Werner Mölders

From The Air Combat Wiki

The first German pilot to reach the 100-victory mark.

Werner Mölders was born on 18 March 1913 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. He joined the army in 1931 and served as an officer cadet in the Infantry. In 1934 Mölders requested a transfer to the newly created Luftwaffe. At his first attempt to join, in 1935, he was declared unfit for flying. He tried again and was given conditional permission to begin flying training. Nausea and vomiting assailed him constantly, but he overcame them by sheer willpower. On 1 July 1935 Leutnant Mölders was posted to Fliegergruppe Schwerin, and he was appointed Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 334 on 15 March 1936. He then served as an instructor at Wiesbaden.

In 1938 he volunteered for the Condor Legion and arrived by sea in Cadiz on 14 April 1938, taking over from Adolf Galland at the head of the 3. Staffel J/88. During the Spanish Civil War he showed considerable qualities not only as a pilot and marksman but also, and especially, as a tactician and organiser. A devout Roman Catholic and humanitarian, Mölders often incurred the displeasure of the higher command, although ultimately his military talents overcame any theological problems with authority. Together with other airmen, in Spain he developed the technique known as the finger four which improved a Flight's (Schwarm) all-round vision and encouraged the pilots' initiative.

Mölders shot down fourteen aircraft in Spain, four Polikarpov I-15 Chato and ten I-16 Mosca. At the end of the year he returned to Germany with a glowing reputation and a maturity beyond his years and rank. In 1939 he was promoted to Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 53, and was known by those under his command as 'Vati' (Daddy) Mölders.

He shot down his first aircraft of the Second World War on 21 September 1939, and in October he went on to command III./JG 53 as Gruppenkommandeur. On 27 May 1940, after his twentieth victory, he was promoted to Hauptmann and awarded the Knight's Cross. He was shot down in combat on 5 June by a French air force Dewoitine D.520 and taken prisoner. He was liberated two weeks later upon the armistice with France.

He returned to Germany to be promoted to Major and given command of JG 51 as Geschwaderkommodore on 27 July 1940. According to legend, Mölders was hit in a dogfight over Dover with the South African ace Sailor Malan on 28 July. Wounded, Mölders managed to make an emergency landing at Wissant, France. Recent research seems to suggest Mölders was actually wounded in combat with Spitfires of 41 Squadron. Mölders had 55 kills by the end of 1940 (25 in the Battle of France, 30 in the Battle of Britain). His victories versus the RAF continued up to 68.

In 1941 JG 51 transferred to the Eastern front, and following the start of operations in June 1941 he brought his score up to 100 in just three weeks. He was the first pilot in history to reach that figure, and he added Diamonds to the Oak Leaves with Swords on his Ritterkreuz. He was also personally ordered by Hermann Göring not to fly in combat anymore. He did, however, fly unofficially on missions, and actively command JG 51 operations for several more months.

A Colonel at 28, Mölders was appointed Inspector General of Fighters. On 22 November 1941 he was flying as a passenger in a He 111 from the Crimea to Germany to attend the funeral of his superior and friend, Ernst Udet. Attempting to land at Breslau during a thunderstorm, the aircraft crashed. Mölders and the pilot were killed.

In his memory, JG 51 was granted the honorary name "Mölders". The modern Luftwaffe squadron JG 74 at Neuburg/Donau carried on the name. However, in 2005 the German Secretary of Defence Peter Struck (Social Democratic Party), under pressure from the PDS Party (composed of former East German communists), ordered Mölders' name removed because of his involvement with the Condor Legion in Spain.