BOXART STORY

#70155

The Magic Hundred

With 158 victories, he became the most

successful German fighter pilot fighting

against the Western Allies. Marseille had

versatile skills in both piloting and gunnery.

He did not hesitate to manoeuvre at low speed

in enemy formation and to perform deflection

shooting. He often scored several kills in

one day. The question remains, of course,

how successful a fighter Marseille actually

was. Researchers Dan Case and Nick Hector

conclude that 135 kills can be documented

out of the Marseille´s total of 158 officially

certified and five unconfirmed victories.

Marseille thus has an 82.8 % accuracy rate

for his claimed victories.

From the end of May 1942 and in the first

half of June his unit, I./JG 27, was deployed

in support of ground forces during the Battle

of Gazala. Its pilots also escorted bombers

over Crete and after the fall of Tobruk, the

operations concentrated on the fight for

the air base of Gambut. June 1942 was an

important month in the young fighter pilot's

career. He was appointed commander of

the 3rd Staffel and as he increased his

score, the magic mark of 100 aerial victories

approached. He surpassed this milestone on

June 17.

Around noon of that day, a four fighters

flight (Schwarm) of Messerschmitts

Bf 109 under Marseille’s command attacked

a formation estimated by the Germans to be

twenty Curtiss P-40s and ten Hurricanes.

This was fighter escort of Bostons, which

actually consisted of three Kittyhawks from

30

INFO Eduard

No. 250 Sqn RAF and twelve Hurricanes from

No. 73 Sqn RAF. Although outnumbered by

the enemy, the Germans still confidently

threw themselves into the fight. Within

minutes Marseille was battling the allied

fighters while the other three German pilots

covered him. Attacking from above, he hit

his first opponent, then shot down another

while performing an evasive manoeuvre

with RAF fighters behind him. He then

spotted the Hurricanes conducting defensive

circle around their colleague, who deployed

parachute and descended to the ground.

Marseille joined the circling formation and

shot down two more aircraft. After while

he targeted a Hurricane flying at about 100

meters above Gambut airfield and under his

fire the British machine crashed in flames

into an anti-aircraft defence position. The

coveted 100th kill was achieved.

Marseille in this fierce aerial combat

reported as shot down two Curtiss P-40s

and three Hurricanes. In fact, none of the

Curtisses were hit, but four Hurricanes from

No. 73 Sq RAF fell victim to Marseille. Sqn Ldr

D. H. Ward and P/O G. J. Wooley were killed

while Sgt. Goodwin and P/O Stone bailed out,

however, both were wounded. Two of their

colleagues each claimed one damaged Bf 109.

On their return to base, Marseille and

his three colleagues spotted two Spitfires

near Sidi Barrani. These were Mk.IV photo

reconnaissance Spitfires from 2 PRU.

“Jochen” Marseille climbed up to the

unsuspecting pair and with accurate fire sent

Text: Jan Bobek

Illustration: Marek Ryś

F/Lt F. Spicer down, killing him in his machine.

Upon landing, the exhausted Marseille

was immediately withdrawn from combat

operations and flown to Berlin. From the

hands of Adolf Hitler, he received the Swords

to the Knight’s Cross with oak leaves. A Nazi

propaganda machine awaited him, as well

as a visit to the Messerschmitt company in

Augsburg. For the first time, he was able to try

out the new G version of the Messerschmitt

Bf 109. He returned to fighting in Africa at

the end of August 1942. A month later he

was killed when bailing out from a Bf 109

G-2 after its engine caught fire. In November

1942, I./JG 27 was withdrawn to Germany and,

after replenishing losses and resting, was

deployed in January 1943 to fight over France.

This “African” unit fought in Western Europe

until the end of the war.

New Zealander Derek Harland Ward,

DFC & Bar, who may have been Marseille's

100th victim, was a veteran of the Battle of

France and the Battle of Britain. He became

commander of No. 73 Sq RAF in September

1941 and had six victories to his credit. The

fateful 17 June was marked as “tragic” in

the unit diary. On the same day the unit had

to withdraw from Gambut in the face of the

advancing Germans. However, it continued

fighting in North Africa and in December 1942

recorded its 300th air victory.

August 2023