Jagdgeschwader 53

Invasion of France; Battle of Britain

The Geschwader commenced its wartime operations with a high proportion of its personnel experienced ex-Condor Legion pilots including Werner Mölders. On 14 May 1940, JG 53 claimed some 43 victories in one day. The Battle of France thus saw the Geschwader score heavily during May and June 1940, with some 275 claims against Armee de l'Air and Royal Air Force forces. While JG 53 was making a reputation for itself during the Battle of Britain, according to RAF Air Ministry intelligence summary no. 60, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring was informed that Major Jurgen von Cramon-Taubadel's wife was Jewish. Göring then ordered the whole of Stab/JG 53 to remove the "Pik As" emblem from their planes, and replace it with a red stripe around the engine cowling as punishment. All of Stab./JG 53's planes immediately were stripped of their "Pik As" insignia, and soon after the whole of the Stab./JG 53 had also stripped the swastikas off the tails of their planes in protest.

Invasion of the Soviet Union

In April 1941 the Geschwader then transferred to the Eastern Front for Operation Barbarossa. Under the control of Luftflotte 2 commanded by Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, The Geschwader, now equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109F, flew operations from Warsaw-Bielany. On 31 July 1941 JG 53 shot down its 1,000 aircraft. In the period 22 June 1941 – 5 December 1941 JG 53 claimed to destroy 762 Soviet aircraft, losing 35 in aerial combat, and two on the ground.

Mediterranean theatre

Later in the year JG 53 moved to bases in Sicily for operations against Malta (though elements also served in the Netherlands from July to November 1941). The III. Gruppe was transferred to North Africa for a short time in December 1941 while the rest of JG 53 was eventually moved to Comiso in Sicily for operations against Malta, which ended in May 1942. In the summer of 1942, II./JG 53 operated from the island of Pantelleria for operations over Malta and as escort missions for attacks on British supply convoys.

In May 1942 after the termination of the German air offensive against the British island fortress of Malta the "Pik As" Geschwader was split up, with its three Gruppen scattered over three theatres of operation. III./JG 53 again saw service in North Africa supporting Rommel's planned advance on Cairo. Stab and II./JG 53 which were left behind on Sicily after the end of the "Malta Blitz" in May for service over the central Mediterranean, and I./JG 53 was moved to the Eastern front, where it was to take part in the German summer offensive in the southern sector aimed at Stalingrad and the Caucasus.

Battle of Stalingrad

Together with the whole JG 3 and JG 52, plus Stab and II./JG 77, I./JG 53 was deployed in Luftflotte 4's Fliegerkorps VIII to support Operation Blau. Led by Major Herbert Kaminski, during the period May–September 1942 in the Eastern Front, I./JG 53 claimed 918 victories but suffering in return the loss of 34 Bf.109s, 18 pilots killed in action and nine wounded.

During the Stalingrad campaign the I./JG 53 faced stiff resistance of the Soviet VVS and PVO both in the air and the ground, and several of the unit's aces were shot down, wounded, captured or killed.

North Africa

On 1 November 1942, Hauptmann "Tutti" Müller was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 53 and led the unit back to the Mediterranean Theater. By November 1942 the entire Geschwader was again concentrated on Sicily for a belated offensive against Malta, in this case an abortive and short-lived blitz foiled by the much-strengthened defenders. During its 1942 operations over North Africa, Sicily and Malta JG 53 had claimed a total of at least 388 aircraft shot down. Hauptmann Gerhard Michalski claimed 25 over Malta (the Luftwaffe's top scorer) Major Günther von Maltzhan claimed 13, while Oblt Franz Schieß claimed 10. With the Allied invasion of French North Africa in November, the Geschwader again found its components separated.

"Defense of the Reich"

II./JG 53 was withdrawn from Italy in October 1943, and was the first Gruppe of the Geschwader to be employed in the Defense of the Reich operations, stationed near Vienna from October 1943 to March 1944, before moving to south Western Germany. The winter of 1943/44 saw bitter fighting over Italy.

II./JG 53 was the sole ‘Pik As’ gruppe to see action against the Allied invasion forces on 6 June 1944. The Luftwaffe fighter units in France suffered catastrophic losses, and II./JG 53 was no exception. In just one month of operations, the Gruppe reported 42 aircraft lost through enemy action, 18 in accidents, 20 abandoned and a further 20 through other causes; approximately 200% of its operational strength. On 22 August while escorting low-level operations against the American XV Corps near Mantes, II gruppe were surprised by a large formation of P-38's and suffered seven aircraft lost.

III./JG 53 also returned from Italy in June 1944 and after a short period refitting was active in the Defence of the Reich. When the Allies launched Operation Market Garden both II. and III./JG53 were called into action. Autumn 1944 also saw the addition of a new IV. Gruppe to the Geschwader with Stab, II., III, IV./JG 53 based along the south western sector of the Western Front.

I./JG53 was later moved to Romania to protect the vital oilfields of Ploiești and also saw further action in Hungary, where it was to take part in the fierce fighting on the South Eastern part of the Russian Front in late 1944 and early 1945, eventually retreating into Czechoslovakia and Austria before it was finally disbanded in April 1945 - its remnants amalgamated into II./JG 52.

For the remainder of the war the Geschwader (minus I. Gruppe) stayed in the southwest where it fought until the end, retreating into Southern Germany and finally disbanded days before VE Day.

Commanding officers