Werner Mölders
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Werner Mölders (March 18, 1913 - November 22, 1941) was a German Luftwaffe World War II fighter ace. He was credited with 100 victories in WWII as well as 14 victories in the Spanish civil war.
At his first attempt to join the Luftwaffe, in 1935, he was declared unfit for flying. He tried again and was given conditional permission to begin flying training. Nausea and vomiting assailed him constantly, but he overcame them by sheer willpower.
With the Condor Legion in Spain
Initially, he was an instructor at Wiesbaden. Promoted to Leutnant in 1938, he volunteered for the Condor Legion and arrived by sea in Cadiz in April that year, taking over from Adolf Galland at the head of the 3rd squadron of J-88 Group. During the Spanish civil war he showed considerable qualities not only as a pilot and marksman but also, and especially, as a tactician and organiser. A devout Catholic and humanitarian, Mölders often incurred the displeasure of the higher command, although ultimately his military talents overcame any theological problems with authority. Together with other airmen, in Spain he developed the technique known as the "finger four", or fan, which improved a flight's all-round vision and encouraged the pilots' initiative.Mölders shot down fourteen aircraft in Spain, four Polikarpov I-15 Chato and ten I-16 Mosca. At the end of the year he returned to Germany with a glowing reputation and a maturity beyond his years and rank. In 1939 he was promoted to Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 53[#endnote_Luftwaffe], and he was known by those under his command as Vati (Daddy) Mölders.
World War 2
He shot down his first aircraft of the Second World War on September 21, 1939, and in October he went on to command III./JG 53 as Gruppenkommandeur. On May 27, 1940, after his twentieth victory, he was promoted to Hauptmann and decorated with the Knight's Cross. He was shot down in combat on June 5, 1940 by a Dewoitine D.520 French fighter and taken prisoner. He was liberated two weeks later upon the armistice with France.He returned to Germany to be promoted to Major and on the 27 July 1940 given command of JG 51 as Geschwaderkommodore. According to legend, Mölders was hit in a dogfight over Dover with the South African ace Sailor Malan on July 28. Wounded, Mölders managed to make an emergency landing at Wissant (France). Recent research seems to suggest Mölders was actually wounded in combat with Spitfires of 41 Squadron. Mölders had 55 claims by the end of 1940 (25 in the Battle of France, 30 in the Battle of Britain). His victories versus the RAF continued up to 68.
In 1941 JG 51 transfered to the Eastern front, and following the start of operations in June 1941 he brought his score up to 100 in just three weeks. He was the first pilot in history to reach that figure, and he added Diamonds to the Oak Leaves with Swords on his Ritterkreuz. He was also personally ordered by Hermann Göring not to fly in combat anymore. He did, however continue to fly unoffically on missions, and actively command JG 51 fighter operations for several more months.
An Oberst at 28, Mölders was promoted to General and appointed Inspector General of Fighters. On November 22, 1941 he was flying as a passenger in a He-111 from the Crimea to Germany to attend the funeral of his superior and friend, Ernst Udet. Attempting to land at Breslau during a thunderstorm, the aircraft crashed. Mölders and the pilot were killed.
In his memory, JG 51 was granted the honorary name "Mölders". The modern Luftwaffe squadron JG 74 at Neuburg/Donau carried the "Mölders" name as well. However, in 2005 the German Secretary of Defence Peter Struck (Social Democratic Party), under pressure from the PDS Party (composed of former East German communists), ordered that Mölders' name be removed from JG 74 because of his involvement with the Condor Legion in Spain.
See also
FGS Mölders (D186), a destroyer named after him.Notes
- ↑ For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organization
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Werner Mölders | Adolf Galland | Gordon Gollob | Hans-Joachim Marseille | Hermann Graf | Erwin Rommel | Wolfgang Lüth | Walter Nowotny | Adelbert Schulz | Hans-Ulrich Rudel | Hyazinth Graf von Strachwitz | Herbert Otto Gille | Hans-Valentin Hube | Albert Kesselring | Helmut Lent | Sepp Dietrich | Walter Model | Erich Hartmann | Hermann Balck | Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke | Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer | Albrecht Brandi | Ferdinand Schörner | Hasso von Manteuffel | Theodor Tolsdorff | Karl Mauss | Dietrich von Saucken | |
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