Rudolf Resch

Map indicating Operation Barbarossa's attack plan

In preparation of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, II. Gruppe of JG 52, without a period of replenishment in Germany, was ordered to airfields close to the German-Soviet demarcation line. While the Gruppenstab (group headquarters unit) and 4. Staffel were based at Suwałki in northeastern Poland, 5. and 6. Staffel were transferred to a forward airfield at Sobolewo. For the invasion, II. Gruppe of JG 52 was subordinated to the Geschwaderstab (headquarters unit) of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing). The Geschwader was part of the VIII. Fliegerkorps commanded by Generaloberst Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen which supported the northern wing of Army Group Centre.[14]

On 22 June, the German forces launched the attack on the Soviet Union which opened the Eastern Front. That day, Resch claimed his first aerial victory of World War II. He was credited with shooting down a Tupolev SB-2 bomber in the afternoon.[15][16] On 25 June, the Gruppe moved to an airfield at Varėna in Lithuania which had previously been occupied by the Soviet Air Forces (VVS—Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily). Two days later, the Gruppe moved to Maladzyechna, supporting the advance Panzergruppe 3 near Barysaw.[17] Flying from this airfield, Resch claimed an Ilyushin DB-3 bomber shot down on 2 July.[18] Two days later, the Gruppe moved to Sloboda, east of Minsk, before moving to an airfield named Lepel-West at Lyepyel on 5 July. From this airfield, II. Gruppe flew combat air patrols and fighter escort missions to combat areas near Vitebsk and Haradok, supporting Panzergruppe 2 and 3 in their advance to Vitebsk and Polotsk.[19] Here, Resch claimed the destruction of a SB-3 bomber on 7 July.[20] On 12 July, the Gruppe moved to Kamary, an airfield in the western parts of Vitebsk.[21] Resch shot down a SB-2 bomber on 17 July.[20] On 22 July, II. Gruppe advanced to the airfield Andrejewka near Smolensk where it stayed until 5 August.[22] Operating from Andrejewka, Resch shot down another SB-2 bomber on 27 July.[23]

II. Gruppe was ordered to relocate to Soltsy, 30 kilometers (19 miles) west of Lake Ilmen, on 5 August in support of the 16th Army and Army Group North.[21] Here, the Gruppe supported the fighting south of Lake Ilmen, and the German attacks on Shlisselburg, Leningrad and the Soviet fleet at Kronstadt.[24] Operating from Soltsy, Resch claimed one Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 fighter shot down on 16 and 19 August.[25] On 24 August, II. Gruppe was ordered to an airfield at Spasskaya Polist on the river Polist, south of Chudovo and north of Novgorod on Lake Ilmen, supporting the 18th Army in its advance towards the Neva and Lake Ladoga.[26] Resch claimed three MiG-1 fighters while flying from Spasskaya Polist, one on 25 August and two the following day.[27] Since German forces had reached the proximity of Leningrad, II. Gruppe was ordered to Lyuban, approximately 70 kilometers (43 miles) to Leningrad and located on the road to Moscow.[28] The Gruppe stayed at Lyuban until 30 September, flying missions to Shlisselburg, Leningrad and Mga.[29] Fighting in this combat area, Resch claimed six aerial victories in September 1941. On 2 September, he was credited with the destruction of a MiG-1 fighter followed by a Polikarpov R-5 reconnaissance bomber on 5 September followed by another MiG-1 fighter on 11 September.[30] The following day, he claimed another MiG-1 fighter,[31] followed by two further MiG-1 fighters shot down on 26 and 27 September.[32]

On 2 October, German forces launched Operation Typhoon, the failed strategic offensive to capture Moscow. In support of this offensive, II. Gruppe was moved to Stabna, located just north of Smolensk.[33] Operating from Stabna, Resch shot down a Mig-1 fighter on 3 October and a Polikarpov I-16 fighter 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) south of Rzhev on 8 October.[34] On 12 October, II. Gruppe was ordered to Novodugino where it stayed for four days.[35] The Gruppe then moved to an airfield west of Kalinin, present-day Tver, on 16 October.[33] The following day, Resch claimed two MiG-1 fighters and two DB-3 bombers on 18 October. These were his last claims in 1941.[34] He was awarded the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 20 December 1941.[2]

In late January 1942, II. Gruppe was withdrawn from the Eastern Front and sent to Jesau near Königsberg for a period of recuperation and replenishment, arriving on 24 January 1942.[36] In Jesau, the Gruppe received many factory new Bf 109 F-4 aircraft. On 14 April, II. Gruppe received orders to move to Pilsen, present-day Plzeň in the Czech Republic, for relocation to the Eastern Front.[37] The Gruppe had also received a new commander, Woitke had been transferred and was replaced by Hauptmann Johannes Steinhoff who thus became Resch's commanding officer.[38] Following a series of relocations, including a short deployment on the Crimea where Resch claimed an Ilyushin Il-2 ground attack aircraft on 8 May.[39][40] The Gruppe was then ordered to the airfield named Kharkov-Waitschenko on 14 May and participated in the Second Battle of Kharkov.[41] The next day, Resch was credited with shooting down a Polikarpov I-153 fighter.[40] On 16 May, the Gruppe moved to Artyomovsk, present-day Bakhmut, where they stayed until 23 May supporting German forces fighting in the Second Battle of Kharkov.[42] Operating from Artyomovsk, Resch shot down a MiG-1 fighter on 20 May,[43] and one on 21 and 22 May each.[40] On 23 May, the Gruppe was ordered to relocate to Barvinkove.[42] There, Resch claimed a Vultee V-11 attack aircraft and a Petlyakov Pe-2 bomber on 26 May.[40]

On 1 June, II. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Grakowo, located approximately halfway between Kharkov and Kupiansk. The main German objectives in that combat area were, breakthrough to the upper Don and capture of Voronezh.[44] Resch claimed the destruction of an Il-2 ground attack aircraft that day.[45] On 10 June, he was credited with two aerial victories, a further Il-2 aircraft,[46] and a MiG-1 fighter. Three days later, he claimed two Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighters destroyed.[45] Flying Bf 109 F-4/R1 (Werknummer 13358), Resch was wounded in combat on 21 June near Sochorowka.[47] On 26 June, the Gruppe moved to an airfield at Bilyi Kolodyaz, approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) southeast of Vovchansk, and to an airfield named Ssowy south of Kursk on 3 July, before returning to Artemovsk on 8 July. On 14 July, II. Gruppe again relocated, this time south to Chatzepetowka, and then on 17 July to Taganrog located on the Sea of Azov.[48] There, Resch shot down a LaGG-3 fighter on 19 July, and two further LaGG-3 fighters the following day.[49] On 22 July, II. Gruppe moved to an airfield named Nowy-Cholan, south of Tatsinskaya, where the Gruppe flew combat air patrols.[50] There, Resch claimed a Sukhoi Su-2 aircraft shot down on 24 July. The next day, he claimed an I-153 fighter, an I-16 fighter and a LaGG-3 fighter.[46] For 40 aerial victories claimed to date,[50] he was awarded the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 27 July 1942.[4]

Following several relocations, II. Gruppe was ordered to Tusov on 20 August. Located approximately 25 kilometers (16 miles) southwest of Kalach-na-Donu on the western bank of the Don, the Gruppe operated in the combat area of Stalingrad.[51] Until end of August, Resch claimed ten further aerial victories. He shot down a LaGG-3 fighter on 23 August, the next day he claimed a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 fighter. On 25 August, a Yakovlev Yak-1 fighter and LaGG-3 fighter fell to his guns, followed by one LaGG-3 fighter on 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 August, respectively.[52] Resch was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 6 September 1942 for 50 aerial victories claimed.[53]

Resch was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of IV. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) on 1 March 1943. He replaced Hauptmann Johann Knauth who was transferred.[54][55] Command of his former 6. Staffel of JG 52 was passed on to Oberleutnant Gustav Denk.[56] His three squadron leaders were, Oberleutnant Horst-Günther von Fassong heading 10. Staffel, Hauptmann Adolf Borchers in charge of 11. Staffel, and Hauptmann Wilhelm Moritz leading 12. Staffel.[54] The Gruppe had just completed conversion from the Bf 109 F-2 to the Focke Wulf Fw 190 A-4 and was based at Smolensk. In that combat area, Army Group Centre had launched Operation Büffel, a series of retreats eliminating the Rzhev salient.[57] On 21 March, IV. Gruppe was ordered to Bryansk where it was deployed over the left wing of Army Group Centre. On 23 March, Resch claimed his first aerial victory as Gruppenkommandeur when he shot down a LaGG-3 fighter northeast of Zhizdra.[58]

On the afternoon of 11 April, IV. Gruppe escorted 16 Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers from III. Gruppe of Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 (StG 1—1st Dive Bomber Wing) on a bombing mission to various targets near Kursk. On this mission, Resch claimed two LaGG-3 fighters shot down north of Kursk.[59] The Gruppe flew missions to the combat area south and southeast of Oryol on 25 April. That day, Resch claimed a MiG-3 fighter shot down.[60] The following day, the Gruppe was ordered to the airfield named Sjablowo, a satellite airfield near Oryol.[61] On 7 May, large Soviet bomber and ground attack aircraft units attacked Luftwaffe airfields in the area of Oryol and Bryansk. Defending against this attack, Resch was credited with destruction of an Il-2 ground attack aircraft.[62] Resch was then credited with shooting down a Yak-1 fighter east of Verkhovye on 11 May. The following day, he claimed a LaGG-3 shot down south Oryol, the only claim by IV. Gruppe that day.[63] On 2 June, IV. Gruppe flew escort missions and combat air patrols to Kursk. Without loss, IV. Gruppe pilots claimed 13 aerial victories, including two LaGG-3 fighters by Resch.[64] Combat on 8 June, led the Gruppe to an area east and southeast of Oryol. On two separate missions, Resch shot down a LaGG-3 fighter in the morning and a La-5 fighter later that evening.[65]

German penetration during the Battle of Kursk

On 5 July, German forces launched Operation Citadel in a failed attempt to eliminate the Kursk salient that initiated the Battle of Kursk. In preparation of this operation, IV. Gruppe was ordered to an airfield named Oryol-West and supported Generaloberst Walter Model's 9th Army on the northern pincer. That day, pilots of the Gruppe flew up to five combat missions in the combat area near Maloarkhangelsk. The Gruppe escorted bombers from Kampfgeschwader 4 (KG 4—4th Bomber Wing), KG 51 and KG 53 as well as Ju 87 dive bombers from StG 1.[66] The Gruppe claimed 36 aerial victories that day, including two La-5 fighters by Resch, one northeast of Maloarkhangelsk and another south-southeast of Trosna.[67]

In the early morning of 6 July, Resch shot down Leytnant Yevgeniy Stepanov from the 157 IAP (Fighter Aviation Regiment—Istrebitelny Aviatsionny Polk).[68] On 8 July, the Gruppe flew multiple missions in support of the Army near Ponyri as well as escort missions for Ju 87 dive bombers from StG 1. In their defense, Resch shot down a Yak-1 fighter west of Livny and a La-5 fighter west of Maloarkhangelsk. The next day, the 9th Army was fighting near Olkhovatka and Ponyri. The Gruppe claimed 24 aerial victories, including a LaGG-3 fighter and an Il-2 ground attack aircraft by Resch.[69] On 11 July, Resch claimed another Il-2 ground attack aircraft.[70] He was then shot down and killed in action in his Fw 190 A-5 (Werknummer 7264) near Judinka, the combat area near Maloarkhangelsk.[71][72][73] He was succeeded by Major Hans-Ekkehard Bob as commander of IV. Gruppe.[54]

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Resch was credited with 93 aerial victories during World War II.[74] Spick lists Resch with 94 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number combat missions. This figure includes 93 aerial victories on the Eastern Front, and one further victory during the Spanish Civil War.[75] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found documentation for 93 aerial victory claims. This number includes one claim during the Spanish Civil War and 65 on the Eastern Front.[76]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 44243". The Luftwaffe grid map (Jägermeldenetz) covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about 360 square miles (930 km²). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 km × 4 km (1.9 mi × 2.5 mi) in size.[77]

• Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords (14 April 1939)[4]
• Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 20 December 1941 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän[94]
• German Cross in Gold on 27 July 1942 as Hauptmann in the 6./Jagdgeschwader 52[95]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 September 1942 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän of the 5./Jagdgeschwader 52[96][Note 7]