Rudolf Resch


Rudolf Resch was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during the Spanish Civil War and World War II, a fighter ace listed with 94 enemy aircraft shot down. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. He was credited with one aerial during the Spanish Civil War and further 93 on the Eastern Front of World War II.
Born in Kamenz, Resch volunteered for service with the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War where he was assigned to Jagdgruppe 88. Following service in Spain, Resch was posted to Jagdgeschwader 77 and became a Staffelkapitän. Serving in the Battle of France and Battle of Britain, he was then transferred to Jagdgeschwader 52. He claimed his first aerial victory of World War II on 22 June 1941, the day German forces launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. On 6 September 1942, Resch was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross after 58 aerial victories claimed in World War II.
Resch was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of IV. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" on 1 March 1943. He was killed in action on 11 July 1943, when he was shot down near Oryol during the Battle of Kursk.

Early life and career

Resch was born on 7 April 1914 in Kamenz, at the time in the Kingdom of Saxony, part of the German Empire. His father was a professor of Slavic studies at the Dresden University of Technology. In early 1938, he joined the Condor Legion and was posted to 2. Staffel of Jagdgruppe 88 as a fighter pilot. On 17 July, he claimed an aerial victory over a Polikarpov I-15 fighter aircraft. On 14 April 1939, he was awarded the Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords, for his service in the Spanish Civil War. Following his return to Germany, he served as an instructor at the Jagdfliegerschule Schleißheim, the fighter pilot school at Schleißheim.

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. Resch was appointed Staffelkapitän of 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 77 in April 1940 during the "Phoney War" period of World War II. He replaced Oberleutnant Werner Eichel. The Staffel belonged to I. Gruppe of JG 77, at the time based in Odendorf, preparing for the upcoming Battle of France. During the Battle of Britain on 31 August, Resch made a forced landing in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-1 following aerial combat with the Royal Air Force over the Thames Estuary.
On 6 October 1940, Resch was transferred and made Staffelkapitän of 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52. He replaced Oberleutnant Werner Lederer in this function who was transferred. The Staffel was subordinated to II. Gruppe of JG 52 which was headed by Hauptmann Wilhelm Ensslen. In consequence, command of his former 3. Staffel of JG 77 passed on to Oberleutnant Karl-Gottfried Nordmann. At the time, the Gruppe was based at Peuplingues near the English Channel and fighting the RAF during the Battle of Britain. II. Gruppe was withdrawn from the Channel Front on 2 November and moved to München Gladbach, present-day Mönchengladbach, on 5 November for a period of rest and replenishment. The Gruppe had also lost its commanding officer, Ensslen, who was killed in action on 2 November. Ensslen was replaced by Hauptmann Erich Woitke. On 22 December, II. Gruppe was ordered to Leeuwarden Airfield where they were tasked with flying fighter patrols along the Dutch North Sea coast. On 15 January 1941, the Gruppe moved to Ypenburg Airfield where they stayed until 10 February.

Operation Barbarossa

In preparation of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, II. Gruppe of JG 52, without a period of replenishment in Germany, was ordered to airfields close to the German-Soviet demarcation line. While the Gruppenstab and 4. Staffel were based at Suwałki in northeastern Poland, 5. and 6. Staffel were transferred to a forward airfield at Sobolewo. For the invasion, II. Gruppe of JG 52 was subordinated to the Geschwaderstab of Jagdgeschwader 27. The Geschwader was part of the VIII. Fliegerkorps commanded by Generaloberst Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen which supported the northern wing of Army Group Centre.
On 22 June, the German forces launched the attack on the Soviet Union which opened the Eastern Front. That day, Resch claimed his first aerial victory of World War II. He was credited with shooting down a Tupolev SB-2 bomber in the afternoon. On 25 June, the Gruppe moved to an airfield at Varėna in Lithuania which had previously been occupied by the Soviet Air Forces. Two days later, the Gruppe moved to Maladzyechna, supporting the advance Panzergruppe 3 near Barysaw. Flying from this airfield, Resch claimed an Ilyushin DB-3 bomber shot down on 2 July. Two days later, the Gruppe moved to Sloboda, east of Minsk, before moving to an airfield named Lepel-West at Lyepyel on 5 July. From this airfield, II. Gruppe flew combat air patrols and fighter escort missions to combat areas near Vitebsk and Haradok, supporting Panzergruppe 2 and 3 in their advance to Vitebsk and Polotsk. Here, Resch claimed the destruction of a SB-3 bomber on 7 July. On 12 July, the Gruppe moved to Kamary, an airfield in the western parts of Vitebsk. Resch shot down a SB-2 bomber on 17 July. On 22 July, II. Gruppe advanced to the airfield Andrejewka near Smolensk where it stayed until 5 August. Operating from Andrejewka, Resch shot down another SB-2 bomber on 27 July.
II. Gruppe was ordered to relocate to Soltsy, west of Lake Ilmen, on 5 August in support of the 16th Army and Army Group North. Here, the Gruppe supported the fighting south of Lake Ilmen, and the German attacks on Shlisselburg, Leningrad and the Soviet fleet at Kronstadt. Operating from Soltsy, Resch claimed one Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 fighter shot down on 16 and 19 August. On 24 August, II. Gruppe was ordered to an airfield at Spasskaya Polist on the river Polist, south of Chudovo and north of Novgorod on Lake Ilmen, supporting the 18th Army in its advance towards the Neva and Lake Ladoga. Resch claimed three MiG-1 fighters while flying from Spasskaya Polist, one on 25 August and two the following day. Since German forces had reached the proximity of Leningrad, II. Gruppe was ordered to Lyuban, approximately to Leningrad and located on the road to Moscow. The Gruppe stayed at Lyuban until 30 September, flying missions to Shlisselburg, Leningrad and Mga. Fighting in this combat area, Resch claimed six aerial victories in September 1941. On 2 September, he was credited with the destruction of a MiG-1 fighter followed by a Polikarpov R-5 reconnaissance bomber on 5 September followed by another MiG-1 fighter on 11 September. The following day, he claimed another MiG-1 fighter, followed by two further MiG-1 fighters shot down on 26 and 27 September.
On 2 October, German forces launched Operation Typhoon, the failed strategic offensive to capture Moscow. In support of this offensive, II. Gruppe was moved to Stabna, located just north of Smolensk. Operating from Stabna, Resch shot down a Mig-1 fighter on 3 October and a Polikarpov I-16 fighter south of Rzhev on 8 October. On 12 October, II. Gruppe was ordered to Novodugino where it stayed for four days. The Gruppe then moved to an airfield west of Kalinin, present-day Tver, on 16 October. The following day, Resch claimed two MiG-1 fighters and two DB-3 bombers on 18 October. These were his last claims in 1941. He was awarded the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 20 December 1941.

Eastern Front

In late January 1942, II. Gruppe was withdrawn from the Eastern Front and sent to Jesau near Königsberg for a period of recuperation and replenishment, arriving on 24 January 1942. In Jesau, the Gruppe received many factory new Bf 109 F-4 aircraft. On 14 April, II. Gruppe received orders to move to Pilsen, present-day Plzeň in the Czech Republic, for relocation to the Eastern Front. The Gruppe had also received a new commander, Woitke had been transferred and was replaced by Hauptmann Johannes Steinhoff who thus became Resch's commanding officer. Following a series of relocations, including a short deployment on the Crimea where Resch claimed an Ilyushin Il-2 ground attack aircraft on 8 May. The Gruppe was then ordered to the airfield named Kharkov-Waitschenko on 14 May and participated in the Second Battle of Kharkov. The next day, Resch was credited with shooting down a Polikarpov I-153 fighter. On 16 May, the Gruppe moved to Artyomovsk, present-day Bakhmut, where they stayed until 23 May supporting German forces fighting in the Battle of Kharkov. Operating from Artyomovsk, Resch shot down a MiG-1 fighter on 20 May, and one on 21 and 22 May each. On 23 May, the Gruppe was ordered to relocate to Barvinkove. There, Resch claimed a Vultee V-11 attack aircraft and a Petlyakov Pe-2 bomber on 26 May.
On 1 June, II. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Grakowo, located approximately halfway between Kharkov and Kupiansk. The main German objectives in that combat area were, breakthrough to the upper Don and capture of Voronezh. Resch claimed the destruction of an Il-2 ground attack aircraft that day. On 10 June, he was credited with two aerial victories, a further Il-2 aircraft, and a MiG-1 fighter. Three days later, he claimed two Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighters destroyed. Flying Bf 109 F-4/R1, Resch was wounded in combat on 21 June near Sochorowka. On 26 June, the Gruppe moved to an airfield at Bilyi Kolodyaz, approximately southeast of Vovchansk, and to an airfield named Ssowy south of Kursk on 3 July, before returning to Artemovsk on 8 July. On 14 July, II. Gruppe again relocated, this time south to Chatzepetowka, and then on 17 July to Taganrog located on the Sea of Azov. There, Resch shot down a LaGG-3 fighter on 19 July, and two further LaGG-3 fighters the following day. On 22 July, II. Gruppe moved to an airfield named Nowy-Cholan, south of Tatsinskaya, where the Gruppe flew combat air patrols. There, Resch claimed a Sukhoi Su-2 aircraft shot down on 24 July. The next day, he claimed an I-153 fighter, an I-16 fighter and a LaGG-3 fighter. For 40 aerial victories claimed to date, he was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 27 July 1942.
Following several relocations, II. Gruppe was ordered to Tusov on 20 August. Located approximately southwest of Kalach-na-Donu on the western bank of the Don, the Gruppe operated in the combat area of Stalingrad. Until end of August, Resch claimed ten further aerial victories. He shot down a LaGG-3 fighter on 23 August, the next day he claimed a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 fighter. On 25 August, a Yakovlev Yak-1 fighter and LaGG-3 fighter fell to his guns, followed by one LaGG-3 fighter on 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 August, respectively. Resch was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 September 1942 for 50 aerial victories claimed.