Joachim Helbig

Joachim Helbig
Joachim Helbig
Born	(1915-09-10)10 September 1915 Dahlen, Saxony
Died	5 October 1985(1985-10-05) (aged 70) Malente
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1935–45
Rank	Oberst
Commands held	LG 1
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland (1939) Operation Weserübung Battle of the Netherlands Battle of France Battle of Britain Siege of Malta
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

Joachim Helbig (10 September 1915 – 5 October 1985) was a German bomber pilot in the Luftwaffe during World War II. He was credited with the destruction of 182,000 gross register tons (GRT) of Allied shipping accomplished in 480 missions during World War II.

Helbig joined the Luftwaffe in 1936. He participated in the Invasion of Poland, the Norwegian Campaign, the Battles of the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Britain. For his contributions in these campaigns, Helbig received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 November 1940. He was then transferred to the Mediterranean theater where he bombed Malta, the British Mediterranean Fleet and flew in support of the Afrika Korps. Helbig became the 20th recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords on 28 September 1942 for the support of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's 1942 summer offensive and the sinking of 182,000 tons of Allied shipping.

Helbig was then banned from further combat flying and worked on the staff of the Inspector of Combat Flight, the senior officer responsible for the Luftwaffe's bomber force. In August 1943 the ban was reversed and he was appointed wing commander of an air unit operating against the Allied forces in Italy. Helbing died on 5 October 1985 following a car accident.

Early life and military career

Joachim Helbig was born on 10 September 1915 in Dahlen, Saxony. He volunteered for military service on 1 April 1935 and initially served one year with an artillery regiment. In the fall of 1936, he transferred to the Luftwaffe and was posted as an observer to Kampfgeschwader 152 "Hindenburg" in Schwerin. The unit later became II. Gruppe of Lehrgeschwader.

Invasion of Western Europe; Battle of Britain

At the beginning of World War II in September 1939, Helbig held the rank of Leutnant (second lieutenant) and was serving as an observer in a He 111 reconnaissance aircraft. On the third day of the invasion, while on a recon mission over Poland as an observer, Helbig shot down a Polish reconnaissance aircraft with his aircraft's defensive armament. He was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class following the campaign.

Helbig took part in the April 1940 invasion of Norway (Operation Weserübung). As part of II. Gruppe, he flew missions in support of the German ground forces, particularly in the Åndalsnes area, conducting maritime interdiction missions and bombing civilian targets. During one of these missions on 2 May, his unit sank the Norwegian ship SS Dronning Maud, that was flying Red Cross flags and carrying medical personnel. Following their attack on Dronning Maud the German aircraft proceeded to bomb nearby Gratangen, destroying several houses and killing two civilians.

During the Battle of the Netherlands and the Battle of France in May 1940, Helbig served as squadron commander of 4. Staffel (4th Squadron) of LG 1, equipped with Junkers Ju 88. For his actions, he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class.

Following the defeat of France, Helbig was promoted to Hauptmann (captain) in July 1940. His unit remained in France to participate in the Battle of Britain. On 15 August 1940, Helbig and his squadron, consisting of nine Ju 88s, took off from Orléans, with the primary target RAF Worthy Down. Over the English coast the German formation consisting of Ju 88s from LG 1, Ju 87s from the 1st Dive Bomber Wing escorted by elements of the 2nd Heavy Fighter Wing, the 27th Fighter Wing and the 53rd Fighter Wing were intercepted by British fighters from No. 10 Group RAF and No. 11 Group RAF. The combined attacking force of more than 200 German aircraft were intercepted by 14 British fighter squadrons totalling 170 fighter aircraft. This mission turned out to be disastrous for the unit; only Helbig and his crew returned. The majority of his men (32 members of the 4th Staffel, were taken prisoner by the British. During the battle, Helbig reported that his badly damaged Ju 88 was flying on one engine when he was intercepted by a Spitfire out-to-sea. The RAF pilot did not fire, but instead flew alongside the crippled bomber until the French coast was in sight, waved and flew away. Author Christer Bergström has suggested that perhaps this might have been Pilot Officer Richard Hardy from No. 234 Squadron RAF.

As the Battle of Britain progressed, Helbig flew further bombing missions. As a result of his actions during more than 100 combat missions, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. By the time Helbig received the decoration, he had flown 122 combat missions.

North African and Mediterranean campaign

Junkers Ju 88 similar to those flown by Helbig

The Gruppe flew to Sicily in early January 1941 and attacked targets in Malta as well as British ships in the Mediterranean. On one of these missions they badly damaged the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious on 16 January while she was docked for repairs in Grand Harbour. The unit was transferred to Bulgaria in early April in preparation for Operation Marita, the German invasions of Greece and Yugoslavia, where it participated in the bombing of Belgrade, Yugoslavia on 6 April. Two weeks later, on 21 April 1941, II./LG 1 attacked the shipping in the port of Patras. They claimed to have sunk two freighters totalling 10,000 gross register tons (GRT). The small passenger liner SS Ellenis of 876 GRT, carrying 278 wounded, was sunk on 20 April in Patras and SS Ioanna of 1,192 GRT was sunk on 21 April in the same harbour. It is not clear whether Ioanna was sunk by LG 1. The Regia Aeronautica ground attack pilot Major Giuseppe Cenni, commanding the Junkers 87-equipped 238 Squadriglia is also a candidate for sinking the ship.

The unit remained in the Mediterranean for the rest of the year, attacking targets in Egypt and Libya. On 5 November Helbig became Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I./LG 1. I./LG 1 was redeployed to Fliegerführer Afrika from 10th Air Corps on 21 November and for five days assisted III./LG 1 in halting the British Operation Crusader. He was slightly wounded by during a Royal Air Force bombing raid on the airfield at Benina, Libya on 29 November, as his unit was staging through en route back to Greece. Helbig commanded the unit on operations against the Sidi Barrani–Alexandria rail line on 3 and 4 December. On 10 December the unit flew interdiction operations against the British Army south of Tobruk. Thereafter, the unit flew mine-laying operations off the Libyan coast. On 16 January 1942 Helbig became the 64th recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves after having completed 300 combat missions.

While on patrol Crete on 11 May approximately 100 kilometers (62 mi) south of Crete, Ju 88s from I./LG 1 detected four British destroyers, Jervis, Kipling, Jackal and Lively. The first wave of 14 Ju 88s from I./LG 1 attacked the destroyers later that afternoon and, despite the protection of escorting British aircraft, sank Lively and crippled Jackal. A second wave failed to find the destroyers, but the third wave of seven Ju 88s, led by Helbig, attacked the destroyers with the setting sun behind them. Helbig's aircraft sank Kipling at 32.39°N 26.19°E / 32.39; 26.19 while Jackal later had to be scuttled. The attack was successful despite the presence of defending Bristol Beaufighters from No. 272 Squadron RAF.

In June 1942, British commandos targeted Helbig's unit at their base in Heraklion, and succeeded in blowing up seven Ju 88s. On 28 September 1942 he was awarded the 20th Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords.

1943–45 career

In January 1943, Helbig was transferred to the staff of the General der Kampfflieger (Commander of Bombers). In March 1943 he was appointed the General der Kampfflieger and was promote to Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel) on 1 September. After numerous difficulties and clashes with his superiors, including Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, he returned to LG 1 as its Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) on 14 August.

When his Geschwader was transferred to Italy to operate against the Allied beachheads at Anzio and Nettuno in Italy after the landings there (Operation Shingle) on 22 January 1944, Helbig was appointed as the commander of all bomber units in Italy. On the night of 23/24 January, his aircraft sank the destroyer HMS Janus with a torpedo and damaged severely Jervis with a Henschel Hs 293 glider bomb at the cost of 11 aircraft. The Corsica operation was a success and these long-range operations destroyed 23 aircraft and damaged 90.

In June 1944, LG 1 was ordered to transfer to Belgium for air defense during the Allied invasion of France. Helbig formed a combined ground support and reconnaissance battle group as part of the Luftwaffe's operations against the Allied bombing campaign on 10 September 1944. Visiting unit at the Vogelsang Airfield, he was severely wounded by strafing Allied aircraft. Due to his injuries Helbig had to surrender command of his unit.

In the last weeks of the war in Europe, Helbig commanded a combat unit on the Eastern Front; he surrendered to the American forces on 8 May 1945. After the war he worked in a civilian profession. Helbing died in Malente on 5 October 1985 following a car accident on vacation in Spain.

Awards

• Medaglia d'Argento al Valor Militare
• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd class (16 September 1939) & 1st class (20 June 1940)
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (6 October 1940)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
  • Knight's Cross on 24 November 1940 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän of the 4.(K)/Lehrgeschwader 1
  • 64th Oak Leaves on 16 January 1942 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the I.(K)/Lehrgeschwader 1
  • 20th Swords on 28 September 1942 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the I.(K)/Lehrgeschwader 1
• Mentioned twice in the Wehrmachtbericht

Bibliography

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• Bungay, Stephen (2000). The Most Dangerous Enemy: A History of the Battle of Britain. London: Aurom Press. ISBN 978-1-85410-801-2.
• De Zeng, H.L.; Stankey, D.G.; Creek, E.J (2008). Bomber Units of the Luftwaffe 1933–1945; A Reference Source, Volume 2. Ian Allan Publishing. ISBN 978-1-903223-87-1.
• Goss, Chris (2007). Sea Eagles Volume Two: Luftwaffe Anti-Shipping Units 1942–45. Burgess Hill: Classic Publications. ISBN 978-1-9032-2356-7.
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• Mason, Francis (1969). Battle Over Britain. McWhirter Twins, London. ISBN 978-0-901928-00-9
• Miller, David A. (1997). Die Schwertertraeger Der Wehrmacht: Recipients of the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves and Swords. Merriam Press. ISBN 1-57638-025-4.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Schumann, Ralf (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 des LG 1 (in German). Zweibrücken, Germany: VDM Heinz Nickel. ISBN 978-3-86619-013-9. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Shores, Christopher, Brian Cull and Maria Malizia (1992). Air War for Yugoslavia, Greece and Crete: 1940–41. London: Grub Street. ISBN 0-948817-07-0.
• Stockert, Peter (1996). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1 (in German). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. ISBN 978-3-9802222-7-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Smith, Peter C (2011). The Junkers Ju 87 Stuka: A Complete History. London: Crecy Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-0-85979-156-4.
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• Taghon, Peter (2004b). Die Geschichte des Lehrgeschwaders 1—Band 2—1942 – 1945 (in German). Zweibrücken, Germany: VDM Heinz Nicke. ISBN 978-3-925480-88-1. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Weal, John (2009). Junkers Ju 88 Kampfgeschwader in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-888-4.