Werner Mölders

Werner Mölders (* March 18th 1913 with Gelsenkirchen; † November 22nd 1941 with Breslau (Wrocław)) was an officer of the Luftwaffe and a ace of air hunting during the Second world war.

Before the Second world war

Werner Mölders wished since always becoming soldier. After having made a success of its baccalaureat ( Abitur ), it engaged at 17 years in the Reichswehr, the German army of the Weimar Republic. On 60 candidates of its age, only three were retained, of which Mölders. It carried out initially a formation to become officer of the genious. When the Luftwaffe was created in secrecy, Mölders went voluntary to integrate this one, because to fly belonged to its child's dreams. At the time of a medical visit he was considered to be inapt for the flight, but, after a second examination, he was declared suited with restrictions. He carried out then his training of pilot at the civil flying school of Cottbus and obtained his patent as a major of promotion.

In 1935 it was allowed in the Luftwaffe and one asked him to set up, in collaboration with older officers, a flotilla of bombers in piqué. In May of the same year it obtained the pilot's license of the Luftwaffe. In 1937, Mölders, then lieutenant ( Oberleutnant ), took head of a group of a fighter squadron, the I/JG334 ( Jagdgeschwader 334 ) stationed with Wiesbaden.

Mölders went then voluntary to belong to the Légion Condor during the war of Spain. The May 25th 1938 it took again the command of the flotilla of Messerschmitt of Adolf Galland. With 14 air victories, Mölders became the fighter pilot of Spain with the most victories with its credit. At 25 years it was named captain ( Hauptmann ) and was decorated with the " Cross of Espagne" out of gold with brilliances.

Second world war

At the beginning of the Second world war, Mölders was Staffelkapitän (chief of flotilla) of the 1/JG-53 (" Jagdgeschwader 53") " Ace of pique". In October 1939 it had the role of setting up the 3rd group of the " JG 53" with Wiesbaden - Erbenheim and to carry out surveillance missions of the borders. After seven air victories, it obtained in April 1940 the Croix of iron of 1st class and at the end of May he was the first German fighter pilot, after 20 air victories, to obtain hands of the Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring the Cross of knight of the Croix of iron. Its group of hunting had then already cut down 81 enemy apparatuses. The June 5th 1940 Mölders itself was cut down and made prisoner by the French Army. After the capitulation of the France the June 30th 1940 it joined its unit again.

Promoted " Major" (commander), Mölders took the head of the squadron of hunting 51 (JagdGeschwader 51 " JG-51") the July 20th 1940. This squadron then carried the principal weight of the Bataille of England. The September 21st of the same Mölders year was credited with its 40e victory. It was of this fact the first fighter pilot of the Second world war to reach this number and was the second soldier of the Wehrmacht to obtain the " sheets of chêne" for its Cross of knight of the Cross of iron. Its flotilla was at that time most effective of the Luftwaffe. Hardly six months later it obtained its 60e air victory. In November 1940 it was named " Oberstleutnant" (lieutenant-colonel). Göring wanted to name Mölders " Leader pilot of chasse" , but this last refused.

Right before the beginning of the Campagne of Russia its flotilla was transferred to the border Is of Germany and when Hitler attacked the Soviet Union, Mölders jubila: “An immense war is in hand and I am proud to be in the center of the actions of combat with my squadron”.

During the first day of this countryside, Mölders overcame four enemies in aerial combat what been worth to him to obtain, as a second soldier of the Wehrmacht, after Adolf Galland, " glaives" for its Cross of knight of the Cross of iron with " sheets of chêne". It was its 72e victory. Its squadron added up this same day 96 victories, which showed qualities of its pilots but also the weakness of the enemy. Moreover, it was brought to carry out missions of tactical support to the service of the troops on the ground, operations specific during which it destroyed 8 Soviet tanks and of many objectives on the ground.

One month later, the July 15th, after four new victories in the same day, it obtained its 101e victory and was decorated, as a first soldier of the Wehrmacht, with the Cross of knight of the Croix of iron with " sheets of chêne" , " glaives" and " brillants". Little time after it were named Oberst (colonel) at the age of 28 years and it was interdict of flight of combat. It added up 115 victories then. Then it was named General der Jagdflieger (inspector of hunting) and was transferred to the ministry for the air with Berlin.

During an inspection on the face of the East, within the framework of its new function, Mölders the suicide learned from the general and old driver from hunting hero from the First World War Ernst Udet and it accepted the order to go to Berlin to attend its funerals. The left engine of the Heinkel He 111 which was to bring back it in the German capital the November 22nd 1941 broke down close to Breslau (today Wrocław). The pilot then tried an emergency landing, but at the time of the approach on the aerodrome of Breslau-Schöngarten, the right engine fell also broken down and the plane of connection was crushed brutally.

Colonel Mölders as well as lieutenant Georg Kolbe were killed at the time of this accident. His aide-de-camp and the radio operator survived.

The November 28th 1941 it was buried with the cemetery of the invalids with Berlin, at the sides of Ernst Udet and Manfred von Richthofen, at the conclusion of an official ceremony to which assisted Göring and Hitler itself.

Its old unit, the JG 51, was then named on a purely honorary basis " Jagdgeschwader Mölders".

The name " Mölders" after the war

The April 13rd 1968 a Destroyer of the German marine was baptized name of " Mölders". This ship was in service of 1969 with 2003. Since the June 24th 2005 it is the showpiece of the museum of the German marine with Wilhelmshaven ( Deutsches Marinemuseum Wilhelmshaven ).

The November 9th 1972 the barracks of the 34e regiment of transmissions of Visselhövede accepted also the name of " Mölders".

Since the November 22nd 1973, the fighter squadron N°74 ( Jagdgeschwader 74 ) stationed with Neubourg on the Danube also bore the name of " Mölders".

But in January 2005 the ministry for the defense of Germany decided that installations of the Bundeswehr were not to bear the name of Mölders any more. This decision made following a request, carried out by the party of the left PDS, to apply a law promulgated at the time of the 60e birthday of the bombardment of Guernica by the German Parliament which stipulates that the members of the Légion Condor were not to be honoured any more.

Various members of the Bundeswehr, of which the first commander of the destroyer " Mölders" , protested against this decision while arguing that Mölders had not taken part in the attack against Guernica and that, from its rather Christian orientation, its bonds with the National-socialisme were rather very thin. A petition of protest which circulated within the JG 74 had to be stopped following pressures of the ministry and, in spite of the protests of regional politicians, Jagdgeschwader 74 " Mölders" was famous the March 11th 2005 in Jagdgeschwader 74 .

See too

List of the holders of the cross of knight of the cross of iron with sheets of oak, swords and brilliant

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