Military-Art.com Home Page
Order Enquiries (UK) : 01436 820269

You currently have no items in your basket


Buy with confidence and security!
Publishing military art since 1985

Don't Miss Any Special Deals - Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
MILITARY
ART
AVIATION
ART
NAVAL
ART

Product Search         

FEATURED CURRENT OFFER - £16 LARGE SIZE CLASSIC MILITARY ART PRINTS.

Aircraft
Index
Squadron
Index
Aviation Art
by Country
Aviation
Signatures Index
Aviation
Artists Index
Aviation
Art Offers
ALWAYS GREAT OFFERS :
20% FURTHER PRICE REDUCTIONS ON HUNDREDS OF LIMITED EDITION ART PRINTS
BUY ONE GET ONE HALF PRICE ON THOUSANDS OF PAINTINGS AND PRINTS
FOR MORE OFFERS SIGN UP TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Georg Claus - Pilot Profile - Georg Claus

No Photo Available

Victories : 18
-----------------------------
Country : Germany
Fought in : WW2
Fought for : Axis

Georg Claus

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

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.

JG53


Country : Germany
Founded : 1937
'Ace of Hearts'

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of JG53
JG53

Pik-As was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. It operated in Western Europe and in the Mediterranean. Jagdgeschwader 53 - or as it was better known, the Pik As (Ace of Spades) Geschwader - was one of the oldest German fighter units of World War II with its origins going back to 1937. JG53 flew the various models of Bf-109 throughout the second world war.

Known Victory Claims - Georg Claus

DATE

PILOT

UNIT

JG

CLAIMED

LOCATION

TIME

FRONT

10/09/1939Ltn. Georg Claus1JG 53MureauxS. Saarbrücken18.33Western Front
23/11/1939Ltn. Georg ClausStab III.JG 53Morane 406S. Zweibrücken15.2Western Front
15/05/1940Ltn. Georg ClausStab III.JG 53HurricaneVouziers10Western Front
25/05/1940Ltn. Georg ClausStab III.JG 53Morane 406Forêt de Compiègne18.55Western Front
31/05/1940Ltn. Georg ClausStab III.JG 53LeO 451Abbéville: 300m19.55Western Front
05/06/1940Ltn. Georg ClausStab III.JG 53BlochW. Compiègne11.13Western Front
11/06/1940Ltn. Georg ClausStab III.JG 53Morane 406SW Épernay: 1500m12.1Western Front
15/08/1940Ltn. Georg ClausStab III.JG 53Spitfire-20.1Western Front
28/08/1940Oblt. Georg ClausStabJG 51HurricaneCanterbury18.26Western Front
31/08/1940Oblt. Georg ClausStabJG 51HurricaneNE Folkestone10.11Western Front
03/09/1940Oblt. Georg ClausStabJG 51Spitfire--Western Front
07/09/1940Oblt. Georg ClausStabJG 51Spitfire--Western Front
15/09/1940Oblt. Georg ClausStabJG 51Spitfire--Western Front
16/09/1940Oblt. Georg ClausStabJG 51HurricaneS. London-Western Front
12/10/1940Oblt. Georg ClausStabJG 51HurricaneS. Dungeness-Western Front
08/11/1940Oblt. Georg Claus1JG 51Hurricane-12.1Western Front
08/11/1940Oblt. Georg Claus1JG 51Hurricane-15.2Western Front
08/11/1940Oblt. Georg Claus1JG 51Hurricane-15.23Western Front

Known Claims : 18

About our Signatures on Artwork

Contact Details
Shipping Info
Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy
Privacy Policy

Join us on Facebook!

Sign Up To Our Newsletter!

Stay up to date with all our latest offers, deals and events as well as new releases and exclusive subscriber content!

This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts.  Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE

Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269.  Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com

Follow us on Twitter!

Return to Home Page