German Fighter Aircraft
The Versailles treaty significantly reduced Germany's standing army and completely dismantled its air force. The terms were very strict, but did allow Germany sport and civil aviation. The German government realized the value of soaring and encouraged the sport of gliding. Lufthansa was Germany's civilian passenger service and gave Germany the industrial capacity to produce aircraft and to innovate. The soaring clubs and Lufthansa would provide the pool of pilots to help reestablish the GAF. Such Luftwaffe notables such as Adolf "Dolfo" Galland (104+ kills) and Erich "Bubi" Hartmann (352 kills) had their start in soaring.
Hitler, in his bid to return Germany to its past glory, tasked his lieutenant, Herman Göring, to resurrect the might German Air Force (Luftwaffe) in spite of the terms of the treaty. To avoid any unnecessary and premature political entanglements the creation of the GAF initially took place in secret. New pilots were drafted into the German army from Lufthansa. After their basic training, they would be sent to Russia, and later, Italy, to train in fighter aircraft. Once their training was complete they returned to their civilian jobs until called up again.
Once Hitler had gained power in Germany, the veil of secrecy was removed in 1935. The allied governments up to this time had ignored rumors and intelligence regarding Germany's efforts to rearm. They not only failed to intervene and enforce the terms of the Versailles treaty, they also failed to keep pace with the technological advances made by the Germans. In the following year Hitler sent his Luftwaffe to Spain to aid Generalissimo Franco's Nationalists during the Spanish Civil war. German involvement was not officially recognized by the Germans or Nationalists. The pilots were sent to Spain under the guise of "Strength through Joy" tourists and wore civilian clothes while in transit, and donned Spanish style uniforms once in Spain. This group of "tourists" formed Jagdstaffel 88 and became known as the Kondor Legion.
The Kondor Legion was initially outfitted with the Ju 52 and He 51 biplanes. They were effective in the ground support role, but were inferior in the air-to-air role against the American, Russian and Italian fighters used by the Loyalists. Eventually, Bf109Ds were delivered for service in Spain. The "Dora" took air superiority away from the Loyalists and the German pilots began sweeping the skies of any aerial opposition. The Germans used this time to refine their tactics in both the ground support and air-to-air roles. In particular, the higher speed of the 109 made the WWI styles of formation flying rather difficult to use. The "Vic" formation (aircraft aligned in a "V") was abandoned for the new "Finger four" formation. The standard flight now involved 4 aircraft arranged in a pattern that looked like the tips of the fingers with the fingers held together. The lead pilot flew at the front with his wingman to his right. The second element of two aircraft flow to the left of the lead. The aircraft were separated by 600 yds horizontally spreading the formation over a wider area than was typical in WWI formations. This allowed the pilots to concentrate on the air picture and increased their readiness for combat, and gave them more maneuvering room. In contrast, the vic formation was tight requiring each pilot to closely monitor their position within the formation to avoid mid-air collisions. The close spacing also restricted maneuvering as a group and individually.
The Germans had learned valuable lessons and gained valuable experience during the Spanish Civil War. When hostilities broke out in 1939 the Germans held the upper hand technologically, tactically and expertise. On September 1st Germany launched the "Blitzkrieg" (lightning war) against Poland. Thirty days later, the Germans stood victorious. Austria fell without a struggle. France and England declared war on Germany, but were not in a position to put do much. The weather conditions during the winter of 39/40 kept Germany from launching a large scale invasion of the West. This period became know as the "Sitzkrieg" (sitting war) or the "Phony war." But, in May of '40 Germany launched its attack against the West. The lowland countries of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg fell in short order. By June 4th, 1940 France had fallen and the British had avoided a massive defeat on the continent during the battles of Dunkirk. Hitler had respect for the British and wished to avoid war with her. However, the respect wasn't mutual and the stage was set for what was to become known as the "Battle of Britain." The successes of the Luftwaffe to this point were intoxicating to Hitler and Göring. Hitler was confident that the British could be brought to heel, but before an invasion could begin, the Luftwaffe had to eliminate the RAF. Göring assured Hitler that his Luftwaffe could make short work and plans begun for Unternehmen Seelöwe (Operation Sea Lion), the invasion of Britain.
The Luftwaffe was faced with several obstacles in its quest to subdue the RAF. The first was the English Channel. Up to this point, the Luftwaffe was able to operate relatively close to the battlefield. The small fuel tanks of the 109 (88 gallons) were no problem since it was a simple matter to return to the nearest airfield. This was no longer the case during the Battle of Britain. Taking the fight to the British soil stretched the 109s fuel to the limits. Thus, fighter cover was limited to the southern and south eastern coasts of England, and only allowed 10 minutes of combat before the 109s were forced to break off and return. Many German pilots survived their tangle with the Hurricanes, Typhoons and Spitfires only to drop into the channel as their fuel supply was used up. The fuel limitation was exacerbated by Göring's edict that the fighters maintain close escort of the slower Ju 87s and Bf 110s. To maintain close escort the 109s were forced to zigzag, which used up more fuel. In addition to the tenacity of the British and the obstacle that was the English Channel, the Luftwaffe was faced with other disadvantages.
After the fall of Poland, the British were the benefactors of a major intelligence coup. The polish had broken the secrets of the German Enigma machine and handed them over to the British. The British were now able to decipher encrypted German communiqués. These decryptions were given the classification "Ultra Secret" and were often referred to as simply "Ultra." Few people were privileged to receive the Ultra decryptions, and those who did put them to good use. The British were now well informed as to the disposition of German forces and their intentions. This allowed the British to husband their forces and keep the Germans at bay. A second disadvantage facing the Luftwaffe was radar. The British had made great strides in this new technology, and set up radar stations along the channel coast. The RAF was now able to monitor Luftwaffe movements over France and prepare accordingly. Nonetheless, the Luftwaffe was able to bring the RAF to the brink of ruin. Only Göring's poor strategic planning and poor tactics kept the Luftwaffe from crushing the RAF. The stalemate with England cost both the Luftwaffe and British dearly.
By the end of September the Battle of Britain was officially over, with victory being given to the British. Impatient for victory Hitler began planning for Operation Barbarossa; the invasion of Russia. Operation Sea Lion was postponed indefinitely, and Luftwaffe forces began transferring from the West to positions within Poland. The failure of the Italians in Africa forced Hitler to send forces to their aid and made further drains on the Luftwaffe. Only 3 Jagdgeschwaders were initially left to face the RAF and defend the Western Front. These were JG 2 "Richthofen," JG 3 "Udet," and JG 26 "Schlageter." JG 26 and JG 2 would be the first line of defense against allied air power. Nicknamed the "Yellow nosed bastards," for their yellow engine cowlings, or the "Abbeville kids" and "St Omer boys" they would become feared by the allied bomber crews for their brave and vicious attacks on allied bomber formations.
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