Messerschmitt Country

Nobody, least of all Allied aircrew, ever doubted the tenacity of the Luftwaffe, more particularly that of the German fighter pilots. From the early encounters during the Battle of Britain to the great air battles in defense of their homeland late in the war, at all times they were held in high regard, even if resented as a foe. At no time was their dedication, determination, and courage better demonstrated than during the final stages of World War Two.

By the summer of 1944 the Allies had gained a foothold in Normandy, and total air superiority above northern France. German installations and ground positions were being pounded daily from the air, and the Ruhr, the heartland of industrial Germany, was under constant siege. Even the factories in southern Germany were not safe from the attentions of the USAAF bombers by day, and the RAF by night. But in spite of the pressures of mounting losses and diminished supplies, the Luftwaffe fought doggedly on in best traditions of the fighter pilot.

The morning of 19 July 1944 saw the USAAF's 8th and 15th Air Forces mount an attack of awesome proportion against the aircraft factories in the region Munich. To combat a seemingly overwhelming force of 1400 bombers and almost as many fighter escorts, the Luftwaffe were able to put up just three Gruppen from JG300 and one from JG302, flying a mix of Me109G's and Fw190's - barely 50 serviceable fighters between them. They were joined by a dozen Me109's of II./JG27, these fighters desperately trying to defend the very factories in which they were made.

In a beautiful and symbolic painting, Nicolas Trudgian shows the Messerschmitt Me109G's of II./JG27, sporting their sage green 'Defense of the reich' markings, returning to base at Fels am Wagram after the ferocious combat fought on that warm summer day. A P-38 Lightning, one of 47 Allied aircraft brought down during the air fighting, lies crash-landed in the spectacular Bavarian countryside, testimony to the fact that this is
still very much "Messerschmitt Country".

Oberleutnant Siegfried Bethke
Siegfried Bethke joined the Luftwaffe in 1935 and was posted to II./JG2 shortly before the Battle of France. During the Battle of Britain he was Staffelkapitan of 2./JG2, and by the end of 1940 his tally of victories had reached 10. He later flew on the famous Channel Dash operation, but a serious accident soon after halted his flying career. Siegfried Bethke was awarded the Iron Cross 1st and 2nd Class, he had a total of 14 victories.

Oberleutnant Günther Seeger
In February 1940 Günther Seeger was a Unteroffizier with 3./JG-2, 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 theater with II./JG-2 before joining 6./JG-53. In February 1943 he joined 7./JG-53 becoming Staffelkapitan in September 1944. Awarded the Knight's Cross, Günther Seeger scored 56 victories.

Oberleutnant Ernst Scheufele
Joining the Luftwaffe in October 1940, Ernst Scheufele went straight into pilot training. On gaining his wings he was posted, in June 1942, to 4./JG5 in Norway. There, flying the Messerschmidt Bf109, he carried out a total 67 escort missions for the Bismarck and Prinz Eugen, and later for the Tirpitz. In October 1943 he joined II./JG5, flying over Arctic waters, in Finland, and on the Russian Front, before transferring in June 1944 to defense of the Reich. On 3 December 1944 he was shot down by an American flak battery near Saxony, wounded and taken prisoner. He had scored a total of 18 victories.

Colonel Darrell G. Welch
Commisioned in 1941, Darrell Welch was assigned to the 27th Squadron of the 1st Fighter Group, which became the first squadron to be equipped with the new P-38 Lightning. Arriving in England in August 1942, the 1st Fighter Group was part of a large American force despatched to Algiers in November for the North African campaign, where he made his first kill in January 1943 while escorting B17s over Tripoli. A few months later, whilst leading the 27th on a big intercept mission, Welch became an Ace when he notched up a further three victories in the space of just twenty-five minutes, bringing his tally up to five confirmed victories. He later saw service in the Pacific, and retired the service in 1970.