Ritterkreuzträger of Jagdgeschwader 11 (JG 11)

Jagdgeschwader 11 (JG 11) was a Luftwaffe fighter wing formed on 1 April 1943 by splitting elements of Jagdgeschwader 1, with its Stab and Gruppen initially based along the North German coast in places such as Jever, Husum, and Neumünster to defend northern Germany, the German Bight, southern Norway, and western Denmark against Allied day bomber raids as part of the Reichsluftverteidigung; equipped primarily with Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters, it quickly became one of the most active units in the Defense of the Reich, claiming a substantial share of victories during the intense summer 1943 campaigns against unescorted USAAF bomber formations, and later incorporating specialized high-altitude variants and tactics against heavy bombers and their escorts. Under successive Geschwaderkommodore including Major Anton Mader, Oberstleutnant Hermann Graf, Major Anton Hackl, Major Herbert Ihlefeld, and Major Günther Specht, the wing operated under commands such as the 2. Jagddivision and later shifted bases inland as the Allied bombing offensive intensified, participating in the defense against the Normandy invasion forces in mid-1944 before returning to home defense; in January 1945 it took part in Operation Bodenplatte, attacking Allied airfields such as Asch (Y-29) in Belgium with heavy losses including its commander, and continued fighting until the final weeks of the war with remaining aircraft including Fw 190D variants before surrendering to British forces in early May 1945 at Leck.

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SCHWERTERTRÄGER


Major Anton Hackl (1915-1984), known as "Toni", was born on 25 March 1915 in Regensburg and volunteered for service in the Reichsheer in 1933 before transferring to the Luftwaffe in 1935 for pilot training, eventually joining Jagdgeschwader 77 where he saw action in the Norwegian campaign, North Africa, and especially on the Eastern Front during Operation Barbarossa; appointed Staffelkapitän of the 5. Staffel of II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 77 in early 1942, he rapidly increased his score and was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 25 May 1942 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän after claiming his 48th (or 51st according to some accounts) aerial victory. In a spectacular period of success around Voronezh in July 1942 he claimed 37 victories including multiple ace-in-a-day performances, reaching his 100th victory in early August and receiving the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 9 August 1942 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän of the same Staffel after his 104th victory; later serving in defense of the Reich with Jagdgeschwader 11 as Gruppenkommandeur of III. Gruppe, he continued to score heavily against Allied bombers and was awarded the Schwerter to the Ritterkreuz on 9 July 1944 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur after approximately 150 to 162 victories. Going on to command roles including Kommodore of Jagdgeschwader 76, II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 26, and later Jagdgeschwader 300 and Jagdgeschwader 11, Hackl flew over 1,000 combat missions, was shot down eight times and wounded four times, and ended the war with 192 confirmed aerial victories (including around 87 on the Western Front of which at least 32 were four-engined bombers) plus further unconfirmed claims before dying on 10 July 1984 in Regensburg.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagdgeschwader_11