Jagdgeschwader 51 'Molders'

JG 51 is one of the Luftwaffe's top wartime fighter units whose story has never been told in English. The unit's history encapsulates the fortunes of the Luftwaffe's fighter arm as a whole: the heady successes of the early months, the steady attrition and the growing strength of the opposition during the mid-war years, and the final chaos and collapse of the last days. The story works on other levels too: the diversity of aircraft types flown - biplanes, Messerschmitt and Focke-Wulf fighters, and even twin-engined ground-attack machines - provides for an interesting mix of hitherto unpublished images; and the wide range of markings and unit badges add colorful variety and are a bonus for the modeling fraternity. But it is, above all, the quality of the pilots who served with JG 51 that sets it apart. Through the war it numbered more Knight's Cross winners among its ranks than any other unit, and it is their stories, their successes, exploits and eventual fates, which brings this history to life.