Airfield of the Aces The Luftwaffe In The Final Days of WW2

Munich-Riem airfield, home of the famous Jagdverband 44 commanded by Generalleutnant Adolf Galland.

Galland formed the unit in February 1945 and after the completion of training, at the beginning of April, the unit moved south to the airport at Munich-Riem. From here, attacks against the USAAF were conducted, and included combat against heavy bombers and fighters alike. Some success was achieved against the bombers using R4M unguided air-air rockets. Due to its speed, the Me 262 could outfly anything fighter the Allies could muster, but thanks to the inability of the rapid application of throttle, the plane was vulnerable on takeoff and landing, making it an easy target for Allied fighters. The Allies had the Munich airport well within their sights, and the danger that this presented was very real.

The protection of the jet fighters fell on high-performance piston engined fighters - the Fw 190D. This group, the airfield protection flight ‘Platzschutzschwarm’, under the leadership of Lt. Heinz Sachsenberg, was formed in mid-April, and had at its disposition five Fw 190D Doras, in D-9 and D-11 versions. Members of the unit included Hptm. Waldemar Wübke, Lt. Karl-Heinz Hofmann and Oblt. Klaus Faber.

The role of these men was to take off before the Me 262s, and clean out the air space around the airfield. Once the Me 262s formed up, and left the local airspace, the Fw 190s were to land. The protection of the Me 262s on landing approach was not mandated.

Captured by the 42nd Inf Div at the end of the airfield it was found abandoned by the US troops with JV 44 relocating into Austria.

The airfield became Munich’s main international airport post WW2 and was in operation until 1996, at which point it cease operations and is now a shopping/residential and commercial area with open parkland to the south.