royal Air Force station within the unitary authority area of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. Although Stamford in Lincolnshire is the nearest town, the runways of RAF Wittering cross the boundary between Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire....

 in August 1944. The same night Fw Manfred Gromil of 1./JG 301 belly landed his G-6 at Manston, due to lack of fuel.

After re-equipping with the Focke-Wulf 190 A-8, I./JG 302 was redesignated as III./JG 301 on 30 September 1944. In October the unit transferred to Stendal
Stendal
Stendal is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is the capital of Stendal District and unofficial capital of the Altmark. Its population in 2001 was 38,900. It is located some west of Berlin and around east of Hanover...

, near Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

.

On 26 November 1944 JG 301 intercepted three USAAF B-24 bomber formations strung out on a 40-mile front due to a navigation error, around Misburg. Splitting into smaller groups, the fighters attacked in waves from the rear. The 491st Bombardment Group
491st Bombardment Group
The 491st Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the II Bomber Command, stationed at McChord Field, Washington. It was inactivated on 8 September 1945....

 lost 15 B-24’s to JG 301's Fw 190 A-8s before the P-51 escort fighters could intervene. Shortly afterwards JG 301 attacked the 445th Bombardment Group. The initial wave shot down at least 5 bombers before the escorts responded, hitting the Geschwader's second wave.

JG 301 claimed some 58 bombers shot down; Oberfeldwebel Hans Müller (2. Staffel) claimed three B-24 Liberators shot down, Lt. Anton Benning
Anton Benning
Dr. Anton Benning was a German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.-Career:Benning joined the Luftwaffe in 1938 and was...

 a B-24 and a P-51, while Obfw Josef Keil of 10 Staffel claimed two more B-24s.

The USAAF escort fighters of the 355th and 339th Fighter Group
339th Fighter Group
The 339th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the 66th Fighter Wing, being stationed at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. It was inactivated on 18 October 1945....

s and the 2nd Scouting Force claimed 53 victories for JG 301's worst single day loss in the war, with some 38 pilots of the unit being killed or wounded and 51 Fw 190s lost in action or written off.

The next day I. and II. gruppe, JG 301 lost another 14 Fw 190As, with 7 killed and 4 wounded.

The unit's establishment by 30 November 1944 was thus; Stab JG 301; (4 Fw 190 A-9) I./ JG 301; (5 Fw 190 A-8, 18 Fw 190 A-9) II./ JG 301; (10 Fw 190 A-8/R6, 11 Fw 190 A-8/R11, 15 Fw 190 A-9/R 11) III./ JG 301; (50 Fw 190 A-8.)

On 17 December 1944 JG 301 again attacked the USAAF bomber streams near Hannover. I. and II. Gruppe attacked the escorting fighters while III. Gruppe attacked the bombers. Fw. Reschke claimed one B-24 and one P-51 over Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...

, Ofw. Hans Todt shot down one P-47 while Uffz. Brenner shot down a B-24. Two JG 301 aircraft were lost, for one killed.

1945

On 14 January 1945 JG 301 lost 20 pilots killed and 8 wounded as they were attacked by the massed USAAF escort fighters during an operation with JG 300 against the US bomber formations over central Germany. The day marked the first 'Dora 9' loss, from the Geschwader Stabschwarm. The two Geschwaders downed 18 B-17s, 7 P-51s and one P-47.

In early March 1945 Stab./JG 301 became the first unit to receive the Focke-Wulf Ta 152
Focke-Wulf Ta 152
The Focke-Wulf Ta 152 was a World War II German high-altitude fighter-interceptor designed by Kurt Tank and produced by Focke-Wulf. The Ta 152 was a development of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 aircraft...

, with an operational brief to provide top cover for the Jagdwaffe airfields in the area.

The first Ta 152 combat sorties were flown on 8 February. On 18 February the Stab moved to Sachau
Sachau
Sachau is a village and a former municipality in the district Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2011, it is part of the town Gardelegen....

, near Berlin and on 21 February intercepted US bombers , with Oberfeldwebel Josef Keil claiming a B-17 shot down over Berlin. On 1 March Keil claimed a P-51 over the same area. The final victims of the Ta 152 were Soviet Yak-9s during the final days of the battle around Berlin on 30 April 1945.

Encountering fighters on several occasions, the Schwarm lost only 2 pilots, but shot down at least 9 aircraft. Obfw Josef Keil (11 victories) became the first and only Ta 152 ace, claiming 6 Allied fighters, while Obfw Willi Reschke
Willi Reschke
Willi Reschke was a German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership...

  claimed the other 3.

By April JG 301 was based around Hagenow
Hagenow
Hagenow is a German town in the southwest of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim, 30 kilometers south of Schwerin...

, Neustadt
Neustadt
- Germany :* in Baden-Württemberg:** Titisee-Neustadt, a town in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald* in Bavaria:** Bad Neustadt an der Saale, the capital of the Rhön-Grabfeld district...

 and Ludwigslust
Ludwigslust
Ludwigslust is a town in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, 40 km south of Schwerin. It was the capital of the former district of Ludwigslust, and is part of the district Ludwigslust-Parchim since September 2011.-History:...

. III./JG 301 were also beginning to be equipped with Ta 152's, although full equipment was not completed before the war's end.

Geschwaderkommodore

  • Oberstleutnant Helmut Weinreich, October 1943 – 19 November 1943
  • Major Manfred Mössinger, 19 November 1943 – September 1944
  • Oberstleutnant Fritz Aufhammer, September 1944 – May 1945

I. Gruppe

  • Hauptmann Richard Kamp, 1 October 1943 -?
  • Major Walter Brede, ?-?
  • Hauptmann Wilhelm Burggraf, ? – 21 November 1944
  • Hauptmann Gerhard Posselmann, February 1945 – May 1945

II. Gruppe

  • Hauptmann Graf Resugier, 1 October 1943 –
  • Hauptmann Herbert Nölter, – 13 April 1945
  • Hauptmann Roderich Cescotti, April 1945 – May 1945

III. Gruppe

  • Hauptmann Manfred Mössinger, 1 October 1943 – November 1943
  • Major Siegfried Wegner, November 1943 –
  • Hauptmann Wilhelm Fulda, October 1944 – November 1944
  • Hauptmann Karl-Heinz Dietsche (acting), November 1944 – January 1945
  • Major Guth, January 1945 - May 1945

External links

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