9./ZG26 Recruitment Thread.

[MutantHippie]

9. Staffel III. Gruppe Zerstörergeschwader 26

History

ZG 26 was formed in the early months of 1936 from JG 134 “Horst Wessel”. The Geschwaderstab and the I. Gruppe were located in Dortmund, with the II. Gruppe located in Werl and the III. Gruppe setting up base in Lippstadt. The Geshwader was assigned to Luftlotte 2 which was formed in February 1939 but later disbanded close to the end of the war in September 1944.

Zerstörergeschwader 26 fought on the majority of fronts during World War II. They took part in the invasion of Poland, The battle of France, The battle of Britain which saw the Zerstörergeschwader suffer heavy casualties against the Royal Airforce Hurricanes and Spitfires. In 1942 they continued on in North Africa where once again they would perform to their strengths of Frei Jagd missions deep into enemy territory but by the end would be outclassed by newer modern allied fighter aircraft.

Zerstörergeschwader 26 also flew on the Eastern Front during 1941 and 1942. During this time the I. Gruppe claimed 51 aircraft destroyed on the ground and another 11 victories in the air. In late 1942 the Geshwader was disbanded but was later reformed in 1943. During this time and onwards they would have rare success, but for the majority of the fighting they would find themselves constantly on the back foot, claiming few and losing many.

Above: Bf 110 D variants of 9./ZG26 flying over the Mediterranean during 1941.

Above Left: Sophus Baagoe was a German Luftwaffe Experte and recipient of the Knight's Cross during World War II. Baagoe claimed 14 aerial victories, 13 over the Western Front and 1 over the Mediterranean Front. Above Right: Major Wilhelm Spied. Gruppencommandeur of I./ZG26, achieves 11 aerial victories in the east. Pictured here wearing the Knight's Cross awarded on the 14th June 1941. Spies was honoured with Oak Leaves after being killed in action on the 27th January 1942.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTSx9rczoxA

Above: Combat footage of ZG26 on the Eastern Front.

Who we are and Recruitment

We portray the pilots of 9. Zerstörergeschwader 26 'Horst Wessel'. We have always been a small group of online pilots ranging from our highest number of around 6 pilots to our lowest number of only ever having two. But just because we are a small group of people does not mean that we are not dedicated at what we do. We are drawn together for our love the BF 110, whether we are flying ground attack missions, attacking shipping or escorting bombers.

We are always seeking to add to our numbers and after a long period of no recruitment due to real life getting in the way of our virtual careers we would like to add YOU to our close nit family. You do not need to be the worlds best Experte, all that we ask is for a few hours a week and that you enjoy flying the BF 110.

If you have no experience we will train you, from setting up your controls to helping you get into the air and to scoring your first areal victory. If you are interested then waste no time and head over to the forums and sign yourself up by clicking one of the images bellow or send me a pm. We look forward to hearing from you.

We are looking for mature members aged 18+ primarily from Europe who enjoy playing online competitively in campaigns and dog fights as well as unit versus unit matches/scrims. We fly when ever we can but Saturdays 20:00 GMT is our group weekly session. We also have an Optional flying session on Wednesdays at 20:00 GMT. We are also online in "full switch" (Full Realism)server anytime Friday and Sunday. We use Teamspeak 3 to speak over net and all members are invited to come on and have a good time if were flying or not!

We are recruiting all skill levels! But we fly full switch settings and always with closed cockpits!

We operate a continual career program where by you are credited achievements and victories based on historical criteria if you survive the mission and at least make it back to friendly lines. If you die or are captured you get nothing for the sortie. This helps to create a realistic sense of engagement from our members and discourages bad flying routines in return for kills. Teamwork is a very big factor for us, in fact its the basis of everything we do.