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JG53

Name : JG53 Founded : 1937 Country : Germany

Pik-As was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. It operated in Western Europe and in the Mediterranean. Jagdgeschwader 53 - or as it was better known, the "Pik As" (Ace of Spades) Geschwader - was one of the oldest German fighter units of World War II with its origins going back to 1937. JG53 flew the various models of Bf-109 throughout the second world war.

Known Service Details :
Pilot or Aircrew	Rank	Start of Service	End of Service	Known Dates	Aircraft	Airframes	Notes
Helmut Alexander	Feldwebel	unknown	unknown	29th April 1944 08th June 1944
Peter Baer		unknown	unknown
Franz Barten	Oberleutnant	unknown	unknown	08th March 1943
Franz Barten	Oberleutnant	unknown	unknown	12th July 1943 14th April 1944
Wilhelm Crinius	Leutnant	unknown	unknown	09th June 1942 08th January 1943
Fritz Dinger	Oberleutnant	unknown	27th July 1943				Killed in Action
Heinz Golinski		unknown	unknown
Walter Hempling	Leutnant	unknown	13th July 1941		Me109	0005429	Killed in Action
Hubert-Ludwig Pflaum	Stabsgefreiter	unknown	unknown		Me109
Heinz Rahlmeier	Feldwebel	unknown	unknown	10th November 1941	Me109	0007344
Gunther Seeger		unknown	unknown

Pilots and Aircrew for : JG53
A list of all aircrew from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name.
Name	Info
Ahnert, Heinrich-Wilhelm Click the name above to see a profile of Ahnert, Heinrich-Wilhelm    Died : 23 / 8 / 1942	Ahnert, Heinrich-Wilhelm
Alexander, Helmut Click the name above to see a profile of Alexander, Helmut	Alexander, Helmut
Babenz, Emil Click the name above to see a profile of Babenz, Emil	Babenz, Emil
Baer, Peter Click the name above to see a profile of Baer, Peter    Died : 11 / 9 / 1944	Baer, Peter KIA 11 September, 1944 when he collided with a P-51 of 358FS, 355FG, piloted by Capt Walter L. Morgan. Baers 109 crashed near Hattenhausen, while Capt Morgan was also killed when his P-51 crashed nearby. This was Baers first combat mission. He was buried at Höchen-Schwand.
Bahnsen, Jens Click the name above to see a profile of Bahnsen, Jens	Bahnsen, Jens
Balfanz, Wilfried Click the name above to see a profile of Balfanz, Wilfried    Died : 24 / 6 / 1941	Balfanz, Wilfried
Ballewski, Helmut Click the name above to see a profile of Ballewski, Helmut	Ballewski, Helmut Helmut Ballewski was one of the 'younger' generation flyers, not joining the Luftwaffe until November 1942. Posted to JG53 PIK AS he flew all of his 47 missions in the west. With IV./JG53 from January 1945, Helmut Ballewski was Helmut Bennemann's wingman on Operation Bodenplatte. He also flew fighter bomber operations on the Bridge at Remagen operation. He was awarded the Iron Cross.
Barten, Franz Click the name above to see a profile of Barten, Franz    Died : 4 / 8 / 1944	Barten, Franz
Baun, Albrecht Click the name above to see a profile of Baun, Albrecht    Died : 25 / 8 / 1940	Baun, Albrecht
Belser, Helmut Click the name above to see a profile of Belser, Helmut    Died : 19 / 6 / 1942	Belser, Helmut
Bennemann, Helmut Click the name above to see a profile of Bennemann, Helmut    Died : 17 / 11 / 2007	Bennemann, Helmut Helmut Bennemann was born 16th March 1915. During the Battle of Britain Helmut Bennemann was Gruppenadjutant with I./JG52 on the Channel Front. In April 1942 he was Staffelkapitan of 3./JG52 in the east and was appointed Kommandeur of I./JG52 from June 1942 until October 1943. Posted to Italy in November 1943, he was promoted to Kommodore of JG53 (Ace of Spades) in this theatre and in the defence of Germany. He commanded JG53 on Operation Bodenplatte. Helmut Bennemann flew over 400 missions, scoring 92 victories and was awarded the Knight's Cross. He died 17th November 2007.
Boehner, Otto Click the name above to see a profile of Boehner, Otto	Boehner, Otto
Brandle, Kurt Click the name above to see a profile of Brandle, Kurt    Died : 3 / 11 / 1943	Brandle, Kurt Major Kurt-Werner Brändle was born born 19 January 1912 in Ludwigsburg, Württemberg Major Brändle was Killed in action 3 November 1943 west of Amsterdam, Netherlands he was a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Brändle was officially credited with shooting down 180 enemy aircraft in more than 700 combat missions, the majority were claimed on the Eastern front.
Bretnutz, Heinz Click the name above to see a profile of Bretnutz, Heinz    Died : 27 / 6 / 1941	Bretnutz, Heinz
Broennle, Herbert Click the name above to see a profile of Broennle, Herbert    Died : 4 / 7 / 1943	Broennle, Herbert
Claus, Georg Click the name above to see a profile of Claus, Georg	Claus, Georg
Crinius, Wilhelm Click the name above to see a profile of Crinius, Wilhelm    Died : 26 / 4 / 1997	Crinius, Wilhelm
Dinger, Fritz Click the name above to see a profile of Dinger, Fritz    Died : 27 / 7 / 1943	Dinger, Fritz
Ehrenberger, Rudolf Click the name above to see a profile of Ehrenberger, Rudolf	Ehrenberger, Rudolf
Franke, Alfred Click the name above to see a profile of Franke, Alfred    Died : 9 / 9 / 1942	Franke, Alfred
Galubinski, Hans Click the name above to see a profile of Galubinski, Hans	Galubinski, Hans
Gawlick, Franz Click the name above to see a profile of Gawlick, Franz	Gawlick, Franz
Gerlitz, Erich Click the name above to see a profile of Gerlitz, Erich	Gerlitz, Erich
Golinski, Heinz Click the name above to see a profile of Golinski, Heinz    Died : 16 / 10 / 1942	Golinski, Heinz
Gotz, Franz Click the name above to see a profile of Gotz, Franz    Died : 4 / 5 / 1980	Gotz, Franz
Goy, Rudolf Click the name above to see a profile of Goy, Rudolf	Goy, Rudolf
Grislawski, Alfred Click the name above to see a profile of Grislawski, Alfred    Died : 19 / 9 / 2003	Grislawski, Alfred Alfred Grislawski joined 9./JG52 in 1940, quickly becoming an Ace. An outstanding fighter pilot, his air victories were 133 in over 800 combat missions until he was severely wounded. he was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. Died 19th September 2003.
Grunberg, Hans Click the name above to see a profile of Grunberg, Hans    Died : 16 / 1 / 1998	Grunberg, Hans
Hahn, Hans von Click the name above to see a profile of Hahn, Hans von	Hahn, Hans von
Harder, Harro Click the name above to see a profile of Harder, Harro    Died : 12 / 8 / 1940	Harder, Harro
Harder, Jurgen Click the name above to see a profile of Harder, Jurgen    Died : 17 / 2 / 1945	Harder, Jurgen
Höhnisch, Heinrich Click the name above to see a profile of Höhnisch, Heinrich	Höhnisch, Heinrich
Heinecke, Hans-Joachim Click the name above to see a profile of Heinecke, Hans-Joachim	Heinecke, Hans-Joachim
Hempling, Walter Click the name above to see a profile of Hempling, Walter    Died : 13 / 7 / 1941	Hempling, Walter Killed on 13th July 1941 when his Me109F-2 0005429 of JG53 suffered engine failure and crashed 5 kilometres south of the island of Suderoog.
Isken, Eduard Click the name above to see a profile of Isken, Eduard	Isken, Eduard
Kaiser, Franz Click the name above to see a profile of Kaiser, Franz	Kaiser, Franz
Kalkum, Adolf Click the name above to see a profile of Kalkum, Adolf	Kalkum, Adolf
Kaminski, Herbert Click the name above to see a profile of Kaminski, Herbert	Kaminski, Herbert
Kauffmann, Werner Click the name above to see a profile of Kauffmann, Werner	Kauffmann, Werner
Klager, Ernst Click the name above to see a profile of Klager, Ernst	Klager, Ernst
Kolb, Karl Click the name above to see a profile of Kolb, Karl    Died : 28 / 2 / 1943	Kolb, Karl
Kornatz, Hans Click the name above to see a profile of Kornatz, Hans	Kornatz, Hans
Koslowski, Eduard Click the name above to see a profile of Koslowski, Eduard    Died : 12 / 2 / 1942	Koslowski, Eduard
Kuhlmann, Erich Click the name above to see a profile of Kuhlmann, Erich	Kuhlmann, Erich
Kunert, Hans Click the name above to see a profile of Kunert, Hans    Died : 8 / 9 / 1940	Kunert, Hans
Kunz, Franz Click the name above to see a profile of Kunz, Franz	Kunz, Franz
Leonhard, Karl Click the name above to see a profile of Leonhard, Karl	Leonhard, Karl
Leschert, Heinrich Click the name above to see a profile of Leschert, Heinrich    Died : 10 / 8 / 1942	Leschert, Heinrich
Lipfert, Helmut Click the name above to see a profile of Lipfert, Helmut    Died : 10 / 8 / 1990	Lipfert, Helmut Helmut Lipfert was born on 6 August 1916 at Lippelsdorf in the Saalfeld region of Thüringen. A former Arbeitdienstführer and Unteroffizier with the Panzerwaffe, Lipfert transferred to the Luftwaffe in 1941 and underwent fighter pilot training. Lipfert was posted to JG 52, based on the Eastern front, on 16 December 1942. On his arrival at Simovniki in Russia, Leutnant Lipfert was assigned to 6./JG 52. He gained his first victory on his 18th combat mission shooting down a Russian LaGG-5 fighter on 30 January 1943. His 10th victory was recorded on 25 June. He achieved his 20th victory on 5 September. During September 1943, Lipfert assumed command of 6./JG 52. On 8 October, he shot down five Russian aircraft to record his 30th through 34th victories. He was to claim 18 victories in October, 21 in November, including his 50th victory on 12 November and his 60th on 27 November, and 16 in December, including four shot down on 5 December (69-72). By the end of 1943 his victory total had reached 80. After his 88th victory on 25 January 1944, he was sent on leave, not returning to the front until the end of March. He was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 5 April. His 100th victory was achieved on 11 April 1944 and his 150th on 24 October 1944. On 15 February 1945, Hauptmann Lipfert was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 53 based in Hungary. He shot down his 200th victim on 8 April 1945. On 17 April 1945 he was awarded the Eichenlaub (Nr 837) for 203 victories. Following the dissolution of I./JG 53, Lipfert was transferred to JG 52, where he was assigned to 7./JG 52 until the end of the war. Post-war Lipfert became a schoolteacher. He died on 10 August 1990. Helmut Lipfert was credited with 203 victories in over 700 missions. All his victories were recorded over the Eastern front and included two four-engine bombers and 39 Il-2 Sturmovik ground-attack aircraft. Additionally, he claimed 27 unconfirmed victories.
Lippert, Wolfgang Click the name above to see a profile of Lippert, Wolfgang    Died : 3 / 12 / 1941	Lippert, Wolfgang
Litjens, Stefan Click the name above to see a profile of Litjens, Stefan	Litjens, Stefan
Maltzahn, Günther Frhr. von Click the name above to see a profile of Maltzahn, Günther Frhr. von    Died : 24 / 6 / 1953	Maltzahn, Günther Frhr. von
Mayer, Hans-Karl Click the name above to see a profile of Mayer, Hans-Karl    Died : 17 / 10 / 1940	Mayer, Hans-Karl
Meimberg, Julius Click the name above to see a profile of Meimberg, Julius    Died : 17 / 1 / 2012	Meimberg, Julius Julius Meimberg joined JG2 Richthofen in December 1939 and during the Battle of France flew as wingman to Assi Hahn. An Ace during the Battle of Britain, Meimberg flew with Wick on the day that he was fatally shot down over the Isle of Wight. In 1944 Meimburg was appointed Gruppenkommandeur II./JG53. He was awarded the Knight's Cross and achieved 53 victories in 600 combat missions. Memories from Julius Meimberg of the day that Helmut Wick was shot down : Late in the afternoon of 28th November 1940, we took off for southern England from Beaumont le Roger for our second mission of the day. Climbing towards the Isle of Wight in bright sunshine, I was leading the 4th Staffel and directly ahead of us was the Staff Schwarm of JG2 Richthofen led by Kommodore Major Helmut Wick, at that time the leading fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe. With him were his wingman Oberleutnant Rudi Pflanz, Oberleutnant Leie and Oberfeldwebel Rudorffer. At about 23,000 ft, we were almost above the Isle of Wight when we spotted vapour trails caused by Spitfires above us at a much greater height. Major Wick led his Staff Schwarm towards them at full throttle, with the result that the Schwarm aircraft pulled apart from each other. Climbing with my Staffel to one side, we were soon drawn into the main battle and the Staffel separated. A single Spitfire turned in front of me and disappeared behing my engine cowling as I fired off my weapons. Apparently undamaged, the aircraft went into a spin and I followed it down, expecting the aircraft to pull out at any time, but it never did. The red glow in the cockpit indicated a possible oxygen tank hit. When we landed, Rudi Pflanz reported that Major Wick had shot down a Spitfire, was then in turn shot down by a second Spitfire, which in turn had been shot down by Pflanz. We were all told that no-one had seen what had happened to Wicks aircraft, which left us hoping for the safety of our Kommodore. We returned later next day, and again the following day, but there was no sign of him. What we had not been told was that Rudorffer had witnessed him go down, a large bullet hole passing through the starboard wing trailing edge, straight through the cockpit and engine block. He felt that Wick was already dead as his aircraft corkscrewed downwards, finally plunging into the sea. After the war, I learned that his conqueror had been Flight Lieutenant John Dundas DFC, himself only seconds later shot down by Pflanz and killed.
Michalski, Gerhard Click the name above to see a profile of Michalski, Gerhard    Died : 22 / 2 / 1946	Michalski, Gerhard
Mix, Erich Click the name above to see a profile of Mix, Erich	Mix, Erich
Molders, Werner Click the name above to see a profile of Molders, Werner    Died : 22 / 11 / 1941	Molders, Werner At the outbreak of WWII Werner Molders was the most successful German fighter pilot, leading 3./JG53, then III.JG53, on the Western Front. As inspirational fighter leader, he was the first Ace to achieve 20 victories, the first awarded the Knights Cross, and commanded JG51 during the Battle of Britain. With 68 victories in the West, he transferred to Russia, and in July 1941 shot down his 101st enemy aircraft, agains as the first to do so. Promoted as the first General of the Fighter Arm, on 22nd November 1941 travelling to the funeral of Ernst Udet, the plane in which he was a passenger crashed and he was killed. Molders had by then achieved 115 victories, and had been awarded the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Diamonds. Signature of Werner Molders on a Hoffmann card.
Muller, Friedrich-Karl Click the name above to see a profile of Muller, Friedrich-Karl    Died : 29 / 5 / 1944	Muller, Friedrich-Karl Oberstleutnant Friedrich-Karl “Tuttiâ€� Müller was born on 25 December 1916 at Berlin-Lichterfelde. At the outbreak of World War 2, Müller was serving with 8./JG 53. By the end of the French campaign, Leutnant Müller had accumulated eight victories, including his first, a French Curtiss Hawk 75 fighter, shot down on 27 May 1940. Müller participated in the Battle of Britain flying with the Stabsstaffel of III./JG 53. He added two RAF fighters to his tally during the aerial battles over England. Müller participated in the invasion of Russia and by the beginning of September 1941, had recorded his 20th victory, a Russian I-61 fighter shot down on 27 August. On 1 November, Müller was appointed Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 53. In spring 1942, Müller led 1./JG 53 to the Mediterranean theatre. Operating from bases in Sicily, Müller claimed three RAF Hurricane fighters shot down over Malta during this period to record his 22nd through 24th victories. In May 1942, I./JG 53 was relocated back to the Eastern front. Müller was particularly successful during this period. In August, Müller claimed 25 victories, including five enemy aircraft shot down on 12 August (47-51). In the period 1 to 19 September, Müller claimed 35 victories, including six Russia Il-2 Sturmovik ground-attack aircraft shot down on 9 September (78-83), five enemy aircraft on 17 September (88-92) and seven on 18 September (93-99). On 19 September, he claimed his 100th and 101st victories resulting in Oberleutnant Müller being awarded the Knight’s cross. He was awarded the Eichenlaub (Nr. 126) on 23 September. On 1 November 1942, Hauptmann Müller was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 53 and led the unit to Tunisia. In the period from 25 November 1942 to 30 April 1943, Müller claimed 12 victories to raise his score to 115. However, he was lucky to escape injury on 25 January 1943, when his Bf 109 G-2 overturned on landing at Bizerte. In early May, he was to claim three further victories over Sicily and southern Italy. Müller, suffering nervous and physical exhaustion, then embarked on a long leave from the front. On 12 February 1944, Major Müller was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of Sturmgruppe IV./JG 3 operating on Reichverteidigung duties. He claimed three USAAF four-engined bombers shot down on 8 March to record his 120th through 122nd victories. On 24 March 1944, Major Müller was appointed Kommodore of JG 3. On 18 April, Müller claimed three USAAF B-17 four-engined bombers shot down. Müller was killed in a landing accident at Salzwedel on 29 May 1944, when his Bf 109 G-6 suddenly stalled at a height of 15m. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Oberstleutnant. “Tuttiâ€� Müller was credited with 140 victories in over 600 missions. He recorded 53 victories over the Western front, including 23 four-engine bombers.
Muller, Fritz Click the name above to see a profile of Muller, Fritz	Muller, Fritz
Muller, Rudolf Click the name above to see a profile of Muller, Rudolf    Died : 0 / 0 / ?	Muller, Rudolf Injured on 1st July 1940 when his Me109E-1 of TrGr186 crashed north of Lake Grasjoen.
Neuhoff, Hermann Click the name above to see a profile of Neuhoff, Hermann	Neuhoff, Hermann Knights Cross winning pilot with a tally of 40 victories in over 450 missions.
Ohly, Hans Click the name above to see a profile of Ohly, Hans	Ohly, Hans
Pausinger, Paul Click the name above to see a profile of Pausinger, Paul	Pausinger, Paul
Pflaum, Hubert-Ludwig Click the name above to see a profile of Pflaum, Hubert-Ludwig	Pflaum, Hubert-Ludwig After joining the Luftwaffe and completing his flight training, he originally flew Heinkel 111 bombers with IV./KG 27 Boelcke. Towards the end of the war, however, he transferred to train as a fighter pilot, and after qualifying joined II./JG53 PikAs where he flew Bf109s with 6 Staffel in the Defence of the Reich.
Pingel, Rolf Click the name above to see a profile of Pingel, Rolf	Pingel, Rolf
Preinfalk, Alexander Click the name above to see a profile of Preinfalk, Alexander    Died : 12 / 12 / 1944	Preinfalk, Alexander
Prestele, Ignaz Click the name above to see a profile of Prestele, Ignaz    Died : 4 / 5 / 1942	Prestele, Ignaz
Quaet-Faslem, Klaus Click the name above to see a profile of Quaet-Faslem, Klaus	Quaet-Faslem, Klaus
Rahlmeier, Heinz Click the name above to see a profile of Rahlmeier, Heinz	Rahlmeier, Heinz Injured on 10th November 1941 when his Me109F-4 0007344 of JG53 was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident at Husum airfield.
Reibel, Ludwig Click the name above to see a profile of Reibel, Ludwig    Died : 20 / 12 / 1942	Reibel, Ludwig
Roehrig, Hans Click the name above to see a profile of Roehrig, Hans    Died : 13 / 7 / 1943	Roehrig, Hans
Rollwage, Herbert Click the name above to see a profile of Rollwage, Herbert    Died : 4 / 1 / 1980	Rollwage, Herbert
Rott, Frank-Werner Click the name above to see a profile of Rott, Frank-Werner	Rott, Frank-Werner
Russ, Otto Click the name above to see a profile of Russ, Otto	Russ, Otto
Schiehs, Franz Click the name above to see a profile of Schiehs, Franz    Died : 2 / 9 / 1943	Schiehs, Franz
Schmidt, Erich Click the name above to see a profile of Schmidt, Erich    Died : 3 / 8 / 1941	Schmidt, Erich
Schramm, Herbert Click the name above to see a profile of Schramm, Herbert	Schramm, Herbert
Schröder, Eduard Click the name above to see a profile of Schröder, Eduard	Schröder, Eduard
Schulte, Hans-Georg Click the name above to see a profile of Schulte, Hans-Georg	Schulte, Hans-Georg
Schultz, Ernst-Albrecht Click the name above to see a profile of Schultz, Ernst-Albrecht	Schultz, Ernst-Albrecht
Seeger, Gunther Click the name above to see a profile of Seeger, Gunther    Died : 26 / 9 / 2013	Seeger, Gunther In February 1940, Gunther Seeger was an Unteroffizier with 3./JG2, scoring his first victory in the early days of the Battle of Britain. he served on the Channel Front until December 1942, including several months with the Geschwaderstabsschwarm. He transferred to the Mediterranean theatre with II./JG2 before joining 6./JG53. In February 1943 he joined 7./JG53 becoming Staffelkapitan in September 1944. Awarded the Knight's Cross, Gunther Seeger scored 56 victories.
Staege, Hermann Click the name above to see a profile of Staege, Hermann    Died : 22 / 1 / 1943	Staege, Hermann
Stoll, Jakob Click the name above to see a profile of Stoll, Jakob    Died : 17 / 9 / 1940	Stoll, Jakob
Stumpf, Werner Click the name above to see a profile of Stumpf, Werner    Died : 13 / 10 / 1942	Stumpf, Werner
Täschner, Rudolf Click the name above to see a profile of Täschner, Rudolf	Täschner, Rudolf
Tonne, Wolfgang Click the name above to see a profile of Tonne, Wolfgang    Died : 20 / 4 / 1943	Tonne, Wolfgang
Unger, Willi Click the name above to see a profile of Unger, Willi    Died : 23 / 6 / 2005	Unger, Willi
Werra, Franz von Click the name above to see a profile of Werra, Franz von    Died : 25 / 10 / 1940	Werra, Franz von
Westphal, Hans-Jurgen Click the name above to see a profile of Westphal, Hans-Jurgen	Westphal, Hans-Jurgen
Wick, Helmut Click the name above to see a profile of Wick, Helmut    Died : 28 / 11 / 1940	Wick, Helmut At the outbreak of war Helmut Wick was an experienced Leutnant with 1./JG53. During the Battle of Britain his meteoric rise and remarkable career saw him promoted Staffelkapitan of 3./JG53 in July 1940, Gruppenkommandeur of 1./JG2 on 7th September, achieve his 40th victory on 6th October, and promoted to Kommodore of JG2 on 20th October. With 56 victories to his credit in a period of intense action on the Western Front, on 28th November 1940 he was shot down over the English Channel, parachuted into the sea, but his body was never recovered. Together with Molders and Galland he had been the most successful Luftwaffe fighter pilot during the autumn of 1940, and had been awarded the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves.
Wilcke, Wolf-Dietrich Click the name above to see a profile of Wilcke, Wolf-Dietrich    Died : 23 / 3 / 1944	Wilcke, Wolf-Dietrich Wolf-Dietrich "Fürst" Wilcke was born 11 March 1913 in Schrimm, Posen, he was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1935 until his death. He was killed in action 23 March 1944 near Schöppenstedt In early 1939, after service in Spain with the Condor Legion, Wilcke was sent back to Germany to serve with III./Jagdgeschwader 53 . He gained his first victory in November 1939 when he claimed a French Potez 637 twin-engined fighter. After the commencement of the Battle of France, on 18 May 1940, Wilcke was shot down by a French Hawk 75 fighter, being captured but released after the fall of France. Wilcke then participated in the Battle of Britain, becoming Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 53 in August 1940. On 12 August, Wilcke's Bf 109 E-4 suffered engine failure, and he bailed out into the sea, being rescued by a Do 18 flying boat. By this time he had recorded some 13 victories. III./JG 53 then took part in Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Soviet Russia. On 22 June 1941, III./JG 53 encountered a formation of I-15bis biplane fighters, Wilcke claiming three of the fighters. He recorded two more victories later that day to take his total to 18. Hauptmann Wilcke was awarded the Knight’s Cross on 6 August 1941 for 25 victories. In December 1941, III./JG 53 were transferred into Sicily to operating over Malta. Wilcke added four Royal Air Force fighters to his score. In May 1942, III./JG 53 switched to North Africa. On 18 May 1942, Wilcke was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 3 operating on the Eastern front, before becoming Kommodore of JG 3 in August. His 100th claim on 6 September led to the Eichenlaub award. Wilcke was heavily involved in the organisation of fighter defence during the Battle of Stalingrad. Based at Pitomnik Airfield he directed day fighter operations over the city. During the intensive summer offensive the Geschwaderstab of JG 3 recorded 137 victories of which Wilcke claimed some 97. In September 1942 Wilcke claimed 32 victories. When Russian forces encircled Stalingrad, the Stab. JG 3 was transferred to Morozovskaya-Öst, outside the pocket in order for Wilcke to direct the escort missions for the transport aircraft supplying the encircled 6th Army. Wilcke became the fourth German fighter pilot to reach 150 victories and was awarded the Schwerten. He then led the unit to Morozovskaya-Süd to escape the advance of the Russian armour. A further move to Tazinskaya on 3 January 1943 ensued before the unit withdrew from the area. During this time the unit claimed 25 victories for the loss in action of two pilots. In March 1943, Wilcke led JG 3 during operations against the Kuban bridgehead before withdrawal to Germany in May 1943, based at Mönchenglagbach. Oberst Wilcke was under instructions not to fly operationally. However, he still flew unofficially through February 1944 and claimed four victories over USAAF B-17 bombers and a single P-51. On 6 March, his Bf 109G-6 was crippled in combat and had to make an emergency landing. On 23 March 1944, Wilcke led JG 3 in an attack on a United States Army Air Forces bomber formation near Braunschweig. During the ensuing combat, Wilcke shot down his last victory, a P-51 Mustang fighter, but was then shot down near Schöppenstedt. He died in the wreckage of his Bf 109 G-6, possibly the victim of notable American aces Captain Don Gentile and Captain John Trevor Godfrey of the 4th Fighter Group. By the time of his death Wilcke had shot down 162 enemy aircraft in 732 combat missions. 137 of his victories were claimed over the Eastern front. Of his 25 victories claimed over the Western front, four were four-engine bombers.
Wurmheller, Josef Click the name above to see a profile of Wurmheller, Josef    Died : 22 / 6 / 1944	Wurmheller, Josef
Zellot, Walter Click the name above to see a profile of Zellot, Walter    Died : 10 / 9 / 1942	Zellot, Walter

Aircraft for : JG53
A list of all aircraft associated with JG53. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name.
Aircraft	Info
Me109 Click the name above to see prints featuring Me109 aircraft. Manufacturer : Messerschmitt Production Began : 1937 Retired : 1945 Number Built : 33984	Me109 Willy Messerschmitt designed the BF109 during the early 1930s. The Bf109 was one of the first all metal monocoque construction fighters with a closed canopy and retractable undercarriage. The engine of the Me109 was a V12 aero engine which was liquid-cooled. The Bf109 first saw operational service during the Spanish Civil War and flew to the end of World War II, during which time it was the backbone of the Luftwaffe fighter squadrons. During the Battle of Britian the Bf109 was used in the role of an escort fighter, a role for which it was not designed for, and it was also used as a fighter bomber. During the last days of May 1940 Robert Stanford-Tuck, the RAF ace, got the chance to fly an Me109 which they had rebuilt after it had crash landed. Stanford-Tuck found out that the Me109 was a wonderful little plane, it was slightly faster than the Spitfire, but lacked the Spitfire manoeuvrability. By testing the Me109, Tuck could put himself inside the Me109 when fighting them, knowing its weak and strong points. With the introduction of the improved Bf109F in the spring of 1941, the type again proved to be an effective fighter during the invasion of Yugoslavia and during the Battle of Crete and the invasion of Russia and it was used during the Siege of the Mediteranean island of Malta. The Bf109 was the main fighter for the Luftwaffe until 1942 when the Fw190 entered service and shared this position, and was partially replaced in Western Europe, but the Me109 continued to serve on the Eastern Front and during the defence of the Reich against the allied bombers. It was also used to good effect in the Mediterranean and North Africa in support of The Africa Korps. The Me109 was also supplied to several German allies, including Finland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovakia. The Bf109 scored more kills than any other fighter of any country during the war and was built in greater numbers with a total of over 31,000 aircraft being built. The Bf109 was flown by the three top German aces of the war war. Erich Hartmann with 352 victories, Gerhard Barkhorn with 301 victories and Gunther Rall with 275 kills. Bf109 pilots were credited with the destruction of 100 or more enemy aircraft. Thirteen Luftwaffe Aces scored more than 200 kills. Altogether this group of pilots were credited with a total of nearly 15,000 kills, of which the Messerschmitt Bf109 was credited with over 10,000 of these victories. The Bf109 was the most produced warplane during World War II, with 30,573 examples built during the war, and the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 units produced up to April 1945. Bf109s remained in foreign service for many years after World War II. The Swiss used their Bf109Gs well into the 1950s. The Finnish Air Force did not retire their Bf109Gs until March 1954. Romania used its Bf109s until 1955. The Spanish Hispanos flew even longer. Some were still in service in the late 1960s.