Werner Mölders

Werner Mölders (1913–1941) was a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot who became an ace in the Spanish Civil War and World War II and helped develop modern fighter tactics.

Adolf Galland: Adolf Galland was a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot and commander who became one of Germany’s leading aces in World War II. Galland followed Mölders as Germany’s celebrated fighter leader and succeeded him as inspector of fighters.
Finger-four formation: A four-aircraft formation arranged as two mutually supporting pairs, with the aircraft spaced like the fingers of a hand. Mölders helped develop and employ this formation to improve visibility, flexibility, and mutual support.
Spanish Civil War: A war fought in Spain from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican government and the Nationalist forces. Mölders first gained combat experience while serving with German forces in this conflict.
Battle of France: The German campaign against France and the Low Countries in May and June 1940. Mölders scored victories during the campaign and became a prominent Luftwaffe ace.
Heinrich Himmler: Heinrich Himmler was a leading Nazi official and head of the SS and German police. Himmler’s 1941 letter about Mölders became a pretext for a state investigation into religious dissent.
Hermann Göring: Hermann Göring was a leading Nazi official and commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe. Göring directed the air force in which Mölders rose to senior command.
Luftwaffe fighter tactics: The methods used by German fighter units to coordinate aircraft in combat. Mölders’s tactical innovations became part of the broader Luftwaffe fighter system.
Condor Legion: A German military force sent to support Francisco Franco’s Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War. Mölders served with its fighter units and tested tactics in combat.
Battle of Britain: The 1940 air campaign in which Germany sought air superiority over Britain. Mölders fought in the campaign before being transferred to the Eastern Front.
Mölders letter: A 1941 letter attributed to Mölders expressing Christian objections to Nazi policies and violence. Its circulation prompted the Gestapo to investigate Mölders’s associates after his death.

Linked from 1 page