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KG51
Founded :
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KG51
KG51 Artwork |
KG51 Artwork Collection |
  Unseen and Deadly by Ivan Berryman. |   Victory Over the Rhine by Nicolas Trudgian. |   Tribute to Georg Csurusky by Ivan Berryman. |
| Aces for : KG51 | ||
| A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking the pilots name. | ||
| Name | Victories | Info |
| Wolfgang Schenck | 18.00 | The signature of Wolfgang Schenck features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Aircraft for : KG51 | |||
| A list of all aircraft known to have been flown by KG51. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | |||
| Squadron | Info | ||
Manufacturer : Junkers Number Built : 15000 | Ju88 The German Junkers JU 88 twin engined Bomber of World war two. The first prototype first flew in December 1936 with a civilian registration of D-AQEN it managed a top speed of 360 mph. This would give the German air force the Luftwaffe a fast multi role bomber. The Junkers JU 88 was used as a night fighter, reconnaissance and Torpedo Bomber. In total there were 15,000 JU 88's built during the war | ||
Manufacturer : Messerschmitt Number Built : 1400 | Me262 The Messerschmitt Me-262 Swallow, a masterpiece of engineering, was the first operational mass-produced jet to see service. Prototype testing of the airframe commenced in 1941 utilizing a piston engine. General Adolf Galland, who was in charge of the German Fighter Forces at that time, pressured both Goring and Hitler to accelerate the Me-262, and stress its use as a fighter to defend Germany from Allied bombers. Hitler, however, envisioned the 262 as the aircraft which might allow him to inflict punishment on Britain. About 1400 Swallows were produced, but fortunately for the Allies, only about 300 saw combat duty. While the original plans for the 262 presumed the use of BMW jet engines, production Swallows were ultimately equipped with Jumo 004B turbojet engines. The wing design of the 262 necessitated the unique triangular hull section of the fuselage, giving the aircraft a shark-like appearance. With an 18 degree swept wing, the 262 was capable of Mach .86. The 262 was totally ineffective in a turning duel with Allied fighters, and was also vulnerable to attack during take off and landings. The landing gear was also suspect, and many 262s were destroyed or damaged due to landing gear failure. Despite its sleek jet-age appearance, the 262 was roughly manufactured, because Germany had lost access to its normal aircraft assembly plants. In spite of these drawbacks the 262 was effective. For example, on April 7, 1945 a force of sixty 262s took on a large force of Allied bombers with escort fighters. Armed with their four nose-mounted cannons, and underwing rockets the Swallows succeeded in downing or damaging 25 Allied B-17s on that single mission. While it is unlikely that the outcome of the War could have been altered by an earlier introduction or greater production totals for this aircraft, it is clear to many historians that the duration of the War might have been drastically lengthened if the Me-262 had not been too little too late. | ||
| Me410 Hornet | ||
| Signatures for : KG51 | |||||
| A list of all signatures from our database who are associated with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking their name. | |||||
| Name | Info | ||||
  Hauptmann Georg Csurusky Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Hauptmann Georg Csurusky | Hauptmann Georg Csurusky After completing his pilot training, Georg was posted in January, 1943, to 1.KG51 on the eastern front, flying the JU-88 all-weather medium bomber. In August, 1943, he converted to fly the ME-410 Hornet. On October 3rd 1943 Hauptmann Georg Csurusky was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (The German Cross in Gold). In 1944, 1 Gruppe KG51 converted to train on the ME-262 jet fighter-bomber for the Western Front. Georg flew the 262 on the attack on the Ludendorff Bridge. At the war's end he had flown 209 combat missions on both fronts, 68 of which were in the ME-262. | ||||
  Oberleutnant Heiner Haeffner Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Oberleutnant Heiner Haeffner | Oberleutnant Heiner Haeffner After flying with II./KG51 Heiner Haeffner transferred to JG7 flying the Me262 and flew the jet on 58 combat missions over Holland, France, Belgium, Germany and Czechoslovakia. He was one of the pilots who flew the Me262 'Yellow 7' now in the Smithsonian Museum. | ||||
  Oberfeldwebel Rony Lauer Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Oberfeldwebel Rony Lauer | Oberfeldwebel Rony Lauer Rony Lauer joined the Luftwaffe in 1937 but was still in pilot training at the start of the war. In 1942 he was posted to join KG30, flying the JU-88 on operations over England and later in the Mediteranean theater. In June, 1944, he transferred to 1./KG51 for training on the ME-262 and flew in in combat a few months later. Rony flew one of the lead aircraft in the attack on the Bridge at Remagen, and flew the 262 until the end of the war. Rony Lauer was witness to the first recorded Allied destruction of a Me262, belonging to the unit known as Kommando Schenk, on 28th August 1944, claimed as destroyed by 78th FG pilots Major Joseph Myers and Second Lieutenant Manford O. Croy flying P-47 Thunderbolts. Oberfeldwebel Hieronymus Ronny Lauer of I KG(J) 51, on a landing pattern crash landed his 262 to get away from the Allied fighters, which then destroyed the Me262 in strafing attacks. | ||||
Major Wolfgang Schenck Click the name above to see prints signed by or with the mounted signature of Major Wolfgang Schenck
| Major Wolfgang Schenck Born 7th February 1913, Wolfgang Schenck joined the Luftwaffe in 1936. After training he was assigned to JG132 flying Me109s before the squadron was renamed ZG1 and converted to Me110s. He took part in operations against Poland, Norway and France but was hospitalised for three months after being wounded. After recovering, he joined EG210, an experimental squadron, to develop fighter bomber tactics. Renamed as SG210, the squadron later took part in the advance into Russia, where Schenck was awarded his Knights Cross. In March 1942 Schenck took command of 1./ZG1, and was awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knights Cross with this unit. He went on to command SG2, flying Fw190s in the Mediterranean. Later, from December 1944 to January 1945, Schenck commanded KG51, flying the newly developed Me262 jet fighter-bomber. Flying over 400 missions, Schenck scored 18 aerial victories and sunk 28,000 tons of shipping. Wolfgang Schenck passed away on 5th March 2010. | ||||
  Oberfeldwebel Hermann Wieczorek Click the name or photo above to see prints signed by Oberfeldwebel Hermann Wieczorek | Oberfeldwebel Hermann Wieczorek Hermann Wieczorek joined the Luftwaffe in 1935 and served as a flight mechanic before training as a pilot. Upon qualifying, he served initially as a flying instructor before joining Oberfehlshaber Sud, under General Kesselring, flying photoreconnaissance missions in the ME-110 and JU-88 over Italy and North Africa. In June, 1944, he was transferred to 1./KG51, flying the ME-262 on the Western Front. Hermann flew the 262 in the action against the Bridge at Remagen and afterword until the end of the war. | ||||
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