Jagdgeschwader II

Jagdgeschwader II (Fighter Wing II, or JG II) was the Imperial German Air Service's second fighter wing. Established because of the great success of Manfred von Richthofen's preceding Jagdgeschwader I wing, Jagdgeschwader II and Jagdgeschwader III were founded on 2 February 1918. JG II was assigned four squadrons nominally equipped with 14 aircraft each. The new wing was supposed to be fully operational in time for an offensive slated for 21 March 1918. Named to raise and lead it was 23-victory flying ace Hauptmann Adolf von Tutschek. However, he was killed in action on 15 March 1918.

His hasty replacement was 28-victory ace Hauptmann Rudolf Berthold. Grounded by wounds that rendered him narcotic-dependent, the Pour le Merite winner nevertheless firmly took charge. Under his leadership, JG II advanced 40 miles (64 kilometers) behind the German offensive. As the ground fighting stalled in early April, air fighting above it intensified. Then, on the night of 12/13 April 1918, a surprise artillery bombardment put 25 of the wing's aircraft—and by extension, the wing—out of action for three weeks. By 26 May, the shortage of available aircraft had grounded two squadrons, and fuel and lubricant supplies began to dwindle. On 28 May, to encourage his wing, Berthold again began flying combat missions despite his poor physical condition. Throughout June and July, shipments of aircraft arrived—new Fokker D.VIIs, unreliable Siemens-Schuckert D.IIIs, and worn Fokker Triplanes. On 14 July 1918, the wing finally standardized on Fokker D.VIIs, just in time for the final German offensive.

Intruding French and British formations became larger, more elaborate, harder for JG II to combat. Fresh new American air units began to appear. The Allies launched their final offensive on 8 August, including a huge effort by the Royal Air Force. On 10 August, Berthold scored the last of his 16 victories for the wing, and was then shot down and hospitalized. After his departure, the wing's supplies continued to decline and experienced aces were falling while replacements were scarce. By 12 September, the balance of power had so shifted that the Imperial German Air Service could only muster about 70 fighters at Saint Mihiel to oppose almost 1,500 Allied aircraft. Although the wing fought on, and sometimes had its highest scoring days during September 1918, the scale of the Allied air effort rendered these successes negligible. The wing's fighting abilities ebbed; an Allied formation of 150 bombers on 9 October took a single loss.

On 1 November 1918, Jagdgeschwader II retreated to its final base at Carignan. By the time its final victim had been shot down on 6 November, it had tallied at least 339 confirmed aerial victories. When the war ended on 11 November 1918, the wing's personnel began to straggle back to Germany. On 13 November 1918, Jagdgeschwader II was dissolved.