Jagdgeschwader 5 (JG 5), known as the “Eismeer” Geschwader, was a Luftwaffe fighter wing formed in January 1942 specifically for operations in the extreme north of Europe. It originated from the redesignation of I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 77 already stationed in Norway, with further Gruppen added during the spring and summer of that year. Placed under the command of Luftflotte 5, the unit was responsible for the air defence of occupied Norway, northern Finland and the approaches to the Arctic convoys. Its aircraft, primarily Messerschmitt Bf 109 and later Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters, operated from bases such as Petsamo, Kirkenes, Alakurtti, Stavanger-Sola and Trondheim under the tactical control of Fliegerführer Nord-Ost and Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen. Throughout 1942 and 1943 the Geschwader engaged Soviet fighters and bombers over the Murmansk front while also intercepting British and American aircraft attacking Norwegian ports and shipping. Among its most successful pilots was Leutnant later Hauptmann Heinrich Ehrler of 6. Staffel, who received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 4 September 1942 after 64 victories and the Eichenlaub on 2 August 1943 after 112 claims. Other notable aces included Theodor Weissenberger and Walter Schuck. By mid-1943 JG 5 had reached its greatest strength with fourteen Staffeln. In late 1943 parts of the unit were transferred south, I. Gruppe moving to Romania for the defence of the Ploiești oilfields under Luftflotte 1. The remaining elements continued Arctic operations until 1944, after which the Geschwaderstab and surviving Gruppen were drawn into the defence of the Reich. Major Heinrich Ehrler served briefly as Geschwaderkommodore before being transferred to Jagdgeschwader 7 flying the Messerschmitt Me 262. JG 5 remained operational until the final weeks of the war, its record reflecting the unique demands of polar-front air combat under Luftflotte 5.
EICHENLAUBTRÄGER
Major Heinrich Ehrler (1917-1945) was born on 14 September 1917 in Oberbalbach and grew up as one of twelve children in a laborer’s family. He entered military service with the Wehrmacht in 1935, serving initially in the artillery and then with Flak units, including participation in the Spanish Civil War with the Condor Legion. In early 1940 he transferred to the Jagdwaffe, completed flight training, and on 1 February 1941 was posted to the 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 77, later redesignated as part of Jagdgeschwader 5 “Eismeer.” Operating mainly from bases in Norway and Finland against Soviet forces on the Arctic Front, he scored his first aerial victories in 1941. After achieving eleven victories he became Staffelkapitän of the 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 5 in July 1942. On 4 September 1942, as Leutnant, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes for 64 aerial victories. Promoted to Hauptmann, he took command as Gruppenkommandeur of a Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 5 in mid-1943. For reaching 112 victories he received the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 2 August 1943, the 265th award of its kind. On 1 August 1944 he was appointed Kommodore of Jagdgeschwader 5 and promoted to Major. On 12 November 1944, during the British attack that sank the battleship Tirpitz, Ehrler took off with only his Rottenflieger instead of the full unit and was unable to intervene; he was subsequently court-martialled, stripped of command, and sentenced to imprisonment, though the sentence was later suspended. In February 1945 his friend Theodor Weissenberger brought him to the newly formed Jagdgeschwader 7 for front-line probation flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter, with which he claimed about eight further victories. On the morning of 4 April 1945 near Stendal, Major Ehrler shot down two Allied bombers; out of ammunition, he radioed Weissenberger that he would ram a third and then deliberately collided with it, destroying the bomber and perishing in the crash. Credited with 208 aerial victories in over 400 combat missions, mostly on the Eastern Front, he was buried at Stendal.
Major Theodor Weissenberger (1914-1950) was born on 21 December 1914 in Mühlheim am Main and grew up as the son of a plant nursery owner, developing an early passion for aviation as a glider pilot with the Deutscher Luftsportverband before volunteering for the Luftwaffe in October 1936 with the 2. Kompanie of Flieger-Ersatz-Abteilung 14 in Detmold. Promoted to Feldwebel der Reserve on 1 December 1940, he reached a front-line unit only in August 1941 with the Zerstörerstaffel of Jagdgeschwader 77 in Norway, flying the Messerschmitt Bf 110 and scoring his first aerial victory, a Polikarpov I-153, on 24 October 1941 near Murmansk. After claiming 23 victories as a Zerstörer pilot and receiving the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold, he transferred in September 1942 to 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 5 “Eismeer,” converting to the single-engine Bf 109. On 30 October 1942 he achieved ace-in-a-day status with five victories that raised his total to 38, earning him the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 13 November 1942 as Leutnant in 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 5. Promoted to Oberleutnant on 1 June 1943 and appointed Staffelkapitän of 7. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 5 on 15 June, he continued his exceptional success over the Arctic Front; on 4 July 1943 he claimed seven victories in a single mission, including his 100th, and on 25 July he added victories 108 to 112. Following this 112th aerial victory he was awarded the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 2 August 1943 as the 266th recipient of the Wehrmacht, still serving as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of 7. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 5. He later commanded 6. Staffel, then II. Gruppe and I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 5, scored his 200th victory on 25 July 1944 over Normandy, converted to the Messerschmitt Me 262, led I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 7 and finally served as Kommodore of Jagdgeschwader 7 as Major from January 1945. Credited with 208 aerial victories—175 on the Eastern Front and 33 in the West, including eight with the Me 262—on more than 500 combat missions, he married Cilly Vogel in early 1945 and after the war took up motor racing, only to die on 11 June 1950 in a crash during the opening lap of the XV Eifelrennen at the Nürburgring.
Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagdgeschwader_5
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