Joachim Müncheberg

Joachim Müncheberg (31 December 1918 – 23 March 1943) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. He is credited with 135 enemy aircraft shot down claimed in over 500 combat missions. The majority of his victories were claimed over the Western front with 33 claims over the Eastern Front. Of his 102 aerial victories achieved over the Western Allies are 46 Supermarine Spitfire fighters.

Born in Friedrichsdorf, Müncheberg volunteered for military service in the Wehrmacht of the Third Reich in 1936. Initially serving in the Heer (Army), he transferred to the Luftwaffe (Air Force) in 1938. Following flight training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 234 (JG 234—234th Fighter Wing) in October 1938. He was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) a year later and was appointed Adjutant of the III. Gruppe (3rd Group). He fought in the Battle of France and received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) following his 20th aerial victory in total and during the Battle of Britain. Serving as a Staffelkapitän (Squadron Leader) he fought in the aerial battles during the siege of Malta and Balkans Campaign. He received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) and Italian Gold Medal of Military Valor (Medaglia d'oro al Valore Militare) after 43 aerial victories.

Müncheberg then briefly served in North Africa in support of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps before transferring to France. He was given command of JG 26's II. Gruppe (2nd Group) in September 1941 and was then posted to Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing), operating on the Eastern Front, in July 1942. Serving as a Geschwaderkommodore (Wing Commander) in training to JG 51 wing commander Karl-Gottfried Nordmann, he claimed his 100th aerial victory on 5 September 1942 for which he was awarded the Swords (Schwerter) to his Knight's Cross on 9 September, his score now at 103 aerial victories. On 1 October 1942 Müncheberg was given command of Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing), operating in the Mediterranean Theatre. He was killed in action in a mid-air collision following combat with his opponent on 23 March 1943 near Meknassy, Tunisia.

Childhood, education and early career
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. Today it is Darskowo in the administrative district of Gmina Złocieniec, within Drawsko County, Poland. 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 than him. 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 farm Friedrichshof in 1923. The family was forced to move and resettled to Königsberg where Müncheberg stated his elementary schooling (Grundschule). His father was able to repurchase their old farm in 1927 and the family moved back to Friedrichshof. Müncheberg completed his elementary school in Falkenburg, Pomerania. A distance to school of 24 km back and forth which he had to walk or ride on a horse-drawn wagon. In 1928 he transferred to the Realgymnasium (a type of secondary school) in Dramburg and graduated with his Abitur (diploma) in 1936.

Müncheberg, who was very much talented in sports and athletics, played football for the youth team of T.V. Falkenburg since the early 1930ties. He attended the SA-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 labour service (Reichsarbeitsdienst) in October 1936 with Abteilung (department) 5/50 in Lüttmannshagen, district of Cammin. As an athlete, he especially excelled in the decathlon; almost daily he practiced the ten different disciplines. Aged 17, he attended a summer camp held on behalf of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.

In his youth he was very much interested in flying and other technical things. He started his recruit training on 4 December 1934 in the Heer of the Wehrmacht. Prior to this he had already volunteered for service in the then newly emerging Luftwaffe. Müncheberg spent his 1936/37 winter vacation in Altenberg in the Erzgebirge. 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 as a Fahnenjunker (Officer Applicant) from 1 April to 30 June 1937. A year later he completed his flight training here and was promoted to Fähnrich (Officer Cadet) on 16 December 1937. He transferred to the Luftwaffe in 1938 and attended the Jagdfliegerschule (Fighter Pilot School) in Werneuchen, under the command of Oberst (Colonel) Theodor Osterkamp. He was then posted to the I. Gruppe (1st group) of Jagdgeschwader 234 (JG 234—234th Fighter Wing) stationed a Köln. Here he was promoted to Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) on 8 November 1938.

World War II
In October 1939, Müncheberg joined III Gruppe, Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing). He claimed his first victory on 7 November 1939, a Royal Air Force Bristol Blenheim Mk. I bomber L1325 of No. 57 Squadron RAF, piloted by P/O HR Bewlay. During the invasion of France, Müncheberg claimed eight Allied aircraft shot down, with 4 claimed on one day, 31 May 1940.

For the early part of the Battle of Britain Müncheberg flew as wingman to Major Adolf Galland, Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of III./JG 26. In late August he was promoted to Staffelkapitän of 7. Staffel (7th squadron) of JG 26, and on 14 September 1940 was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) the same day he achieved his 20th aerial victory. This achievement earned Müncheberg a reference in the Wehrmachtbericht (his first of five in total), an information bulletin issued by the headquarters of the Wehrmacht. He claimed 14 victories in total during the Battle of Britain.

Malta Operations
From February 1941, Müncheberg's staffel became the first Bf-109 unit to operate in the Mediterranean theatre, and from bases in Sicily the staffel was to achieve success out of all proportion to its size, with some 52 victories claimed without losing a single pilot. Müncheberg claimed almost half of these victories. Flying missions over Yugoslavia in support of the German invasion of the Balkans, he also claimed a Yugoslav 'Hawker Fury biplane' on 6 April 1941 of Ind. Fighter Esk, 81 (Bomber) Grupa, JKRV (Porucnik Milenko Milivojevic was killed). He claimed another destroyed on the ground (Both victories were in fact Avia BH-33 biplanes). On 16 February Müncheberg claimed the No. 261 Squadron Hurricane of ace F/L. James MacLachlan, who baled out severely wounded, losing his arm, but returning to combat in 1943. He shot down and killed 261 Squadron's 7-kill Malta ace F/O FF Taylor on 26 February.

In May 1941, Müncheberg was awarded the Oak Leaves and the Italian Medaglia d'Oro and by this time had 43 victories. Hitler sent him a teleprinter message on 7 May 1942 congratulating him on his 40th aerial victory. A 2-month spell in Libya in mid-1941 to support the Afrika Korps saw a further 5 victories claimed.

In August 1941, 7./JG 26 returned to France. Müncheberg was to claim a further 35 victories (including 34 Spitfires) by June 1942. On 19 September, Müncheberg was promoted to the rank of Hauptmann and became Gruppenkommandeur of II/JG 26. On 29 April 1942 Müncheberg probably shot down and killed the Northolt Wing Leader and Polish ace Wing Commander Marian Pisarek.

Russia 1942
Following his 83rd aerial victory, Müncheberg was summoned to his commanding officer, Geschwaderkommodore Gerhard Schöpfel. Schöpfel had to informed him of his transfer to Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) on the Eastern Front. Müncheberg was destined to become a Geschwaderkommodore but prior to receiving his own command he would have to serve as a Kommodore in training. He went on a three weeks home leave, staying at his parents home, before he received his orders to head east on 21 July 1942. On 5 September, he claimed his 100th kill. On 9 September, he was awarded the 'Swords' following his 103rd victory. Müncheberg shot down 33 victories over Russian aircraft while being shot down twice himself.

North Africa
On 1 October 1942, Major Müncheberg was appointed Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 77, operating over North Africa and Tunisia. He scored over a No. 92 Squadron Spitfire on 9 November, the first of 24 further victories in the theatre. He force-landed unhurt in his Bf 109-G2 after combat with Kittyhawks flown by F/Lt. HC Shaver & F/Lt. RR Smith of No. 112 Squadron on 10 December 1942. In the spring of 1943 Müncheberg became the second German fighter pilot to achieve 100 aerial victories over Anglo-American adversaries.

Müncheberg was killed on 23 March 1943 over Tunisia when his 135th victim, a USAAF 52nd Fighter Group Spitfire exploded in front of him after a close burst of cannon fire. The Spitfire was piloted by Captain Theodore Sweetman. Müncheberg managed to bail out and landed severely wounded in his parachute. Although the search team quickly recovered him, Müncheberg died on the way to a field hospital. He was buried El Aouina before his remains were moved to the Heroes Cemetery at Tunis and reinterred again in the 1950s to the German Military Cemetery at Bordj-Cedria.

Aerial victory credits
Joachim Müncheberg was credited with 135 aerial victories, claimed in more than 500 combat missions, 102 on the Western Front and 33 on the Eastern Front. His tally includes at least 46 Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft shot down.

Awards and honors

 * Iron Cross (1939)
 * 2nd Class (17 September 1939)
 * 1st Class (10 May 1940)
 * German Cross in Gold on 5 June 1942 as Hauptmann in the II./JG 26
 * Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for Fighter Pilots in Gold with Pennant "400"
 * Combined Pilots-Observation Badge
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
 * Knight's Cross on 14 September 1940 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 7./JG 26 "Schlageter"
 * 12th Oak Leaves on 7 May 1941 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 7./JG 26 "Schlageter"
 * 19th Swords on 9 September 1942 as Hauptmann and deputy Geschwaderkommodore of JG 51 "Mölders"
 * Mentioned five times in the Wehrmachtbericht
 * Medaglia d'oro al Valore Militare (7 May 1941)

On 30 November 1962 an honorary one-time pension of 1,500 DM was paid to the relatives of Müncheberg (and relatives of Hans-Joachim Marseille) by the Italian Minister of Defence Giulio Andreotti.