Strana 49
Oblt. Wolfgang Kosse, 1./JG 5, Herdla, Norway, October 1942
WNr. 2259, Oblt. Günther Josten, 1./JG 51, Lyuban, the Soviet Union, autumn 1942
Wolfgang Kosse was born on September 27,
1918, in Berlin. In May 1940, he was assigned to
6./JG 26 and was appointed as the CO of
5./JG 26 in August of the same year. Within the
ranks of JG 26, he achieved a total of 11 victories,
including a Spitfire from the Tangmere Wing,
which might have been piloted by Douglas
Bader. From May 1942, Kosse served as the CO of
1./JG 5 in Norway. At the end of 1943, he was
stripped of his command due to an aerial
indiscipline and aircraft damage and was
demoted from the rank of Hauptmann to Flieger.
In early 1944, he volunteered for Sturmstaffel 1
flying Fw 190As. In June 1944, holding the rank of
Oberleutnant, he became the CO of 5./JG 5 flying
Bf 109s in France. In August, he was transferred
to IV.(Sturm)/JG 3, equipped with heavily
armored Fw 190As. He was assigned to its 14
Staffel, which was formed from Sturmstaffel 1.
In October, he was appointed CO of 13.(Sturm)/
JG 3 and regained the rank of Hauptmann.
Kosse was killed in action on December 24,
1944, during a dogfight with RAF fighters near
Liège, Belgium. Some sources state he scored
28 victories. His personal aircraft, featuring
camouflage in RLM 74, 75, and 76 with yellow
quick-identification elements for the Western
Front, bore an emblem on its nose depicting
a monkey sitting on a circular saw, holding
a top hat with a British flag.
Eighteen-year-old Günther Josten joined the
ranks of the Luftwaffe in January 1940 and
began fighter pilot training with JGr. Drontheim
in Norway in November 1941. At the end of
August 1942, he was transferred to 3./JG 51 on
the Eastern Front, achieving his first victory on
February 23, 1943. A year later, after achieving
84 victories, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross.
He became the commander of 3./JG 51 on July
18, 1944, and two days later scored his 100th
victory. After achieving 161 aerial victories, out
of a total of 178, he was awarded the Oak Leaves
to the Knight’s Cross on March 28, 1945. During
the last two weeks of the war, he led IV./JG 51.
He joined the Bundesluftwaffe on April 4, 1956,
and in 1962 was appointed commander of
JG 71. Josten retired on March 31, 1981, with the
rank of Oberst as deputy commander of the
4 Luftwaffe Division. He passed away on July
7, 2004. His brother, Reinhard, serving with
I./JG 51, was killed in action on April 21, 1942.
Günther Josten’s aircraft was painted with
non-standard camouflage consisting of two
shades of dark green, complemented by yellow
markings, i.e., yellow tips on the lower half of
the wing and a yellow fuselage band, both
quick-identification elements for the Eastern
Front. The engine cowling displayed the emblem
of JG 51, while the windshield frame bore the
emblem of I./JG 51.
KITS 02/2025
INFO Eduard
49
February 2025