Page 56
BOXART STORY #84201
Throughout most of its existence,
Jagdgeschwader 5 operated over various
regions of northern Europe. Its Stab, I., II.,
and III. Gruppe equipped with Bf 109E, F and
Gs based in northern Finland, fought mostly
against elements of the Soviet air force in the
area of Murmansk. It’s IV. Gruppe operated mostly
from bases in Norway and often against aircraft
of the RAF and on occasion with the Fleet Air Arm.
Besides the aforementioned Jagdgruppen under
JG 5, there were also two other autonomous
Staffeln with twin-engined Messerschmitt Bf 110
and Fw 190A fighter-bombers.
Jagdgeschwader 5 was quickly nicknamed
‘Eismeer’, (meaning ‘Ice Sea’), an obvious
reference to their theatre of operations. Their
most successful period was through 1942 and
1943 while operating against the Soviets. The
number of kills attained by JG 5 pilots was
apparently in the neighbourhood of 2700 (though
some sources put the number as high as 3200).
Among JG 5's top fighter pilots were two airmen
who achieved over 200 victories during their time
with the unit. These were Theo Weissenberger,
who achieved a total of 208 victories, and
Heinrich Ehrler, whose score stood at 204 kills.
Aerial combat in this part of Europe was
challenging not only because of the climatic
conditions but also due to other factors, such as
the position of the sun during the Polar Day, when
the sun does not set and can be seen just above
the northern horizon at night. If aerial combat
took place over the sea, an aviator's prospects
for rescue in the event of a surface landing were
poor, even during the summer months.
This box art by Antonis Karydis depicts
part of an aerial encounter that took place on
July 20, 1943, at 10:30 pm near Vardø, Norway.
Hptm. Heinrich Ehrler played a key role in this
engagement, for which he was awarded the Oak
Leaf Cluster to the Knight's Cross.
A German convoy was sailing near Vardø, and
the Soviets attempted to attack the vessels
several times throughout the day. The last raid
was carried out by eight Shturmoviks from the
46th ShAP based at Vaenga airfield. The first
four were led by regimental commander Maj.
Mikhailov, and the second group was led by
Capt. Kalichev. The escort for the first group
was provided by Airacobras from the 255th
IAP SF, and the second group was protected
by Hurricanes from the 78th IAP. The Soviet
formation took off at 22:36 Soviet time, but one
of the Shturmoviks had to turn back due to
engine problems. Mikhailov's formation attacked
the German vessels at 23:28 and reported two
hits. Kalichev's group, reduced to three aircraft,
attacked artillery positions on the Norwegian
coast near Kiberg.
At that moment, enemy pilots flying
Messerschmitt Bf 109 Gs from II./JG 5, who had
taken off from nearby Kirkenes, were already in
the target area. The Soviet fighters claimed to
have downed five aircraft, which they identified
as Fw 190s, but the Germans appear to have
suffered no losses in this engagement. Three
Hurricanes were shot down in the battle, and
none of the pilots survived. Another Hurricane
crashed during the return. In this engagement,
Ehrler, as commander of 6./JG 5, claimed two
Hurricanes as his 111th and 112th victories. Some
Hurricanes, possibly as many as five, were
claimed by other airmen of II./JG 5.
Ehrler took command of III./JG 5 in 1943 and
became Kommodore of the entire JG 5 in mid-
1944. However, his career was ruined by the
RAF raid on the battleship Tirpitz on November
12, 1944. Mistakes and misunderstandings on
the part of command of both the Kriegsmarine
and aerial ops resulted in JG 5 not being told
where the ship was or where the bombers were!
The end result is well known, but JG 5 CO, Ehrler,
was brought before a court, and the sentence
of the classic show trial, three years’ detention,
was reported by the BBC a day before it was
published, no less!
Thanks to the activities of Ehrler’s subordinates,
it became possible for Hitler to step in and have
the sentence reduced to three months. At the
same time, Ehrler was allowed to return to
the front. Theo Weissenberger took him under
his protective wing to JG 7, equipped with the
Me 262. With this unit, Ehrler died in combat in
April, 1945. According to witnesses who heard his
final words, his death was the result of a suicide
ramming attack of an American B-24 Liberator.
The majority of the responsibility for the chaos
during the defence of the Tirpitz lies on the
shoulders of the command of air operations in
Norway, who was no other than Generalleutnant
Eduard Ritter von Schleich, a veteran of the First
World War and good friend of Goering’s. Three
days after the sinking of the Tirpitz, Goering
quietly moved him behind the scenes.
Text: Jan Bobek
Illustration: Antonis Karydis
Ice Sea
INFO Eduard56
July 2024