Nickname: Jochen
Date of Birth: 31 December 1918 - Friedrichsdorf, Kreis Dramburg, Province of Pomerania, German Empire
Date of Death: 23 March 1943 - near Meknassy, Tunisia, North Africa
Battles and Operations: French Campaign 1940, Battle of Britain 1940, Siege of Malta 1941, Balkan Campaign 1941, North African operations 1941 and 1942-1943, Channel Front operations 1941-1942, Eastern Front 1942, Tunisian Campaign 1943
Parents: Paul Müncheberg (farmer and former cavalry officer in World War I) and Erika, née Ulrich
Siblings: one older sister Eva-Brigitte
Spouse: none
Children: none
Promotions:
4 December 1936 Fahnenjunker (Heer)
8 November 1938 Leutnant (Luftwaffe)
August 1940 Oberleutnant
19 September 1941 Hauptmann
30 November 1942 Major
Career:
4 December 1936 entered the Heer as Fahnenjunker for recruit training
September 1938 transferred to the Luftwaffe as Oberfähnrich after completing flight training
October 1938 posted to I./Jagdgeschwader 234 in Cologne
1939 transferred to Jagdgeschwader 26 Schlageter in Düsseldorf
23 September 1939 appointed adjutant of III. Gruppe JG 26
22 August 1940 appointed Staffelkapitän of 7. Staffel JG 26
February 1941 relocated with 7. Staffel to Sicily for operations against Malta
April-June 1941 temporary detachments to Taranto, Gela, Catania, Peloponnese and Libya
19 September 1941 appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II. Gruppe JG 26
July 1942 transferred to the Eastern Front and posted to the staff of Jagdgeschwader 51 Mölders for Kommodore training
5 August 1942 appointed deputy Geschwaderkommodore of JG 51 under Karl-Gottfried Nordmann
1 October 1942 appointed Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 77 in the Mediterranean theatre
23 March 1943 killed in action during his 500th combat mission
Awards and Decorations:
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (09.11.1939)
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse (10.05.1940)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (118. Verleihung, 14.09.1940) as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 7./Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" for his 20th aerial victory during the Battle of Britain
Medaglia d'oro al Valore Militare (07.05.1941) as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 7./Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub (12. Verleihung, 07.05.1941) as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 7./Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" for his 43rd aerial victory including multiple successes over Malta
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (05.06.1942) as Hauptmann and Kommandeur II./Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern (19. Verleihung, 09.09.1942) as Hauptmann and deputy Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" for his 103rd aerial victory (reached 100th victory on 05.09.1942) on the Eastern Front
Front Flying Clasp for Fighter Pilots in Gold with Pennant
Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht (15.09.1940 for 20th victory, 01.05.1941 for 39th and 40th victories over Malta, 11.12.1941 for 60th victory, 04.06.1942 for 80th victory, 25.03.1943 posthumously for 135th victory)
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.
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Joachim Müncheberg, known as Jochen to his comrades, was one of the outstanding fighter pilots of the Luftwaffe and a leading ace of the early war years. Born into a farming family in Pomerania that had faced economic hardship after World War I, he developed a passion for flying influenced by a cousin who had been a World War I pilot. After completing his Abitur and Reich Labour Service he volunteered for the military in 1936. Following initial infantry training he transferred to the Luftwaffe in 1938 and quickly demonstrated exceptional skill as a pilot.
His combat career began in earnest with JG 26. He achieved his first aerial victory on 7 November 1939 by downing a Bristol Blenheim near Opladen. During the French Campaign in May 1940 he claimed eight victories, including several RAF Hurricanes and Spitfires over Dunkirk, which brought him the Iron Cross 1st Class. In the Battle of Britain he continued to score steadily. His 20th victory came on 14 September 1940 when he shot down a Supermarine Spitfire south of Maidstone at 17:05. For this achievement, which marked him as one of the early aces of the campaign, he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on the same day.
In February 1941 Müncheberg and 7. Staffel were sent to Sicily to take part in the intense air operations against Malta. Between February and May 1941 the Staffel claimed 42 enemy aircraft destroyed without suffering a single loss in air combat, a remarkable record. Müncheberg personally accounted for 19 of these victories and earned the nickname Jäger von Malta. On 1 May 1941 he claimed three Hurricanes in quick succession over the island. His 43rd victory followed on 6 May 1941 at 12:26 when he downed another Hurricane one kilometre southwest of Hal Far airfield. The next day, 7 May 1941, he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross. At the same time the Italian government presented him with the Gold Medal of Military Valor, the highest Italian bravery award, making him the first German recipient.
After further operations over North Africa and the Channel coast where he reached his 83rd victory by June 1942, Müncheberg was transferred to the Eastern Front in July 1942 to gain experience with JG 51. Serving as deputy to the wounded Kommodore Karl-Gottfried Nordmann he continued his scoring. On 5 September 1942 he achieved his 100th victory by downing a P-39 Airacobra near Kubinka east-northeast of Mozhaisk. Four days later, on 9 September 1942, he claimed two Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft southeast of Rzhev, bringing his total to 103. That same day he was awarded the Swords to the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.
On 1 October 1942 Müncheberg took command of Jagdgeschwader 77 in the Mediterranean. He led the Geschwader with distinction through the final phases of the North African and Tunisian campaigns, increasing his score to 135 confirmed victories in more than 500 combat missions. On 23 March 1943, during his 500th enemy flight over Tunisia, he shot down his 135th opponent, a Spitfire of the USAAF 52nd Fighter Group piloted by Captain Theodore Sweetland. Immediately afterwards his Bf 109 G-6 collided with the exploding wreckage of the enemy aircraft, causing a wing to break off. Müncheberg was killed instantly at the age of 24. He was initially buried at El Aouina and later reinterred at the German War Cemetery in Bordj-Cedria near Tunis.
Müncheberg was respected by both comrades and opponents for his chivalrous conduct and exceptional flying skill. He flew throughout the war with a small dog named Seppl as his constant companion. His loss was deeply felt in JG 77 and the wider Luftwaffe.
Source:
Hans-Joachim Röll, Major Joachim Müncheberg. Vom König der Malta-Jäger zum legendären Jäger-Ass von Tunis, Flechsig Verlag, 2010
Ralf Schumann and Wolfgang Westerwelle, Joachim Müncheberg. Der Jäger von Malta, Unitec-Medienvertrieb, 2010 (Ritterkreuzträger-Profile Nr. 8)
Veit Scherzer, Ritterkreuzträger 1939-1945, Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, 2007
Walter A. Musciano, Die berühmten Me 109 und ihre Piloten, Weltbild Verlag, 1955
Anthony Rogers, The Malta Squadron, Spellmount, 2008
Jane Sweetland, Sons at War: The True Story of Two Young Men Destined from Birth to Collide in Death, 2017
Die Berichte des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht, Parkland Verlag, 2004
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/M/MuenchebergJ.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joachim_Müncheberg
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joachim_Müncheberg
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/25186/Müncheberg-Joachim.htm
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300
https://www.unithistories.com/units_index/index.php?file=/officers/personsx.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027052912fw_/http://geocities.com/orion47.geo/index2.html
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://www.bundesarchiv.de/en/
https://www.geni.com/
https://books.google.com/
https://aircrewremembered.com/KrackerDatabase/?q=units
https://www.ww2.dk/lwoffz.html
https://grokipedia.com/ (cross-reference entries)
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