Adolph, Walter.

Adolph, Walter, born on 11-06-1913 at Fontanelle in the Bacau region of Romania. After the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Walter moved with his family to Germany.  From late 1937 until spring 1938, he served as a Leutnant with 1./J.88 of Hermann Göring‘s (see Did you know) Condor Legion , under command of Generalfeldmarschall der Flieger, Hugo Sperrle   during the Spanish Civil War from autumn 1937,    until spring 1938. Adolph was awarded the Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords,  for his service in the Spanish Civil War and the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross. Adolph was based at Seerapen, given the role of protecting East Prussia. From early 1939, Adolph served as Staffelkapitän of 2./JG 1, nickname “Oesau”  . In 1944 the “Oesau” suffix was added to the unit’s title, after its late Squadron commander Oberst, Walter “Gulle”Oesau   (127 kills), who was killed in action.  Some 700 enemy aircraft were claimed shot down during the war by the unit. Towards the end of summer 1939, he was based at Seerapen, given the role of protecting East Prussia. The unit flew several missions over Poland but was soon recalled to Germany. He opened his account for World War 2 by shooting down a RAF twin-engine reconnaissance Blenheim over Osnabrück on 01-10-1939. During the French campaign, Adolph recorded a further five victories. His total included three RAF Blenheim twin-engine bombers, shot down in five minutes in the Maastricht area over Holland, on 12-05-1940, two days after the start of Operation Yellow, Western front. On 09-07-1940, 2./JG 1 was redesignated 8./JG 27, nickname “Afrika” Research suggests Jagdgeschwader 27 claimed over 3.100 kills for some 1.400 aircraft lost, and lost approximately 827 pilots killed, missing or POW during 1939-45. Twenty-four JG 27 pilots earned the Knight Cross of the Iron Cross. Adolph was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 26, nickname “Schlageter”  and transferred in on 04-10-1940. Although many Luftwaffe records were lost at the end of the war, research suggests that JG 26 claimed around 2.700 aircraft shot down, with 763 pilots killed (631 in action, 132 in accidents). Some 67 were shot down and became prisoners. Adolph had recorded nine victories date. Hauptmann Adolph was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 13-11-1940 after 15 victories. II./JG 26 was the first Luftwaffe unit to transition on to the new Focke Wulf Fw 190 fighter, receiving their first aircraft in July 1941. He flew 79 combat missions during World War II and was credited with 25 aerial victories including 1 in the Spanish Civil War.

Death and burial ground of Adolph, Walter.

  At the time of his death he was a Hauptmann commanding II/JG 26 “Schlageter” under command of then Oberstleutnant Adolf Galland. On 18-09-1941, he was killed flying a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A1, while on escort duty with eight other aircraft when they encountered a flight of Bristol Blenheims escorted by Spitfires and Hurricanes. The British flying ace, Cyril Babbage, who flew during the Battle of Britain, and was awarded the Battle of Britain Clasp, (see Bomber Harris)  is believed to have shot down Walter Adolph. Sergeant Cyril Fredrick Babbage,  nickname “Frank”, 602 Squadron, nicknamed “Glasgow’s Own”  , born 25-06-1917, survived the war and died at the age of 60, in 1977. Adolph’s Focke Wulf 190 was the first of its kind to be lost in aerial combat. His body was washed ashore near in Belgium, at Knokke Belgium. Walther Adolph is buried on the unbelievable large, 39.000 graves, war cemetery of Lommel in Belgium. The brother of General der Flieger, Adolf “Dolfo” Galland

, Major, Wilhelm “Wütz” Galland is buried there too. Also the Generalmajor der Kavallerie, Konrad von Czettritz, Generalarzt der Wehrmacht, Wilhelm Dietrich, General der Infanterie, Kommandeur of the 89^th Infanterie Division , Oskar Heinrichs and SS Obergruppenführer, Kommandeur Fallschirm Jäger Regiment 9, Friedrich “Fritz”Alpers.

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