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Karl Willius - Pilot Profile - Karl Willius

Karl Willius

No Photo Available

Victories : 50
-----------------------------
Country : Germany
Fought in : WW2
Fought for : Axis
Died : 8th April 1944


Awarded the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross
Knights
Cross

Latest Axis Aviation Artwork !
In early May 1941, in conditions of strict secrecy because the United States was not yet at war, seventeen pilots of the US Navy had arrived in Britain and been attached to Catalina squadrons of Coastal Command. These experienced PBY pilots were there to assist the Royal Air Force to become familiar with the Catalina, and also to gain operational experience for the US Navy. On 26th May 1941 Catalina Z of No.209 Sqn, commanded by Flying Officer Dennis Briggs RAF, with Ensign Leonard B Smith USN as co-pilot, joined the search for the Bismarck. At 1015 the aircraft was being flown in poor visibility at an altitude of 500ft when Ensign Smith sighted the Bismarck at a range of eight miles. The Catalina was flown towards the contact so that a positive identification could be made and emerged from the cloud only 500 yards from the German ship. The aircraft met a hail of anti-aircraft fire but was able to make its escape. As a result of the sighting report from Catalina Z the Bismarck was again engaged by ships and aircraft of the Royal Navy and was sunk at 1040 on 27th May 1941. Leonard Smith can be considered therefore, the first American to be directly involved in action in World War Two. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (American) for his actions.

The Aircraft That Found the Bismarck by Ivan Berryman.		 One of the all time great fighter aces, Adolf Galland is depicted flying Bf 109E-4/N of Stab/JG26 in September 1940. Galland flew 705 combat missions during World War Two and was credited with a final tally of 104 aerial victories. He survived the war and died peacefully in February 1996.

Tribute to Generalleutnant Adolf Galland by Ivan Berryman.		 Walter Briegleb is shown in his Ju88 G.7 4R+BR as he stalks his prey - on this occasion a Lancaster. Flying below their target, his crew would aim upward firing cannon at the inner wing of the bomber, igniting the fuel tanks. For the bomber crews, they were very much defenceless against this type of attack, and often had no idea of the presence of an enemy aircraft in the dark.

Tribute to Walter Briegleb by Ivan Berryman.		 The attack by Leutnant Walter Briegleb and his crew on Lancaster Mk.III ND960 DX-I of No.57 Sqn early on 22nd May 1944. Flying Me110 with codes D5+BV with his crew of Feldwebel Walter Bräunlich and Bordfunker Feldwebel Brandt, Briegleb flew undetected beneath the bomber and used the deadly 'Schräge Musik' - upward firing cannon - to hit the fuel tanks in the port wing between the fuselage and inner engine. Pulling away, he watched the aircraft burn and could see both gunners in their turrets but no return fire came. He wondered why none of the crew escaped by parachute with the bomber doomed - it disintegrated in the air over the coast of the island of Fyn, Denmark, impacting near Emtekær at 00:44hrs.<br><br><center>All of the crew were killed :<br>Flight Lieutenant Arthur Richards (Pilot)<br>Flying Officer William Woodall (Navigator)<br>Pilot Officer Athur Bugden (Flight Engineer)<br>Sergeant Thomas Edwards (Wireless Operator)<br>Flying Officer George Ferguson (Air Bomber)<br>Sergeant Harold Griffiths (Air Gunner)<br>Sergeant Cyril Woodmass (Air Gunner)

The Hunted and the Hunter by Ivan Berryman.

Karl Willius

Squadrons for : Karl Willius
A list of all squadrons known to have been served with by Karl Willius. A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name.
SquadronInfo

JG26


Country : Germany
'Ace of Hearts'

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of JG26		JG26

Jagdgeschwader 26 Schlageter was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. It operated mainly in Western Europe against Great Britain, France and the United States but also saw service against Russia. It was named after Albert Leo Schlageter, a World War I veteran and Freikorps member arrested and executed by the French for sabotage in 1923.

Commanders of II. Gruppe JG 26

Hptm. Werner Palm, 1 May 1939 – 27 June 1939
Hptm Herwig Knüppel, 28 June 1939 – 19 May 1940
Hptm Karl Ebbighausen, 20 May 1940 – 31 May 1940
Hptm. Erich Noack, 1 June 1940 – 24 July 1940
Hptm Karl Ebbighausen, 25 July 1940 – 16 August 1940
Hptm Erich Bode, 17 August 1940 – 3.10.40
Hptm Walter Adolph, 4 October 1940 – 18 September 1941
Hptm Joachim Müncheberg, 19 September 1941 – 21 July 1942
Hptm Conny Meyer, 22 July 1942 – 2 January 1943
Maj Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland, 3 January 43 – 17 August 1943
Hptm Hans Naumann, 18 August 1943 – 8 September 1943
ObLt Johannes Seifert, 9 September 1943 – 25 November 1943
Maj Wilhelm Gäth, 26 November 1943 – 1 March 1944
Hptm Hans Naumann, 2 March 1944 – 28 June 1944
Hptm Emil Lang, 29 June 1944 – 3 September 1944
Hptm Georg-Peter Eder, 4 September 1944 – 8 October 1944
Maj Anton Hackl, 9 October 1944 – 29 January 45
ObLt Waldemar Radener, 30 January 1945 – 22 February 1945
Hptm Paul Schauder, 23 February 1945 – 1 May 1945

JG51


Country : Germany
Founded : August 1939
'Ace of Hearts'

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of JG51		JG51

Jagdgeschwader 51 Mölders was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during World War II, named after the fighter ace Werner Mölders in 1942. JG 51's pilots won more Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes than any other Jagdgeschwader, and flew combat from 1939 in all major theatres of war. Flying Bf 109s and then FW 190s, the wing claimed over 8,000 air victories. Experten included 'Toni' Hafner, Heinz Bär, Richard Leppla, Karl-Gottfried Nordmann, Günther Schack and the legendary Mölders.

Formed in August 1939, and commanded by 48-year-old World War I ace Onkel Theo Osterkamp, the early months of the war JG 51 was based in the West, fighting in the French campaign, and in the Battle of Britain. From late June to mid July JG 51 was the only fighter Geschwader engaged against the RAF constantly. During the whole battle JG 51 lost 68 pilots, the highest casualty rate of the Luftwaffe fighter units engaged. JG 51 was one of the two Geschewader that had four Gruppen. The other being JG 1.

Four Bf 109 of JG 51 in France 1940Whilst based out of the Belgian airfield at Mardyik in late 1940, the German ace Josef Pips Priller was a Staffelkapitän with JG 51, flying Bf 109-E Yellow One. Josef Priller went on to score over 100 victories, the third highest scoring Luftwaffe day fighter ace on the Western Front, fighting solely against the Western Allies.

Against the Western Allies JG 51 had claimed 345 aircraft destroyed by May 1941. JG 51 were therefore one of the Jagdwaffe's elite units, with 'top ten' aces at this time including Werner Mölders with 68 claims, Walter Oesau with 34 claims, and Hermann-Friedrich Joppien with 31. Major Werner Mölders became unit Geschwaderkommodore during July 1940 and led the unit into the invasion of Russia in June 1941.

Barbarossa (1941)

Claiming 69 kills on the first day of the offensive, by 30 June 1941 JG 51 became the first fighter Geschwader to claim 1,000 air victories (113 kills in 157 sorties were claimed for the day). On 24 June JG 51 claimed 57 bombers shot down for the day. Mölders became the first fighter pilot to reach 100 claims in August and in the same month JG 51's Oberfeldwebel Heinz Bär reached 60 claims and was decorated with the Oak Leaves. A total of 500 Soviet claims was reached on 12 July 1941, although 6 pilots had been lost by JG 51 in the intervening 3 weeks since the offensive had started.

After Mölders' departure in September 1941 (and death later that year) the Geschwader adopted his name as a title of honor in early 1942. Jagdgeschwader 51 Mölders was to remain on the centre sector of the Russian front throughout the rest of 1941. However Oberstleutnant Friedrich Beckh ( one of the few fighter pilots to wear spectacles) proved an uncharismatic commander after Mölders, and it was not until Major Karl-Gottfried Nordmann took over in April 1942 that a worthy successor to Mölders was found. In the period 22 June - 5 December 1941 the unit destroyed 1,881 Soviet aircraft, in return for 84 losses in aerial combat and a single aircraft on the ground.

Air support for the Wehrmacht's Army Group Centre was entrusted to General Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen's VIII. Fliegerkorps. In early January 1942, among the fighter units available to von Richthofen were II, III and IV/ JG 51. With the onset of the sub-zero conditions of the Russian winter, the majority of JG 51's available aircraft became grounded.

The Russian winter counter offensive forced III./ JG 51 into flying numerous fighter-bomber operations in direct support of the infantry, and the gruppe filed few aerial 'kill' claims through January 1942. II./ JG 51 however, accounted for most of VIII. Fliegerkorps's aerial victories during the Soviet offensive. Particularly successful was the duo of Lt. Hans Strelow and Ofw. Wilhelm Mink, both of 5. JG 51. They claimed five MiG-3s of 16 IAP on 4 January (Mink claimed three) and 9 days later Mink claimed a Pe-2 and Strelow destroyed two R-Z biplanes for his 30th and 31st victories. On 4 February, Strelow increased his victories to 36 by shooting down four Russian aircraft. The 19 year-old Strelow claimed his 40th victory on 28 February and claimed 4 victories on both 6 March and 17 March. The next day he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and also shot down seven Soviet aircraft. He was awarded the Eichenlaub on 24 March, his claims total at 66.

Normandy (1944)

7./JG 51, (with Bf 109G-6's) was attached to II./JG 1 in May 1944 from Brest-Litovsk, with pilots arriving at Störmede late in May and hurriedly converting to the FW-190. (It was later renamed 8./JG 1 on 15 August 1944 when the four-Staffeln Gruppe became standard) 7. Staffel was led by Ritterkreuzträger (Knight's Cross winner) Hptm. Karl-Heinz Weber with 136 confirmed kills. Its two other experten were Lt. Friedrich Krakowitzer (23 kills) and Ofhr. Günther Heckmann with 12 kills.

7./JG 51 joined II. Gruppe with 15 pilots on strength at the end of May, and during the first two months of the Normandy campaign the staffel was decimated, with twelve pilots killed, one POW and one severely wounded.

As the war turned against Germany JG 51 was forced to operate closer and closer to Germany, finally staging out of East Prussia.

Known Victory Claims - Karl Willius

DATE

PILOT

UNIT

JG

CLAIMED

LOCATION

TIME

FRONT

18/08/1940Uffz. Karl Willius8JG 51SpitfireSE Ramsgate15.09Western Front
31/08/1940Uffz. Karl Willius8JG 51Hurricane-14.22Western Front
15/09/1940Uffz. Karl Willius8JG 51Spitfire-15.36Western Front
30/09/1940Uffz. Karl Willius8JG 51Spitfire-14.56Western Front
22/06/1941Uffz. Karl Willius8JG 51SB-2-12.21Eastern Front
25/06/1941Uffz. Karl Willius8JG 51SB-2-12.21Eastern Front
30/06/1941Uffz. Karl Willius8JG 51TB-3-17.25Eastern Front
30/06/1941Uffz. Karl Willius8JG 51TB-3-17.27Eastern Front
01/07/1941Uffz. Karl Willius8JG 51SB-2-8.5Eastern Front
13/07/1941Uffz. Karl Willius8JG 51DB-3-9.53Eastern Front
13/07/1941Uffz. Karl Willius8JG 51DB-3-19.44Eastern Front
12/04/1942Fw. Karl Willius3JG 26Spitfire2-3km S. Bourbourg13.45Western Front
24/04/1942Fw. Karl Willius3JG 26SpitfireE. Calais15.02Western Front
27/04/1942Fw. Karl Willius3JG 26Spitfire10-15km NW Dünkirchen: 3000-10m16.02Western Front
18/08/1942Fw. Karl Willius3JG 26Spitfire10km N. Cap Gris Nez: 6000m15.04Western Front
19/08/1942Fw. Karl Willius3JG 26Spitfire4km SE Dieppe: 400-500m11.33Western Front
11/12/1942Fw. Karl Willius2JG 26Defiant2-3km E. Dungeness: 5m12.15Western Front
12/12/1942Fw. Karl Willius3JG 26Spitfire15km W. Wimeraux: 3500-700m11.43Western Front
21/04/1943Fw. Karl Willius3JG 26Jak-419 350: tiefflug5.46Eastern Front
13/05/1943Fw. Karl Willius3JG 26Pe-235 491: 2000m5.52Eastern Front
13/05/1943Fw. Karl Willius3JG 26Pe-235 491: 2000m5.52Eastern Front
13/05/1943Fw. Karl Willius3JG 26Pe-235 462: 2000m5.58Eastern Front
13/05/1943Fw. Karl Willius3JG 26MiG-345 550: tiefflug14.02Eastern Front
27/05/1943Fw. Karl Willius3JG 26LaGG-353 620: 3000m6.29Eastern Front
28/05/1943Fw. Karl Willius3JG 26LaGG-563 253: tiefflug11.25Eastern Front
02/06/1943Fw. Karl Willius3JG 26LaGG-362 189: 3500m10.38Eastern Front
02/06/1943Fw. Karl Willius3JG 26LaGG-362 194: 2000m7.33Eastern Front
18/08/1943Ltn. Karl Willius2JG 26SpitfireHD-81: [off Ipswich]19.07Western Front
04/09/1943Ltn. Karl Willius2JG 26SpitfireME-8.1: 4000m [340° out Loon Plage]19.14Western Front
06/09/1943Fw. Karl Willius3JG 26B-1712km NW Aumale: 2000m13.25Western Front
01/12/1943Ltn. Karl Willius2JG 26B-17PP: 3500-9600m [Polch-Mendig]11.45Western Front
30/12/1943Ltn. Karl Willius2JG 26B-17TJ: 7000m [Neuchâtel-sur-Aisne]13.43Western Front
11/01/1944Ltn. Karl Willius2JG 26B-1705 Ost S/GM: [Harderwijk]13.32Western Front
30/01/1944Ltn. Karl Willius2JG 26P-383km N. Coesfeld13.25Western Front
04/02/1944Ltn. Karl Willius2JG 26B-17QJ-2: 8000m Coulsolre [E. Maubeuge]13.5Western Front
06/02/1944Ltn. Karl Willius2JG 26B-17BF: 7500m [3km W. Melun]11.21Western Front
24/02/1944Ltn. Karl Willius2JG 26B-24OS: 4500m [Giessen Raum]13.55Western Front
02/03/1944Ltn. Karl Willius2JG 26B-17QR-23: 7000m [Idstein-Oberüsel]12.08Western Front
06/03/1944Ltn. Karl Willius2JG 26B-17OP-62: 4500m [Flammersfeld]14.41Western Front
15/03/1944Ltn. Karl Willius2JG 26B-24FN-6: 5000m [Dedemsvaart]12.26Western Front
23/03/1944Ltn. Karl Willius2JG 26B-17KL-6: 8500m [8km W. Veghel]11.4Western Front
27/03/1944Ltn. Karl Willius2JG 26P-47SE Dreux BD-14: 500m14.24Western Front
08/04/1944Ltn. Karl Willius2JG 26B-24FN: 7000m [Meppen-Zwolle]15.18Western Front

Known Claims : 43

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