Beginning in Africa
Text: Jan Bobek
Illustration: Adam Tooby
Cat. No. 82165
At the end of October 1942, I. and III./JG 77 "Herz As," equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2s, relocated from Sicily to the North African battlefield. The I. Gruppe was commanded by the well-known Maj. Heinz Bär, while Maj. Kurt Ubben led the III. Gruppe. Their mission was to engage in the ongoing battles at El Alamein as soon as possible. Bär's unit commenced combat flights on October 28 from the Bir-el-Abd base. Aircraft maintenance for I./JG 77 was initially managed by personnel from the legendary I./JG 27, the unit where the renowned Hans-Joachim Marseille had tragically died two months earlier. Meanwhile, I./JG 77’s own ground crew was still en route from Sicily. However, the first I./JG 77 planes to be damaged or destroyed were not due to enemy action but rather the treacherous desert surface of the airfield. The two Jagdgruppen initially operated together, and in the following days, engagements with enemy fighter groups, often consisting of several dozen aircraft, became common.
One of I./JG 77's first victories in Africa was achieved on November 1, 1942, by Uffz. Horst Schlick, who had seven kills at the time. That morning, thirty Stuka dive-bombers from StG 3 were heading toward the front, escorted by ten MC.202s from 23° Gruppo Caccia, nineteen Bf 109s from I./JG 27 and II./JG 27, and seven Bf 109s from I./JG 77. Among the latter group were Horst Schlick and Maj. Bär's adjutant, Lt. "Mac" Berres.
Over the front, at 8:15 German time and at an altitude of 3,500 meters, a dogfight ensued with twenty Curtiss P-40s from No. 112 Sq RAF and the 66th FS, 57th FG. The Allied pilots reported successfully forcing the Stukas to drop their bombs prematurely, claiming 7-6-2 bomber victories. The Germans lost five Stukas, and the bombs appear to have landed in the Axis troop area.
The Italian pilots did not claim any victories, but their German colleagues reported shooting down one Spitfire and three P-40s. Berres claimed one Curtiss, marking his 19th victory, while Schlick scored his eighth kill. According to Schlick, both P-40s force-landed in Axis-held territory, trailing thick smoke for quite some time.
It was likely two aircraft from No. 112 Sq RAF that did not return from combat. Sgt. R. De Bourke, injured during the battle, made an emergency landing with a Kittyhawk III (FR 264), designated "W." He had managed to shoot down two Stukas during the engagement. His plane was later salvaged and repaired. The other aircraft lost was a Kittyhawk III (FR 289), designated "Z." Its pilot, WO J. B. Agnew, landed on the battlefield but successfully made his way back to Allied lines. Before being shot down, Agnew had confirmed one Stuka kill, claimed another as probable, and damaged two others. The conclusion of these battles is depicted in Adam Tooby's box art, which features De Bourke's aircraft alongside Schlick's, though Agnew also could have been his victim.
For Schlick, however, the following days took an unexpected turn. On November 2, near his own base, he collided with an enemy aircraft during a dogfight. Although he managed to bail out, upon his return to the unit the next day, he was severely reprimanded by Heinz Bär. Schlick's Gruppenkommandeur had observed the aerial encounter through binoculars and was displeased with the twenty-one-year-old NCO's reckless attack maneuver. Since the enemy aircraft crashed over German territory, this P-40 was confirmed as Schlick's ninth victory.
Schlick's plane, "White 3," which he used on November 1 to achieve his first aerial victory in Africa, remained at the Bir-el-Abd base until it was captured by the Allies three days later. Allied airmen took souvenir photographs with the brightly colored Messerschmitt, which displayed eight victory markings on its rudder.
Gruppenkommandeur Heinz Bär was among the last members of I./JG 77 to leave African soil, evacuating with his unit to Sicily on May 8, 1943. Between October 25, 1942, and May 13, 1943, JG 77 suffered significant losses, with 55% of its flying personnel lost. III. Gruppe was hit hardest, losing 30 pilots. During the same period, 218 JG 77 aircraft were either completely destroyed or sustained over 60% damage. Despite these losses, the Geschwader shot down 497 enemy aircraft, achieving a kill ratio better than 2:1. Bär's I. Gruppe led in kills, scoring 192 victories under extremely challenging battlefield conditions, a testament not only to Bär's personal skill but also to his charismatic leadership and the experienced airmen he had assembled and trained in his Gruppe.