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During the year 1943 the Jagdwaffe in the Mediterranean fought a costly withdrawal against the Allied overpowering strength. In all JG 2, JG 3, JG 4, JG 5, JG 27, JG 51, JG 53 and JG 77 was the Jagdgeschwaders that participated in the struggle, losing a total of 1 092 machines in the process with another 826 damaged due to all causes while submitting a total of 1 575 claims by its pilots. Of the eight Jagdwaffe units participated, three of them bore the blunt of the fighting in this theatre, JG 27, JG 53 and JG 77 that together lost a staggering 317 of its pilots killed with another 196 wounded and 27 taken prisoner. While fighting in Tunisia and Sicily the JG 53 alone filed claims for total of 509 enemy aircraft for an own loss of 396 Messerschmitts with another 366 machines damaged, losing 127 pilots in the process. To simmering down the loss statistic for this period, the JG 53 losses was: 177 in air combat, 12 was shot down by enemy FLAK, 94 was bombed/strafed and lost on the ground, with another 110 Messerschmitts that was blown up during the retreat. One of the machines that was "blown up" during the withdrawal was this Bf 109 G-6 "Yellow 14" with the W.Nr. 15 270. This is a well documented machine, photographed by the South African Air Force personell at Comsio base in the Southern part of Sicily, one of 25 Messerschmitts left there by the germans. Checking the photos it's obvious that this machine was left there intact, with no singns of damage or stripping of parts. Günther "Hupatz" Seeger ended the war as a Oberleutnant and Stafelkapitän 7./JG 53. However injured in a car crash on 2 November keept him out of action for the rest of the war. In total he was credited
with 504 combat missions and 56 cnfimed victories. In May 1945
Seeger managed to evade capture and made his way on foot to his
home town of Offenbach. In 1956 he joined the Bundesluftwaffe
were he retired as a Oberstleutnant. |
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