Walter Adolph

He is credited with 25 aerial victories, including one in Spain, achieved in 79 combat missions.

Born in Fântânele, Romania, Adolph served in the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War, where he claimed his first aerial victory on 30 December 1937.

Staffel (1st squadron) of Jagdgruppe 88 (J/88–88th Fighter Group) of the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War.

[2][Note 1] Adolph arrived in Spain at the time J/88 received a complement of 14 new Messerschmitt Bf 109 B-2 fighters.

[7][8] World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland.

There, the Gruppe flew fighter protection during the "Phoney War" on the German border to the Netherlands.

[9][10] Adolph claimed his first aerial victory in World War II on 1 October 1939 over Osnabrück.

[11][12][13] In mid-January 1940, I. Gruppe was ordered to an airfield at Gymnich, today part of Erftstadt, where the unit was tasked with patrolling Germany's western border.

Fliegerkorps (8th Air Corps) under the command of Generaloberst Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen.

In defense of this attack, I. Gruppe claimed three aerial victories, including a Blenheim bomber shot down by Adolph near Cherbourg.

[22] On 7 September, the Luftwaffe launched Operation Loge, a 65-day air offensive against London.

That day, Adolph claimed a Supermarine Spitfire destroyed south of Stanford.

[24] JG 26 was named after Albert Leo Schlageter, a martyr cultivated by the Nazi Party.

[25] On 11 October, Adolph claimed his tenth and eleventh aerial victory over two Spitfire fighters.

[29] On 8 November, Adolph was credited with his 15th aerial victory, a Spitfire claimed near Tonbridge.

Gruppe had claimed four Spitfires shot down while British records show that two Hurricanes were lost while further two had to make a forced landing.

2 Group sent 24 Blenheim bombers, escorted by fighters from North Weald and Biggin Hill.

24 on 26 June with the objective to bomb the electrical power station at Comines with 28 bombers.

Gruppe began relocating to Moorsele Airfield where the unit was closer to the RAF "Circus" routes.

The infrastructure at Moorsele was ideal for the planned transition to the then new Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter aircraft which began arriving in July.

[38] On 16 August, Adolph claimed aerial victories numbering 23 and 24 of World War II while defending against "Circus" No.

[40] Adolph, while observing the crashed bomber, was shot down and killed in his Fw 190 A-1 (Werknummer 0028—factory number) 30 km (19 mi) northwest of Ostend.

[47] On 12 October 1941, his body was washed ashore near Knokke, Belgium and was interred at the Lommel German war cemetery.

[49] That are three victories more than authors Obermaier,[2] Caldwell,[39] Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock attribute him with.