On 19th August 1942
The ill-fated Allied landing at Dieppe on 19 August 1942 was intended as a reconnaisance in force to learn the techniques required to breach Hitler’s Atlantic Wall.The air operations in conjunction with Operation Jubilee resulted in some of the fiercest air battles of the war. The RAF saw the operation as an opportunity to force the Luftwaffe to do battle on their terms. To that effect, the RAF committed 49 fighter squadrons: four Spitfire IX, 42 Spitfire V, and three Typhoon. Additionally there were eight squadrons of Hurricane fighter-bombers, four squadrons of reconnaisance Mustangs and seven squadrons of Blenheim and Boston light bombers.
Opposing this force were the experienced Jagdgeschwader JG 2 and JG 26. Each were equipped with approximately 115 fighters. About 220 bomber aircraft were operating from bases in northern France and The Netherlands. The German fighters would, therefore, be outnumbered by about three to one.
The Allies fighter performance on the day was hailed as a great victory in stark contrast to the humiliating losses of the army and the not inconsiderable losses of the navy. The RAF’s victory claims amounted to 47 destroyed, 27 probable and 76 damaged Fw 190s, 3-1-2 Bf 109s, 33-8-46 Do 217s, 8-3-11 Ju 88s and 5-0-0 He 111s. The Allied losses amounted to 71 pilots and 10 aircrew killed or missing, and 106 aircraft, including 88 fighter aircraft.
Actual Luftwaffe losses, however, were actually considerably less at 48 aircraft. Twenty-three fighters were lost, 16 from JG 2 and seven from JG 26. Fourteen pilots were killed, eight from JG 2 and six from JG 26.
Luftwaffe fighter losses:
Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" |
|||||||||
Time |
Rank |
Last Name |
First Name |
Unit |
Aircraft |
W.Nr. |
Markings |
Place |
Cause / casualty / damage |
11:20 |
Ofw. | Czwilinski | Paul | 2./JG 26 | Fw 190 A-2 | 5396 |
Black 10 | Dieppe harbor | Combat with enemy fighters. Pilot killed, 100 % |
- |
Oblt. | Winkelmann | Stab II./JG 26 | Fw 190 A-3 | 2557 |
<< | Landing gear. Pilot unhurt. | ||
11:00 |
Uffz. | Rieder | Hans | 5./JG 26 | Fw 190 A-2 | 2120 |
Black 9 | Dieppe / St Valéry | Combat with enemy fighters. Pilot killed, 100 % |
- |
Ofw. | Gerhardt | Werner | 5./JG 26 | Fw 190 A-3 | 0538 |
Black 3 | Dieppe area | MIA, probably combat with enemy fighters, 100 % |
15:00 |
Fw. | Golub | August | 9./JG 26 | Fw 190 A-2 | 5298 |
Yellow 6 | in sea, 15km NW Dieppe | Combat with enemy fighters. Pilot killed, 100 % |
- |
Uffz. | Berg | Heinrich von | 10./JG 26 | Fw 190 A-3/U3 | 2240 |
4km N Hesdin | Combat with enemy fighters. Pilot killed, 100 % | |
- |
Oblt. | Schmidt | Johannes | 11./JG 26 | Bf 109 G-1 | 14058 |
10km N Dieppe | Combat with enemy fighters. Pilot killed, 100 % | |
Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" |
|||||||||
Time |
Rank |
Last Name |
First Name |
Unit |
Aircraft |
W.Nr. |
Markings |
Place |
Cause / casualty / damage |
- |
Oblt. | Leie | Erich | Stab I./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-3 | 0326 |
near Abbeville | Combat with enemy fighters. Pilot baled-out: injured, 100 % | |
- |
Lt. | Böhm | Reinhardt | 2./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-2 | 0341 |
Black 9 | MIA, probably combat with enemy fighters, 100 % | |
- |
Uffz. | Brietz | Günther | I./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-3 | 2186 |
in sea, off Dieppe | KIA Crashed after being hit by enemy flak, 100 % | |
- |
Uffz. | Epsiger | Kurt | I./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-3 | 7015 |
MIA, probably combat with enemy fighters, 100 % | ||
- |
Uffz. | Röbbers | Rudi | I./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-2 | 0208 |
near Dieppe | Emergency landing after combat with enemy fighters. Pilot injured, 65 % | |
- |
Fw. | Schweikart | Karl | I./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-2 | 0320 |
in sea, off Dieppe | MIA, probably combat with enemy fighters, 100 % | |
- |
unknown | I./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-3 | 0479 |
near Dieppe | Emergency landing after combat with enemy fighters, 65 % | |||
- |
unknown | I./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-3 | 0545 |
near Dieppe | Emergency landing after combat with enemy fighters. Pilot unhurt, 65 % | |||
- |
unknown | I./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-2 | 0231 |
near Dieppe | Emergency landing after combat with enemy fighters. Pilot baled-out, unhurt, 100 % | |||
- |
Gefr. | Eimer | Siegfried | 4./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-2 | 0226 |
White 12 | MIA, failed to return from sortie. Location and cause unknown. Body found 10.10.42, 100 % | |
- |
Lt. | Spinner | Ludwig | 4./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-3 | 5527 |
near Rouen | Combat with enemy fighters. Pilot baled-out: injured, 100 % | |
- |
Uffz. | Geguns | Günther | 6./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-2 | 5216 |
Yellow 2 | near Dieppe | MIA, combat with enemy fighters, 100 % |
- |
Lt. | Sommer | Franz | 6./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-2 | 5223 |
Yellow 11 | MIA, combat with enemy fighters, 100 % | |
- |
unknown | II./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-3 | 5518 |
Beauville | Crashed-landing after engine failure, 20 % | |||
- |
Uffz. | Urban | Werner | II./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-3 | 5529 |
Le Havre / Octeville airfield | Emergency landing damaged by enemy MG fire. Pilot wounded, 20 % | |
- |
Uffz. | Günther | Wilhelm | III./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-2 | 2071 |
near Beauville | Emergency landing after combat with enemy fighters. Pilot wounded, 30 % | |
- |
Fw. | Pfeffer | Heinz | 9./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-2 | 5270 |
near Petiot | Combat with enemy fighters. Pilot baled-out (probably): injured, 100 % | |
- |
unknown | 10./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-2 | 5299 |
Caen / Carpiquet airfield | Undercarriage collapsed on landing, 30 % | |||
- |
unknown | 10./JG 2 | Fw 190 A-2 | 0272 |
near Paluel | Emergency landing due flak damage from British cruiser. Pilot unhurt, 30 % | |||
- |
Fw. | Kley | Erwin | 11./JG 2 | Bf 109 G-1 | 10311 |
Le Tréport airfield | Aircraft over-turned on landing after combat. Pilot killed, 80 % | |
- |
unknown | 11./JG 2 | Bf 109 G-1 | 10313 |
Monchy-Bréton airfield | Emergency landing due to technical faults, 50 % |
Luftwaffe fighter pilot claims amounted to 96, JG 2 pilots claiming about 60 victories and JG 26 about 38.
Much debate has been afforded Operation Jubilee. The Allies claim the operation a success as a rehearsal for the D-Day landing in early June 1944. However, there is no doubt the Dieppe operation marked the beginning of the Allies supremacy in numerical strength for the remainder of the war.