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Messerschmitt Bf-109F JG51 ((+- $Maj. Gunther Lutzow Russia 1941 01 Messerschmitt Bf-109F JG51 ((+- $Maj. Gunther Lutzow Russia 1941 02
Photo’s 01-02: Already a holder of the Oak Leaves, Major Lutzow (far left) was awarded the Swords on 11 October 1941, at which time he had been credited with 92 confirmed victories, and had a final total of 108. The machine depicted in the profile is devoid of any Abschussbalken or unit identity, although at least one of Lutzow's aircraft carried victory bars, as confirmed by these photographs which are believed to have been taken after Lutzow 's 101st victory on 24 October 1941.At that time, however, while retaining command of JG3, Lutzow was also serving as interim commander of JG51 while the Kommodore of that unit, Major Beckh, was recovering from wounds. The victory bars may therefore have been applied to Lutzow's aircraft only for the short time he was with JG51.
Pilots JG3 ((+ $Gunther Lutzow 01
Günther ‘Franzl’ Lützow was born on 4 September 1912 at Kiel to an illustrious German naval family. He was descended from an old Prussian family of the same name. In 1931, he learned to fly at the Deutschen Verkehrsfliegerschule at Schliessheim. Later, he underwent fighter pilot training at the clandestine German base at Lipetsk in Russia. 1934 saw Lützow serving as a Leutnant with an Infantry Regiment before transferring to the newly formed Luftwaffe. Initially, he served with I./JG132 ‘Richtofen’.
Lützow commenced his operational career as a fighter pilot as Staffelkapitän of 2./J88 of the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. Between March and September 1937, Oberleutnant Lützow accumulated five victories, including the first ever recorded by the Bf 109, and was awarded the Spanienkreuz in Gold mit Schwerten und Brillanten. From November 1938, Lützow undertook instructing duties at Jagdfliegerschule 1, based at Werneuchen, before being appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG3 on 3 November 1939. He led the Gruppe through the French campaign recording nine victories, including his first in World War 2, on 14 May 1940, when he shot down two French Curtiss Hawk 75 fighters near Dinant. Lützow led I./JG3 into the Battle of Britain. On 21 August 1940, Oberstleutnant Lützow was appointed Kommodore of JG3. He recorded eight further victories during the aerial battles over England.
Lützow was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 18 September. In spring 1941, Stab/JG3 was relocated to Mannheim-Sandhofen in Germany for rest and refit. Here the unit received new Bf 109 F-2 fighters before again being relocated to the Channel front on 4 May 1941. Lützow led JG3 during the invasion of Russia. On 17 July 1941, he recorded his 40th victory. He was awarded the Eichenlaub (Nr 27) on 20 July. On 17 September, he shot down his 72nd victim. He was shot down by flak on 23 September, force-landing behind enemy lines. He successfully returned unhurt.
In October, he recorded 29 victories, including five Russian twin-engine bombers shot down on 8 October. He was awarded the Schwerten (Nr 4) on 11 October 1941, after his 92nd victory. He became the second Experte to achieve 100 victories, when he downed three Russian fighters in the Moscow area on 24 October to record victories 99 through 101. Lützow was promptly grounded on orders from above. On 4 November, he led Stab/JG3 back to Germany and a base at Wiesbaden-Erbenheim to rest and re-equip. In May 1942, Lützow led JG3 back to the Russian front commencing operations in the Kharkov area. There followed much action in the Crimea and before Stalingrad. Lützow added one additional victory when he shot down a Russian I-61 fighter on 21 May 1942 for his 107th victory. On 11 August 1942, Lützow was posted to the staff of the General der Jagdflieger where he took up the role of Inspector of Day Fighters, Eastern area. In July 1943, Oberst Lützow was appointed Kommandeur of Jagdabschnittsführer Italien, based at Naples. In September, the unit was absorbed into Jagdfliegerführer Oberitalien.
He then commanded 1. Jagddivision based at Döberitz from 15 September until 23 March 1944, where he assumed overall command for day and night fighter operations in north western Germany, Holland and Belgium. By January 1944, he was commanding 4. Fliegerschuldivision based at Strassburg, responsible for the training of new fighter pilots. Lützow would become known as the prinicipal architect behind the so-called “Fighter Pilots’ Mutiny”. In fact the ‘Mutiny’ was a valiant and well-intended attempt to ‘save’ Adolf Galland who had been dismissed as General der Jagdflieger for his out spokeness of the Luftwaffe high command. Lützow’s part in the affair was regarded as “mutiny” by Göring who relieved him of his command of 4. Fliegerschuldivision and had him posted, in exile, to Italy to take over Jagdfliegerführer Oberitalien. He was later granted approval to join Adolf Galland’s JV44. Lützow recorded two additional victories flying the Me-262 jet fighter, but then went missing on 24 April 1945 near Donauworth attempting to intercept a USAAF B-26 twin-engine bomber raid. His body was never recovered and his aircraft never found…
Günther Lützow was credited with 110 victories achieved in over 300 combat missions. He scored 5 victories during the Spanish Civil War. He recorded 20 victories over the Western Front, including at least one four-engine bombers, and 85 victories over the Eastern Front.
No Date Time A/c Type Unit Location / Comments 1 6.4.1937 - I-15 2. J/88 Spain 2 22.5.1937 - I-15 2. J/88 Spain 3 28.5.1937 - I-15 2. J/88 Spain 4 18.8.1937 - I-15 2. J/88 Spain 5 22.8.1937 - I-16 2. J/88 Spain 6 14.5.1940 20:20~ Curtiss I./JG3 NW Dinant 7 14.5.1940 20:20~ Curtiss I./JG3 NW Dinant 8 15.5.1940 13:20 Curtiss I./JG3 SE Charleroi 9 19.5.1940 19:15 Hurricane I./JG3 N Arras 10 31.5.1940 19:35 Morane 406 I./JG3 S Amiens 11 31.5.1940 19:35 Morane 406 I./JG3 S Amiens 12 3.6.1940 - Curtiss I./JG3 Compiegnie-Meaux 13 6.6.1940 - Blenheim I./JG3 St Valéry-Abbeville 14 8.6.1940 13:05 Blenheim I./JG3 Abbeville 15 16.8.1940 - Spitfire I./JG3 - 16 26.8.1940 - Defiant Stab/JG3 - 17 26.8.1940 - Defiant Stab/JG3 - 18 7.9.1940 - Hurricane Stab/JG3 - 19 9.9.1940 - Hurricane Stab/JG3 - 20 15.9.1940 - Hurricane Stab/JG3 - 21 5.10.1940 - Curtiss Stab/JG3 - 22 5.10.1940 - Curtiss Stab/JG3 - 23 5.11.1940 - Spitfire Stab/JG3 - 24 22.6.1941 4:30 I-18 Stab/JG3 - 25 23.6.1941 - SB-2 Stab/JG3 - 26 23.6.1941 - SB-2 Stab/JG3 - 27 24.6.1941 - I-153 Stab/JG3 - 28 26.6.1941 13:20 SB-2 Stab/JG3 - 29 26.6.1941 - SB-2 Stab/JG3 - 30 26.6.1941 - Pe-2 Stab/JG3 - 31 27.6.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 32 28.6.1941 - Pe-2 Stab/JG3 - 33 7.7.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 34 10.7.1941 - V-11 Stab/JG3 - 35 10.7.1941 - I-53 Stab/JG3 - 36 10.7.1941 - I-53 Stab/JG3 - 37 10.7.1941 - I-53 Stab/JG3 - 38 11.7.1941 - I-16 Stab/JG3 - 39 15.7.1941 - I-16 Stab/JG3 - 40 15.7.1941 - I-16 Stab/JG3 - 41 15.7.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 42 16.7.1941 - SB-2 Stab/JG3 - 43 16.7.1941 - I-16 Stab/JG3 - 44 16.7.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 45 17.7.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 46 20.7.1941 - V-11 Stab/JG3 - 47 20.7.1941 - V-11 Stab/JG3 - 48 29.7.1941 - I-16 Stab/JG3 - 49 31.7.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 50 31.7.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 51 31.7.1941 - I-16 Stab/JG3 - 52 7.8.1941 - I-153 Stab/JG3 - 53 7.8.1941 - I-153 Stab/JG3 - 54 8.8.1941 - I-153 Stab/JG3 - 55 9.8.1941 - Pe-2 Stab/JG3 - 56 9.8.1941 - I-16 Stab/JG3 - 57 11.8.1941 - R-5 Stab/JG3 - 58 12.8.1941 12:35 I-153 Stab/JG3 - 59 12.8.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 60 13.8.1941 - I-16 Stab/JG3 Kanev region / I-16 of 88IAP VVS flown by Mladshiy Lt Ivan Novikov 61 13.8.1941 - I-16 Stab/JG3 Kanev region / I-16 of 88IAP VVS 62 6.9.1941 - R-10 Stab/JG3 - 63 6.9.1941 - R-10 Stab/JG3 - 64 7.9.1941 - SB-2 Stab/JG3 - 65 7.9.1941 - SB-2 Stab/JG3 - 66 7.9.1941 - I-153 Stab/JG3 - 67 7.9.1941 - I-153 Stab/JG3 - 68 8.9.1941 - R-10 Stab/JG3 - 69 9.9.1941 - I-26 Stab/JG3 - 70 9.9.1941 - SB-2 Stab/JG3 - 71 11.9.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 72 11.9.1941 - I-61 Stab/JG3 - 73 12.9.1941 - SB-2 Stab/JG3 - 74 13.9.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 75 13.9.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 76 14.9.1941 - I-26 Stab/JG3 - 77 17.9.1941 - PS-84 Stab/JG3 - 78 5.10.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 79 5.10.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 80 5.10.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 81 5.10.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 82 6.10.1941 - I-153 Stab/JG3 - 83 6.10.1941 - I-153 Stab/JG3 - 84 6.10.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 85 7.10.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 86 8.10.1941 12:00 Pe-2 Stab/JG3 - 87 8.10.1941 12:01 Pe-2 Stab/JG3 - 88 8.10.1941 12:02 Pe-2 Stab/JG3 - 89 8.10.1941 14:25 DB-3a Stab/JG3 - 90 8.10.1941 14:28 DB-3a Stab/JG3 - 91 9.10.1941 12:00 I-18 Stab/JG3 - 92 9.10.1941 - I-16 Stab/JG3 - 93 9.10.1941 - Il-2 Stab/JG3 - 94 9.10.1941 - Pe-2 Stab/JG3 - 95 10.10.1941 14:10 I-18 Stab/JG3 - 96 10.10.1941 14:13 I-18 Stab/JG3 - 97 11.10.1941 11:10 I-61 Stab/JG3 - 98 12.10.1941 14:30 Pe-2 Stab/JG3 - 99 12.10.1941 14:35 Pe-2 Stab/JG3 - 100 12.10.1941 - TB-3 Stab/JG3 - 101 14.10.1941 - I-61 Stab/JG3 - 102 14.10.1941 - DB-3 Stab/JG3 - 103 23.10.1941 15:25 I-16 Stab/JG3 - 104 24.10.1941 10:40 I-16 Stab/JG3 - 105 24.10.1941 10:50 I-16 Stab/JG3 - 106 24.10.1941 14:23 I-16 Stab/JG3 - 107 21.5.1942 12:30 I-61 Stab/JG3 - 108 29.7.1942 10:20 LaGG-3 Stab/JG3 NE Kalatsch 109 ?.4.1945 - Viermot JV 44 - 110 24.4.1945 - B-26 JV 44 Augsburg area Victories : 110 Awards : Ritterkreuz (18 September 1940) Eichenlaub (20 July 1941) Schwerten (11 October 1941) Units : J/88, JG3, JG51, JV 44 http://www.luftwaffe.cz/lutzow.html
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