Aces of Jagdgeschwader 3 'Udet' by John Weal

Author:John Weal
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Aces of Jagdgeschwader 3 ‘Udet’
ISBN: 9781780963006
Publisher: Osprey Publishing Ltd

In the aftermath of Stalingrad 88-victory Leutnant Eberhard von Boremski of 7./JG 3 was seconded to serve as a fighter instructor with the Rumanian Air Force. He is shown here (second right) with pilots of a Rumanian Bf 109 squadron

III./JG 3 boasted a pair of even higher scoring Experten at this time, both of whom were Staffelkapitäne. Leutnant Wilhelm Lemke of 9./JG 3 had claimed his century with an La-5 shot down on 16 March. And just over two weeks later, on 1 April, a MiG-3 had been the 80th for Oberleutnant Franz Beyer of 8./JG 3. Shortly thereafter the now Hauptmann Franz Beyer was ordered back to Neubiberg, outside Munich, to become the first Gruppenkommandeur of the newly forming IV./JG 3.

Then, on 5 July 1943, the long-awaited blow finally fell. Hitler launched his Operation Zitadelle, designed to pinch off and eliminate a dangerous Soviet salient thrusting deep into the German front to the west of Kursk. Zitadelle is now famous for developing into the largest tank battle in military history. It also gave JG 3 its most successful day of the entire war.

The War Diary of the German Armed Forces High Command stated, ‘Early on 5 July, Operation Zitadelle commenced according to plan’. III./JG 3’s war diary was much more specific, logging the first of the day’s aerial victories to 8. Staffel’s Leutnant Erwin Stahlberg at 0321 hrs. By its close at around 1900 hrs the pilots of II. and III./JG 3 would, between them, have amassed a staggering 121(!) Soviet aircraft shot down.

With the Geschwaderstab having returned to the Reich back in April, the two Gruppen were operating under the temporary command of JG 52 when they took up station on two fields along the southern flank of the Kursk salient. The incredible number of successes they claimed on 5 July – the vast majority of them Il-2 Shturmoviks and Pe-2 attack bombers – included fifth victories for no fewer than seven brand new aces. The day also witnessed the loss of two existing aces. Both were members of III./JG 3 and both forced-landed behind enemy lines. Unteroffizier Heinz Lüdtke, who had claimed his fifth kill back on 6 May and had added just two more since, ended up in Soviet captivity, while 36-victory Feldwebel Emil Zibler, who was seen to belly-land north of Belgorod after attacking a gaggle of Pe-2s, was posted missing.

At the other end of the scoreboard spectrum II./JG 3’s two foremost Experten both reached the 150 mark on this 5 July. Gruppenkommandeur Major Kurt Brändle and Oberleutnant Joachim Kirschner, the Kapitän of 5. Staffel, started the day with totals of 146 and 148, respectively. Before darkness fell Joachim Kirschner had accounted for eight(!) Il-2s and a single Yak-1. Kurt Brändle’s bag for the day had been a more modest four Il-2s and a single Yak-1. Kirschner’s 150th (the second of his eight Ilyushins) went down shortly after 0330 hrs. Very nearly seven more hours would pass before the third of the Gruppenkommandeur’s four Il-2s took him to 150.

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