BOXART STORY

#84186

Text: Jan Bobek

Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

The black day of the Jagdgeschwader “Udet”

Among the German fighter units that moved

from the Eastern Front to Western Europe at

the end of summer 1943 was II./JG 3 “Udet”

under the command of Maj. Kurt Brändle.

From the eastern battlefield, its Stab and

three Staffeln returned with more than 2,100

kills to their credit. It suffered its heaviest

losses during the Battle of Kursk and in the

following weeks of July, losing 24 Messerschmitts Bf 109 in combat and 14 pilots killed,

wounded or missing.

After moving west in late August 1943, JG 3

was supplemented with a large group of novices, but its core was still a strong group

of experienced veterans. The transition to

combat with American bombers and their

fighter escorts was no easy task. Brändle’s

unit scored more than thirty kills during

September and October, but lost 22 pilots

with 17 Bf 109s shot down, while another 20

were written off due to crashes. However,

the worst was yet to come.

On November 3, 1943, American heavy bombers made a raid on Wilhelmshafen, accompanied by one Fighter Group with P-38s and

seven others armed with P-47s. Germans

were only able to send 139 fighters due to

bad weather. Brändle’s II./JG 3 took off from

Schiphol and in a 30-minute battle with P-47s

of 4th Fighter Group under the command of

Lt. Col. Blakeslee claimed four victories. Two

P-47s were lost and Brändle scored his 171st

and 172nd victories in the process.

However, the situation was reversed in

the afternoon when Schiphol airfield was

January 2023

attacked by 64 B-26 Marauders. The first

box of Marauders flew under the protection

of Coltishall Wing and the second box was

protected by Spitfires of the Canadian Digby

Wing, commanded by W/Cdr Lloyd W. Chadburn. Brändle’s unit was ordered to make an

emergency take-off at 15.40, but alarm came

late as bombs began to fall on the airfield as

the last of the 109s were taking-off. Brändle

didn’t have time to organize his unit against

the attacking formation. The fighter escort

faced about fifteen 109s, which were scattered in flights of two to four fighters. Spitfires

attacked them immediately.

The first kill was recorded by F/O A. Bradshaw of No. 129 Sq at 15:56 over Zandvoort,

on the coast. Canadian No. 416 Sqn. fought

the 109s in a wild dogfight at 1,000 feet over

the same town. At 16.00 one fighter was shot

down by F/Lt D. E. Noonan over the town´s

centre. His victim was apparently Fw. Walter Stienhans of 6./JG 3, whose machine

crashed into the town and the pilot was

killed.

On the outskirts of Zandvoort one Bf 109 each

were claimed by F/Lt R. D. Booth, F/O W. H.

Jacobs and F/Lt A. H. Sager. Noonan and

Sager together shot down one more. There

was probably some overclaiming, because

only Gefr. Hans Hahn, also of 6./JG 3, crashed

on the outskirts of the town and perished.

A member of this Staffel, Fw. Walter Stienhans, shot down Jacobs, who was last seen

with black smoke coming from his Spitfire and did not survive. Over Schiphol one

Bf 109 was shot down by S/Ldr M.G.L.M

Donnet of No. 64 Sq. This may have been

the machine that crashed at Hoofdorp and

its pilot escaped unhurt. Two other Messerschmitts made emergency landings at Schiphol, one with combat damage, the other due

to pilot error.

Over the sea off Ijmuiden, W/C Chadburn hit

another Bf 109, whose pilot bailed out.

F/Lt John D. Mitchner of No. 402 Sq RCAF

first pursued one fighter whose pilot bailed

out before the Canadian could open fire. He

then sent down another machine, burning,

whose pilot also bailed out. This moment is

captured by Piotr Forkasiewicz in the painting of this boxart story.

Chadburn claimed another Bf 109, whose

pilot also bailed out from burning machine.

The final success was achieved by S/Ldr

G. W. Northcott of No. 402 Sq RCAF, who hit

a Bf 109 which caught fire and disintegrated.

Northcott mistakenly thought his wingman's

machine was on fire. However, his wingman

flew unhurt through the explosion and lost

contact with his leader. This situation was

recreated by Piotr Forkasiewicz on the boxart of the previously released 1/48 scale kit Spitfire Mk. Vb late. The five victories

listed above correspond to the three losses

that occurred over the sea. Major Brändle,

Lt. Horst Brock of 6./JG 3 and Uffz. Horst Kirschner of 4./JG 3 did not survive. The

crushing defeat of II./JG 3 became one of the

most successful actions in the history of the

Royal Canadian Air Force.

INFO Eduard

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