Joachim Müncheberg

Joachim Müncheberg
Nickname	Jochen King of the Malta fighters Fighter ace of Tunis
Birth date	31 December 1918(1918-12-31)
Place of birth	Friedrichsdorf, Province of Pomerania, Free State of Prussia, Germany
Death date	⚔ 23 March 1943 (aged 24)
Place of death	Meknassy, French Tunisia
Resting place	German Military Cemetery at Bordj-Cedria, Tunisia
Allegiance	National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	Heer Luftwaffe
Years of service	1936–1938 1938–1943
Rank	Major
Unit	JG 26, JG 51, JG 77
Commands held	7./JG 26, II./JG 26, JG 77
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Belgium Battle of France Battle of Britain Siege of Malta Balkans campaign Eastern Front Mediterranean Theatre ⚔
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

Joachim "Jochen" Müncheberg (31 December 1918 – 23 March 1943) was a German officer of the Wehrmacht, finally Major of the Luftwaffe and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. He was a flying ace (Flieger-As) with 135 aerial victories (Luftsiege) in more than 500 combat missions (Feindflüge). He shot down 102 enemies on the Western Front – including 19 over Malta, one in Yugoslavia and 24 in North Africa – and 33 on the Eastern Front. His tally includes at least 46 Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft shot down. Andrew Johannes Mathews and John Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces - Biographies and Victory Claims (Volume 3 M–R, 2015), researched the German Federal Archives and found documentation for 135 aerial victory claims, plus nine further unconfirmed claims.

Life

From left: Gerhard Schöpfel, Adolf Galland, Joachim Müncheberg and Joachim Huth

Jochen Müncheberg (left) and General (later Generalfeldmarschall) Erwin Rommel in North Africa, 1941; Hardly visible from this angle, the picture shows Müncheberg wearing a bandage on his left knee. He injured himself in a sporting competition at Erfurt in May 1941. He fell running the 110 metres hurdles.

Müncheberg was born on 31 December 1918 in Friedrichsdorf near Dramburg in the Province of Pomerania, at the time a province of the Free State of Prussia. He was the second child of Paul Müncheberg, a farmer, and his wife Erika, née Ulrich. His sister Eva-Brigitte was one and a half years older. His father had served as a cavalry officer of the reserves during World War I. The hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic forced his father to sell their large farm Friedrichshof in 1923; they resettled in Königsberg, where Müncheberg started his elementary schooling (Grundschule). His father was able to repurchase their old estatein 1927 and the family moved back to Friedrichshof. Müncheberg completed his elementary school in Falkenburg, Pomerania. He walked or rode on a horse-drawn wagon 24 kilometres (15 mi) each way to school. In 1928 he transferred to the Real-Gymnasium in Dramburg and graduated with his Abitur (diploma) in 1936.

Müncheberg, who was talented in sports and athletics, played football for the T.V. Falkenburg youth team in the early 1930s. He attended the Sturmabteilung-sports school in Hammerstein for a few weeks in 1934 and in 1935 spent his summer vacation in Bulgaria where he, among other places, stayed at the Rila Monastery. In early 1936, he attended a National Socialism course in Lauenburg, Pomerania. He completed his compulsory Reich Labour Service (Reichsarbeitsdienst; RAD) in October 1936 with Abteilung (battalion) 5/50 in Lüttmannshagen, district of Cammin. As an athlete, he especially excelled in the decathlon; almost daily he practised the ten different disciplines. Aged 17, he attended a summer camp held in conjunction with the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.

His interest in flying was kindled by his cousin Hermann Hackbusch, a pilot during World War I, who often took Müncheberg to the Berlin-Staaken airfield for sightseeing flights. Müncheberg volunteered for service in the then newly emerging Luftwaffe, but started his recruit training on 4 December 1936 in the Army of the Wehrmacht. Müncheberg spent his 1936/37 winter vacation in Altenberg in the Ore Mountains. He then attended the III. Lehrgang (3rd training course) in the 4. Schülerkompanie (4th student company) at the Luftkriegsschule 1 (1st Air War School) in Dresden-Klotzsche from 1 April to 30 June 1937. A year later, he completed his flight training there. He officially transferred to the Luftwaffe in 1938 and attended the Jagdfliegerschule (Fighter Pilot School) in Werneuchen, under the command of Colonel Theodor Osterkamp. He was then posted to I. Gruppe (1st group) of Jagdgeschwader 234 (JG 234—234th Fighter Wing) stationed at Cologne on 23 September 1938 and was commissioned weeks later.

While stationed in Cologne, Müncheberg trained for the decathlon at the ASV Köln (sports club in Cologne) during his spare time and competed in various national and international track and field events. He even had a training field built on the family estate at Friedrichshof in Pomerania and at the time had strong ambitions to compete in the 1940 Summer Olympics. His commanding officers supported him in this athletic vision and gave him additional time off to practice for the Olympics. Müncheberg owned a Dachshund, which his mother had bred, named Seppl. The dog accompanied him from the start of World War II until his death on 23 March 1943.

At the time of Müncheberg's posting to JG 234, the Geschwader was commanded by Colonel Eduard Ritter von Schleich and I. Gruppe was headed by Major Karl Hermann Gotthard Handrick (1908–1978). Initially equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 D series, the wing group was based in Köln-Ostheim and was renamed on 1 November 1938 to 1st Group of Jagdgeschwader 132 (JG 132). In December 1938, the group was equipped with the Bf 109 E-3. On 1 May 1939, the unit was again re-designated and became 1st Group of the Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing), named after Albert Leo Schlageter. Müncheberg was transferred to the 11th Squadron of the Lehrgeschwader 2 (11./LG 2—11th squadron of the 2nd Demonstration Wing) in mid-1939. This squadron was formed on 1 August 1939 and experimented with night fighting techniques. Only pilots with excellent flying abilities, especially blind flying, were chosen.

At the beginning of the Poland Campaign, 11. (Nacht-)Staffel/LG 2 was re-designated to 10. (Nachtjagd)-Staffel of JG 26 which was led by 1st Lieutenant Johannes Steinhoff (176 aerial victories). III. Group was formed on 23 September 1939 in Werl and Müncheberg was appointed its adjutant. The group relocated to Essen-Mülheim in early November 1939 during the Phoney War period (October 1939 – April 1940). From this airfield, he claimed his first victory on 7 November 1939, a Royal Air Force (RAF) Bristol Blenheim Mk. I bomber L1325 of No. 57 Squadron, piloted by Pilot Officer H. R. Bewlay. This achievement earned him the Iron Cross 2nd Class.

The Western Campaign began on 10 May 1940. II. and III. Group/JG 26 flew close air support missions in support of German airborne landings by the Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) in the Netherlands. Müncheberg filed claim for his second victory on 11 May 1940 when he shot down an Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) Curtiss P-36 Hawk northwest of Antwerp. On 13 May 1940, III. Group was moved to München Gladbach, present-day Mönchengladbach, closer to the border with the Netherlands and Belgium. After the surrender of the Netherlands on 17 May 1940, III. Group moved to Peer in Belgium and again moved on 19 May, this time to Beauvechain near Brussels. Operating from Chièvres Air Base from 27 May 1940, Müncheberg claimed his fifth aerial victory over a Supermarine Spitfire on 29 May 1940. This achievement earned him the Iron Cross 1st Class. At the time, III. Group with Bf 109 E-3s was providing fighter escort for Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bombers and Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters operating against the beachhead held by British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in the Battle of Dunkirk.

On 4 June 1940, III. Group relocated to La Capelle near Boulogne. The second and decisive phase, Fall Rot (Case Red), of the Battle of France began on 5 June. Major Adolf Galland was appointed group commander of the III. Group on 6 June and Müncheberg became his first adjutant. On 21 July 1940, III. Group/JG 26 "Schlageter", now with upgraded Bf 109 E-4s, received orders to relocate to Caffiers in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais in preparation for actions against Britain in what would become the Battle of Britain. Müncheberg was credited with his 11th victory on 8 August 1940. The fighting reached a climax on 13 August when Eagle Day was launched (code name Adlertag). Galland was appointed Wing Commodore of JG 26 "Schlageter" on 22 August 1940. In consequence, Captain Gerhard Schöpfel, who had led 9th Squadron, was appointed commander of the III. Group and Müncheberg was given command of the 7th Squdron as Staffelkapitän (Squadron Leader), replacing 1st Lieutenant Georg Beyer who left to become Galland's adjutant and became a prisoner of war on 28 August after being shot down.

Hitler visited JG 26 "Schlageter" at Christmas 1940 and dined with a selected group of pilots, among them Gustav "Micky" Sprick, Walter Adolph, Rolf Pingel, Galland, Schöpfel and Müncheberg. The war of attrition against the RAF had cost JG 26 "Schlageter" dearly, 7th Squadron alone lost 13 pilots, and the entire Geschwader had to be moved back to Germany to reform and re-equip in early 1941. III. Group was stationed at Bonn-Hangelar, in Sankt Augustin. Before the group received new aircraft, the men were sent on a skiing vacation in the Austrian Alps. This was to be the last period of leave given to the entire JG 26 for the duration of the war. On 22 January 1941, Müncheberg was informed that the 7th Squadron had to relocate to Sicily in support of X. Fliegerkorps for actions against the strategically important island of Malta. With the opening of a new front in North Africa in mid-1940, British air and sea forces based on the island could attack Axis ships transporting vital supplies and reinforcements from Europe to North Africa. To counter this threat the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) were tasked with bombing raids in an effort to neutralise the RAF defences and the ports. Müncheberg claimed his 33rd victory on 28 March 1941. This was also his 200th combat mission which was celebrated by the entire Squadron.

7/JG 26 flew in support of the German Balkans campaign on 6 April 1941 and attacked the airfield at Podgorica. The Balkan intermezzo was short and the detachment relocated back to Gela beginning on 8 April 1941. Müncheberg claimed two Hurricanes of No. 261 Squadron, the first one on 11 April and the second one on 23 April: in the former case the two pilots were killed when they attacked a Bf 110 reconnaissance aircraft and failed to notice Müncheberg and his wingman flying as an escort; in the latter case the pilot survived the parachute jump but drowned. British Royal Navy forces were ordered not to undertake rescue missions in the midst of an air raid. A reconnaissance Bf 109 detected a four-engine Short Sunderland L5807, belonging to No. 228 Squadron at RAF Kalafrana on 27 April. Müncheberg led his 7th Squadron in the attack, destroying the Sunderland. Pilot Officer Rees and his crew survived. On 29 April 1941, 7th Squadron provided fighter protection for Junkers Ju 88 bombers attacking Malta. The squadron claimed two Hurricanes shot down, one by Münchberg, for the loss of one Ju 88. The German actress and UFA star, Carola Höhn-Crüger, wife of bomber pilot Arved Crüger, on a mission to provide entertainment to the troops, visited the pilots at Gela.

Müncheberg surpassed 40 aerial victories on 1 May 1941 after downing two aircraft on an early morning mission and a third in the evening. Müncheberg was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, following two more Hurricanes shot down on 6 May. His total now at 43 victories, Müncheberg received the news of his award on the early morning of 7 May. Müncheberg became the 12th member of the Wehrmacht to be honoured with the Oak Leaves and two hours later received news that Duce Benito Mussolini had awarded him the Gold Medal of Military Valor (Medaglia d'oro al Valore Militare), the first German to receive this award. Hitler sent him a teleprinter message on 7 May 1941 congratulating him on his 40th aerial victory. The squadron was then given two weeks of rest at Catania before moving on to Molaoi. Here the pilots were initially tasked with long-range combat air patrols before Operation Battleaxe, a British Army operation with the goal of clearing eastern Cyrenaica of German and Italian forces, was initiated on 15 June 1941. 7th Squadron was immediately ordered to relocate to North Africa where they were subordinated to I. Group of Jagdgeschwader 27 (I./JG 27 - 1st group of the 27th Fighter Wing), then under the command of Captain Eduard Neumann. The unit was based at Gazala since 31 May 1941.

Müncheberg's squadron claimed eight victories during its brief African odyssey; their leader claimed five. Fliegerführer Afrika (Pilot Leader Africa) received orders on 4 August 1941 to downsize the 7th Squadron in Africa to four aircraft. The remaining aircraft and aircrews were to relocate to France back to Jagdgeschwader 26. Before Müncheberg arrived in France, he stopped in Rome where he received the Gold Medal of Military Valour from Mussolini. He then travelled to the Wolf's Lair, Hitler's Führerhauptquartier in Rastenburg for the Oak Leaves presentation together with Captain Hermann Friedrich Joppien (⚔ 28 August 1941). Following the presentation Müncheberg went on two weeks of vacation. On 19 September 1941, Müncheberg was promoted to the rank of Captain and became commander of the II. Group/JG 26 "Schlageter" following the death of Hauptmann Walter Adolph the day before. Klaus Mietusch took over the 7th Squadron. Galland was replaced by Schöpfel on 5 December 1941 as Wing Commodore of JG 26 "Schlageter". On 8 November 1941, in an air battle near Dunkirk which involved Spitfire Vb's of RCAF No. 412 Squadron, based at RAF Wellingore, Müncheberg attacked a section of four Spitfires, shooting down three of them; all three pilots were killed. On 8 December 1941, Müncheberg achieved his 60th aerial victory which was announced in the Wehrmachtbericht, his third such mention.

Müncheberg was granted a lengthy vacation in early 1942, not returning before March 1942. He therefore did not participate in Operation Donnerkeil, the air superiority operation to support the Kriegsmarine's Operation Cerberus (Unternehmen „Cerberus“), which was executed on 11–12 February 1942. Müncheberg claimed the first victory following his vacation on 13 March 1942, a Spitfire of No. 124 Squadron. During his absence the Fw 190 A-1 and A-2 had been replaced with the newer A-3 variant. Müncheberg claimed his 70th and 71st victory on 26 April 1942 within two minutes of combat. On 2 June 1942, Müncheberg was credited with the destruction of two Spitfires taking his total to 81 aerial victories. Following his 83rd aerial victory, Müncheberg was summoned to his commanding officer, Geschwaderkommodore Schöpfel, who informed him of his transfer to Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) on the Eastern Front. Müncheberg was destined to become a Wing Commodore but prior to receiving his own command, he would have to serve as a (deputy) Kommodore in training under Karl-Gottfried Nordmann. He went on three-week home leave, staying at his parents' home, before he received his orders to head east on 21 July 1942. On his way to the Eastern Front, Müncheberg travelled to Berlin where he briefly served on the staff of the General der Jagdflieger Adolf Galland discussing air combat tactics and how to lead a fighter wing. On 26 July 1942, he participated in the German track and field championships, starting for the ASV Köln in the decathlon.

His first major task was re-equipping JG 51 with the Fw 190. He claimed his first victories in the east on 3 August 1942, shooting down two Petlyakov Pe-2 dive bombers near Rzhev. He quickly achieved further victories, reaching 90 victories on 22 August and surpassing the 100 victories on 5 September 1942. He was the 19th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. On 9 September 1942, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords following his 103rd victory. Müncheberg claimed his last victory in this theatre on 27 September 1942, claiming 33 victories in total over Russian aircraft, this took his overall score to 116 aerial victories. He was then ordered to the Wolf's Lair where Hitler presented him the Swords to his Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. Following the award ceremony, he was granted home leave before being appointed Wing Commodore of Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing), replacing Gordon Max „Mac“ Gollob in this role on 1 October 1942. Under the leadership of Müncheberg, the wing staff, which was equipped with new Bf 109 G-2s, arrived on 1 November 1942 in Bari and transferred to Bir-el-Abd (North Africa) on 3 November 1942. I./JG 77 was commanded by Heinz Bär, II./JG 77 by Anton Mader and III./JG 77 by Kurt Ubben.

The headquarters of Jagdgeschwader 77 was in Bir Dafun at the beginning of 1943. It was subordinate to the Fliegerführer Afrika. The staff was equipped with seven Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 trop. On 17 January 1943, the Bir Dafun area had to be evacuated. The staff moved to El Asabaa, south of Tripoli. This place also had to be given up on 20 January and the staff moved to Zuara. On 3 February 1943, the wing went on to Fatnassa and on 20 February to La Fauconerie. After the death of Wing Commodore Major Müncheberg, the squadron was led as a substitute by the commodore of Jagdgeschwader 53, Lieutenant Colonel Günther von Maltzahn, until Major Müncheberg's successor, Lieutenant Colonel Johannes Steinhoff, took command of the wing on 1 April 1943.

Death

On 23 March 1943 during the Tunisian campaign (Tunesienfeldzug), Müncheberg shot down a Spitfire with his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 trop southwest of Al Miknasi/Tunisia (over Zanouch or Gafsa). His plane collided with debris from American pilot Captain Theodore "Ted" Sweetland's downed Spitfire (USAAF 2nd Fighter Squadron/52nd Fighter Group) and also crashed (45 km east-southeast Gafsa); both pilots died. Captain Hugh L. Williamson, who was also shot down in the engagement, witnessed the dogfight. Theodore Reilly Sweetland's body was never recovered.

In Jane Sweetland’s family, there’s a legend that her uncle Ted and a German pilot shot each other down in World War II. While investigating this, Sweetland unearthed a true story that was more fascinating than she had imagined. Ted Sweetland and Joachim Müncheberg were born just six months apart—but half a world away [...] Spurred by patriotism, Ted and Joachim joined their respective nations’ air forces. They were twenty-four years old when their stories ended in the skies over Tunisia. In Sons at War, Sweetland writes with astonishing empathy for the man who killed her uncle. Joachim wasn’t evil—he was a young man, not unlike Ted. Both learned the lessons their nation taught them. [...] Heartfelt and authentic in its pursuit, this book is a valuable find. A long-standing educator, Sweetland uses original interviews, family journals, radio broadcasts and scores of historical accounts to document the lives of two young airmen who fought in World War II, the American uncle she never met, and the ace German pilot his same age, destined to take each other down in the smoke laden skies over North Africa in 1943.

Müncheberg's body was originally buried at El Aouina; it was later moved to the "Heroes' Cemetery" (Heldenfriedhof) at Tunis. In the 1950s it was moved again and re-buried at the German Military Cemetery at Bordj-Cedria. After the Luftwaffe reported his death, the fact made news in Britain along with the death of fighter ace (152 aerial victories) Hans Beißwenger (⚔ 6 March 1943) in a 1943 issue of The Aeroplane, entitled "Gap in the Fighter Ranks".

Promotions

• 4 December 1936: Fahnenjunker (Officer Candidate)
• 1 August 1937: Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier
• 16 December 1937: Fähnrich (Officer Cadet)
• 13 September 1938: Oberfähnrich (Senior Officer Cadet)
• 8 November 1938: Leutnant (Second Lieutenant)
• 19 July 1940: Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant)
• 19 September 1941: Hauptmann (Captain)
• 30 November 1942: Major (Major)

Awards and decorations

• DRL/Reich Sports Badge (Deutsches Reichssportabzeichen) in Bronze
• SA Sports Badge (SA-Sportabzeichen) in Bronze
• Pilot's Badge (Flugzeugführerabzeichen)
• Iron Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class
  • 2nd Class on 17 September 1939
  • 1st Class on 10 Mai 1940
• Honorary Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg)
• Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen 1939) in Black
• Five references in the Wehrmachtbericht (Namentliche Nennung im Wehrmachtbericht) on 15 September 1940, 1 May 1941, 11 December 1941, 4 June 1942 and 24 March 1943
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for Fighters in Bronze, Silver and Gold with Pennant "400"
• Italian Gold Medal of Military Valor on 7 May 1941
  • For outstanding achievements on the Mediterranean front, he was the first foreign soldier to receive Italy's highest military decoration from Benito Mussolini. Only the famous fighter pilot Hans-Joachim Marseille received such an award.
• Italian Pilot's Badge Italienisches Fliegerabzeichen
• German Cross in Gold on 5 June 1942 as Captain in the II. Group/Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
  • Knight's Cross on 14 September 1940 as 1st Lieutenant and Captain of the 7. Squadron/Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"
  • 12th Oak Leaves on 7 May 1941 as 1st Lieutenant and Captain of the 7. Squadron/Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"
  • 19th Swords on 9 September 1942) as Captain and deputy Wing Commodore of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"

Gallery

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