Werner Junck

Werner Junck (28 December 1895 – 6 August 1976) was a German general in the Luftwaffe during World War II, serving in Iraq and later in the Baltic campaign. He claimed five aerial victories during World War I.^[1]

Werner Junck
Born	(1895-12-28)28 December 1895 Magdeburg, Prussian Saxony, German Empire
Died	6 August 1976(1976-08-06) (aged 80) Munich, West Germany
Buried	Munich Waldfriedhof
Allegiance	German Empire  Weimar Republic  Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1914–1923, 1934–1944
Rank	Generalleutnant
Unit	Jagdstaffel 8
Commands	2nd Fighter Corps
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

Early life

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, and learned to fly in 1913.

Career

World War I

Junck 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 achieved 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 the war's end. Junck was wounded three times and shot 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 period

Werner Junck was an instructor at the Reichswehr's secret Lipetsk fighter-pilot school in the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1928.^[4][2] Junck also participated in the first, third and fourth Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) Tourist Plane Contests: Challenge 1929 (27th place), Challenge 1932 (14th place), and Challenge 1934 (6th place).^[5]

Later in 1934, he joined the nascent Luftwaffe with the rank of major. By 1938 or 1939, he was an Oberstleutnant commanding Jagdgruppe 334.^[2]

World War II

Junck's best-known role in World War II was as Fliegerführer (squadron commander) of unit Sonderkommando Junck (Special Force Junck), the Luftwaffe component of the Sonderstab F mission in Iraq in early May 1941.^[6] The purpose of Special Staff F was to aid General Rashid Ali's rebel government after it overthrew the pro-British regime the previous month. On 29 May, the mission retreated from Iraq.^[6]

Later in the war, Junck led forces as Jagdfliegerführer Deutsche Bucht (Fighter Leader German Bight) in the Baltic campaign.

Later years

In 1960 he was appointed honorary chairman of the Gemeinschaft der Jagdflieger, the Association of Fighter Pilots.^[7]

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 June 1944 as Generalmajor and commanding general of the II. Jagdkorps^[8]

See also

• Fliegerführer Irak
• Special Staff F

Endnotes

1. Obermaier 1989, p. 141.
2. Franks et al 1993, p. 139.
3. German Wound Badge page, The Aerodrome website
4. "Bundesarchiv Internet - Lipezk. Die geheime Fliegerschule und Erprobungsstätte der Reichswehr in der Sowjetunion". www.bundesarchiv.de. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
5. Les ailes n° 692, 20 aout 1934, page 6
6. Gunkel, Christoph (9 May 2011). "Hitlers vergessene Irak-Mission: Nazis über Bagdad". Der Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 25 May 2024.
7. "Namhafte Persönlichkeiten". Gemeinschaft der Flieger deutscher Streitkräfte e.V. (in German). Retrieved 7 February 2014.
8. Scherzer 2007, p. 425.

References

• 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.
• Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
• 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 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militär-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.

Military offices
Preceded by Oberst Bruno Loerzer	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 Oberst Gerd von Massow	Jagdfliegerführer 3 5 June 1940 – 30 April 1941	Succeeded by Generalmajor Max Ibel
Preceded by none	Fliegerführer 6 May 1941 – 29 May 1941	Succeeded by none
Preceded by Generalmajor Carl-Alfred Schumacher	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