Werner Junck

Werner Junck (28 December 1895 – 6 August 1976) was a German general in the Luftwaffe during World War II and the one time commander of Fliegerführer Irak. He claimed 5 aerial victories during World War I.[1]

Werner Junck
Born	28 December 1895 Magdeburg, German Empire
Died	6 August 1976 (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 held	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

Career

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 before World War I, and learned to fly in 1913. However, he 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 scored 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 war's end. Junck would be wounded three times and shoot 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]

Werner Junck was one of the instructors at the Luftwaffe's secret Lipetsk fighter-pilot school in the Soviet Union from 1925 to 1928.[2] Junck also participated in the first, third and fourth FAI International Tourist Plane Contest Challenge 1929 (27th place) Challenge 1932 (14th place) and Challenge 1934 (6th place).[4] In 1934, he joined the nascent Luftwaffe at the rank of major. By 1938-1939, he was an Oberstleutnant commanding Jagdgruppe 334.[2]

Junck's best known role in World War II is commanding Fliegerführer Irak, the aerial component of Sonderstab F, a military mission sent to Iraq in May 1941 to aid Rashid Ali's rebel government after it forced out the pro-British regime the previous month. On 29 May they retreated from the country. Later in the war, he led forces in the fighting against the Allied forces in Normandy. In 1960 he was appointed honorary chairman of the Gemeinschaft der Jagdflieger, the Association of Fighter Pilots.[5]

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[6]

See also

• Fliegerführer Irak
• Special Staff F

Endnotes

1. Obermaier 1989, p. 141.
2. Franks et al 1993, p. 139.
3. The Aerodrome website page on the Wound Badge
4. Les ailes n° 692, 20 aout 1934, page 6 1934
5. "Namhafte Persönlichkeiten". Gemeinschaft der Flieger deutscher Streitkräfte e.V. (in German). Retrieved 7 February 2014.
6. 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 Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.