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JG53
Founded : 1937
Country : Germany
Fate :
Pik-As was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. It operated in Western Europe and in the Mediterranean. Jagdgeschwader 53 - or as it was better known, the "Pik As" (Ace of Spades) Geschwader - was one of the oldest German fighter units of World War II with its origins going back to 1937. JG53 flew the various models of Bf-109 throughout the second world war.
JG53
  Tribute to Franz Schieß by Ivan Berryman. |   Tribute to Alfred Grislawski by Ivan Berryman. |   The Blond Knight by Robert Taylor. |   Bf109 K-4 by Randall Wilson. (GL) |
JG53 Artwork Collection |
  Clipped Signature - Helmut Bennemann. |   Clipped Signature - Helmut Ballewski. | Bf109 K-4 by Randall Wilson. (GL) |
  Angels Three Zero by Robert Taylor |   Special Duties by Robert Taylor. | The Blond Knight by Robert Taylor. |
Tribute to Alfred Grislawski by Ivan Berryman. | Tribute to Franz Schieß by Ivan Berryman. |   Eagles at Dawn by Robert Taylor. |
  Malta - George Cross by Robert Taylor. |
| Aces for : JG53 | ||
| A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown with this squadron. A profile page is available by clicking the pilots name. | ||
| Name | Victories | Info |
| Helmut Lipfert | 203.00 | |
| Kurt Hans Friedrich Brandle | 180.00 | |
| Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke | 162.00 | |
| Friedrich-Karl Muller | 140.00 | |
| Adolf Dickfeld | 136.00 | The signature of Adolf Dickfeld features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Alfred Grislawski | 133.00 | The signature of Alfred Grislawski features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Wolfgang Tonne | 122.00 | |
| Werner Molders | 115.00 | The signature of Werner Molders features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Wilhelm Crinius | 114.00 | |
| Josef Wurmheller | 102.00 | |
| Herbert Rollwage | 102.00 | |
| Rudolf Muller | 101.00 | |
| Helmut Bennemann | 92.00 | The signature of Helmut Bennemann features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Walter Zellot | 85.00 | |
| Hans Grunberg | 82.00 | |
| Alexander Preinfalk | 76.00 | |
| Hans Roehrig | 75.00 | |
| Gerhard Michalski | 73.00 | |
| Gunther Freiherr von Maltzahn | 68.00 | |
| Fritz Dinger | 67.00 | |
| Franz Schiehs | 67.00 | |
| Jurgen Harder | 64.00 | |
| Franz Gotz | 63.00 | |
| Alfred Franke | 59.00 | |
| Heinrich-Wilhelm Ahnert | 57.00 | |
| Herbert Broennle | 57.00 | |
| Adolf Kalkum | 57.00 | |
| Eduard Isken | 56.00 | |
| Gunther Seeger | 56.00 | The signature of Gunther Seeger features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Helmut Wick | 56.00 | The signature of Helmut Wick features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Franz Barten | 53.00 | |
| Julius Meimberg | 53.00 | The signature of Julius Meimberg features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Rudolf Schmidt | 51.00 | |
| Rudolf Ehrenberger | 49.00 | |
| Klaus Quaet-Faslem | 49.00 | |
| Heinz Golinski | 47.00 | |
| Erich Schmidt | 47.00 | |
| Werner Stumpf | 47.00 | |
| Hans-Karl Mayer | 46.00 | |
| Herbert Schramm | 42.00 | |
| Hermann Neuhoff | 40.00 | The signature of Hermann Neuhoff features on some of our artwork - click here to see what is available. |
| Heinz Bretnutz | 39.00 | |
| Stefan Litjens | 38.00 | |
| Ludwig Reibel | 38.00 | |
| Helmut Belser | 36.00 | |
| Hans Kornatz | 36.00 | |
| Hans von Hahn | 34.00 | |
| Harro Harder | 33.00 | |
| Wolfgang Lippert | 33.00 | |
| Rolf Pingel | 30.00 | |
| Hans-Joachim Heinecke | 28.00 | |
| Hans Galubinski | 28.00 | |
| Otto Russ | 27.00 | |
| Emil Babenz | 24.00 | |
| Paul Pausinger | 24.00 | |
| Heinrich Leschert | 23.00 | |
| Willi Unger | 22.00 | |
| Hans-Jurgen Westphal | 22.00 | |
| Ignaz Prestele | 22.00 | |
| Franz von Werra | 21.00 | |
| Rudolf Täschner | 21.00 | |
| Erich Gerlitz | 20.00 | |
| Hermann Staege | 19.00 | |
| Georg Claus | 18.00 | |
| Karl Leonhard | 17.00 | |
| Erich Mix | 16.00 | |
| Hans Ohly | 15.00 | |
| Jakob Stoll | 14.00 | |
| Ernst-Albrecht Schultz | 14.00 | |
| Eduard Koslowski | 12.00 | |
| Franz Kunz | 12.00 | |
| Ernst Klager | 10.00 | |
| Wilfried Balfanz | 9.00 | |
| Hans Kunert | 9.00 | |
| Jens Bahnsen | 8.00 | |
| Erich Kuhlmann | 8.00 | |
| Hans-Georg Schulte | 8.00 | |
| Herbert Kaminski | 7.00 | |
| Werner Kauffmann | 7.00 | |
| Karl Kolb | 7.00 | |
| Otto Boehner | 7.00 | |
| Fritz Muller | 6.00 | |
| Franz Kaiser | 6.00 | |
| Heinrich Höhnisch | 6.00 | |
| Rudolf Goy | 5.00 | |
| Albrecht Baun | 5.00 | |
| Eduard Schröder | 5.00 | |
| Frank-Werner Rott | 5.00 | |
| Franz Gawlick | 5.00 | |
| JG53 Aircraft details |
 Me109 Manufacturer : Messerschmitt Built : 33984 | Me109 Willy Messerschmitt designed the BF109 during the early 1930s. The Bf109 was one of the first all metal monocoque construction fighters with a closed canopy and retractable undercarriage. The engine of the Me109 was a V12 aero engine which was liquid-cooled. The Bf109 first saw operational service during the Spanish Civil War and flew to the end of World War II, during which time it was the backbone of the Luftwaffe fighter squadrons. During the Battle of Britian the Bf109 was used in the role of an escort fighter, a role for which it was not designed for, and it was also used as a fighter bomber. During the last days of May 1940 Robert Stanford-Tuck, the RAF ace, got the chance to fly an Me109 which they had rebuilt after it had crash landed. Stanford-Tuck found out that the Me109 was a wonderful little plane, it was slightly faster than the Spitfire, but lacked the Spitfire manoeuvrability. By testing the Me109, Tuck could put himself inside the Me109 when fighting them, knowing its weak and strong points. With the introduction of the improved Bf109F in the spring of 1941, the type again proved to be an effective fighter during the invasion of Yugoslavia and during the Battle of Crete and the invasion of Russia and it was used during the Siege of the Mediteranean island of Malta. The Bf109 was the main fighter for the Luftwaffe until 1942 when the Fw190 entered service and shared this position, and was partially replaced in Western Europe, but the Me109 continued to serve on the Eastern Front and during the defence of the Reich against the allied bombers. It was also used to good effect in the Mediterranean and North Africa in support of The Africa Korps. The Me109 was also supplied to several German allies, including Finland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovakia. The Bf109 scored more kills than any other fighter of any country during the war and was built in greater numbers with a total of over 31,000 aircraft being built. The Bf109 was flown by the three top German aces of the war war. Erich Hartmann with 352 victories, Gerhard Barkhorn with 301 victories and Gunther Rall with 275 kills. Bf109 pilots were credited with the destruction of 100 or more enemy aircraft. Thirteen Luftwaffe Aces scored more than 200 kills. Altogether this group of pilots were credited with a total of nearly 15,000 kills, of which the Messerschmitt Bf109 was credited with over 10,000 of these victories. The Bf109 was the most produced warplane during World War II, with 30,573 examples built during the war, and the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 units produced up to April 1945. Bf109s remained in foreign service for many years after World War II. The Swiss used their Bf109Gs well into the 1950s. The Finnish Air Force did not retire their Bf109Gs until March 1954. Romania used its Bf109s until 1955. The Spanish Hispanos flew even longer. Some were still in service in the late 1960s. |
| JG53 Pilot and aircrew signature details |
  Leutnant Helmut Ballewski Our estimated value of this signature : £55 Died : 2015 | Leutnant Helmut Ballewski Helmut Ballewski was one of the 'younger' generation flyers, not joining the Luftwaffe until November 1942. Posted to JG53 PIK AS he flew all of his 47 missions in the west. With IV./JG53 from January 1945, Helmut Ballewski was Helmut Bennemann's wingman on Operation Bodenplatte. He also flew fighter bomber operations on the Bridge at Remagen operation. He was awarded the Iron Cross. He died on 27th June 2015. |
  Oberstleutnant Helmut Bennemann Our estimated value of this signature : £65 Died : 2007 | Oberstleutnant Helmut Bennemann Helmut Bennemann was born 16th March 1915. During the Battle of Britain Helmut Bennemann was Gruppenadjutant with I./JG52 on the Channel Front. In April 1942 he was Staffelkapitan of 3./JG52 in the east and was appointed Kommandeur of I./JG52 from June 1942 until October 1943. Posted to Italy in November 1943, he was promoted to Kommodore of JG53 (Ace of Spades) in this theatre and in the defence of Germany. He commanded JG53 on Operation Bodenplatte. Helmut Bennemann flew over 400 missions, scoring 92 victories and was awarded the Knight's Cross. He died 17th November 2007. |
  Hauptmann Alfred Grislawski Our estimated value of this signature : £60 Died : 2003 | Hauptmann Alfred Grislawski Alfred Grislawski joined 9./JG52 in 1940, quickly becoming an Ace. An outstanding fighter pilot, his air victories were 133 in over 800 combat missions until he was severely wounded. he was awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves. Died 19th September 2003. |
 Stabsgefreiter Hubert-Ludwig Pflaum Our estimated value of this signature : £25 | Stabsgefreiter Hubert-Ludwig Pflaum After joining the Luftwaffe and completing his flight training, he originally flew Heinkel 111 bombers with IV./KG 27 Boelcke. Towards the end of the war, however, he transferred to train as a fighter pilot, and after qualifying joined II./JG53 PikAs where he flew Bf109s with 6 Staffel in the Defence of the Reich. |
  Oberleutnant Gunther Seeger Our estimated value of this signature : £50 Died : 2013 | Oberleutnant Gunther Seeger In February 1940, Gunther Seeger was an Unteroffizier with 3./JG2, scoring his first victory in the early days of the Battle of Britain. he served on the Channel Front until December 1942, including several months with the Geschwaderstabsschwarm. He transferred to the Mediterranean theatre with II./JG2 before joining 6./JG53. In February 1943 he joined 7./JG53 becoming Staffelkapitan in September 1944. Awarded the Knight's Cross, Gunther Seeger scored 56 victories. |
Major Helmut Wick Our estimated value of this signature : £55 Died : 1940 | Major Helmut Wick At the outbreak of war Helmut Wick was an experienced Leutnant with 1./JG53. During the Battle of Britain his meteoric rise and remarkable career saw him promoted Staffelkapitan of 3./JG53 in July 1940, Gruppenkommandeur of 1./JG2 on 7th September, achieve his 40th victory on 6th October, and promoted to Kommodore of JG2 on 20th October. With 56 victories to his credit in a period of intense action on the Western Front, on 28th November 1940 he was shot down over the English Channel, parachuted into the sea, but his body was never recovered. Together with Molders and Galland he had been the most successful Luftwaffe fighter pilot during the autumn of 1940, and had been awarded the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves. |
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