| Jagdverband 44 | |
|---|---|
JV 44 |
|
| Active | March 1945 – May 1945 |
| Country | Germany |
| Branch | Luftwaffe |
| Type | Fighter Aircraft |
| Role | Bomber attack |
| Nickname | Der Galland Zirkus (The Galland Circus); Die Jet Experten (The Jet Aces) |
| Fighter Aircraft | Me 262 |
| Engagements | Defense of the Reich |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Adolf Galland Heinz Bär |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Me 262, Fw 190 |
Jagdverband 44 (JV 44) was a special fighter unit of top German fighter ace pilots in the Luftwaffe during the last months of World War II. The main aircraft used by the unit was the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. They were known by various nicknames, including "Der Galland-Zirkus" (The Galland Circus).
The commander of JV 44 was General Adolf Galland (103 victories) the former General der Jagdflieger (General of Fighter pilots) who had recently been sacked from his command by Hermann Göring for relentlessly criticizing the operational policies, strategic doctrine, and tactics mandated by the Luftwaffe High Command. It was hoped by Galland's superiors that his return to combat-flying in a front-line command would result in his death in action! JV 44 was composed of highly experienced pilots chosen from Galland's former staff or otherwise recruited from units which had been disbanded or were being re-equipped. It had relatively few operational planes available for any single sortie and was repeatedly forced to relocate due to the approach of Allied ground forces. At war's end the unit was disbanded and its brief history came to an end.
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If measured by the accumulated victories of its pilots the Jagdverband 44 (literally "hunting formation") was the most elite fighter squadron in the history of military aviation. The unit was established in February 1945 as a jet fighter squadron; its flying personnel were made up exclusively of high-scoring aces or Experten—the unit's top five aces alone had more than 1,000 combined victories. The unit had some fifty pilots and 25 Me 262 jets, although no more than six of the latter were operational at any one given time.
Early in the war, some efforts were made to convert the Me 262 fighter into a fast tactical bomber. Before D-Day this plan was supported by the High Command within the German government. In late 1944 German industry was struggling to produce enough Me 262's as fighters for defense against the constantly growing Allied bomber formations. The Me 262's superior speed (about 800–860 km/h or 500-550 mph) relative to piston-engined aircraft meant sorties could be scrambled quickly to defend factories and other targets throughout Germany.
JV-44 was responsible for defending southern areas of the Reich, especially around the cities of Stuttgart, Ulm, München and parts of current-day Austria including Innsbruck and Salzburg.
Because of the greater length of runway it required, and the slow acceleration it had at low speeds, the Me 262 was especially vulnerable during take-off and landing. Galland thus established his own protection squadron, the Platzschutzstaffel (Airfield protection squadron), headed by Lieutenant Heinz Sachsenberg, to provide air cover for takeoffs and landings.
The Platzschutzstaffel flew the long-nosed 'Dora', Fw-190 D-9, or Fw-190 D-11 variant of the well-known Fw 190. These aircraft were painted bright red on their wings' undersurfaces with contrasting white stripes so anti-aircraft batteries could distinguish them from Allied piston-engined aircraft, leading to their humorous postwar nickname of the Papagei Staffel (Parrot squadron). The Staffel was nicknamed "Die Würger-Staffel", a play on the common nickname for the BMW 801 radial-engined original A-version of the Fw 190, which was Würger or Butcher-bird.
The unit was on the move constantly as the Allied ground forces advanced, including short stays at Munich-Riem, Salzburg-Maxglan, Ainring (Platzschutz) and Innsbruck, eventually surrendering at the very end of the war. Nearly all the aircraft were destroyed by the end of the war, including some which were deliberately blown up as Allied troops advanced. A number of aircraft survived the war and were tested extensively by the United States to learn about the Me 262's capabilities.
Surviving records suggest the unit shot down approximately 47 Allied aircraft during April/May 1945. Oberstleutnant Heinz Bär was the unit top claimant with 16 kills, while Hauptmann Georg-Peter Eder claimed at least 12. Galland himself claimed 7 kills before being wounded in action.
On April 26, 1945 Adolf Galland was shot down and was wounded in the knee in the process. Temporary command of the unit was then given to Bär. Whilst in hospital Galland devised a plan to prevent the JV 44 pilots and aircraft from falling into Russian hands or being accidentally destroyed by approaching Allied ground troops. He discharged himself from hospital on or about April 30 and set up his headquarters in the town of Tegernsee. He was still in contact with Heinz Bär and had obtained an Fi 156 "Storch" liaison plane. Early on May 1 Galland drafted a note in German with the intention of forwarding the note to General Eisenhower. He requested a special surrender be given to JV 44. Two aides flew the Fi 156 across enemy lines, landing at Schleißheim. The two aides, Maj. Wilhelm Herget and Capt. Hugo Kessler, were interviewed at length regarding the possibility of this surrender. They returned to Galland with instructions on how the surrender would proceed, including bringing the remaining Me 262 aircraft into American hands. The significance of this is that the SS, if they had known of this offer by Galland, might have destroyed the aircraft and executed the associated personnel. Though the aides returned to Galland and he prepared a response, when the Fi 156 Storch again flew towards the American lines at Schleißheim the aircraft was shot down by an American armored column. Though the pilot Herget survived the crash the response did not get into the proper hands. American troops advanced on their last position near Salzburg and shortly before surrendering, the remaining Me 262's were blown up by the JV 44 personnel with grenades inserted into the engine intakes. Some of the JV 44 Me 262's were flown out to Innsbruck where they met personnel of JV 44 under command of Hans Ekkehard Bob, who was ordered to develop the Innsbruck airfield for operations.