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For educational purposes
The German Luftwaffe entered World War II in September 1939, employing as its main day fighter the Messerschmitt Bf-109, one of the classic fighter aircraft designs of all time.
When war broke out, it was already riding high on a reputation derived from its successful blooding in the Spanish Civil War.
1941 saw the introduction of the Focke Wolf Fw-109 over the English Channe, Its superiority over the Spitfire Mk. V saw it rapidly become the Luftwaffe fighter arm's 'second iron' and was to play a major role in the widening conflict from 1941 onwards.
This programme covers the operations of the Bf-109 in its role on all fronts, to 1942 and the early missions by the Fw-190 over France and the English Channel.
The German Luftwaffe entered World War II in September 1939, employing as its main day fighter the Messerschmitt Bf-109, one of the classic fighter aircraft designs of all time.
When war broke out, it was already riding high on a reputation derived from its successful blooding in the Spanish Civil War.
1941 saw the introduction of the Focke Wolf Fw-109 over the English Channe, Its superiority over the Spitfire Mk. V saw it rapidly become the Luftwaffe fighter arm's 'second iron' and was to play a major role in the widening conflict from 1941 onwards.
This programme covers the operations of the Bf-109 in its role on all fronts, to 1942 and the early missions by the Fw-190 over France and the English Channel.
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00:28Transcription by CastingWords
00:45In the late summer of 1939, German fighter pilots relax in the sunshine
00:50before the onset of a war that would see them within two years,
00:54contesting the skies against enemies over the Arctic Ocean,
00:57to the deserts of North Africa, and from the Bay of Biscay to the banks of the River Volga.
01:02Within five years, the Reich will have shrunk to the borders of the homeland,
01:06and the fighter arm of the Luftwaffe will have been driven to extinction
01:10in the very skies above Germany itself.
01:18It was on the 1st of March 1935, some two years after Hitler's rise to power,
01:23that he officially announced the existence of the new Luftwaffe,
01:27thus repudiating the Versailles Treaty that in the peace settlement after the Great War
01:31had forbidden Germany possession of an air arm.
01:34In reality, the new Luftwaffe dated from January 1933,
01:39with great care being taken to disguise the growth of the new German air force.
01:45The first mount of the new Luftwaffe fighter arm was the Heinkel He-51.
01:50The initial production model entered service in 1935
01:53and equipped the Richthofen and horse-vassel Jahrgeschwaden.
01:57The improved He-51B appeared in 1936,
02:01and is seen here in this film dating from the same year.
02:04Although the type figured prominently in early propaganda films,
02:08its service life was short.
02:10The existence of the Arado 68 sealed the fate of the Heinkel fighter
02:14when, in 1936, Ernst Du Dett,
02:17the newly installed inspector of fighters and dive bombers,
02:20tested both aircraft, and adjudged the Arado to be the superior type.
02:25Destined to be the last biplane fighter to serve with the Luftwaffe,
02:29the Arado 68 is seen here, along with the He-51,
02:33engaging in mock attacks on Adornia D023,
02:36one of the early types serving in the bomber squadrons.
02:40This particular AR-68F variant employed a BMW engine
02:44which conferred only a marginally improved performance over the He-51.
02:48It was rapidly superseded on the production lines
02:51by the YUMO-powered AR-68F variant,
02:54which equipped most of the Jahrgruppen
02:56until the advent of the BF-109 in 1938.
03:03It is a later YUMO-powered Arado AR-68E
03:07which is seen here,
03:09shooting out balloons set out by Luftwaffe ground crew
03:12for strafing practice.
03:13A distinctive feature of Luftwaffe fighters,
03:16until about 1938,
03:17was their overall light grey colour scheme.
03:34The fortunes of the Jagva band
03:36was to be anchored to the firm of Messerschmitt
03:38when, in November 1935,
03:41its BF-109 contender
03:42was selected to become the primary equipment
03:44of the future fighter arm.
03:46In 1937, the 109B began entering service,
03:51but low production meant
03:52that by the end of that year,
03:53just three Gruppen,
03:54belonging to JGs 132 and 234,
03:58had the 109 in service.
04:00Licensed production of the type
04:02to Fiesler,
04:03Focke-Wulf and Erle,
04:04and appearance of the new C variant in 1938,
04:07saw numbers of the type increasing.
04:10These examples of the improved 109D
04:13are seen at the Jütteborg Dam base
04:15with an early JU-90 in 1938.
04:19When General Franco raised the flag of revolt
04:21against the People's Government
04:23in Madrid in July 1936,
04:25he appealed to both Germany and Italy
04:28for military assistance.
04:30Hitler dispatched 20 Junkers 52 transports
04:33to Spain to aid Franco's cause.
04:35This was followed in short order
04:36by other aircraft,
04:38including Heinkel He-51s.
04:40The growing German involvement
04:42was carried out ostensibly by volunteers,
04:44although most were seconded military personnel
04:47sent to Spain in great secrecy.
04:49By November 1936,
04:51German involvement became more open
04:52and the Condor Legion was born.
04:57In March 1937,
04:59ME-109Bs first saw combat
05:01proving superior
05:02to the Soviet-supplied I-15
05:04and I-16 fighters.
05:08New tactics were forged
05:09by the likes of Werner Mulders
05:11and the combat experience
05:12gained by pilots such as Galland,
05:14Lutzow, Harder and others
05:16was put to good use back in Germany.
05:20Thus, when Germany invaded Poland
05:22on the 1st of September 1939,
05:24with the Second World War
05:25beginning two days later,
05:27the Luftwaffe,
05:28although officially less than five years old,
05:30had already been bloodied
05:32and had also amassed
05:33a repertoire of combat experience
05:35that would give it great advantage
05:36over its enemies
05:37in the opening years of the conflict.
05:41Of the 1,600 aircraft
05:43amassed by the Luftwaffe
05:44for the air phase of Case White,
05:46just over 200 were ME-109 fighters.
05:49By far and away,
05:50the bulk of these
05:51were the latest E-model,
05:52although examples of the earlier C
05:54and 44 of the D-model seen here,
05:57belonging to three JG-233,
05:59were also committed to the fighting.
06:02As was to be repeated
06:03in other campaigns in the years ahead,
06:06Luftwaffe tactics from the outset
06:07were governed by the need
06:09to achieve air superiority
06:10over the battlefield.
06:12The first air operations over Poland
06:14were committed to the destruction
06:15of the Polish Air Force on the ground.
06:18The Jagdflieger, in consequence,
06:19found themselves in the opening phase
06:21of the campaign,
06:22providing escort to the bombers
06:24as they attacked Polish airfields.
06:26Although the Polish Air Force
06:28was woefully outnumbered,
06:29it put up a heroic defence.
06:31However, after the first few days,
06:33air opposition disappeared
06:34and the ME-109s engaged in free hunts,
06:38searching out the skies
06:39and shooting down
06:40any surviving Polish aircraft.
06:43Most footage of 109s
06:44in action over Poland
06:45and indeed from virtually
06:47every theatre in which
06:48the type operated up to 1943,
06:51when the air battles over Germany
06:53began in earnest,
06:54were taken from other aircraft,
06:56such as the ME-110
06:57or Heinkel 111.
07:00The small size of the 109 cockpit
07:02prevented the pilot
07:03employing a cine camera
07:05to take footage.
07:06This explains the small quantity
07:08of film shot of the Jagdflieger
07:09in action when compared
07:11to that of the Stukas
07:12and the bomber types.
07:13It was also the case
07:15that from a propaganda
07:16point of view,
07:17and this was the primary purpose
07:19for which the newsreels were made,
07:20images of Stukas and bombers
07:22provided far greater impact
07:24among the audiences
07:25who viewed them.
07:26Nevertheless,
07:27in the period
07:28after the Polish campaign,
07:29the merits of the ME-109
07:31were highly touted
07:32by the propaganda department
07:33and also by the Luftwaffe,
07:35fostering an image
07:36of superiority for the type
07:38that only came unstuck
07:40in the skies over Britain
07:41the following year.
07:51As the ground forces advance,
07:53propaganda company cameramen
07:54attached to army formations
07:56filmed the handiwork
07:57of the Luftwaffe.
07:58On the former airfields
08:00of the Polish Air Force,
08:01hundreds of wrecks
08:02of destroyed and burnt-out
08:03fighters and bombers
08:04lay scattered amid the detritus
08:06of bombed hangars,
08:08an image that was to be captured
08:09over and over again
08:11in France, Yugoslavia,
08:13Greece and Russia,
08:15as the pre-emptive strike
08:16designed to destroy
08:17the enemy air force
08:18on the ground
08:19became the tactic
08:20and signature
08:21of Luftwaffe operations
08:22at the onset
08:23of a new campaign.
08:25Control of the air
08:26was the prerequisite
08:27for the success
08:28of the Blitzkrieg strategy
08:29that was to give
08:31the Wehrmacht
08:31its great victories
08:32in the opening years
08:33of the Second World War.
08:43In spite of its highly effective
08:45showing in combat,
08:47109 losses over Poland
08:48were far from negligible.
08:50In all,
08:51some 67 out of the 200 committed
08:53were brought down,
08:54with the majority being lost
08:56to Polish ground fire.
09:03when Joseph Goebbels
09:05visited an ME 109 unit
09:07during the winter
09:07of 1939-40,
09:09the dark green camouflage
09:11was already giving way
09:12to light blue underwing
09:13and fuselage sides,
09:15and a two-tone green splinter finish
09:17on the wings
09:17and fuselage top.
09:20By early 1940,
09:22almost all early 109 models
09:24had been replaced
09:25by the EMILE
09:26as it was known
09:27to its pilots.
09:28In its E3 variant,
09:29the ME 109
09:30was at the forefront
09:32of fighter technology
09:33during this period.
09:35On the eve
09:36of the German invasion
09:37of France
09:38and the Low Countries
09:39on the 10th of May 1940,
09:41the Luftwaffe
09:41could deploy nearly
09:421,000 ME 109E models.
09:47When the Luftwaffe
09:48was unleashed
09:49in the early hours
09:50of the 10th of May,
09:51its initial targets
09:52were the mass of aircraft
09:53based on all 72
09:55Allied airfields
09:56across France
09:57and neutral Holland.
09:58No fewer than 16 Gruppen
10:00of ME 109
10:01supported the opening
10:02airstrikes
10:03by the Stukas
10:04and medium bombers.
10:06Although the Armée Dallaire
10:08and the RAF
10:08were able to field
10:09a number of modern fighters,
10:11the 109 Staffel
10:12quickly gained control
10:13of the air
10:14above the advancing
10:15German forces.
10:16Such was the speed
10:17of the advance
10:18of the panzers
10:19that the fighter units
10:20found themselves
10:20being hastily uprooted
10:22and moved forward
10:23to new air bases
10:24and fields
10:24in their wake.
10:29The British,
10:30having fallen back
10:31on the port
10:31of Dunkirk
10:32following the German drive
10:33to the Channel Coast
10:34in their rear,
10:35now proceeded
10:36to organise
10:37the seaborne evacuation
10:38of their expeditionary force.
10:41Hitler, however,
10:42had halted his panzers
10:44in their drive
10:44on the port
10:45and accepted
10:46Goering's assurance
10:47that the Luftwaffe
10:48could block
10:48any British rescue attempt.
10:50With the launch
10:51of Operation Dynamo,
10:52hundreds of ships
10:53of all sizes
10:54now attempted
10:55to lift off
10:56the Anglo-French forces
10:57from the port
10:57and beaches
10:58around Dunkirk
10:59in the face
11:00of a determined attempt
11:01by the Luftwaffe
11:02to sink them.
11:14The subsequent commitment
11:15of the Jagdgruppen
11:16in support of the raids
11:17by Heinkels,
11:18Dorniers and Stukers
11:19now brought about
11:20the fiercest air fighting
11:21of the French campaign.
11:23The Me 109s
11:24now found themselves
11:25drawn into combat
11:26for the first time
11:27against the Spitfire,
11:29as the RAF
11:30tried its utmost
11:31to create a protective umbrella
11:32over the beaches
11:33of Dunkirk.
11:35However,
11:35the rate of the German advance
11:36was beginning to tell
11:38on the fighter units.
11:40Serviceability
11:40among the 109s
11:41was becoming problematic
11:43and even fuel shortages
11:44were occurring.
11:46However,
11:46it is also clear
11:47that in their encounters
11:48with the Spitfire,
11:49the Jagdflieger
11:50had the clear impression
11:52that they had
11:52for the first time
11:53come up against
11:54an aircraft
11:55as effective
11:56as their own 109
11:57and piloted by men
11:59just as professional
12:00as themselves.
12:01Though RAF losses
12:03were considerable,
12:04the fighting
12:04was hardly one-sided
12:05as they,
12:06in turn,
12:07claimed at least
12:08200 Luftwaffe aircraft
12:10shot down
12:10through to the 5th of July.
12:14with the French surrender
12:16on the 22nd of June
12:17and the subsequent
12:18victory parade
12:19in Berlin,
12:20Hitler was at the
12:21pinnacle of his power.
12:22Even as he acknowledged
12:23the acclaim
12:24of his grateful people,
12:25he knew that
12:26the British government
12:27had rebuffed
12:28all overtures
12:29for a peaceful settlement
12:30with Germany
12:30and had determined
12:32to fight on.
12:33However,
12:34his ambivalent feelings
12:35towards Britain
12:36left him uncertain
12:37as to what to do.
12:38But by the 16th of July,
12:40he had made up
12:41his mind.
12:46In the preamble
12:47to his directive
12:48number 16,
12:49Hitler explained
12:49his decision
12:50by stating,
12:51As England,
12:52despite her hopeless
12:53military situation,
12:54still shows
12:55no sign of willingness
12:56to come to terms,
12:57I have decided
12:58to prepare,
12:59and if necessary,
13:00carry out,
13:01a landing operation
13:02against her.
13:04Given the code name
13:06Sea Lion,
13:07all, however,
13:07turned on the proviso
13:08so that air superiority
13:10can be obtained.
13:12Herein lay the rub,
13:13for without the reduction
13:14of the RAF
13:15in the skies over England
13:16and a guarantee
13:17that the invasion forces
13:18would not be attacked
13:19from the air,
13:20the enterprise
13:21could not be entertained.
13:23Goering, however,
13:24was confident
13:24the Luftwaffe
13:25was up to the task.
13:27The formal beginning
13:29of the campaign
13:29against Britain
13:30finally began
13:31on the 13th of August 1940.
13:34Known as Adler Tag
13:35or Eagle Day,
13:36the Luftwaffe dispatched
13:38no fewer than 485 bomber
13:40and 1,000 fighter sorties
13:42across the south of England.
13:44Although much of the attrition
13:45among the single-engine
13:46fighter formations
13:47had been made up,
13:48the number of BF-109s
13:50available stood
13:51at some 760 machines,
13:53somewhat less
13:54than on the 10th of May.
13:57The first and second
13:58staffel
13:59of Jagdgeschwader III
14:01Richthofen
14:01was based at Beaumont
14:02La Roja
14:03and the third staffel
14:04at La Havre.
14:06As with most other
14:08109 units
14:09in the early phase
14:10of the battle,
14:10they mainly operated
14:11free hunt sorties
14:12over the south of England
14:14that were designed
14:15to locate and destroy
14:16the opposing
14:17RAF fighters.
14:36In the free-ranging sweeps,
14:39the Jagdflieger
14:39employed tactics
14:40first worked up in Spain.
14:42The basic formation
14:44was provided by the
14:45rote or pair of
14:46ME-109s
14:47flying some 200 yards apart,
14:49with the wingman
14:50flying slightly
14:51below
14:51and to the rear.
14:53Mutual support
14:54was the key
14:55to this formation.
14:56The Schwarm
14:57employed four
14:58109s,
14:59in effect
14:59two pairs
15:00operating in tandem.
15:02These formations
15:03bestowed great flexibility
15:04on the German fighters
15:06and allowed them
15:07to deal effectively
15:08with a far more rigid
15:09three-plane
15:10RAF-VIC formation
15:11employed by
15:12Spitfires
15:13and Hurricanes.
15:15During the battle,
15:16pilots on both sides
15:17came to be portrayed
15:19as heroes
15:19by their respective media.
15:21Here,
15:21the face of
15:22Werner Mulders
15:23stares out
15:23from the cover
15:24of the Dutch edition
15:25of the magazine
15:26Signal.
15:26As the first pilot
15:28in the new Luftwaffe
15:29to be awarded
15:29the oak leaves
15:30to the Knights Cross,
15:32Mulders' career
15:32was avidly followed
15:34by the propagandists,
15:35especially when appointed
15:36to command
15:37JG-51
15:38on July 27th.
15:41Adolf Galland
15:42was also
15:42lauded by the press.
15:45Although seen as
15:46perhaps playing
15:47second fiddle
15:47to Mulders,
15:48he and Galland
15:49were friendly rivals
15:50in the ace stakes,
15:52each amassing
15:52high scores.
15:54Both, however,
15:56were partially eclipsed
15:57at this time
15:57by the meteoric rise
15:59of Helmut Vick.
16:00In four months,
16:01in 1940,
16:02Vick was promoted
16:03by Goering
16:04from Staffel Captain
16:05of 3JG2
16:06to Geschwader Commodore.
16:08At the time,
16:09he was just 25 years old.
16:11Vick was a gifted pilot
16:13and his score
16:13by the end of the battle
16:14had risen to 56,
16:16giving him six more
16:17than Galland
16:18and four more
16:19than Mulders.
16:21During the campaign,
16:23Goering paid a visit
16:24to Vick's base
16:24at Beaumont-la-Rogia.
16:26As the air battle
16:27over England progressed,
16:29Goering began
16:29to express much unhappiness
16:31to the fighter commanders
16:32over the very high losses
16:34suffered by the bombers.
16:35The Stuka had been shown
16:37to be highly vulnerable.
16:38The concept of the
16:39heavy escort fighter
16:40had been found
16:41to be wanting
16:42in the high losses
16:43experienced by the ME-110
16:44and the bombers
16:46were being shot down
16:47in large numbers
16:48by the RAF.
16:49Goering now demanded
16:50that his fighter commanders
16:52change their tactics.
16:54Vick, however,
16:55would die over the channel
16:56in November.
16:57As for many German
16:59Jag-Flieger
16:59who crashed into the channel,
17:01rescue would be
17:02by HE-59 seaplanes
17:04marked with red crosses,
17:05even though the RAF
17:07regarded them
17:07as legitimate targets.
17:14Goering's insistence
17:15that the bombers
17:16be given greater protection
17:17from RAF fighters
17:19required that they give up
17:20their free hunting tactics
17:22and tie themselves
17:22more closely
17:23to the slower-moving bombers.
17:25In the case
17:26of the Dornier 17
17:27and Heichel 111,
17:29the 109s
17:30had to throttle
17:30right back
17:31to maintain station
17:32with these much
17:33slower-moving aircraft.
17:35If escort duty
17:36had to be carried out,
17:38the Jag-Flieger
17:38preferred to cover
17:39for the faster
17:40Junkers' Ju-88s,
17:42as seen in this footage.
17:44With the switch
17:45from attacking RAF airfields
17:47to bombing London,
17:48the ability of the
17:49Me-109s
17:50to give the protection
17:51to the bombers
17:52that Goering demanded
17:53was simply not possible
17:55by virtue of the short range
17:56of the Messerschmitt fighter.
17:58Lacking drop tanks
18:00that could have
18:00extended their range,
18:02the short-legged 109
18:03carried only enough
18:04internal fuel
18:05for a radius
18:06of just 125 miles
18:08from their base.
18:09The escort task
18:11required that they
18:12accompany the bombers
18:12from the French coast
18:13to the target
18:14and then back
18:15to the channel.
18:16As the fighters
18:17needed to retain
18:18at least a small amount
18:19of fuel
18:20for combat
18:20over the target,
18:21this severely constrained
18:23the nature of the route
18:24flown by the bombers.
18:25In effect,
18:26this meant flying
18:27a straight line
18:28to the target,
18:29thus helping the RAF
18:30marshal its fighters
18:31more effectively
18:32to combat
18:33the incoming raid.
18:35By September,
18:36the Jag-Flieger
18:36had lost the freedom
18:37of action
18:38to attack the RAF fighters
18:39in the way
18:40that they thought best.
19:07from September 20th,
19:09the move to shift
19:10air raids on England
19:11to the night
19:12was a virtual acceptance
19:13that the attempt
19:14to defeat the RAF
19:15and achieve air superiority
19:17prior to an invasion
19:18had failed.
19:19In the four months
19:21of the Battle of Britain,
19:22the Luftwaffe
19:22had lost a total
19:23of 610 ME-109s
19:26and very many
19:27experienced pilots
19:28whose loss
19:29was even more significant.
19:30But,
19:31as a fighter,
19:32the ME-BF-109
19:34had not been found wanting
19:35nor had the pilots
19:36that flew them.
19:38Goering felt
19:38he'd been betrayed
19:39by his Luftwaffe
19:40and the Jag-Flieger
19:41were his scapegoat.
19:44On June 22nd, 1941,
19:48three million German troops
19:49crossed the Soviet frontier
19:50in the greatest land invasion
19:52in history.
19:53The cutting edge
19:54of Operation Barbarossa
19:56lay in the panzer formations
19:57whose task
19:58was to encircle
19:59and destroy
20:00the bulk of the Red Army
20:01before it had time
20:03to withdraw
20:03from the western frontiers
20:04into the depths
20:05of the Soviet hinterland.
20:07So optimistic
20:08was Hitler
20:09that the tried
20:10and tested
20:10blitzkrieg technique
20:11would yield success
20:12against the Red Army
20:13that he anticipated
20:15the eastern campaign
20:16being brought
20:17to a successful conclusion
20:18in just a few months.
20:23Crucial to the success
20:25of the opening battles
20:26of the frontiers
20:27was the assumption
20:28that even before
20:29the end of the first day
20:30of the campaign,
20:31the Luftwaffe
20:32would have established
20:33air superiority.
20:35The priority task
20:37of the four Luftflotten
20:38committed to the operation
20:39was the destruction
20:40of the bulk
20:41of the Soviet air force
20:42on the ground
20:43in the opening hours
20:44of the war.
20:45To ensure this happened
20:47at the same time
20:48as the German forces
20:49were crossing the frontier,
20:50the Luftwaffe arrived
20:52over the Soviet airfields
20:53at exactly 0.330 hours.
20:56All combat types
20:58from the 775 level bombers,
21:01310 Stukas,
21:03and 830 single-engined
21:05Me-109s
21:06committed to the war
21:07in the east.
21:07All found themselves
21:09dropping vast numbers
21:10of small fragmentation bombs
21:12on lines of Soviet aircraft
21:14lined up on airfields
21:15all over European Russia
21:17and the Baltic states.
21:23The Soviets were later
21:25to admit to 800 aircraft
21:27destroyed on the ground
21:28and a further 400 shot down
21:30in combat by the Luftwaffe
21:32on the opening day
21:33of the war.
21:34German claims, however,
21:35ran to 4,000 Soviet aircraft
21:38destroyed by the end of June.
21:41Subsequently,
21:42day fighters
21:42were permitted
21:43to range freely
21:44over Soviet territory
21:45where surviving fighters
21:46and bombers
21:47of the Red Air Force
21:48proved easy prey
21:49for the experienced
21:50Jagdflieger.
21:52Ground strafing
21:53of the numerous targets
21:54offered by Soviet
21:55rail and road traffic
21:56also became
21:57a common activity
21:58when in support
21:59of advancing
22:00German ground forces.
22:01Unlike in the West
22:03where such air attacks
22:04forced the enemy
22:05to ground,
22:06Russian troops
22:06often stood
22:07and fired back
22:08with every weapon
22:09they possessed
22:10resulting in mounting
22:11German casualties.
22:13Although many
22:13of the Jaggruppen
22:14were still using
22:15the Me-109E,
22:17the arrival of the
22:18superior Me-109F4
22:20in August
22:21confirmed overwhelming
22:23German air superiority
22:24over the Russian front.
22:30The success of the
22:31Jagdflieger
22:32over Russia
22:33can be measured
22:33by Mulder's score
22:34of 68
22:35on the 22nd of June.
22:37In less than a month
22:38he had become
22:39the first German pilot
22:40ever to down
22:41100 aircraft.
22:43Unit scores
22:44grew so quickly
22:45as those of the
22:46individual so-called
22:47Experten.
22:48On the 30th of June
22:50the collective tally
22:51of the pilots
22:51of JG-51
22:52made them the first
22:54German fighter unit
22:55in the Luftwaffe
22:56to have shot down
22:571,000 enemy aircraft.
22:59Such were the rich
23:00pickings in the east
23:01that they were
23:01followed shortly
23:02by JG's 53, 54
23:04and JG-3
23:06in passing
23:07the 1,000 mark.
23:08Although these scores
23:09have often been
23:10thought incredible
23:11the superiority
23:12of the Jagdflieger
23:13in the east
23:14in the opening months
23:15of the war in Russia
23:16was overwhelming.
23:18This success
23:19can be accounted for
23:20by their more
23:20effective equipment
23:21the psychological,
23:23tactical and technical
23:24superiority
23:25of German pilots
23:26their high sortie rates
23:27from airfields
23:28close to the front
23:29and the essentially
23:31tactical nature
23:32of the Red Air Force.
23:34German pilots
23:35often commented
23:36on the way
23:36Soviet pilots
23:37provided them
23:38with easy targets
23:39by seemingly
23:40refusing to manoeuvre
23:41when attacked
23:42continuing to fly
23:43in a straight line
23:44inviting destruction
23:45as witnessed
23:46in this gun camera footage
23:48showing the downing
23:48of an Illusion
23:49DB-3 bomber
23:50by a 109E
23:52over Lithuania
23:53in August 1941.
24:11in the autumn
24:12Göring met high-ranking
24:14Luftwaffe staff
24:15and chosen fighter commanders
24:16in East Prussia.
24:17Present was Molders
24:19who was displaying
24:20the diamonds
24:20to his Knight's Cross
24:21awarded by Hitler
24:23on the 16th of July.
24:32Witnessed by Udette
24:33Göring presents
24:34the Knight's Cross
24:35to airman
24:35Rudolf Knacker.
24:38Among other
24:39fighter commanders
24:40present
24:41is Volta Uzzau
24:42of JG2.
24:54Though hardly a stranger
24:56to publicity
24:56Adolf Galland
24:57is clearly embarrassed
24:58by the attention
24:59paid to him
25:00by the cameraman.
25:01Unbeknown to the
25:02JG26 commander
25:03this would be
25:04the last occasion
25:05on which he would see
25:05his friendly rival
25:07Molders alive.
25:08Although the cameraman
25:09is at pains
25:10to capture
25:10the Reich Marshal
25:11playing the Luftwaffe
25:12overlord
25:13Göring's devotion
25:14to his other interests
25:16was already causing
25:17command problems
25:18that were to have
25:19dire long-term consequences.
25:27Following his
25:28115th victory
25:29Göring had promoted
25:30Molders to full colonel
25:32and appointed him
25:33Luftwaffe's inspector
25:34de Jagdflieger.
25:35An admin post
25:37involving travel
25:38to all points
25:39where the Jagdflieger
25:39was operating
25:40Molders gave up
25:42command of his
25:42beloved JG51.
25:45Highly regarded
25:46by Göring
25:47and his fellow airmen
25:48Molders was
25:49an intelligent
25:49perceptive leader
25:50of men
25:51whose contribution
25:52to the development
25:53of fighter tactics
25:54in the Luftwaffe
25:55played a significant
25:56role in its success
25:58in the opening years
25:59of the conflict.
26:00Care for his men
26:01had been earlier
26:02rewarded with the nickname
26:03Varty or Daddy.
26:06For the short time
26:07he was in post
26:08he was spared
26:09the infighting
26:10of the Nazi leadership
26:11and was thus spared
26:12the disillusionment
26:13that became the lot
26:14of Adolf Galland
26:15his successor.
26:21By 1941
26:22the RAF
26:23had grown strong
26:24enough to embark
26:25upon a limited
26:25air offensive
26:26over France.
26:27Two types of ops
26:29were flown
26:29both involving
26:30attacks on shipping
26:31docks
26:32railway sidings
26:33and military bases
26:34along the French
26:35coastal region
26:36to tempt the Luftwaffe
26:37into the air.
26:38This would then
26:40provide the opportunity
26:41of defeating
26:41German fighter units
26:42in combat.
26:43The first of these
26:45operations was
26:46christened Rhubarb
26:47an air sweep
26:48over northern France
26:49flown by a squadron
26:50of fighters.
26:51The second and larger
26:52of these was named
26:53the Circus
26:54and involved both
26:55bombers and fighters.
26:57The core of the
26:58operation was provided
26:59by a detachment
27:00of Bristol Blenheim
27:014 medium bombers
27:02numbering from
27:0325 up to 80.
27:05Escort for these
27:06was then provided
27:07by several squadrons
27:08of Hurricanes
27:09and Spitfires
27:10amounting to as many
27:11as 200 fighters
27:12on the bigger
27:13circuses.
27:14These had the task
27:15of hunting down
27:16and destroying
27:17the German fighter units
27:18as they rose
27:19to attack the bait
27:20offered by the bombers
27:21of the incoming raid.
27:23Although still
27:24the mainstay
27:25of the medium bomber
27:25squadrons
27:26the Blenheim
27:27was a dated design
27:28and though due
27:29for replacement
27:30in the near future
27:31still equipped
27:32some 11 light bomber
27:33squadrons
27:34and bore the brunt
27:35of circus operations
27:36until early 1942.
27:39Even when escorted
27:40by fighters
27:41its slow speed
27:42and poor armament
27:43resulted in high losses
27:45to German fighters
27:46and flak.
28:01In early 1941
28:03the new Me 109F
28:05began to enter
28:06Luftwaffe service
28:07due to the appearance
28:09of the superior
28:10cannon arm Spitfire 5B
28:12in February
28:13delivery priority
28:14had been given
28:15to units serving
28:16on the Channel Coast
28:17with JG2 and JG26
28:20receiving their first
28:21109Fs in March
28:23and April.
28:24In July
28:25both units
28:26had received
28:26the even better
28:28109F4
28:29with the DB601E
28:31engine
28:31that conferred
28:32a 20 mile an hour
28:33speed advantage
28:34over the Spitfire.
28:36Most fighter units
28:38had their mascots
28:39in the time
28:39between sorties
28:40pilots of JG26
28:42enjoy themselves
28:43as the
28:44Geschwader Bear
28:45and the
28:45Staple Hounds.
29:03As JG2
29:04was spread
29:05around a number
29:05of airfields
29:06in the Pas-de-Calais
29:07and the three
29:08groupen of JG26
29:10distributed
29:10from Clermoret
29:11through to the
29:12Belgian border
29:13near Aberville
29:14warning time
29:15of an incoming
29:16enemy raid
29:16was very short.
29:18On some occasions
29:19Adolf Galland
29:20as Commodore
29:21of JG26
29:22ordered the whole
29:23Geschwader
29:24scrambled
29:24whilst on other
29:26times just one
29:26group would be
29:27dispatched to deal
29:28with the incoming
29:29enemy.
29:30It was the size
29:31of the raid
29:31that determined
29:32the response
29:33but a high level
29:34of readiness
29:34was expected
29:35at all times.
29:37Gun camera film
29:38taken from 109Fs
29:40after this raid
29:41shows a number
29:41of Spitfire 5s
29:43being shot down.
29:45Other pilots
29:46who've not been
29:47scrambled
29:47and ground crew
29:48watch as hurricanes
29:49carrying bombs
29:50under wing
29:51roar low over
29:52buildings
29:52on the edge
29:53of the airfield.
30:02The armament
30:03of the 109F
30:04was less than
30:05that employed
30:05on the earlier
30:06Emil
30:07and was confined
30:08to two MG-17s
30:09mounted on the
30:10nose cowl
30:11and a 20mm
30:12MG-151 cannon
30:14firing through
30:15the propeller
30:15boss.
30:16As all weapons
30:17were mounted
30:17along the aircraft's
30:18centre line
30:19it made the 109
30:20highly effective
30:21in air-to-air
30:22combat.
30:28Gallen thought
30:28this a backward
30:29step and had
30:30a number of
30:31his own
30:31109Fs
30:32customised
30:33to carry
30:33a heavier
30:34armament.
30:34An extra
30:3520mm cannon
30:36was fitted
30:37in each wing
30:37and he had
30:38the cowl
30:39machine guns
30:39replaced with
30:40the more
30:40powerful
30:4113mm
30:42MG-131.
30:49Megunden
30:49later
30:50wurde
30:50auch
30:50dieser
30:51vernichtend
30:51getroffen.
31:15In what appears
31:16to be a rogue
31:17edit that has
31:18crept into this
31:18report, gun camera
31:20film from an
31:20ME-109
31:21shows it shooting
31:22down an RAF
31:23Lysander
31:24army cooperation
31:25aircraft over the
31:26channel.
31:27Seems likely
31:28that it was caught
31:28flying near the
31:29coast of England
31:30by the 109
31:31on a day sweep
31:32over the channel.
31:34However, it's quite
31:35possible that it
31:36was serving with
31:37flight number 419
31:38whose task was to
31:39fly agents
31:40into France.
31:45British losses in
31:461941 on Circus
31:48ops amounted to
31:49849 fighters.
31:51These are matched
31:52against Jagdflieger
31:53claims for 950.
31:55In 1942, these ops
31:57cost the RAF a
31:58further 900 losses
31:59whilst in 1941 the
32:01Luftwaffe fighter
32:02losses amounted to
32:03183 machines
32:05and in 1942
32:07272.
32:09RAF losses over
32:10those two years
32:10were four times as
32:11many as were lost
32:12by the Luftwaffe.
32:17On the 22nd of
32:18November 1941,
32:20Gallen found himself
32:21as one of the
32:22Knights Cross
32:22holders chosen to
32:24be pallbearers at
32:25the state funeral
32:26of Ernst Doudet.
32:27The announcement
32:28that the famous
32:29first war ace had
32:30died in a flying
32:31accident disguised
32:32his suicide.
32:34Brought into the
32:35Luftwaffe by
32:35Göring, who
32:36believed his
32:37reputation would
32:37reflect on the
32:38fledgling German
32:39air force,
32:40Doudet found
32:40himself appointed
32:41admin roles as
32:43chief of the
32:43technical office
32:44of the air
32:44ministry and
32:45later as chief
32:46air inspector
32:47general for
32:48which he was
32:48neither temperamentally
32:49nor intellectually
32:50suited.
32:52Blamed by
32:53Göring and
32:53Hitler for the
32:54failure of the
32:55Luftwaffe in the
32:55battle of Britain
32:56and held
32:57responsible for
32:58the low
32:58production of
32:59aircraft to
32:59service the
33:00demands of the
33:00Luftwaffe in
33:01Germany's
33:02ever-widening
33:03war, he
33:04plunged into
33:04depression.
33:05He decided that
33:07honour left him
33:07no alternative but
33:09to take his own
33:09life, which he
33:10did in the early
33:11hours of the
33:1217th of November
33:13by shooting
33:14himself in the
33:15head.
33:15He was
33:16nevertheless given
33:17a state funeral
33:18with all the
33:19pomp and
33:19ceremony the
33:20Nazi state
33:21reserved for
33:22these occasions.
33:26Just six
33:27days after the
33:27interment of
33:28Udette,
33:29Galland found
33:29himself once
33:30more a
33:30pallbearer in
33:31yet another
33:32state funeral.
33:33On this
33:34occasion the
33:35event was
33:35rendered more
33:36poignant as
33:37it was for
33:37his close
33:38friend and
33:38rival in
33:39the air,
33:39Werner Mulders.
33:41As inspector
33:42of fighters,
33:43Mulders had
33:43indicated his
33:44desire to
33:45attend Udette's
33:46funeral and
33:47had intended to
33:48be one of the
33:48pallbearers.
33:49At the time he
33:51was on an
33:51inspection visit
33:52in Russia and
33:53had made
33:53arrangements to
33:54fly to Berlin
33:55in a Heinkel
33:56111 transport.
33:57On the flight
33:58back to the
33:59capital the
33:59plane crashed
34:00killing all
34:01on board.
34:02By the time
34:03of his death
34:03Mulders' face
34:04and career was
34:05well known
34:06through the
34:06coverage given
34:07to him by
34:07Goebbels
34:08propaganda
34:08department.
34:10The state
34:10funeral he
34:11was given
34:11was deemed
34:12fitting for
34:12the highest
34:13ranking,
34:14the most
34:14decorated
34:15Luftwaffe
34:15officer yet
34:16to die in
34:17the war.
34:18While Hitler
34:18was present
34:19to pay his
34:19respects as
34:20head of state
34:21it was Goering
34:22who had
34:22delivered the
34:23funeral eulogy.
34:37Among those
34:38in the funeral
34:39cortege were
34:40high-ranking
34:41Luftwaffe
34:41officers such
34:42as Field
34:42Marshal
34:43Milch and
34:44the commanders
34:44of the various
34:45Luftwaffe
34:45air fleets
34:46including
34:47Kesselring,
34:48Stumpf,
34:49Lortzer and
34:50others.
34:51To their rear
34:52followed many
34:52of the commanders
34:53of the
34:53Jagdgeschwaden
34:54who'd come
34:55to pay their
34:55last respects
34:56to the former
34:57inspector of
34:57the Jagdflieger.
35:00Goering followed
35:01immediately behind
35:02the gun carriage
35:03bearing the
35:03coffin of the
35:04flyer as it
35:05wound its way
35:06through the
35:06streets of
35:07Berlin to the
35:08famous Invaliden
35:09War Cemetery
35:09in which many
35:10of the famous
35:11figures from
35:12Prussian and
35:12German history
35:13were buried.
35:16The coffin
35:16was carried
35:17past the tomb
35:18of Manfred von
35:19Richthofen,
35:19Germany's
35:20highest-scoring
35:21ace of the
35:21Great War
35:22and whose
35:23record of
35:2380 kills
35:24had been
35:24passed by
35:25Mulders
35:25just six
35:26months before.
35:27Goering stood
35:28for a moment
35:29and raised
35:29his Reich
35:30Marsel's
35:30baton in
35:31salute as
35:32he passed
35:32the tomb
35:33of Udette.
35:38As Mulders'
35:39coffin was
35:40lowered into
35:40the ground,
35:41Galland,
35:41fleetingly seen
35:42here, was
35:43standing with
35:44the honour
35:44guard at the
35:45side of the
35:45grave with
35:46his sword
35:46drawn.
35:47He noticed
35:48that Goering
35:48was indicating
35:49for him to
35:50step forward.
35:51He later
35:51related his
35:52shock at the
35:53Reich Marshal's
35:54appalling bad
35:54sense of timing
35:55as there and
35:56then Goering
35:57told him that
35:58he would
35:58follow in his
35:59dead friend's
35:59footsteps as
36:00the next
36:01Inspector General
36:02of the
36:02Jagdflieger.
36:13Barely a
36:13fortnight later,
36:14Operation Typhoon
36:16the offensive
36:16launched to
36:17capture Moscow
36:18before the
36:18onset of
36:19winter failed
36:20on the
36:20very outskirts
36:21of the
36:21city.
36:22Amid
36:23plunging
36:23temperatures,
36:24the exhausted
36:24German forces
36:25were then
36:26assailed by
36:26a carefully
36:27planned Soviet
36:28counter-offensive.
36:29In the
36:29worst winter
36:30to hit the
36:31Soviet Union
36:31for 50
36:32years,
36:33the Wehrmacht
36:33stared disaster
36:34in the face
36:35as the Red
36:36Army pushed
36:36the Germans
36:37back from
36:37the gates
36:38of their
36:38capital.
36:40Unlike the
36:40army,
36:41the Luftwaffe
36:41had had the
36:42foresight to
36:43lay in supplies
36:43in the event
36:44of a winter
36:45campaign.
36:46But for those
36:47conducting air
36:47operations in
36:48temperatures as
36:49low as 40
36:50below and
36:51amid driving
36:51blizzards,
36:52they were faced
36:53with challenges
36:53never experienced
36:55before.
36:56JG-54
36:58Grunhurtz was
36:58based on the
36:59airfields of
37:00Sivarskaya and
37:01Gatshima and
37:02flew operations over
37:03Leningrad employing
37:04BF-109Fs.
37:07One of the
37:07premier pilots of
37:08the Gatshima and
37:09Gatshima was
37:09Hans-Philippe who
37:10served with the
37:11first grupper.
37:13Mobile heaters
37:13were necessary to
37:14pipe warm air
37:15onto the engines
37:16of the 109s to
37:17ensure that they
37:18didn't seize up in
37:19the bitter cold.
37:21Philippe, better
37:22known as
37:22FIPS, prepares to
37:23fly his 109 off on
37:25a mission.
37:26Prominent on the
37:26side of his
37:27fuselage is the
37:28green heart and
37:29the shield with the
37:30Nuremberg coat of
37:31arms denoting the
37:32first grupper.
37:34It became common
37:35practice among 109
37:37units serving in the
37:38east to remove the
37:39undercarriage covers in
37:40the autumn and winter
37:41to prevent build-up by
37:42mud and snow.
37:43These 109s of one
37:45JG-54 have been
37:47scrambled to intercept
37:48an incoming Soviet
37:49raid.
37:56As the combat is
37:58viewed from the
37:58ground, Philips' gun
37:59camera captures his
38:01destruction of a
38:01Yak-1 fighter, an
38:03example of the new
38:04generation of Soviet
38:05types appearing in
38:06increasing numbers
38:07over the Eastern
38:08Front, and a portent
38:10of the vast number
38:11of more effective
38:11aircraft soon to make
38:13their appearance in
38:14the ranks of the
38:15Soviet Air Force.
38:17Whether shot down by
38:18Soviet fighters or by
38:19the hail of ground
38:20fire thrown up by
38:21Russian troops whenever
38:22German planes flew
38:24overhead, Luftwaffe
38:25pilots would be
38:26desperate to bring
38:27their aircraft down
38:28behind their own
38:29lines.
38:30In a war in which
38:31little quarter was
38:32given, falling into
38:33Russian hands was a
38:34prospect few Jagdflieger
38:36were prepared to
38:37contemplate.
38:38Indeed, some German
38:39pilots are known to
38:40have chosen suicide
38:41rather than be
38:42captured.
38:44However, once they
38:45had crash-landed
38:46behind their own
38:46lines, every effort
38:48was made to recover
38:49the damaged fighter,
38:50as is seen here.
38:52Luftwaffe ground crew
38:53have secured the
38:54assistance of an army
38:568-ton half-track to
38:57recover this downed
38:58109F belonging to
39:00JG-54.
39:03Against a backdrop of
39:04very high Luftwaffe
39:05losses since the onset
39:06of the Russian
39:07campaign, every attempt
39:09was made to recover
39:10downed fighters, repair
39:12them, and put them
39:13back into service.
39:15In this case, the
39:16damage to this 109 does
39:18not appear to be
39:18excessive.
39:19Removal of the
39:20propeller boss has
39:21enabled a steel towing
39:23cable to be wrapped
39:24around the prop, and
39:25the aircraft is then
39:26dragged across the
39:27field back onto the
39:28road.
39:29From here, it'll be
39:30returned to the
39:31airfield for
39:31rebuilding.
39:35Israel cameramen were
39:36often on hand to
39:37cover awards to
39:38servicemen at the
39:38Führer's headquarters
39:39in the Wolfshands
39:41at Rastenberg in
39:42East Prussia.
39:43On this occasion,
39:44three Luftwaffe
39:45fighter pilots are
39:46receiving their
39:47knight's crosses, the
39:48Ritterkreuz.
40:03One of these is
40:05Hauptmann Philipp,
40:06who's been awarded
40:06the Eichenlaub, the
40:08oak leaves, to his
40:09knight's cross for his
40:10victories in the air
40:11over Russia.
40:12Philipp would go on
40:13to become the second
40:14Luftwaffe pilot to
40:15score over 200
40:16kills.
40:17His final tally
40:18would be 206
40:19before dying in
40:21combat with US
40:22Thunderbolts in
40:23October 1943.
40:25After the
40:26presentation, the
40:26three take coffee
40:27and cake with a
40:28visiting Reichsführer
40:29SS, Heinrich Himmler.
40:34Gallen's first
40:35command role was to
40:36oversee the
40:36provision of air
40:37cover for the
40:38breakout from
40:39Brest of the
40:39warship Scharnhorst,
40:41Gneisenau and
40:42Prinz Eugen, and
40:43passage through the
40:44English Channel to
40:45Germany.
40:46Operation Cerebrus
40:47began late on the
40:4911th of February
40:491942.
40:51The air phase
40:52involved fighter
40:53cover provided by
40:54JGs 1, 2, and 26
40:56and a detachment of
40:58ME-110s.
40:59The audacity of the
41:01German plan was to
41:02triumph over the
41:03delayed, though
41:03violent reaction of
41:04the RAF, who did
41:06their utmost to
41:06sink the vessels.
41:08German involvement in
41:10North Africa from
41:11March 1941 onwards
41:12was a consequence of
41:14accident rather than
41:15design.
41:16In the wake of the
41:17failure of the
41:17Italian's attempt to
41:19advance into Egypt
41:20during the second
41:20half of 1940, and
41:23the success of the
41:23British counter-offensive
41:24which had conquered
41:25much of the Italian
41:26province of Libya by
41:28early 1941, Hitler
41:30offered limited German
41:31military assistance to
41:32Mussolini to prop up
41:34his position there.
41:35Both on the ground and
41:37in the air, Italian
41:38forces had performed
41:39poorly against the
41:40inadequately armed
41:41British forces.
41:47When Erwin Rommel was
41:48appointed to command
41:49the German Afrika
41:50Corps, the small
41:51expeditionary force
41:52built around the 5th
41:53Light Division, his
41:54brief was to support
41:55the Italian position in
41:56Libya in the face of
41:58the British advance
41:59towards Tripoli.
42:00However, the general
42:01had other ideas, and
42:03he intended to go over
42:04to the offensive as
42:05soon as his forces were
42:06strong enough to
42:07sustain such an
42:08operation.
42:09In the next two years,
42:11the image of Rommel
42:12alighting in the
42:12desert alongside his
42:14forces in his
42:15personal Fiesler-Storch
42:16liaison aircraft was
42:18one which the German
42:19people would become
42:20familiar with in the
42:21weekly cinema newsreel.
42:28To protect the
42:30vulnerable Stukas,
42:31fighter support was
42:32provided by ME-109Es of
42:341st Grupper JG-27 and
42:37the 7th Grupper of
42:38JG-26.
42:41In September 1941, the
42:42first ME-109 F1 and
42:45F2s appeared in the
42:46theatre with the
42:47arrival of the second
42:48Grupper of JG-27.
42:51While the African
42:52theatre produced a
42:53number of stars among
42:54the ranks of the
42:55Jagdflieger, none shone
42:57more brightly than
42:57Leutnant Hans-Joachim
42:59Marseille.
43:00Although his final
43:01tally of 158 confirmed
43:03aerial victories at the
43:05time of his death on the
43:0630th of September 42,
43:07was much less than the
43:09very high scores of many
43:10aces serving in Russia,
43:12all of Marseille's kills
43:13had been against the RAF
43:15in the West and North
43:16Africa.
43:17Here, the skills of the
43:19British and Commonwealth
43:19pilots were generally of a
43:21higher order than those of
43:22the Red Air Force.
43:24Indeed, Adolf Gallen placed
43:26Marseille in the foremost
43:27rank of the Experten when he
43:29described him as the
43:30unrivaled virtuoso of the
43:32fighter pilots.
43:33He first saw service in
43:351940 when he joined the
43:37fourth Grupper of JG-52.
43:39His scoring career took a
43:41while to take off, achieving
43:42just six victories in his
43:44time on the Channel front.
43:46His behaviour and attitude
43:48at this time did little to
43:49endear him to his unit
43:50commander, Johannes Steinhoff.
43:53Transferred to first Grupper
43:55of JG-27 at the end of 1940,
43:58thence to North Africa in
43:59March, his tally of skills
44:01began to grow rapidly
44:02thereafter.
44:04In his preferred mount of
44:06the BF-109F, his intuitive
44:08skills as a pilot enabled him
44:10to dispatch enemy aircraft
44:12with an economy of ammunition
44:14that became legendary.
44:26The most remarkable day of
44:28his career over the desert came on
44:30the 1st of September 1942 when, in
44:33a fury of non-stop sorties, he
44:35shot down 17 confirmed enemy
44:38aircraft.
44:39By this time he was a familiar
44:41feature in the newsreel reports
44:42from the theatre.
44:44In the event, his death was not
44:46due to enemy action, but to a
44:48fire in the engine of his new
44:49109G.
44:51Bailing out, he hit the tailplane,
44:53knocked himself out, and plunged to
44:55his death in the desert below, having
44:58only just been awarded the diamonds to
44:59his knight's cross following his 126th kill.
45:07German day fighters had first seen combat
45:09over Malta when 7 JG-26 flying 109 E's
45:13under the command of Oberleutnant
45:15Joachim Münchenberg operated with success
45:18in early 1941.
45:20The need to stop the RAF intercepting
45:23Rommel's supply lines from the island saw
45:25the transfer from Russia in late 1941 of
45:28elements of Luftflot 2, including the
45:31whole of JG-53 Pickass, Ace of Hearts, and
45:35two JG-3 Udett, to bases in the warmer
45:38climes of Sicily.
45:39By the end of January, when Luftwaffe
45:42operations began rising to a crescendo,
45:44over 100 109 F-Fighters were available
45:48for operations over Malta.
45:50The shooting list is completed.
45:54The good care of the machines is
45:56decisive for the victory.
45:58The fighter has to be able to leave
45:59his comrades from the ground personnel
46:01safely.
46:15As Commander-in-Chief South, all Luftwaffe
46:18units in Sicily fell under the command of
46:20Field Marshal Albert Kesselring.
46:22Known to his troops as Smiling Albert
46:25because of his ready grin, he's seen here
46:27paying an inspection visit to one of the
46:29units of JG-53.
46:37The winter rains on the island have
46:39turned much of the ground into
46:40glutinous mud as Kesselring nearly
46:42discovers to his cost.
46:44The rains also led to the landing fields
46:46being reduced into muddy tracks.
46:49The Field Marshal also takes the
46:51opportunity to take a closer look at an
46:53ME-109F.
46:57Throughout February 1942, the Luftwaffe
47:00launched daily bombing raids against
47:02Malta, directed at the naval facilities
47:04and defences, followed in March and April
47:07by the systematic targeting of airfields and
47:10the total destruction of the RAF fighter
47:12presence on the island.
47:14By the end of April, almost 6,000 bombing
47:17sorties had been flown by JU-88s, HE-111s and
47:21DO-17s of the 2nd Flieger Corps.
47:24This sustained bombing was seen as the
47:26prelude to invasion of the island.
47:30In company with the bombers, the number of
47:32day fighter sorties also increased with an
47:34average of 1,000 flown each week following
47:37March 20th.
47:38Although 15 Spit-5s have been flown into
47:41Malta during the same month and
47:43subsequently encountered in combat over the
47:45island by the ME-109s, the Jagdflieger still
47:49increased their score over the RAF fighters.
47:52By the end of March, the tempo of offensive
47:54operations had resulted in the day fighters
47:56finally securing air superiority over the
47:59island.
48:10Gun camera film from 109Fs operating over the
48:14island records the destruction of a number of
48:16Hawker-Hurrican fighters. This was the primary RAF
48:20fighter defending the island until the arrival of
48:22the Spitfire, and its performance was significantly
48:25less than that of the 109F, and usually ended up
48:28coming off worst in air-to-air combat.
48:31From 1942, the Hurricane was increasingly being
48:34replaced by the Spitfire in the Desert Air Force's
48:37fighter role, and being employed far more as a ground
48:40attack-type and fighter-bomber.
48:58With the failure to implement Operation Hercules and the
49:01British reinforcement of the defences of Malta, air
49:04superiority over the island was lost by the Luftwaffe during
49:07mid-1942.
49:12For the Luftwaffe and RAF, the most significant event in the
49:15ongoing air war over the Channel and Northern France in the
49:18second half of 1941 and into 1942 was the entry into service of a
49:24formidable new fighter plane in the ranks of the Jagweband. The
49:37fire-batter battle.
49:46The alarm is sounded as an incoming RAF raid is reported. Ground crew and
49:51flak gunners race to their charges and man their stations.
50:07Luftwaffe airfield defences were based around numerous light 20mm flak guns,
50:12medium 37mm flak weapons seen here, and batteries of the heavier calibre 88mm guns.
50:19These would provide the first line of defence against the incoming hostiles.
50:30As the tannoy sounds, the battle alarm all is abandoned as pilots and their supporting ground crews rush to the
50:37planes.
50:39The first of the short-nosed early series of FW 190s entered service with JG26 in July 1941 and served
50:48alongside the former BF109Fs of the Geschwader.
50:52Although having its origin in a 1937 specification for an ME109 replacement, the success of the latter led to the
51:00FW190 being regarded as a second iron for the Jagweband.
51:05Built around a BMW 801 radial engine, the FW190 first flew in 1939, but continuing engine problems delayed service entry
51:15for nearly two years.
51:17Once in action, however, the 190 revealed a marked superiority over the Spit 5 in almost all aspects of air
51:23combat, except for the latter's smaller turning circle.
51:27The 190 reigned supreme until the second half of 1942, when the RAF rushed the improved Spitfire Mark 9 into
51:35service.
51:41The first hit! The Brite sturge brennend up!
51:47The Brite sturge brennend up!
51:50The Strangels zeigen den Weg der Flugzeuge und den Verlauf des Kampfes.
51:57The Brite sturge brennend up!
52:07The remains of the shot-down RAF fighter is examined by the captured airmen and the Germans.
52:20The returning ME109s and FW190s fly over the airfield, a number waggling their wings to indicate victories in the air
52:28battle.
52:32In the post-battle analysis, Joachim Muncheberg talks tactics with fellow flyers, while ground crew add further victory bars to
52:39the rudder of an ACES 190.
52:42Also seen is the irrepressible Pips Prilla, who is to become Commodore of JG26 and remain its commander through to
52:49war's end.
52:50Prilla was an inspiring leader and a superb pilot, amassing a tally of 101 victories, all achieved in the West.
52:58He is perhaps best remembered as one of two Luftwaffe pilots to strafe the Normandy beaches on D-Day and
53:04live to tell the tale, an event recaptured in the film The Longest Day.
53:09The alarm sounds once again as a further raid, this time by RAF light bombers, is reported inbound.
53:15The pilots rush to their planes and there is a further scramble as 109s and 190s roar off to attack
53:22the enemy aircraft.
53:24The Luftwaffe fighters home in on the defending fighters as the gun cameras catch more shots of RAF fighters being
53:31shot at and brought down.
53:32the duty of the front shots on Wilcox 2 of a
54:03Although the gun camera images are somewhat indistinct, there is a possibility that the RAF type being shot down here
54:10is an early Hawker typhoon.
54:16Although only crashed RAF aircraft are shown here being sent for scrap in Germany, 1942 also witnessed the appearance of
54:24the first fighters and bombers over France wearing the US stars and bars.
54:28They were the harbingers of the storm soon to break in the skies over the Reich in 1943 and engaged
54:35the Luftwaffe's day fighters in the greatest air battles of the war.