Fliegerführer Irak
Encyclopedia
Flyer Command Iraq was a unit of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe
) sent to Iraq
in May 1941 as part of a German
mission to support the regime of Rashid Ali during the Anglo-Iraqi War
. The mission was part of a larger effort to gain support in the Middle East for the Axis Powers
against the United Kingdom and its allies
during World War II.
" led a coup d'état in Iraq. During the time leading up to the coup, Rashid Ali's supporters had been informed that Germany was willing to recognize the independence of Iraq from the British Empire
, there had also been discussions on matériel
being sent to support the Iraqis and other Arab factions in fighting the British.
German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop
persuaded Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler
on 3 May that Dr. Fritz Grobba
be secretly returned to Iraq to head up a diplomatic mission to channel support to the Rashid Ali regime. Grobba's mission was accompanied by a military force commanded by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
, or OKW (the High Command of the Armed Forces). The military mission had the cover name Sonderstab F (Special Staff F
), it included components from the Abwehr
-based Brandenburgers
and from the Luftwaffe. Sonderstab F was commanded by General der Flieger
Hellmuth Felmy
. Fliegerführer Irak (Flyer Command Iraq) was the Luftwaffe component of Sonderstab F. While Fliegerführer Irak was part of the Sonderstab F military mission, it was also somewhat separate from it. Its personnel reported to the Luftwaffe High Command and not to the Chief of the OKW.
On 6 May, in accordance with the "Paris Protocols
", Germany concluded a deal with the Vichy French government to release war materiél, including aircraft, from sealed stockpiles in Syria and transport them to the Iraqis. The French also agreed to allow the passage of other weapons and stores as well as loaning several airbases in northern Syria, to Germany, for the transport of their aircraft to Iraq.
Also on 6 May, Luftwaffe Oberst
Werner Junck
received instructions in Berlin that he was to take a small force of aircraft to Iraq. That force was Fliegerführer Irak, Junck met Reichmarschall Hermann Göring
and was named "Commander of Aviation Iraq." Junck was then briefed by Generalleutnant
Hans Jeschonnek
, Göring's Chief of Staff
. While under Junck's tactical direction, Fliegerführer Irak was to be under the overall direction of Jeschonnek. The aircraft of Fliegerführer Irak had Iraqi markings and they operated from an air base in Mosul
, some 240 miles north of Baghdad
.
fighters (12 aircraft) from the 4. Staffel/ZG 76
, and a squadron of Heinkel 111 bombers (12 aircraft). In addition, to assist in transporting the force to Iraq, Junck was lent 13 Junkers 52
and Junkers 90
transport aircraft. All but three of these transports had to be returned to Greece immediately to prepare for the invasion of Crete
..
Junck was accompanied to Iraq by Major
Axel von Blomberg
. It was von Blomberg's task to head a reconnaissance group that was to precede the unit and to integrate Fliegerführer Irak with Iraqi forces in operations against the British.
in Syria
on 9 May. They were accompanied by two Messerschmitt 110s. On 11 May, they reached Baghdad.
On 13 May, the bulk of Junck's force arrived in Mosul. The flight had taken the aircraft some 36 hours and covered 1200 miles. Over the following days, Junck's aircraft became increasingly frequent visitors to Baghdad.
Junck's transport aircraft began to stage through Aleppo to Mosul on 14 May. On this date, a further three Messerschmitt 110s and three Heinkel 111s arrived in Mosul. Due to damaged rear wheels, two over-loaded Heinkel 111s were left in Palmyra
in central Syria. British fighters illegally entered Vichy French air-space and strafed the disabled Heinkels.
On 15 May, Junck arrived in Mosul with a further nine aircraft. By the end of the day, he had assembled a force comprising 12 Messerschmitt 110s, 5 Heinkel 111s, a communications flight with light aircraft, a section of anti-aircraft guns
, and 3 Junkers 52s.
was on its way to RAF Habbaniya
and also knowing that the British Army Kingcol
had taken Rutba Fort, Junck sent a lone Heinkel to find Kingcol at Rutba. The bomber successfully found the flying column and by bombing it, alerted the British to the reality of German military assistance to the Iraqi regime.
On the same day, von Blomberg was sent by Junck to Baghdad to make arrangements for a council of war with the Iraqi government. The council was planned for 17 May. However, von Blomberg was killed by friendly fire
from Iraqi positions. His Heinkel 111 was shot at from the ground as it flew low on approach and von Blomberg was found to be dead upon landing..
Junck visited Baghdad to replace von Blomberg on 16 May. He met Dr. Grobba, Rashid Ali, General Amin Zaki
, Colonel Nur ed-Din Mahmud, and Mahmud Salman. The group agreed on a number of priorities for Fliegerführer Irak. The first was to prevent Kingcol from reaching RAF Habbaniya
. The second was for Iraqi ground forces to take Habbaniya with air support provided by Fliegerführer Irak. It was also very important to the Germans to provide the Royal Iraqi Army
with a "spine straightening." Much of the RIrA was known to be terrified of bombing by British aircraft.
On the same day, Junck arranged for a raid by Fliegerführer Irak on Habbaniya. Six Messerschmitt 110s and 3 Heinkel 111s attacked the base, which took the RAF personnel there by surprise. However, while a number of defenders were killed on the ground, the Germans lost a Heinkel in exchange for an Audax and a Gladiator
.
On 17 May, three Messerschmitt 110s attacked an extended column of Kingcol in the open desert. Luckily for the British, the fighters had not attacked the previous day when many vehicles were caught up to the axles in soft sand.
On the same day, the British Royal Air Force
(RAF) paid Junck back with his own coin. Two cannon-firing, long-range Hawker Hurricane
s which had arrived unannounced from Egypt, and six Bristol Blenheim
bombers from 84 Squadron
, struck the Germans at Mosul. For the loss of one Hurricane, two German aircraft were destroyed and four damaged. In addition, two Gladiator biplane fighters from Habbaniya encountered two Messerschmitt 110s attempting to take off from Rashid Airfield in Baghdad. Both Messerschmitts were destroyed.
By 18 May, Junck's force had been whittled down to 8 Messerschmitt 110s, 4 Heinkel 111s, and 2 Junkers 52s. This represented a roughly 30 percent loss of his original force. With few replacements available, no spares, poor fuel and aggressive attacks by the British, this rate of attrition did not bode well for Fliegerführer Irak. By the end of May, Junck had lost 14 Messerschmitts and 5 Heinkels.
Hitler issued "Führer Directive No. 30
on 23 May." Among other things, it said
On 27 May, twelve Italian Fiat CR.42
s of the Regia Aeronautica
(Royal Italian Air Force) arrived in Mosul to operate under German command. By 29 May, Italian aircraft were reported over Baghdad. According to Winston Churchill, the Italian aircraft accomplished nothing.
Grobba sent a panicked message from Baghdad to Berlin on 28 May reporting that the British were close to the city with more than "one hundred tanks." By then, Junck had no serviceable Messerschmitt 110s and only two Heinkel 111s with just four bombs between them.
The German military mission to Iraq left under cover of darkness on 29 May. Dr. Grobba himself fled Iraq the next day.
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
) sent to Iraq
Kingdom of Iraq
The Kingdom of Iraq was the sovereign state of Iraq during and after the British Mandate of Mesopotamia. The League of Nations mandate started in 1920. The kingdom began in August 1921 with the coronation of Faisal bin al-Hussein bin Ali al-Hashemi as King Faisal I...
in May 1941 as part of a German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
mission to support the regime of Rashid Ali during the Anglo-Iraqi War
Anglo-Iraqi War
The Anglo-Iraqi War was the name of the British campaign against the rebel government of Rashid Ali in the Kingdom of Iraq during the Second World War. The war lasted from 2 May to 31 May 1941. The campaign resulted in the re-occupation of Iraq by British armed forces and the return to power of the...
. The mission was part of a larger effort to gain support in the Middle East for the Axis Powers
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
against the United Kingdom and its allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
during World War II.
Background
On 1 April 1941, Rashid Ali and members of the "Golden SquareGolden Square (Iraq)
The Golden Square was a group of four officers of the Iraqi armed forces who played a part in Iraqi politics throughout the 1930s and early 1940s...
" led a coup d'état in Iraq. During the time leading up to the coup, Rashid Ali's supporters had been informed that Germany was willing to recognize the independence of Iraq from the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, there had also been discussions on matériel
Materiel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
being sent to support the Iraqis and other Arab factions in fighting the British.
German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop was Foreign Minister of Germany from 1938 until 1945. He was later hanged for war crimes after the Nuremberg Trials.-Early life:...
persuaded Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
on 3 May that Dr. Fritz Grobba
Fritz Grobba
Fritz Konrad Ferdinand Grobba is best remembered for being a German diplomat during the interwar period and World War II.-Biography:...
be secretly returned to Iraq to head up a diplomatic mission to channel support to the Rashid Ali regime. Grobba's mission was accompanied by a military force commanded by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
The Oberkommando der Wehrmacht was part of the command structure of the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.- Genesis :...
, or OKW (the High Command of the Armed Forces). The military mission had the cover name Sonderstab F (Special Staff F
Special Staff F
Special Staff F was the cover name for a German military mission to Iraq during World War II. Sonderstab F was created on 20 May 1941 and ceased to exist on 20 June 1941.-Description:...
), it included components from the Abwehr
Abwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
-based Brandenburgers
Brandenburgers
The Brandenburgers were members of the Brandenburg German Special Forces unit during World War II.Units of Brandenburgers operated in almost all fronts - the invasion of Poland, Denmark and Norway, in the Battle of France, in Operation Barbarossa, in Finland, Greece and the invasion of Crete,...
and from the Luftwaffe. Sonderstab F was commanded by General der Flieger
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Hellmuth Felmy
Hellmuth Felmy
Hellmuth Felmy was a Nazi war criminal, German military officer during World War I, the interwar period, and World War II.-Biography:On 28 May 1885, Helmuth Felmy was born in Berlin in what was then the German Empire...
. Fliegerführer Irak (Flyer Command Iraq) was the Luftwaffe component of Sonderstab F. While Fliegerführer Irak was part of the Sonderstab F military mission, it was also somewhat separate from it. Its personnel reported to the Luftwaffe High Command and not to the Chief of the OKW.
Paris Protocols
The Paris Protocols was an agreement between Nazi Germany and Vichy France negotiated in May 1941. Admiral François Darlan represented the French and the German ambassador to France, Otto Abetz, represented the Germans. The Paris Protocols granted the Germans military facilities in Syria,...
", Germany concluded a deal with the Vichy French government to release war materiél, including aircraft, from sealed stockpiles in Syria and transport them to the Iraqis. The French also agreed to allow the passage of other weapons and stores as well as loaning several airbases in northern Syria, to Germany, for the transport of their aircraft to Iraq.
Also on 6 May, Luftwaffe Oberst
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Werner Junck
Werner Junck
Werner Junck was a German World War II Luftwaffe Generalleutnant and the one time commander of Fliegerführer Irak...
received instructions in Berlin that he was to take a small force of aircraft to Iraq. That force was Fliegerführer Irak, Junck met Reichmarschall Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
and was named "Commander of Aviation Iraq." Junck was then briefed by Generalleutnant
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Hans Jeschonnek
Hans Jeschonnek
Hans Jeschonnek was a German Generaloberst and a Chief of the General Staff of Nazi Germany′s Luftwaffe during World War II. He committed suicide in August 1943.-Biography:...
, Göring's Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
. While under Junck's tactical direction, Fliegerführer Irak was to be under the overall direction of Jeschonnek. The aircraft of Fliegerführer Irak had Iraqi markings and they operated from an air base in Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
, some 240 miles north of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
.
Initial composition
Fliegerführer Irak was to consist of a squadron of Messerschmitt Bf 110Messerschmitt Bf 110
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often called Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter in the service of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110, and nicknamed it his Eisenseiten...
fighters (12 aircraft) from the 4. Staffel/ZG 76
Zerstörergeschwader 76
Zerstörergeschwader 76 or ZG 76 was a Luftwaffe heavy/destroyer Fighter Aircraft-wing of World War II.-History:...
, and a squadron of Heinkel 111 bombers (12 aircraft). In addition, to assist in transporting the force to Iraq, Junck was lent 13 Junkers 52
Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa as an airliner and freight hauler...
and Junkers 90
Junkers Ju 90
The Junkers Ju 90 was a 40-seat, four-engine airliner developed for and used by Deutsche Luft Hansa shortly before World War II. It was based on the rejected Ju 89 bomber...
transport aircraft. All but three of these transports had to be returned to Greece immediately to prepare for the invasion of Crete
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur...
..
Junck was accompanied to Iraq by Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Axel von Blomberg
Axel von Blomberg
Axel von Blomberg was an officer in the German Air Force before and during World War II. He is best known for the role he played during the Anglo-Iraqi War.-Biography:...
. It was von Blomberg's task to head a reconnaissance group that was to precede the unit and to integrate Fliegerführer Irak with Iraqi forces in operations against the British.
Arrival
Dr. Grobba and his mission reached AleppoAleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
in Syria
French Mandate of Syria
Officially the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon was a League of Nations mandate founded after the First World War and the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire...
on 9 May. They were accompanied by two Messerschmitt 110s. On 11 May, they reached Baghdad.
On 13 May, the bulk of Junck's force arrived in Mosul. The flight had taken the aircraft some 36 hours and covered 1200 miles. Over the following days, Junck's aircraft became increasingly frequent visitors to Baghdad.
Junck's transport aircraft began to stage through Aleppo to Mosul on 14 May. On this date, a further three Messerschmitt 110s and three Heinkel 111s arrived in Mosul. Due to damaged rear wheels, two over-loaded Heinkel 111s were left in Palmyra
Palmyra
Palmyra was an ancient city in Syria. In the age of antiquity, it was an important city of central Syria, located in an oasis 215 km northeast of Damascus and 180 km southwest of the Euphrates at Deir ez-Zor. It had long been a vital caravan city for travellers crossing the Syrian desert...
in central Syria. British fighters illegally entered Vichy French air-space and strafed the disabled Heinkels.
On 15 May, Junck arrived in Mosul with a further nine aircraft. By the end of the day, he had assembled a force comprising 12 Messerschmitt 110s, 5 Heinkel 111s, a communications flight with light aircraft, a section of anti-aircraft guns
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
, and 3 Junkers 52s.
Activities
On 15 May, with the knowledge that HabforceHabforce
Habforce was a British Army military unit created during the Anglo-Iraqi War and still active during the Syria-Lebanon Campaign.-Creation and composition:...
was on its way to RAF Habbaniya
RAF Habbaniya
Royal Air Force Station Habbaniya, more commonly known as RAF Habbaniya, was a Royal Air Force station at Habbaniyah, about west of Baghdad in modern day Iraq, on the banks of the Euphrates near Lake Habbaniyah...
and also knowing that the British Army Kingcol
Flying column
A flying column is a small, independent, military land unit capable of rapid mobility and usually composed of all arms. It is often an ad hoc unit, formed during the course of operations....
had taken Rutba Fort, Junck sent a lone Heinkel to find Kingcol at Rutba. The bomber successfully found the flying column and by bombing it, alerted the British to the reality of German military assistance to the Iraqi regime.
On the same day, von Blomberg was sent by Junck to Baghdad to make arrangements for a council of war with the Iraqi government. The council was planned for 17 May. However, von Blomberg was killed by friendly fire
Friendly fire
Friendly fire is inadvertent firing towards one's own or otherwise friendly forces while attempting to engage enemy forces, particularly where this results in injury or death. A death resulting from a negligent discharge is not considered friendly fire...
from Iraqi positions. His Heinkel 111 was shot at from the ground as it flew low on approach and von Blomberg was found to be dead upon landing..
Junck visited Baghdad to replace von Blomberg on 16 May. He met Dr. Grobba, Rashid Ali, General Amin Zaki
Muhamed Amin Zaki
Muhamed Amin Zaki, , was a Kurdish writer, historian, statesman and politician. He was born in Sulaimaniya, attended the Military and Staff College at Istanbul and served as a staff officer in the Ottoman army. He also served in the Iraqi administration under the British mandate in the 1920s and...
, Colonel Nur ed-Din Mahmud, and Mahmud Salman. The group agreed on a number of priorities for Fliegerführer Irak. The first was to prevent Kingcol from reaching RAF Habbaniya
RAF Habbaniya
Royal Air Force Station Habbaniya, more commonly known as RAF Habbaniya, was a Royal Air Force station at Habbaniyah, about west of Baghdad in modern day Iraq, on the banks of the Euphrates near Lake Habbaniyah...
. The second was for Iraqi ground forces to take Habbaniya with air support provided by Fliegerführer Irak. It was also very important to the Germans to provide the Royal Iraqi Army
Iraqi Army
The Iraqi Army is the land component of the Iraqi military, active in various forms since being formed by the British during their mandate over the country after World War I....
with a "spine straightening." Much of the RIrA was known to be terrified of bombing by British aircraft.
On the same day, Junck arranged for a raid by Fliegerführer Irak on Habbaniya. Six Messerschmitt 110s and 3 Heinkel 111s attacked the base, which took the RAF personnel there by surprise. However, while a number of defenders were killed on the ground, the Germans lost a Heinkel in exchange for an Audax and a Gladiator
Gloster Gladiator
The Gloster Gladiator was a British-built biplane fighter. It was used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. It was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft and was rendered obsolete by newer monoplane designs even as it...
.
On 17 May, three Messerschmitt 110s attacked an extended column of Kingcol in the open desert. Luckily for the British, the fighters had not attacked the previous day when many vehicles were caught up to the axles in soft sand.
On the same day, the British Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) paid Junck back with his own coin. Two cannon-firing, long-range Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
s which had arrived unannounced from Egypt, and six Bristol Blenheim
Bristol Blenheim
The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
bombers from 84 Squadron
No. 84 Squadron RAF
No. 84 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is at present a Search and Rescue Squadron based at RAF Akrotiri, it uses the Bell Griffin HAR.2 helicopter. It is currently part of the RAF's Search and Rescue Force-History:...
, struck the Germans at Mosul. For the loss of one Hurricane, two German aircraft were destroyed and four damaged. In addition, two Gladiator biplane fighters from Habbaniya encountered two Messerschmitt 110s attempting to take off from Rashid Airfield in Baghdad. Both Messerschmitts were destroyed.
By 18 May, Junck's force had been whittled down to 8 Messerschmitt 110s, 4 Heinkel 111s, and 2 Junkers 52s. This represented a roughly 30 percent loss of his original force. With few replacements available, no spares, poor fuel and aggressive attacks by the British, this rate of attrition did not bode well for Fliegerführer Irak. By the end of May, Junck had lost 14 Messerschmitts and 5 Heinkels.
Hitler issued "Führer Directive No. 30
Fuhrer Directive No. 30
Führer Directive No. 30 was a directive issued by German dictator Adolf Hitler during World War II.-Overview and background:Führer Directive No. 30 dealt with German intervention in support of Arab nationalists in the Kingdom of Iraq...
on 23 May." Among other things, it said
On 27 May, twelve Italian Fiat CR.42
Fiat CR.42
The Fiat CR.42 Falco was a single-seat sesquiplane fighter which served primarily in Italy's Regia Aeronautica before and during World War II. The aircraft was produced by the Turin firm, and entered service, in smaller numbers, with the air forces of Belgium, Sweden and Hungary...
s of the Regia Aeronautica
Regia Aeronautica
The Italian Royal Air Force was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946...
(Royal Italian Air Force) arrived in Mosul to operate under German command. By 29 May, Italian aircraft were reported over Baghdad. According to Winston Churchill, the Italian aircraft accomplished nothing.
Grobba sent a panicked message from Baghdad to Berlin on 28 May reporting that the British were close to the city with more than "one hundred tanks." By then, Junck had no serviceable Messerschmitt 110s and only two Heinkel 111s with just four bombs between them.
The German military mission to Iraq left under cover of darkness on 29 May. Dr. Grobba himself fled Iraq the next day.
Commanders
- Lieutenant General Hans JeschonnekHans JeschonnekHans Jeschonnek was a German Generaloberst and a Chief of the General Staff of Nazi Germany′s Luftwaffe during World War II. He committed suicide in August 1943.-Biography:...
- 6 May 1941 to 29 May 1941 (in Europe) - ColonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Werner JunckWerner JunckWerner Junck was a German World War II Luftwaffe Generalleutnant and the one time commander of Fliegerführer Irak...
- 6 May 1941 to 29 May 1941 (in Iraq)
See also
- Bombing of Palestine in World War II
- Syria-Lebanon CampaignSyria-Lebanon campaignThe Syria–Lebanon campaign, also known as Operation Exporter, was the Allied invasion of Vichy French-controlled Syria and Lebanon, in June–July 1941, during World War II. Time Magazine referred to the fighting as a "mixed show" while it was taking place and the campaign remains little known, even...
- Martin DrewesMartin DrewesMartin Drewes was a night fighter ace in the German Luftwaffe during World War II.For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter aces 52 victories49 confirmed by Luftwaffe and 3 process interrupted in war finish43 victories at night were scored most...
- Paul ZornerPaul ZornerPaul Zorner, born Paul Zloch , was a highly decorated German night fighter pilot in World War II. He was born in Roben district of Leobschütz, Upper Silesia...
- Foreign Affairs/Defence Office of the Armed Forces High CommandAbwehrThe Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
(AbwehrAbwehrThe Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
) - Kampfgeschwader 4Kampfgeschwader 4Kampfgeschwader 4 "General Wever" was a Luftwaffe bomber unit during World War II. The unit was formed in May 1939. The unit operated the Dornier Do 17, Junkers Ju 88 and Heinkel He 111 medium bombers, with later service on the Heinkel He 177 heavy bomber...
- Zerstörergeschwader 76Zerstörergeschwader 76Zerstörergeschwader 76 or ZG 76 was a Luftwaffe heavy/destroyer Fighter Aircraft-wing of World War II.-History:...