Strana 37
#70162
BOXART STORY
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.
Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz
From giants to dwarves
Text: Jan Bobek
INFO Eduard
37
August 2025