It is interesting that from 22 June to 5 December 1941, III./JG 54 registered a total of 268 kills, divided between the Stab with 10 kills, the 7th Staffeln with 118 kills, the 8th with 61 kills and the 9th with 74 kills. This with total losses of 17 Bf 109 F-2, divided between Stab with one lost machine, the 7th with 6 losses, and the 6th with 4 losses and finally the 9th with 6 losses. It is also interesting to learn that during this period the III./JG 54, with 34 planes, had an average servility of just 18 machines, just around 53% of its established strength.

To this one could conclude that Staffelkapitän Oblt. Richard Hausmann was the least victorious leader during the Barbarossa offensive, with only three victories in the East, his 4th to 6th confirmed victories. The first a DB-3 on 4 July and followed by the last two, on 24 July when he claimed an I-18 west of Dno and in a second mission 2.5 hours later an SB-2. This means that Hausmann's Staffel was the least victorious while also having the fewest losses, very reminiscent of another unit, like the I./JG 26 led by Karl Borris on the Chanel front.

His personal score should be compered with the two other Staffelkapitäns in III./JG 54: Like the pilot who led the 7 Staffeln, Oblt. Günther Scholtz who during the same period claimed a total of 17 Abschuss, from his 9th to 26th confirmed victories. The second Staffelkapinän, Oblt. Hans-Ekkehard Bob commanding the 9th Staffeln also claimed 17 victories, from his 22nd to his 39th confirmed victory.

This all is to be compared with III./JG 54's most victorious pilot Oblt. Max-Hellmuth Ostermann who managed to increase his scoreboard from 9 to 40 victories during this period.

If this result for the 8th Staffeln had anything to do with Hausmann's leadership, compered to Borris's, who was acknowledged to have a Prussian disciplined and rigid leadership style, we do not know that at present, perhaps he instead was one of the leaders within the Jagdwaffe who took more care of his subordinates than bother about his own personal successes.

During this time it was recorded in Oblt. Hausmann's logbook that he made three emergency landings or belly landings, all of which however with minor damage to his plane, registered to the minimal 10%. One of this belly landings occurred in this machine "Black 1" a Bf 109 F-2 with the W.Nr. 9632 that was reported to have received an 10% damage after an emergency landing at Don on 14 September 1941.

When III./JG 54 left the eastern front in December for rest and refit in Germany, Richard Hausmann was promoted to Haupmann in April 1942 following his transfer to o Stab/JFl.Fü. 3. Subsequently when the 8 Staffeln returned to the East and their base at Siwerskaya on 1 May 1942 their new Staffelkapitän was the Experten Oblt. Max-Hellmuth Ostermann, by then with a score standing at 94 confirmed victories.

Hptm, Hausmann however would continue to serve in Staff positions and at flight schools up until the end of the war, ending the war with a total of 250 combat missions and with six confirmed victories. He passed away in December 2005 at the age of 93 years.


This profile was one of three newly made profiles this week. This machine would be included in one of my upcoming Profile Books, Profile Book No 16.