Walter Adolph

Walter Adolph (11 June 1913 – 18 September 1941) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator in the Spanish Civil War and a fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 25 aerial victories, including one in Spain, achieved in 79 combat missions. All his World War II victories were claimed over the Western Front.

Born in Fântânele, Romania, Adolph served in the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War, where he claimed his first aerial victory on 30 December 1937. He was made Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel (2nd squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1–1st Fighter Wing), a squadron which was later redesignated 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27–27th Fighter Wing). In October 1940, he was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26–26th Fighter Wing) and received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 13 November 1940. On 16 September 1941, he was killed in action with Supermarine Spitfire fighters from No. 41 Squadron.

Early life and career

Adolph was born on 11 June 1913 at Fântânele, Bacău County, Romania. After the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, he moved with his family to Germany.Template:Sfn From late 1937 until spring 1938, he served with 1. Staffel (1st squadron) of Jagdgruppe 88 (J/88–88th Fighter Group) of the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War.Template:Sfn Adolph arrived in Spain at the time J/88 received a complement of 14 new Messerschmitt Bf 109 B-2 fighters.Template:Sfn He claimed one victory,Template:Sfn a Republican Polikarpov I-15 fighter, on 30 December 1937. He was awarded the Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords (), for his service in the Spanish Civil War.Template:Sfn

On 1 January 1939, Adolph was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 130 (JG 130–130th Fighter Wing), a squadron of I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 130 under the command of Hauptmann Bernhard Woldenga. This unit was renamed on 1 May 1939 and was then referred to 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1–1st Fighter Wing) from then on.Template:Sfn In mid-August 1939, 2. Staffel was ordered to move from Jesau, near present-day Bagrationovsk, to Heiligenbeil, present-day Mamonovo, in preparation for the German Invasion of Poland.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. On 6 September, I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 1 was withdrawn and ordered to Lübeck-Blankensee and then on 15 September to Vörden where the unit stayed until January 1940. There, the Gruppe flew fighter protection during the "Phoney War" on the German border to the Netherlands.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Adolph claimed his first aerial victory in World War II on 1 October 1939 over Osnabrück. His opponent was a Royal Air Force (RAF) Bristol Blenheim N6281 of No. 139 Squadron flown by F/O AC MacLachlan.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

In mid-January 1940, I. Gruppe was ordered to an airfield at Gymnich, today part of Erftstadt, where the unit was tasked with patrolling Germany's western border. There, the Gruppe continuously conducted various flight exercises. In late April, the unit received the first Bf 109 E-4 variant, replacing the Bf 109 E-3s.Template:Sfn

Battle of France and Britain

The Wehrmacht launched the invasion of France and the Low Countries on 10 May 1940. During this campaign, I. Gruppe of JG 1 was subordinated to the Stab (headquarters unit) of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27–27th Fighter Wing) which was under the control of VIII. Fliegerkorps (8th Air Corps) under the command of Generaloberst Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen. That day, I. Gruppe flew combat air patrols in the area of Venlo–Tirlemont–Liège and later that day to Maastricht.Template:Sfn On 12 May, German forces began crossing the bridges over Meuse and Albert Canal. At first light, nine Bristol Blenheims belonging to No. 139 Squadron RAF took off from Plivot to bomb the bridgeheads. They ran into Bf 109s from Stab./JG 51, and 2. and 3./JG 27.Template:Sfn In defense of these bridges, I. Gruppe claimed ten bombers shot down, including three Blenheim bombers from No. 139 Squadron by Adolph.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn No. 139 Squadron lost seven of the unescorted bombers.Template:Sfn On 16 May, I. Gruppe was moved to an airfield at Charleville.Template:Sfn On 6 June, Adolph was credited with two aerial victories over French Lioré et Olivier LeO 451 bombers in the vicinity of Montdidier, his fifth and last during the French campaign.Template:Sfn

I. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Plumetot on 30 June 1940 for combat against the RAF. On 5 July, the Luftwaffe began reorganizing its fighter units. In consequence, I. Gruppe of JG 1 was officially integrated into JG 27 as its III. Gruppe, with 2. Staffel of JG 1 then becoming the 8. Staffel of JG 27.Template:Sfn On 19 July, III. Gruppe escorted a number of Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers on a Kanalkampf mission to the Isle of Wight where they encountered a number of Hawker Hurricane fighters. The Gruppe claimed five Hurricanes shot down, including one by Adolph.Template:Sfn The RAF attacked the Querqueville Airfield on the afternoon of 1 August. In defense of this attack, I. Gruppe claimed three aerial victories, including a Blenheim bomber shot down by Adolph near Cherbourg.Template:Sfn On 7 September, the Luftwaffe launched Operation Loge, a 65-day air offensive against London. That day, Adolph claimed a Supermarine Spitfire destroyed south of Stanford.Template:Sfn

Group commander and death

Adolph was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26–26th Fighter Wing) on 4 October 1940.Template:Sfn JG 26 was named after Albert Leo Schlageter, a martyr cultivated by the Nazi Party.Template:Sfn On 11 October, Adolph claimed his tenth and eleventh aerial victory over two Spitfire fighters. Both Spitfires came from No. 41 Squadron and were shot down off the coast of Kent near Maidstone. Four days later, he claimed a Hurricane destroyed near London. The Hurricane either belonged to No. 46 Squadron or No. 501 Squadron.Template:Sfn His 13th victory, a No. 603 Squadron Spitfire, was claimed on 25 October in aerial combat near Maidstone.Template:Sfn Adolph's victim, Pilot Officer Ludwig Martel, flying P7350, lost consciousness and when he came around found he was flying upside down with a dead engine and promptly parachuted to safety.Template:Sfn

His next victory was claimed on 1 November over a No. 74 Squadron Spitfire, also shot down near Maidstone.Template:Sfn On 8 November, Adolph was credited with his 15th aerial victory, a Spitfire claimed near Tonbridge. That day, II. Gruppe had claimed four Spitfires shot down while British records show that two Hurricanes were lost while further two had to make a forced landing.Template:Sfn On 13 November 1940, Adolph was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () in parts for increasing the combat performance of II. Gruppe.Template:Sfn

File:Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof Lommel - Walter Adolph.jpg

Lommel German war cemetery – Walter Adolph

On 17 June, the RAF flew "Circus" No. 13 targeting the Etabs Kuhlmann Chemical Works and power station at Chocques. In total, No. 2 Group sent 24 Blenheim bombers, escorted by fighters from North Weald and Biggin Hill. JG 26 claimed 15 aerial victories including a Hurricane by Adolph.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn The RAF flew "Circus" No. 24 on 26 June with the objective to bomb the electrical power station at Comines with 28 bombers. Adolph claimed his 18th aerial victory that day, shooting down a Spitfire.Template:Sfn On 1 July, II. Gruppe began relocating to Moorsele Airfield where the unit was closer to the RAF "Circus" routes. The infrastructure at Moorsele was ideal for the planned transition to the then new Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter aircraft which began arriving in July.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn On 6 July, the RAF flew another "Circus". No. 35 targeted Lille and the Fives-Lille engineering company. In defense of this attack, Adolph shot down a Spitfire from No. 74 Squadron.Template:Sfn On 23 July, JG 26 claimed four Blenheim bombers shot down from No. 21 Squadron off the Scheldt Estuary and Ostend, including Adolph's 21st aerial victory.Template:Sfn On 16 August, Adolph claimed aerial victories numbering 23 and 24 of World War II while defending against "Circus" No. 75. That day, he shot down a No. 602 Squadron Spitfire northwest of Boulogne and a No. 602 Squadron north of Marquise.Template:Sfn

On 18 September 1941, elements of JG 26 escorted a German tanker through the English Channel. The tanker came under attack by three Blenheim bombers just off the coast near Blankenberge. The bombers were escorted by Spitfire fighters from No. 41 Squadron and Hurricane fighters from No. 615 Squadron. Adolph headed a flight of eight Fw 190 from II. Gruppe in defense of the tanker. Following the attack on the tanker, one Blenheim bomber was claimed shot down by a German pilot.Template:Sfn Adolph, while observing the crashed bomber, was shot down and killed in his Fw 190 A-1 (Werknummer 0028—factory number) northwest of Ostend.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn The British flying ace F/O Cyril Babbage of No. 41 Squadron is believed to have shot down Adolph.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Adolph's Fw 190 was the first of its kind to be lost in aerial combat.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Adolph's successor as Gruppenkommandeur was Hauptmann Joachim Müncheberg who took command of II. Gruppe on 19 September.Template:Sfn On 12 October 1941, his body was washed ashore near Knokke, Belgium and was interred at the Lommel German war cemetery.Template:Sfn

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Author Spick lists him with 28 aerial victories, claimed in 79 combat missions.Template:Sfn That are three victories more than authors Obermaier,Template:Sfn Caldwell,Template:Sfn Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock attribute him with.Template:Sfn Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for more than 21 aerial victory claims, plus four further unconfirmed claims. This number includes one claim during the Spanish Civil War and 20 on the Western Front of World War II.Template:Sfn

Chronicle of aerial victories
This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Bock, Mathews and Foreman.
Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location	Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location
Spanish Civil War
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgruppe 88 –Template:Sfn Spanish Civil War — January 1937 – January 1938
1	30 December 1937	—	I-15
World War II
– 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1 –Template:Sfn "Phoney War" — 1 September 1939 – 9 May 1940
1	1 October 1939	14:10	Blenheim	Bad DriburgTemplate:Sfn
– 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1 –Template:Sfn Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940
2	12 May 1940	06:00	Blenheim	vicinity of MaastrichtTemplate:Sfn	5?Template:Refn	6 June 1940	—	LeO 451	MontdidierTemplate:Sfn
3	12 May 1940	06:07	Blenheim	vicinity of MaastrichtTemplate:Sfn	6?	6 June 1940	—	LeO 451	MontdidierTemplate:Sfn
4	12 May 1940	10:37	Blenheim	vicinity of LiègeTemplate:Sfn
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 27 –Template:Sfn Action at the Channel and over England — 26 June – 30 September 1940
7	19 July 1940	18:25	Hurricane	off the Isle of WightTemplate:Sfn	9	7 September 1940	18:25	Spitfire	south of StanfordTemplate:Sfn
8	1 August 1940	16:45	Blenheim	vicinity of CherbourgTemplate:Sfn
– Stab II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" –Template:Sfn Action at the Channel and over England — 3 October – 21 June 1941
10	11 October 1940	17:38	Spitfire	MaidstoneTemplate:Sfn	14	1 November 1940	12:50	Spitfire	MaidstoneTemplate:Sfn
11	11 October 1940	17:38	Spitfire	MaidstoneTemplate:Sfn	15	8 November 1940	14:50	Spitfire	TonbridgeTemplate:Sfn
12	15 October 1940	14:10	Hurricane	LondonTemplate:Sfn	16	17 June 1941	19:50	Hurricane	BoulogneTemplate:Sfn
13	25 October 1940	11:04	Spitfire	MaidstoneTemplate:Sfn
– Stab II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" –Template:Sfn Action at the Channel and over England — 22 June – 18 September 1941
17	22 June 1941	16:00	Spitfire	GravelinesTemplate:Sfn	21	23 July 1941	14:20	Blenheim	OstendTemplate:Sfn
18	26 June 1941	11:55	Spitfire	MardyckTemplate:Sfn	22	24 July 1941	14:55?Template:Refn	Spitfire	northwest of GravelinesTemplate:Sfn
19	6 July 1941	14:45?Template:Refn	Spitfire	WormhoutTemplate:Sfn vicinity of Calais	23?	16 August 1941	09:30?Template:Refn	Spitfire	northwest of BoulogneTemplate:Sfn
20	8 July 1941	15:30	Spitfire	GravelinesTemplate:Sfn	24?	16 August 1941	19:30?Template:Refn	Spitfire	north of MarquiseTemplate:Sfn

Awards

• Spanish Cross in Gold with SwordsTemplate:Sfn
• Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (26 October 1940)Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 13 November 1940 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn