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He111

The RAF Mosquito pilot who made a landing while carrying a bullet tip from a Luftwaffe Ju 188 in his liver

by Till Daisd September 16, 2023

A skilled Ju 188 gunner could leave his imprint even on a Mosquito, as was the case on the night of November 6–7, 1943, over the English Channel, around 30 miles south of Dungeness, in Kent

The Junkers Ju 188, an improved version of an earlier type that included more performance and advanced technology, was the pinnacle of mid-war German twin-engined aircraft design.

It was developed as a part of the 1939 “Bomber B” program to replace the Ju 88 and He 111 medium bombers. Its radical redesign of the cockpit area included all-around visibility for high-speed bombing, torpedo-bomber carrying, FuG 200 radar, and camera-equipped reconnaissance operations.

What emerged in the autumn of 1943 was a sophisticated bomber, a reconnaissance aircraft, and an intended nightfighter.

Actually, as described by Robert Forsyth in his book Junkers Ju 188 Units of World War 2, a skilled Ju 188 gunner could impact significantly even on a Mosquito, as was the case during the night of November 6–7, 1943, over the English Channel, about 30 miles south of Dungeness in Kent.

At 22:35, Sqn Ldr John Selway and Plt Off Norman Bamford of No. 85 Sqn took off in a Mosquito from West Malling to begin a patrol. They were pointed in the direction of a “Fw 190,” which they shot down in flames at 23:55 hours south of Hastings. They were then given a second vector for a different “Bandit” that was roughly 20 miles away and traveling south. The enemy aircraft was so far below the Mosquito that Selway could not have descended far below without overshooting, so he turned to starboard before turning back to port as the Mosquito approached at 6,000 feet.

Contact was reestablished with what was thought to be a Ju 188 that was “traveling very fast and weaving at about 20,000 feet.” Selway approached at about 1000 feet, but Bamford instructed his pilot to throttle back because Selway’s range was decreasing quickly. Selway was hit by a burst of fire from the Ju 188 at that precise moment, severely wounding his stomach, and he was unable to retaliate. The pilot lost control, sending the Mosquito into a dive and ending the engagement.

With his airspeed indicator and altimeter shot up as a result of a bullet entering the cockpit between the windscreen and the armor plate below it, which then crashed into the instrument panel, Selway was still able to level the nightfighter off and land it back at West Malling despite his wound. Selway entered the crew room unaided after landing, and as Jimmy Rawnsley later noted;

‘For a while, he just stood there discussing the affair with the others in his usual light-hearted fashion. He started to drink some tea, but fortunately “Rigor” Mortimer snatched the cup away from him, thereby possibly saving his life. When he started to undress, the onlookers were shocked to see that his clothes were liberally soaked in blood.’

After being sent right away to the hospital, Selway underwent an urgent operation to have the tip of a Ju 188 bullet removed from his liver. Although he survived, his second tour was over.

Junkers Ju 188 Units of World War 2 is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by: German Federal Archive and Royal Air Force

September 16, 2023 0 comment

History

Luftwaffe fighter pilot Werner Mölders, who developed the finger-four formation

by Till Daisd November 14, 2022

written by Till Daisd

His innovative strategies had such a profound effect that eventually all of the participating air forces in World War II adopted his pair system, finger-four formation, and crossover turn

The Luftwaffe, which had only been formally constituted in 1935 after being established in secrecy, was a new air force when the Spanish Civil War began in 1936. However, it was quickly growing and in a position to support its Nationalist allies under Franco. The first significant airlift in history was launched by the Luftwaffe’s expeditionary force, the Legion Condor, to transport Franco’s troops to Spain.

It deployed its best pilots and newest aircraft, the Bf 109, He 111, and Ju 87 Stuka, to join the battle to build the Luftwaffe’s doctrine, tactics, and combat experience over the course of the following three years. For the Blitzkrieg that would soon be unleashed throughout Europe, the Spanish Civil War proved to be an excellent training field.

The Luftwaffe also learned many tactical lessons in Spain, according to Dr. James S. Corum in his book Legion Condor 1936–1939 the Luftwaffe develops Blitzkrieg in the Spanish Civil War, but the most significant one was a revolutionary shift in fighter combat that would ultimately change how all air forces fought. Not a high-ranking officer, but a fighter pilot who arrived as a first lieutenant and replacement fighter squadron commander was one of the Spanish Civil War’s most important figures.

But in a very short time, this young lieutenant would play a crucial part in changing fighter tactics. In Westphalia, Werner Mölders was born in 1913. He was reared by his mother’s family in central Germany after his reserve officer father was killed in the conflicts of 1915. In 1931, after graduating from one of Germany’s top high schools, he applied to the army as an officer aspirant using his Abitur, which is a university entrance certification. He underwent a three-year, extremely extensive, and demanding officer education program after being appointed to the 2nd Prussian Infantry Regiment.

Mölders was appointed a lieutenant and given the new Luftwaffe in March 1934. Mölders enrolled in flight school and earned the top grade in his class. Then, in June 1935, he completed the special six-month fighter-pilot course, again graduating at the top. He received a promotion to first lieutenant in 1936. Major Theo Osterkamp, the group commander, who would go on to become one of the key figures in the Luftwaffe fighter force, oversaw Mölders’ command of a training squadron. Mölders assumed command of Jagdgeschwader 334 in March 1937 and quickly established himself as an outstanding leader and educator.

The story of Werner Mölders, the Luftwaffe fighter pilot who conceived the Finger-Four Formation — *Finger-Four Formation*

Mölders agreed to travel to Spain and arrived there in March 1938. He was given the responsibility of taking over Adolf Galland’s fighter unit, which was still using He 51s but was switching to Bf 109s. following a brief period of transition, assumed command of the squadron in May 1938. Mölders soon became embroiled in very tough battles over the Ebro and in the area of Aragon. On July 15, 1938, he scored his first victory over an I-15. Mölders amassed 14 confirmed aerial victories between July and November 3, 1938, making him the leading German ace of the Spanish Civil War. His wins included one SB-2 bomber, 12 I-16s, and two I-15s.

Mölders started construction on a ground-breaking new tactical system for the fighters as he led his squadron into the battles of Aragon and the Ebro. Until that point, the system employed by all the major air forces had hardly changed from World War I, when squadrons of 9–12 aircraft would fly a fairly close formation, typically based on the “V” or Flight of three aircraft. Fighter aircraft in World War I were not equipped with radios, thus they had to communicate with one another via hand signals. In order to read these signals, pilots needed to be close enough to their flight and squadron leaders.

A Great War tactical strategy made little sense now that airplanes were more than twice as quick as World War I biplanes and furnished with radios. Mölders created a system centered on pairs, where a pair of wingmen, known as a Rotte, would watch out for each other, usually with one facing forward and the other slightly above and behind. To create a loose formation of four aircraft known as a Schwarm, the Rotte could be increased by adding another Rotte. This four-aircraft Schwarm replaced the three-aircraft flight and was also called the ‘finger-four formation’ because it looked like the fingers of a hand, with two fingers, the second slightly ahead, and then a pair of fingers, the second aircraft again slightly leading.

Now, small groups and pairs would be the basis of fighter squadron tactics. Since radio connections allowed for good communication, aircraft could now fly 300–500m apart rather than 30m apart as in the previous tactics. The fighters could patrol and observe a larger region of the sky by dispersing and flying in pairs, and the risk of midair collisions was essentially reduced.

Any Schwarm engaging in combat may easily be joined by more Schwarms given the speed of the Bf 109. Mölders gave his fighter pilots training in the novel techniques. Additionally, he discovered a novel combat flight turn technique. A tight direction change for a flight or squadron used to be an extremely risky maneuver due to the extremely close spacing between aircraft. Now that there was more space between the aircraft, Mölders created the crossover turn, which required the aircraft to simply pivot 90 degrees and transfer positions.

When Mölders finished his tour, he was taken back to the Luftwaffe staff and given a specific assignment in the Fighter Inspectorate: to develop and train the Fighter Command in this new tactical system. The new fighter tactics proved to be so effective against the Republican pilots. From March to December 1938, Mölders only spent eight months in Spain before being promoted to captain and handing over command of his squadron to Hubertus von Bonin. However, Mölder’s reputation as a great fighter tactician and leader was cemented during those eight months in Spain. Mölders was swiftly given the position of group and wing commander.

In the 1940 French campaign, he served as a major and group commander. By 1941, he had achieved the rank of colonel, or Oberst, and was in charge of a fighter wing in Russia. He was appointed Inspector of the Luftwaffe Fighters that year, although he only held the position for a short time until his death in an accident in November 1941. He achieved more than 100 confirmed victories in the air before any other fighter pilot in history. His innovative strategies had such a profound effect that eventually all of the participating air forces in World War II adopted his pair system, finger-four formation, and crossover turn.

Legion Condor 1936-39 the Luftwaffe develops Blitzkrieg in the Spanish Civil War is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by MisterBee1966, Gold Lead, Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1971-116-29 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-B12018 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 via Wikipedia

November 14, 2022 1 comment

History

Why Hitler’s bombardment of Guernica in the Spanish Civil War was his greatest success

by Till Daisd November 13, 2022

written by Till Daisd

The world believed that the Luftwaffe could easily burn down entire cities as a result of the greatly inflated tales of the bombing, which was undoubtedly beyond their capacity in 1937, 1938, or even 1940

The Luftwaffe was a brand-new air force when the Spanish Civil War started in 1936; it had been created in secrecy and had only been formally founded in 1935. However, it was quickly growing and in a position to support its ideological allies, Franco’s Nationalists. To transport Franco’s troops to Spain, the Luftwaffe’s expeditionary force, the Legion Condor, undertook the first significant airlift ever.

According to Dr. James S. Corum in his book Legion Condor 1936–1939: The Luftwaffe Develops Blitzkrieg in the Spanish Civil War, the Legion Condor also took the lead in the air attack on Guernica, a small Basque town that was right next to the Republican Army’s lines. This incident is the most well-known one in the history of the Spanish Civil War. It attained the status of the Spanish Civil War’s single most-written-about battle on April 26, 1937.

With 7,000 residents, Guernica was a tiny industrial town with a crucial bridge and intersection that crossed the Mundacan River. It was the only river crossing for 20 miles and a large portion of the Basque Army, 23 battalions, was in retreat to positions behind the river. The Basque Army’s primary escape route could be blocked if the bridge could be destroyed and the town closed to traffic. Guernica presented an opportunity for operational-level interdiction.

Guernica was attacked by the legion Condor around 4.30 pm on April 26. As pathfinders, three modern He 111 medium bombers and one Dornier Do 17 light bomber flew in front. 18 Ju 52 bombers followed them, and Bf 109 and He 51 fighter aircraft provided support. Some Nationalist Air Force Ju 52s also joined the attack. The aircraft of the Legion Condor pounded the town for an hour in waves of three to four aircraft each.

With the Renteria Bridge as their target, the Germans dropped around 32 tons of high-explosive and incendiary bombs on the town. Just across the bridge, the first bombing pass dropped its bombs. Bombers flew in successive waves, dropping their bombs into the area of the town center as the target was shrouded in smoke.

Although the bridge was not destroyed by the bombing raid, one end of the town was completely destroyed, which achieved the tactical goal of closing the road to traffic for a full 24 hours. Though only a few miles from Guernica, the Nationalist Army was unable to advance rapidly, trapping the Basque Army. The Army cleared the way through Guernica and evacuated its troops through the Renteria bridge during the course of the following three days.

Oberstleutnant Wolfram von Richthofen, the head of the Legion Condor, said that although the attack on Guernica was a “technical success,” he was upset that the Nationalist Army did not occupy the town right away to cut off the Basque Army’s escape.

Here’s why the bombing of Guernica was Hitler’s greatest victory in the Spanish Civil War — *A Bf 109A from the Condor Legion with Spanish rebel markings*

In the course of the war, small towns in Spain were the target of numerous raids, including the one on Guernica. A report from the Legion Condor to Berlin on February 11, 1938, explains the German operational justification for hitting cities like Guernica: ‘We have notable results in hitting targets near the front, especially in bombing villages which hold enemy reserves and headquarters. We have had great success because these targets are easy to find and can be thoroughly destroyed by carpet bombing.’

As a result of the bombers’ inability to hit exact targets, the report stated that attacks on point targets like bridges, roads, and rail lines were more challenging and generally less successful. Precision bombing had not yet become commonplace.

But the age of mass media had come. Although there were two Basque Army battalions in the town, the Basque government hailed the attack on Guernica as a “terror attack” against a “open city” in order to use heavy airstrikes to weaken the Basque people’s will. Nearly half of the town’s population, or 1,687 killed and more than 800 wounded, were officially reported by the authorities. Just after the attack, British journalists went to Guernica and reported on the catastrophic destruction.

The headlines of the major newspapers in Europe and America featured vile depictions of the bombing. Picasso was inspired to create the magnificent painting “Guernica,” which was displayed at the world expositions in Paris only a few weeks later.

Ironically, Hitler’s greatest success in the Spanish Civil War came from a news story intended to highlight German brutality and win support for the Spanish Republic abroad. The world was given the impression that the Luftwaffe could easily burn entire cities to the ground, which was undoubtedly beyond their capabilities in 1937, 1938, or even 1940 due to the greatly exaggerated reports of the bombing (the actual number of civilian deaths at Guernica was 300, not 1,687).

When British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and French Premier Edouard Daladier met with Hitler in Munich in September 1938 and bargained away the freedom of Czechoslovakia, the popular story of Guernica was very much on their minds. This was primarily because they and their populations feared the complete destruction of their cities by the Luftwaffe.

Legion Condor 1936-39 the Luftwaffe develops Blitzkrieg in the Spanish Civil War is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by Self-photographed, Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-H25224 / Unknown author and Unknown author via Wikipedia

November 13, 2022 0 comment