IN FOCUS
One of the most famous and successful of the Luftwaffe’s World War Two fighter wings was Jagdgeschwader 54 ‘Grünherz’. Malcolm V Lowe documents the story of this premier combat unit
During World War Two, Nazi Germany’s Luftwaffe comprised a number of famous fighter wings. Known as a Jagdgeschwader (abbreviated to JG), each comprised at least three Gruppen (groups) each of three Staffeln (squadrons), although later in the war operational necessities tended to alter these formal arrangements. Among the frontline fighter units was JG 54, which became particularly noteworthy for the often-unusual camouflage schemes worn by its Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke- Wulf Fw 190 fighters. Celebrated for its high number of air-toair victory claims, mainly over Soviet aircraft, this unit included several renowned and colourful personalities in its ranks.