From giants to dwarves
Text: Jan Bobek
Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz
Cat. No. 70162
The year 1944 presented the Luftwaffe with numerous challenges that put the once-powerful air force under significant pressure. Particularly in Western Europe the deteriorating situation accelerated further during the fighting over France following the Normandy landings. The Germans were forced entirely onto the defensive in aerial combat, and their ability to strike targets deep behind enemy lines became very limited, whether on the Eastern Front, in Western Europe, or in the Mediterranean.
During 1944, the Luftwaffe high command decided to reorganize several bomber units or heavy fighter units (Zerstörer) into fighter units equipped with single-engine aircraft. This task was thus assigned to KG 1 "Hindenburg."
From 1941 onward, KG 1 operated primarily on the Eastern Front, equipped for several years with twin-engine Junkers Ju 88 A bombers. Starting in 1943, however, its four Gruppen gradually began rearming with four-engine Heinkel He 177 "Greif" bombers. Successful deployment of this unusual aircraft was complicated by numerous technical issues and a shortage of both ground and air personnel.
When the He 177s could be deployed on the Eastern Front, their high cruising altitude made them difficult for the Soviets to threaten. In one raid, KG 1 managed to send nearly ninety aircraft in a bombing formation, but this was an isolated success. Due to conceptual mistakes made in the prewar years, the Luftwaffe simply lacked a sufficient number of strategic bombers and escort fighters.
In August 1944, Stab KG 1 was transformed into Stab JG 7, II./KG 1 became I./JG 7, and III./KG 1 was redesignated as II./JG 7, while I. and IV./KG 1 were disbanded. Readers likely associate JG 7 with jet aircraft Me 262. At the time of its formation, however, JG 7 was intended to be equipped with Bf 109s, and in the case of II./JG 7, with Fw 190s.
The first commander of II./JG 7 was Maj. Manfred von Cossart, who had flown combat missions with KG 1 since 1940 and had commanded I./KG 1 since February 1944. In September 1944, he was transferred from the operational training unit Erg. JGr. Ost and returned to JG 7 in November.
Who took command of II./JG 7 after him remains unknown, but the unit was not operational, as it had not received any Fw 190s and thus could not begin combat training. At the end of November, Hptm. Wilfried Schmitz became the next commander of II./JG 7. Until the autumn of 1943, he had served with I./KG 4 on the Eastern Front. For his service, he received the Knight’s Cross, and in October 1943, he became commander of 2./KG 100 in Western Europe, operating He 177 bombers.
From May 1944, Hptm. Schmitz underwent retraining on single-seat fighter aircraft, and when he took command of II./JG 7 in November 1944, two simultaneous changes occurred. The unit was redesignated as IV./JG 301, and instead of Fw 190 A aircraft, it was to be equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-14 and G-10 variants. However, the first ten G-14 aircraft were not delivered until December, meaning that this Jagdgruppe did not see any combat action in 1944.
Schmitz’s unit became part of JG 301, which had previously participated in the Wilde Sau operations. By 1944, however, it was fighting as a daytime fighter Geschwader, and due to unsatisfactory performance against overwhelming numbers of American bombers and fighters, it, along with JG 300, became the target of criticism from Hitler. As a result, both units were deployed to the Eastern Front at the end of January.
The first two IV./JG 301 aircraft fell victim to Soviet flak on February 4, 1945, and one of the pilots killed was Hptm. Schmitz, who had flown over 350 combat missions. During their deployment on the Eastern Front, IV./JG 301 lost several more aircraft, all due to flak.
During its roughly month-long deployment against the Soviets, IV./JG 301, under Luftflotte Reich, also took part in one sortie against American bombers on February 14, 1945. The unit lost one aircraft and had one pilot wounded during that engagement.
The second clash with the Americans occurred on March 2 during the defense against a raid on German refineries. In this action, JG 300 and JG 301 faced five fighter groups equipped with P-51 Mustangs and suffered heavy losses. Not only did IV./JG 301 fail to achieve a single victory, but it lost 15 aircraft, with another 5 damaged, 8 pilots killed, and 5 wounded. Among those who lost their lives was the commander of 13. Staffel, Oblt. Johann Patek. Aircraft from his Staffel are depicted on Piotr Forkasiewicz’s box art.
Following this debacle, IV./JG 301 was disbanded on March 19, 1945. The remaining parts of JG 301 continued combat operations until the end of the war.