Werner Junck

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Werner Junck
Born (1895-12-28)28 December 1895
Magdeburg, German Empire
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Munich, Germany
Buried
Munich Waldfriedhof
Field 216—U2—17
Allegiance  German Empire (to 1918)
 Weimar Republic (to 1933)
 Nazi Germany
Service/branch Balkenkreuz.svg Luftwaffe
Years of service 1914–23, 1934–44
Rank Generalleutnant
Unit Flieger-Abteilung (Flier Detachment) 33, Jagdstaffel 8
Commands held II. Jagdkorps
Battles/wars World War I

World War II


Anglo-Iraqi War
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Other work Heinkel chief test pilot

Werner Junck (28 December 1895, Magdeburg, Germany – 6 August 1976, Munich, Germany) was a German World War II Luftwaffe Generalleutnant and the one time commander of Fliegerführer Irak. He claimed 5 aerial victories during World War I.[1]

Early life through World War I

Werner Junck was born in Magdeburg, the Province of Saxony, the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire, on 28 December 1895. He was interested in aviation before World War I, and learned to fly in 1913. However, he entered military service as an artillery officer as World War I began. In 1916, he was posted to Flieger-Abteilung (Flier Detachment) 33 of the Die Fliegertruppen (the flying troops).[2]

In October 1916, as Die Fliegertruppen morphed into the Luftstreitkräfte, Junck was transferred to a fighter squadron, Jagdstaffel 8. He scored his first aerial victory on 24 April 1917, downing a 20 Squadron FE.2d east of Ypres. He rose to command of the jasta on 4 April 1918 and stayed with it through war's end. Junck would be wounded three times and shoot down four SPADs in northern France before the Armistice. His five victories made him an ace.[2] His three wounds qualified him for a Silver Wound Badge, though there is no record it was awarded to him.[3]

Interwar years

Werner Junck was one of the instructors at the secret Lipetsk Luftwaffe training site in the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1928.[2] Junck also participated in the first, third and fourth FAI International Tourist Plane Contest Challenge 1929 (27th place) Challenge 1932 (14th place) and Challenge 1934 (6th place).[4] In 1934, he joined the nascent Luftwaffe at the rank of major. By 1938-1939, he was an Oberstleutnant commanding Jagdgruppe 334.[2]

World War II

Junck's best known role in World War II is commanding Fliegerführer Irak, the aerial component of Sonderstab F, a military mission sent to Iraq in May 1941 to aid Rashid Ali's rebel government after it forced out the pro-British regime the previous month. On 29 May they retreated from the country. Later in the war, he led forces in the fighting against the Allied forces in Normandy.

After the war

In 1960 he was appointed honorary chairman of the Gemeinschaft der Jagdflieger, the Association of Fighter Pilots.[5]

Awards

See also

Endnotes

  1. Obermaier 1989, p. 141.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Franks et al 1993, p. 139.
  3. The Aerodrome website page on the Wound Badge
  4. Krzyżan 1988 ?page?
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. Scherzer 2007, p. 425.
  7. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 247.

References

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  • Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank W.; Guest, Russell (1993). Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918. Oxford:Grub Street. ISBN 0-948817-73-9, ISBN 978-0-948817-73-1.
  • Krzyżan, Marian (1988). Międzynarodowe turnieje lotnicze 1929-1934. Warsaw: WKiŁ. ISBN 83-206-0637-3.
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External links

Military offices
Preceded by Commander of Jagdgeschwader 53 Pik As
April 1938 – September 1939
Succeeded by
Major Hans Klein
Preceded by
Generalmajor Bruno Loerzer
Inspekteur der Jagdflieger
1 February 1939 – 4 June 1940
Succeeded by
Generalmajor Kurt-Bertram von Döring
Preceded by Commander of Jagdfliegerführer 3
5 June 1940 – 30 April 1941
Succeeded by
Generalmajor Max Ibel
Preceded by
none
Tactical Commander of Fliegerführer Irak
6 May 1941 – 29 May 1941
Succeeded by
none
Preceded by Commander of Jagdfliegerführer Deutsche Bucht
1 August 1941 – 31 March 1942
Succeeded by
Generalmajor Hermann Frommherz
Preceded by
none
Commander of 3. Jagd-Division
1 May 1942 – 15 September 1943
Succeeded by
Generalleutnant Kurt-Bertram von Döring
Preceded by
Generalleutnant Joachim-Friedrich Huth
Commander of 4. Jagd-Division
15 September 1943 – 30 September 1943
Succeeded by
Oberst Carl Vieck
Preceded by
none
Commander of II. Jagdkorps
15 September 1943 – 30 June 1944
Succeeded by
General Alfred Bülowius