Top Fighter Squadrons of WWII
A Dozen Outstanding Fighter Units of WWII
As you can imagine, Materiel losses during world war 2 were massive. According to one source, Germany produced a staggering 119,907 aircraft of all types and most were destroyed or damaged during the war. The United States lost 52,951 of their 95,000 aircraft in operations over Europe and the Pacific. The Soviet Union lost 46,100 of their aircraft in combat, and the incredible statistics go on and on.
In the middle of all this carnage in the air, were the fighter squadrons of the Allied and Axis powers. In this video we take a look at a dozen remarkable fighter units of world war 2.
12.
No. 303 (Polish) Squadron RAF - 204 kills
No. 303 (Polish) Squadron RAF holds a place of distinction in the annals of World War II aviation history. Comprised of Polish pilots who had escaped Nazi-occupied Poland, the squadron became one of the most celebrated and effective units during the Battle of Britain in 1940. On August 30th, 1940, a training flight led by Squadron Leader Ronald Kellett, came across some Luftwaffe bombers with one of the young pilots shooting down a Bf 110 heavy fighter. The next day they were operational.
Initially equipped with Hawker Hurricanes for its first year, the squadron's pilots displayed remarkable skill, determination, and combat prowess. Despite facing significant challenges due to language barriers and cultural differences, the Polish pilots quickly integrated into the RAF and demonstrated their capabilities with exceptional success. No. 303 Squadron quickly gained a reputation for its aggressive and effective tactics, achieving a remarkable tally of aerial victories during the intense aerial combat of the Battle of Britain, earning the admiration of their fellow RAF squadrons.
The highest scoring pilot of 303 Squadron, and the fourth highest scoring ace in the Battle of Britain, with 17 claims, was Czech ace Josef František. He died in an air crash on October 8, 1940. Other high scoring pilots in the squadron were Witold Urbanowitz (with 14 kills), Jan Zumbach, Zdzislaw Henneburg and Eugeniusz Szaposznikow (all with 8 kills each)
Squadron Leader Jan Zumbach, rose to prominence in the squadron as a skilled and aggressive pilot. Known for his daring and determined style of flying, Zumbach found himself engaged in numerous dogfights against the Luftwaffe over the skies of Southern England. As with all of the Polish pilots, language barriers and cultural differences didn’t dampen the combat prowess of Zumbach and his fellow pilots, contributing to the squadron's remarkable success in downing enemy aircraft.
Throughout the conflict, Zumbach continued to distinguish himself, achieving 8 aerial victories during the Battle of Britain and final victory tally by the end of the war was 12 confirmed kills (and two shared), five probables and one damaged.
By late January 1941, the squadron converted to Spitfire Mark 1s and went onto become the most effective Polish RAF squadron during world war 2. The squadron had flown 9,900 combat sorties and achieved 204 kills, the highest-scoring Polish squadron in the RAF.
11.
USMC VMF121 ‘The Green Knights’ - 208 kills
US Marine Fighting Squadron VMF-121, was activated on 24 June 1941. Known as ‘The Green Knights’, they began combat operations flying F4F Wildcats and later F4U Corsairs. From October 1942 they became members of the Cactus Air Force (the name given to the ensemble of Allied air forces operating from the island of Guadalcanal from August 1942 until December 1942 during the most heavily contested phases of the Guadalcanal Campaign).
VMF-121 pilots and aircraft had been sent to Guadalcanal as part of Operation Watchtower to relieve VMF-223, who had been fighting for control of the air over the island since mid-August. Medal of Honor recipient, Major Joseph J. Foss, led a flight of eight Wildcats, known as "Foss's Flying Circus", which claimed 72 Japanese aircraft, including 26 credited to Foss himself in three months of sustained combat.
The squadron also fought from the forward air bases of Espirito Santo, Turtle Bay, Bougainville, and Emirau.
On 15 September 1944, the Green Knights landed on Peleliu and fought there until 25 July 1945. They returned to the United States to be deactivated on 9 September 1945. During the Pacific War, VMF-121 produced fourteen fighter aces, more than any other Marine squadron, They had downed 208 Japanese aircraft in aerial combat.
10.
USAAF 431 Fighter Squadron – 212 kills
The 431st was established by Fifth Air Force in Australia in May 1943 at Amberley Airfield in Queensland, Australia. They were specifically trained to provide long-range escort for bombers (with their long range Lockheed P-38J Lightnings), during daylight raids on Japanese airfields and strongholds in the Netherlands East Indies and the Bismarck Archipelago. On 14 August 1943, the 431st moved from Amberley to Port Moresby in New Guinea.
Providing escorts for North American B-25 Mitchell bombers that were engaged in strafing attacks on aerodromes at Wewak, the squadron also scored highly against the enemy fighters that attacked the bomber formations. Between the 15th and 17th of October, 1943, the squadron intercepted and destroyed many Japanese aircraft which were sent against American shipping in Oro Bay. The squadron also provided air cover for landings in New Guinea, New Britain, and the Schouten Islands.
After moving to Biak in July 1944, the squadron flew escort missions and fighter sweeps to the southern Philippines, Celebes, Halmahera, and Borneo. Within the 431st, two pilots emerged as leading aces – the squadron commander, Thomas B. Maguire (claiming 38 victories before being killed in January 1945) and Charles F. McDonald with 27 aerial victories.
Between October to December, 1944, based at Morotai, the squadron attacked enemy airfields and installations, escorting bombers, and engaging in aerial combat during the first stages of the Allied campaign to recover the Philippines. The squadron flew missions to support ground forces on Luzon during the first part of 1945, escort missions to Southeast China, and attacked railways on Formosa.
By the end of the war the squadron had claimed 212 victories.
9.
USAAF 61st Pursuit Squadron, ‘Zemke’s Wolfpack’ – 232 kills
On the 9th of January, 1943, the 61st Fighter Squadron (part of 56 Group) was deployed to RAF Kings Cliffe in England, to be operationally ready two months later and flew its first combat missions on the 13th of April. These missions were fighter-bomber sweeps along the lines of the generally ineffective Circus and Rhubarb missions, and escorting the earlier 8th Air Force raids as far as Belgium.
Flying the P-47C Thunderbolt as a bomber-escort unit initially for B-17 Flying Fortresses and later for B-24 Liberators attacking enemy targets in Occupied Europe. On June 9th, 1943, Francis Gabreski took command of the squadron and would go on to score 28 enemy aircraft destroyed, and 6 and a half MiG-15 kills during the Korean war.
On July 20, 1944, Gabreski had reached his 300-hours combat limit and was scheduled to return home. However, on the same morning of his scheduled return he requested to go on one more mission, a bomber escort. On the way back from the mission he spotted parked Heinkel He 111s at Niedermendig and decided to strafe them. On his second run, flying just above the ground, he dipped his nose to adjust his fire and his prop clipped the runway. He crashed and managed to escape into the woods for 5 days but was eventually caught and sent to Stalag Luft 1.
The 61st would produce 19 aces, the highest of any squadron in Europe, destroying 248 aircraft in the air and 67.5 aircraft on the ground. In 1944, it was recognized as the first fighter squadron in the European theatre to score over 100 victories.
8.
USAAF 487th Pursuit Squadron – 235 kills
The 487th Squadron was a USAAF Mustang squadron, and part of the US 352nd Fighter Group of the US 8th Air Force. Initially flying P-47s from their combat station at RAF Bodney, they flew its first combat mission on 9 September 1943. These were escort missions for VIII Bomber Command heavy bombers participating in the bombing campaign against Germany.
From 20 February to 25 February 1944, it flew cover for bombers involved in the Big Week campaign against the German aircraft manufacturing industry. From these escort missions, squadron members George E Preddy claimed 26.83 enemy aircraft destroyed, John C Meyer with 24 and William T Whisner with 15.5.
In April 1944 the squadron began to replace its Thunderbolts with the longer range North American P-51D Mustangs. On 8 May, the squadron was escorting bombers on a raid on Braunschweig and countered a larger force of German interceptors. Fighting until they had run out of ammunition and low on fuel, the squadron was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation for their actions.
The squadron was also involved in the Battle of the Bulge among other campaigns over Europe, earning a French Croix de Guerre with Palm and a second Distinguished Unit Citation.
487th squadron flew its last mission on May 3, 1945 with Preddy and Meyer classed as the two top Mustang aces, with 26.83 and 25.5 kills respectively (Meyer’s all with the 487th). The squadron finished the war with 235 victories under its belt.
7.
No. 85 Squadron RAF – 278 kills
At the outbreak of the second world war, number 85 Squadron RAF, with their Hurricanes, became part of the Air Component of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) 60th Fighter Wing. Tasked primarily with air defence patrols, it wasn’t until the Blitzkrieg commenced in May 1940, that 85 Squadron found themselves head-to-head with the Luftwaffe. In an eleven-day period the squadron had confirmed a total of 90 enemy aircraft victories, and many more claims that could not be verified.
After retreating from the battles over France, the squadron re-equipped and resumed operations for the Battle of Britain over southern England. In September the squadron moved to Yorkshire where it soon began night fighter patrols, a role it would continue in for the remainder of the war. In January 1941 the squadron received Defiants but these were soon replaced by Havocs, although the Hurricanes continued to be flown until July.
Mosquitoes arrived for the squadron in August 1942 and in March 1943 the Squadron began flying intruder missions over France. In early 1944, 85 played a key role in the defeat of the final German bomber campaign – Operation Steinbock, helping to decimate the remaining Luftwaffe bomber fleet. After being transferred to No. 100 Group on 1 May 1944, the squadron flew bomber support missions, intruding over German night-fighter airfields and intercepting enemy fighters by accompanying the main bomber force. By war’s end the squadron had racked up 278 victories and produced numerous aces including Branse Burbridge with 21 victories.
6.
US Navy VF15 Squadron – 315 kills (‘Fighting Aces’)
The US Navy’s VF15 Fighter Squadron was operating for two years, between September 1943 and October 1945. Most of its action took place within a six-month period from May 1944, when operating from USS Essex.
Flying Grumman F6F hellcats, the squadron was part of Carrier Air Group 15 that started operations with strikes on Marcus and Wake Islands in May 1944, and then onto the Marianas from June to August where the group conducted 3,078 sorties shooting down 104 aircraft and destroying another 136 on the ground or in the water, as well as sinking or damaged 60 ships. Then, during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, on the 20th of June 1944 the squadron participated in what would become known as the ‘Marianas Turkey Shoot’, during which they claimed 68½ aerial victories, the most in one day of any Navy squadron.
October 1944 saw the great sea battle at Leyte Gulf (the largest naval battle of World War 2) and VF-15’s Hellcats decimated the remnants of the Japanese air force, with David McCampbell destroying 9 Japanese fighters (the highest total in a day by any US fighter pilot) and his wingman Roy Rushing downing six. The air battle continued in the Philippines for several more weeks, before moving to Iwo Jima, Okinawa and finally off the coast of Japan in the last months of the war. At war’s end the squadron had claimed 315 victories and producing no less than 28 aces.
5.
No. 92 Squadron RAF – 317.5 Kills.
No. 92 Squadron RAF, was equipped with Supermarine Spitfires in March 1940, and continued to use Spitfires throughout most of the war. During the evacuation of Dunkirk the squadron claimed 11 victories on the last day alone. The Squadron was full of talented pilots, such as Robert Stanford Tuck who was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and would go onto 257 Squadron with a career culminating with 29 enemy aircraft destroyed (and two shared). Brian Kingcome, who took command of the squadron early in 1941, was also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and scored 8 enemy aircraft destroyed and 3 shared. And Tony Bartley, another DFC recipient, had destroyed 12 enemy aircraft and one shared. After 92 Squadron he flew with number 74, and then commanded 65 and then 111 Squadrons.
Another interesting character was Geoffrey Wellum, who, despite his young age (he was 18), quickly proved himself as an exceptional pilot in 92 Squadron. His memoir, "First Light," provides a gripping firsthand account of the intense aerial combat experienced by RAF pilots during the Battle of Britain. His first commanding officer was Roger Bushell, who was shot down and captured not long after Wellum’s arrival in the squadron. Bushell would later be immortalised in the film The Great Escape and was executed by the Gestapo after being recaptured.
Wellum's bravery and skill in the air earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his outstanding leadership and gallantry. He survived many of his colleagues from 92 Squadron, recalling his survival as a combination of skill and luck. He remarked that: "You make yourself a difficult target. Never stay still, never fly straight and level, chuck it around. Quite often you'd find yourself surrounded by aeroplanes and then the sky would be empty. 'Where's everybody gone?’ It was then that you were in danger. It was the German you didn't see who shot you down."
Throughout the war, No. 92 Squadron continued to distinguish itself in various theaters of operation, including North Africa, Sicily and the Italian campaign. No. 92 Squadron's contributions to the Allied war effort, from the early days of the Battle of Britain to the closing stages of the conflict, exemplified the bravery, skill, and determination of the RAF's fighter pilots. The squadron claimed 317 and a half victories during the entire war.
4.
No. 249 Squadron – 320 kills
No. 249 Squadron RAF, reformed as a fighter squadron with Hurricanes on 16th of May 1940, operating from RAF Church Fenton. It was an extremely effective Hurricane squadron during the Battle of Britain, with pilot James Nicholson winning Fighter Command’s only Victoria Cross when despite his aircraft being in flames, he pressed home his attack to destroy a Bf 110. The squadron, based at Boscombe Down, faced the full force of the German assault on Fighter Command during the third phase of the battle from August 24 to September 6. During the battle, on September 1st, the squadron moved to North Weald with Number 11 Group, taking part in the fourth phase of the battle (the daylight assault on London) and the last phase, the fighter-bomber raids.
In May 1941, the squadron had been shipped to Malta, via aircraft carrier Ark Royal, to form part of fighter defence for the sieged island, still with Hurricanes. Supermarine Spitfire VB and VCs arrived for the squadron by February 1942, and they were flying fighter-bomber missions over Sicily by November and then onto Brindisi in southern Italy by October 1943.
From Italy the squadron flew sweeps over Albania and Yugoslavia. In September 1944 the squadron converted from Spitfire IXs to North American Mustang IIIs. In April 1945 it moved to northern Yugoslavia for one month, to help push the Germans out of the country. It then spent a short time in northern Italy, before disbanding on 16 August 1945. The squadron ended the war with over 320 victories, and 21 aces altogether, led by George Buerling (27.33), Tom Neil (12.58) and Ray Hesselyn (12).
Jagdgeschwader
During World War 2 there were many outstanding fighter wings of the Luftwaffe know as Jagdgeschwader (literally ‘fighter squadron’), which were fighter wings, broken into 3 or 4 gruppen, or groups, which were independent fighting units, each with their own commander. Within these ‘Gruppen’ were 3 or 4 ‘staffel’ consisting up to 12 aircraft – although this number was rarely reached. So, when we are talking about a Jagdgeschwader we are talking about a wing of many squadrons across multiple theatres, and thus the very high number of victories compared to a single Allied squadron.
3.
Jagdgeschwader 51 - 8000 kills
Jagdgeschwader 51 was probably the most decorated Luftwaffe wing during World War 2, first commanded by Major Werner Mölders, the famed Wing Commander who was the first to shoot down 100 enemy aircraft. JG 51 flew in all major theatres during the war with Bf 109s and FW 190s, with an estimated 8,000 air victories across the wings four groups.
Early in the war, and based in the west, they were fighting in the French campaign and the Battle of Britain, in which they suffered significant losses. In mid-1940 JG 51 moved to Saint-Inglevert, to the newly captured airstrip in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, and then to the Belgian airfield at Mardyik late in the year. By May 1941 the wing had claimed 345 victories becoming an elite unit with the top ten aces at the time.
During the Barbarossa offensive JG 51 had claimed 500 soviet aircraft, with Werner Mölders reaching his 100th claim in July and Oberfeldwebel Heinz Bär reaching 60 claims. Mölders would leave the fighter wing in September and was later that year killed, as a passenger, in a crash at Breslau. JG 51 would be named in honour of Mölders. Group 3 of JG 51would fly fighter-bomber operations against the Russians through January 1942, and accounted for many aerial victories. Notable from group 4 was Heinz Bär who, by mid-febuary 1942, had achieved 90 claims before being reassigned to JG 77.
By November 1942, JG 51 had claimed an estimated 4,000 victories.
JG 51 was also active in the Mediterranean Operations and although group 2 claimed some 121 aerial victories, they were outgunned by Allied fighters, suffering significant losses. By April 1943 their remaining aircraft were absorbed into JG 77 which left North Africa on the 19th of April. JG 51 continued to operate over Sicily, Yugoslavia and the Balkans.
During the offensive around the Kursk salient in July 1943, JG 51 scored heavily and by the end of the month had claimed it’s 6,000th victory and by May its 8,000th.
2.
Jagdgeschwader 54 - 9,600 kills (Eastern Front)
Jagdgeschwader 54, known as the ‘Green Hearts’, became the second highest scoring Luftwaffe unit during the war. The wing flew primarily Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke Wulf Fw 190 fighters and used camouflage patterns more similar to that of bombers than fighters at the time.
JG 54 saw its first combat operations in September of 1939, taking part in the invasion of Poland with groups 2 and 3, while group 1 was held in reserve at Herzongenaurach. JG 54's main task during this time was Stuka escort and air superiority with their Bf 109Ds. Following the Poland campaign, JG 54 was relocated to the west and south of Germany as air defence, in preparation for the German invasions of France and the low countries. During the Battle of France from May 10th, 1940, JG 54 escorted bombers and conducted fighter sweeps over France to maintain air superiority.
To reequip the unit and rest the pilots, JG 54 relocated to Holland just before the Battle of Britain. A raid on the Soesterberg Airfield at the time saw heavy losses of ground crew and equipment for number 3 group.
The Battle of Britain proved to be one of the most challenging campaigns for the wing. The three groups from JG 54 were located near Calais by 6 August 1940 and flew in the most hostile environment they had yet encountered – with the loss of 43 pilots, which was 40% of the pilots they’d started the battle with. They did, however, claim 238 aerial victories, and Hauptmann Dietrich Hrabak, after 20 victories, was awarded the Knight’s Cross.
It would be on the Easter Front that JG 54 would see its greatest victories, claiming 45 victories on the first day of the offensive. From that first day on the 22nd of June through to the 5th of December, 1941, the unit had destroyed 1,078 Soviet aircraft, with only 46 losses in aerial combat and one fighter destroyed on the ground. Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Klemm, on the 4th of April 1942 would claim the 2,000th victory for the unit, only to be doubled by 23rd of February the following year. It was at the beginning of 1943 that the unit received Focke Wulf Fw 190s and would go onto achieve 7,000 victories by 23 March 1944, with the 8,000 mark passed on 15 August.
Groups 1, 2 and 4, ended the war fighting around the Baltic region, supporting the troops of Army Group North through Latvia and Estonia, and into the Courland Pocket of East Prussia. Group 3 fought against the RAF and USAAF in the west, from the beginning of 1943, as a stand-alone Bf 109 unit but were eventually attached to JG26.
By autumn of 1944, group 3 would have Fw 190D-9s but the group was soon disbanded due to heavy losses. For a short time group 3 would be reformed to operate out of Muncheberg against Russian ground targets, but was again depleted a few weeks before the end of the war and the remains of the group was absorbed into JG 26.
It is estimated that JG 54 had 9,600 aerial victories, at a cost of 1071 Bf 109s and 746 Fw 190s, 491 pilots killed, 242 missing and 322 wounded, with 570 ground personnel killed.
1.
Jagdgeschwader 52 - +10,000 kills
JG 52 is arguably the most famous fighter wing of the Luftwaffe during world war 2. The wing was divided into 3 groups. Initially formed in 1939 under the command of Hubertus Merhardt von Bernegg, it was assigned to Luftwaffe units fighting over France and then Britain during the Battle of Britain. The wing was reassigned to the Eastern Front, suffering numerous casualties during the campaign for air superiority.
The early performance of the wing over France and then Britain, was unremarkable, with 177 claims against 53 pilots killed or prisoned. However, on the Eastern Front, at the outset of Operation Barbarossa, JG 52 enjoyed great success, shooting down many Soviet pilots flying outdated aircraft. Further equipped with ever improving models of the famed Bf 109, JG 52 was assigned to many roles, most notably, supporting the ground assault in the Battle of Stalingrad and Second Battle of Kharkov. By September 7, 1941, the wing had accumulated 500 victories, by May 1942, 1,500 victories, and by June 3 it had reached 2000 aerial victories.
Re-equipping with the Bf 109G in mid-June, 1942, group 1 of JG 52 was fighting in the Caucasus, shuttling between the Kersh peninsula to the Moscow front, and claiming it’s 700th victory by September 1942. JG 52 had reached 4,000 victories by December 10, 1942, as groups 3 supported the push toward the Caucasian oil fields and group 2 supported the attempted break-through by the 4th Panzer Army in late 1942.
By 20 April, 1943, the Jagdgeschwader had its 5,000th victory, by Günther Rall, with battles centred around the Strait of Kerch and the Crimea. A further 1,000 victories would be taken over the Ukraine during the Kursk offensive, with Hauptmann Johannes Wiese of group 2 claiming 12 Soviet aircraft in a single day.
By November 1943, the loss of Kiev threatened the stability of the entire Southern sector front, and the whole of JG 52 was brought together to bolster defences. By December 1943 JG 52 had reached 8,000 victories. The most successful Gruppe, number 3, claimed 3,500 victories by 21 March 1944.
On 10 May 1944 the 9,000th claim was made, with the 10,000 mark passed on 2 September 1944 by Adolf Borchers.
Most of JG 52 group 1 and 2 surrendered to the Americans, however were controversially handed over to the Soviet Army. This resulted in several show trials for JG 52 officers and years of prolonged imprisonment.
By the end of the war JG-52 had claimed over 10,000 victories, and from within its ranks emerged the top three scoring Aces in the history of air combat; Gerhard Barkhorn (claiming 300 or 301), Günther Rall (claiming 274 or 275)and the highest scorer Erich Hartmann claiming 352 victories.