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BOXART STORY #3003
The box art for this kit, firstly released in
2009, was created by our late friend Martin
Novotný. This painting is one of my favourites
due to its composition, the chosen colors, and
the dynamics Martin infused into it. It captures
the atmosphere of the Battle of Britain as
many of us likely imagine it. The depicted
Messerschmitt belonged to Major Helmut Wick,
Kommodore of JG 2 "Richthofen." His plane
is shown as it appeared in November 1940,
a time when the daily Luftwaffe bomber raids
on England had ceased. While the depicted
situation is not historically accurate, I don't
believe this detracts from the painting's appeal.
When twenty-five-year-old Helmut Wick was
killed in aerial combat on November 28, 1940,
he was the youngest Kommodore and the first
recipient of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
to be killed in action. At the time, Adolf Galland,
commander of JG 26 "Schlageter," was 28 years
old, and Werner Mölders, Kommodore of JG 51,
was only a year younger than Galland. These
three pilots were competing for the top spot in
the number of aerial victories achieved since
September 1939.
A typical Jagdgeschwader at that time had
approximately 120 aircraft and an air and
ground staff of more than 2,000 men. Leading
such a unit was quite a challenge for officers
barely thirty years old. These young airmen
were mostly promoted to Kommodore positions
in the summer of 1940, during a generational
shift in command. They replaced officers who
were sometimes a generation older, many of
whom had seen combat during World War I.
Both Adolf Galland and Werner Mölders
served in the Spanish Civil War. Mölders
achieved 14 aerial victories in Spain and
significantly influenced the methodology of
German fighter deployment before World War
II. Before becoming Kommodore, Galland led
his III/JG 26 to become the best Jagdgruppe for
bomber escort during the Battle of Britain. How
did Wick compare?
He joined the Luftwaffe in early April 1936
and began training for an officer's career at
the Luftkriegsschule Dresden. In July of that
year, he was recommended for future officer
career in an evaluation, but his flight training
was rated as mediocre, and he performed
below average in theoretical instruction.
Consequently, he did not complete the course.
In May 1937, he was assigned to bomber unit
II./KG 254 (later II./KG 55 "Greif"), but after only
a month, he was sent back to school in Dresden.
He was unable to complete the second course
either and only successfully completed the
course on his third attempt in the summer of
1938. He then underwent six weeks of training
on fighter aircraft at the Jagdfliegerschule
Werneuchen, where he was highly rated for
his marksmanship and his daring approach to
conducting mock attacks.
Finally, he was assigned to a fighter unit, I./JG
333 (later I./JG 54 "Grünherz"), which rearmed
from Arado Ar 68 biplanes to Bf 109 Ds during
the autumn of 1938 and participated in the
occupation of the Czechoslovakian border area.
Helmut Wick was promoted to the rank of
Leutnant in November 1938, and on January
1, 1939, he became a member of JG 133, which
was redesignated JG 53 "Pik As" in May 1939.
He was assigned to the 1st Staffel, which
the legendary Werner Mölders became
commander in March. Wick later recalled
with great respect the knowledge imparted
to him over several months by both Mölders
and I. Gruppe commander Hptm. Lothar von
Janson. When the Gruppenkommandeur
completed Wick's assessment on August 31,
1939, he recommended him for service with
I./JG 2 "Richthofen." According to the evaluation,
during his eight months with I./JG 53, Wick
demonstrated organizational talent and had
no interest in anything other than military
and aviation subjects. He had exceptionally
good eyesight and remained very cool when
practicing aerial combat. Initially, he served
as the technical officer of the 1st Staffel, and
from July 15, he was in charge of training NCO
candidates.
His career with JG 2 is fairly well known.
After a year of service in the 3. Staffel, during
which he achieved 22 victories and became
its commander, he was appointed head of the
I. Gruppe in September 1940. Six weeks later,
on October 20, he took command of the entire
JG 2. The young Kommodore, however, was
very focused on his personal score at a time
when the Luftwaffe was pulling back from
major daily operations against Great Britain.
He himself described it as a compulsive, even
obsessive, desire to engage the enemy, which
likely contributed to his death.
Text: Jan Bobek
Illustration: Martin Novotný
The Youngest Kommodore
INFO Eduard32
August 2024