BOXART STORY

#7470

Back in Russia

Jagdgeschwader 26 “Schlageter” is best

known for its deployment in Western Europe,

which lasted continuously from September

1939 until the end of the war. However, in

1941 its 7th Staffel was deployed for several

months in the Balkans, Sicily and Africa.

In August 1942, a specialized high-altitude

11./JG 26 was established in France, but in

November it was transferred to Italy, then

Sicily, and subsequently became involved in

fighting in North Africa. In early 1943 it was

incorporated into II./JG 51.

The largest part of JG 26 to separate

from its parent unit was the contingent that

arrived in Russia in early 1943. This was again

the 7./JG 26 under the command of Hat. Klaus

Mietusch and I./JG 26 led by Maj. Johannes

Seifert consisting of a Stab and three

Staffeln. Their Fw 190 As were then a novelty

on the Eastern Front. JG 26 was backed up

by JG 54 “Grünherz”, which was familiarizing

itself with the Focke-Wulfs at this time.

Mietusch with his 7./JG 26 joined I./JG 54

on the Leningrad front. As a replacement,

4./JG 54 moved to France and continued on

the Bf 109 G type. Seifert's I./JG 26 began

operating from the Relbitsy base west of

Lake Ilmen in early February 1943. Technical

support was provided by ground personnel of

III./JG 54, whose pilots, without their Bf 109 Gs,

moved to Western Europe as well.

In mid-February 1943, I./JG 26 performed

attacks against Soviet infantry massing

around Lake Ilmen. The pilots completed

up to ten sorties a day over several days,

July 2023

and the enemy troops eventually withdrew.

Seifert´s I./JG 26 first encountered Soviet

aircraft on 16 February west of Demyansk.

Airmen from Stab and 1./JG 26 claimed eleven

Il-2s without loss of their own.

The first encounter with the Soviet fighters

showed that after two years of fighting these

had learned a lot and handled well both their

new domestically produced aircraft as their

machines delivered under Lend-Lease. The

battle occurred on 17 February south of Lake

Ilmen. I./JG 26s clashed with a formation of

Il-2s with fighter escort identified as Yaks

and P-40s. The fighter escort prevented

the loss of the bombers, one of the German

pilots crashed into the ground during the

engagement, another was shot down by

a fighter, and the third pilot was shot down by

flak. Four more Fw 190s sustained damage,

one of which was so severe that the machine

had to be written off. Pilots from I./JG 26

reported three Curtiss P-40s shot down.

The climatic and combat conditions on this

battlefield were very different from what the

Schlagetergeschwader airmen knew from

their time in France. Air battles were usually

fought at lower altitudes and in smaller

formations. Fighting often occurred over

the front area, where Soviet anti-aircraft

artillery was also a tough opponent. One of

the airmen who had experience with this

battlefield was the commander of 3./JG 26

Hptm. Rolf Hermichen. At the beginning of

the war he served as a Bf 110 pilot in 6./ZG 1,

which was later redesignated 9./ZG 76 and

Text: Jan Bobek

Illustration: Antonis Karydis

then 6./SKG 210. He achieved four victories in

the Battle of France and added three more

during the Battle of Britain. Before the attack

on the Soviet Union, he scored one more

victory in Norway. In the fighting in the East

he performed many strafing attacks and also

achieved his last three victories in the Bf 110,

shooting down a Pe-2 bomber and two Yak-1s.

In 1942 he was appointed commander

of 3./JG 26.

Photographs of JG 26's deployments to the

Eastern Front are very rare and a number of

them relating to Hermichen were published

by the late Jerry Crandall in his book Fighters

of the Iron Cross. Hermichen scored his 22nd

victory after returning to the Eastern Front on

February 18, 1943, in a dogfight with a LaGG3 fighter pilot, while fighting a formation

of Il-2s. For the illustration, rendered on

a boxart by Antonis Karydis, we have selected

Hermichen’s duel with Pe-2 bombers, which

took place on March 7 south of Lake Ilmen.

He claimed two victories and apparently

clashed with several crews from 46. BAP,

which conducted a free search for targets in

German-occupied territory. The only casualty

was the crew of Lt. Georgiy G. Reshetnikov,

who remains missing together with his

navigator Ml. lt. Mikhail I. Nakonechnyuk and

gunner Serzh. Grigory F. Silenok.

INFO Eduard

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