Mölders was born in Prussia and would later find himself flying in the newly formed Luftwaffe and show off his capabilities again and again. In 1936, he would volunteer for the Condor Legion and fight in Spain. In Spain he would become the German's top ace and along with other airmen, he developed the formation known as the "finger-four" and is often credited with inventing the cross-over turn maneuver. Werner would receive several awards including the Spanish Medalla Militar and German Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords and Diamonds for his service. Once hostilities broke out in Western Europe and after recovering from a crash, Mölders would pit his lethal skills against the Allies and for his actions would receive the Iron Cross 2nd Class and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He was shot down over France and became a POW until France's surrender in 1940. Now a Major, Mölders would participate in the Battle of Britain where after being wounded he would continue to show off his superior aerial combat and be awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves by Hitler himself for it. When the invasion of the Soviet Union commenced, Mölders would find many more victories and receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds and elevated to the rank of Colonel. He would then find himself in a high command position and banned from front line duty. On 22 November 1941, Mölders would be killed after a plane crash in which he was a passenger. It was also found that he would have survived if had worn his seat belt. Mölders was credited with 102 enemy aircraft shot down in 642 combat missions.
Another capable enemy elite,
Brian & Melonie
No comments:
Post a Comment