World War II in Europe began on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forces
invaded Poland. At the time, II.
Gruppe of JG 51 was based at
Fürstenfeldbruck and still in its infancy of creation. It was made up of three
Staffeln (squadrons) and according to the
Luftwaffe nomenclature were named 4., 5. and 6.
Staffel. Priller was appointed
Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) on 20 October and tasked with forming of 6.
Staffel (6th squadron) at
Eutingen im Gäu. On 5 November, 6.
Staffel was officially created and became operational. On 9 February 1940, II.
Gruppe was moved to
Böblingen Airfield where it was subordinated to
Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) and tasked with patrolling the
Upper Rhine region during the
Phoney War phase of World War II. On 11 May 1940, the second day of the
Battle of France, II.
Gruppe flew
ground attack missions in the
Alsace region. Following the German advance into Belgium and France, 6.
Staffel was moved to
Dinant on 26 May. That day, remnants of the
French Army and the
British Expeditionary Force (BEF) were
retreating towards Dunkirk. To save the BEF, the British under the cover of the
Royal Air Force (RAF), had launched
Operation Dynamo. On 28 May, Priller claimed his first two aerial victories. He was credited with shooting down two RAF fighters over the Dunkirk battle zone.
RAF Fighter Command reported eight
Hawker Hurricanes shot down, four pilots
killed in action and one as a
prisoner of war on 28 May. Two
Supermarine Spitfires were damaged in combat with Bf 109s. German pilots claimed 26 British aircraft on this date. For this achievement, Priller was awarded the
Iron Cross 2nd Class () on 30 May 1940. In total, Priller was credited with six aerial victories during the French campaign. This number includes a Spitfire and Hurricane claimed on 28 May, a
Curtiss P-36 Hawk on 2 June, two
Bristol Blenheim bombers on 8 June, and another Spitfire on 25 June. This made Priller one of the leading fighter pilots of JG 51 during the Battle of France. For this, he received the Iron Cross 1st Class () on 10 July 1940.
Battle of Britain In July 1940, the Luftwaffe began a series of air operations dubbed
Kanalkampf (Channel Battle) over the
English Channel against the RAF, which marked the beginning of the
Battle of Britain. On 14 July, Priller claimed a Hurricane shot down southeast of
Dover.
Pilot Officer M. R. Mudie, piloting Hurricane
L1584,
No. 615 Squadron was killed in combat with a JG 51 Bf 109. On 20 July, Priller claimed another Hurricane in the afternoon at 19:20
CET.
No. 32 Squadron lost two Hurricanes in combat with JG 51 at this time—one pilot was killed,
Squadron Leader J Worrall survived. Pilot Officer G Keighley,
610 Squadron was shot down by JG 51 at the same time. Off Dover on 29 July, Priller claimed a Spitfire. Two Spitfires from
No. 41 Squadron force-landed with battle damage and one pilot,
Flying Officer D. R. Gamblen.
No. 56 Squadron lost Flight Sergeant C. J. Cooney killed. From 13 August—
Adlertag—the Luftwaffe targeted airfields. On 14 August Priller claimed another Spitfire at 13:45. Fighter Command lost seven fighters. No Spitfires were lost at this time and place, but at 12:45
GMT two No. 615 Squadron Hurricane pilots were killed in combat off Dover. Pilot Officer R. Montgomery and Flying Officer P. Collard died aged 26 and 24. The following day, 15 August, developed into a large series of battles over southern and northern England. To the Germans it became known as "Black Thursday" due to the scale of the losses. 130 Bf 109s from JG 51,
JG 52 and
JG 54 escorted 88
Dornier Do 17 bombers from
KG 3 to targets in the south. As the formation approached
Deal, 60 Bf 109s from
JG 26 carried out a fighter sweep either side of Dover. Seven RAF squadrons intercepted but could not penetrate the fighter screen.
No. 64,
No. 111 and
No. 151 Squadron are known to have engaged at approximately 15:30 GMT. 64 lost two Spitfires and one pilot, 111 lost one Hurricane and another damaged with one pilot killed, and No. 151 Squadron suffered damage to one Hurricane. Priller claimed a Hurricane. The following afternoon, Priller claimed a Hurricane over
Canterbury. Elements of JG 51 engaged No. 111 Squadron and two 4./JG 51 pilots were posted missing. 111 Squadron pilot Sergeant R. Carnall was burned when shot down while another pilot was killed in a head-on collision with a Do 17. On 24 August Priller continued claiming with two further fighters destroyed. JG 51 lost four pilots in combat with
32 and
No. 56 Squadron. Five No. 32 Squadron Hurricanes were shot down with one pilot wounded while No. 65 Squadron suffered no losses. Updated sources show a single Spitfire from No. 65 Squadron was damaged but was repaired. On 26 August Priller made a claim west of
Boulogne, France at 18:57 local time. Sergeant P. T. Wareing,
No. 616 Squadron, was reported missing at approximately 18:45, shot down over the French coast, reportedly near
Calais. Wareing was captured. Priller filed no claims in September 1940 as the air battles reached a climax. On 7 October Priller claimed a victory in the morning and afternoon. Three JG 51 fighters were destroyed in combat with RAF fighters. One of these losses was inflicted by
No. 501 Squadron. The British unit lost one pilot killed; Flying Officer N J M Barry. Another Spitfire was damaged in a collision with a Bf 109. During the day Fighter Command reported 14 fighters destroyed and three damaged. On 15 October 1940, Priller claimed two fighters in the early afternoon.
No. 92 Squadron accounted for one of the JG 51's casualties, and lost one Spitfire in the engagement [two were lost in an early morning battle]. Pilot Officer J W Lund was rescued by naval craft. Fighter Command reported 15 fighters destroyed in combat with Bf 109s and two damaged. A final 20th claim made by Priller on 17 October was his last of the Battle of Britain. Pilot Officer H W Reilly,
No. 66 Squadron, was killed in combat with JG 51 over
Kent. On 19 October 1940, Priller was awarded the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (). He was the fourth pilot of JG 51 to receive this distinction.
With Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" In November 1940, the
Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of
Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing),
Adolf Galland, used his influence with the
Ministry of Aviation (RLM—
Reichsluftfahrtministerium) in
Berlin and had Priller transferred to JG 26. JG 26 was named after
Albert Leo Schlageter, a
martyr cultivated by the
Nazi Party. Priller arrived with JG 26 on 19 November, taking command of 1.
Staffel, a squadron of I.
Gruppe, as
Staffelkapitän. On 16 June 1941, the RAF flew
"Circus" No. 13, targeting
Boulogne with six Blenheim bombers, escorted by six squadrons of fighter escort from
No. 11 Group. The RAF attack was countered by I.
Gruppe and JG 26's
Stabsschwarm. During this engagement, Priller claimed a Spitfire and a Blenheim from
No. 59 Squadron shot down. Between 16 June and 11 July 1941, Priller claimed 19 RAF aircraft, including 17 Spitfires. Priller's first claims of the year were made on 16 June. Fighter Command reported six losses, although British sources credit the loss of four to JG 26. Squadron Leader
John Mungo-Park, commanding
No. 74 Squadron, force-landed after combat. Pilot Officer D H Gage of
No. 91 Squadron was killed over the Channel; both pilots were lost in action with an unstated unit. No. 1, No. 54 and No. 258 Squadrons reported one loss each. Sergeant A Nasswetter, a
Czech pilot of the latter squadron, died of his wounds. On 7 July Priller claimed two Spitfires. Fighter Command reported three aircraft destroyed, and their pilots wounded. On 14 July, RAF "Circus" No. 48 targeted the
Hazebrouck motor yards. The attack force of Blenheim bombers was escorted by Spitfire fighters. Priller attacked the fighters of
No. 72 Squadron south of Dunkirk and shot down one of the Spitfires from dead ahead, taking his total to 40 aerial victories. Priller's adversary was Sergeant W M Lamberton in
R7219, who was captured, wounded. For this achievement, Priller was awarded the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves () on 20 July 1941. By this date, he had accumulated 41 aerial victories and was the 28th member of the German armed forces to be so honored. His 41st aerial victory had been claimed over another No. 72 Squadron Spitfire on 19 July off Dover. The presentation of the Oak Leaves was made by
Adolf Hitler at the
Wolf's Lair, Hitler's headquarters in
Rastenburg. Two other Luftwaffe officers were presented with awards that day by Hitler,
Major Günther Freiherr von Maltzahn and
Major Günther Lützow were also awarded the Oak Leaves.
Group commander On 22 November 1941,
Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring informed Galland that he would succeed
Oberst Werner Mölders as
General der Jagdflieger (General of the Fighter Arm), a staff position with the RLM in Berlin. In consequence of this decision, on 6 December,
Major Gerhard Schöpfel,
Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of III.
Gruppe was appointed
Geschwaderkommodore of JG 26, and Priller was given command of III.
Gruppe, and
Oberleutnant Josef Haiböck took over 1.
Staffel. On 11 December, Priller was one of the first pilots to receive a then new
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-2
radial engine powered fighter aircraft, testing it on nineteen flights before year's end. Priller engaged in combat for the first time while flying the Fw 190 on 3 January 1942. On a test flight, he claimed a Hurricane shot down northwest of Calais. On 1 May,
Fighter Command ordered one "Circus" and four "
Rodeos" to France. III.
Gruppe was
scrambled and attacked elements of the
Kenley Wing near Calais. During this attack, III.
Gruppe claimed four aerial victories, one of which by Priller who shot down a Spitfire north of Calais. On 9 October, Priller for the first time encountered heavy bombers of the
United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). Misjudging the size of the bombers, he underestimated their altitude and had to make three approaches before coming into an attack position. Attacking from the rear, Priller shot down a
Consolidated B-24 Liberator from the
93d Bombardment Group. On 20 December, Priller claimed his 81st aerial victory when he shot down a
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber from the
91st Bombardment Group over the
Baie de la Seine. That day, the USAAF
VIII Bomber Command, later renamed to Eighth Air Force, had targeted Lille with 101 B-17s and B-24s.
Wing Commander Priller was promoted to
Major (major) on 1 January 1943. On 8 January 1943, at a Luftwaffe conference in Berlin,
General der Jagdflieger (General of the Fighter Arm) Galland informed
Geschwaderkommodore Schöpfel that he was to be transferred to a staff position with
Jagdfliegerführer Bretagne and that Priller would be replacing Schöpfel as
Geschwaderkommodore of JG 26. Priller was also told that JG 26 was scheduled to be deployed on the
Eastern Front. On 10 January, Priller took over command of JG 26. His first task was to work out the plans for the transfer to the Eastern Front. The original idea was to transfer the various
Gruppen of JG 26 in exchange for the
Gruppen of
Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) which were planned to move west. By March 1943, the first
Gruppe to arrive on the Western Front had been III.
Gruppe of JG 54. Since the combat conditions on the Western Front differed from those on the Eastern Front, a smooth transition of units proved to be more difficult than expected. Priller's reports to Galland were pessimistic of the idea and in consequence, on 27 March, Galland postponed the decision to exchange units, a plan that was later cancelled. , was shot down over the
Netherlands by Priller on 19 August 1943. On 19 August, VIII Bomber Command sent a number of B-17 bombers in an attack on Luftwaffe airfields at
Woensdrecht,
Gilze-Rijen and
Souburg. The attack force was escorted by ten squadrons of Spitfires during the approach and two groups of
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters over the target areas, and two further groups of P-47s during the return. Priller led his
Stabsschwarm and 8.
Staffel in this engagement. Avoiding combat with the
56th Fighter Group, he led his flight in a frontal attack on the B-17 bombers which resulted in the destruction of two B-17s from the
305th Bombardment Group. On 20 October, Priller attacked a
96th Bombardment Group B-17 bomber during its mission to
Düren and shot it out of formation. This
Herausschuss (separation shot)—the damaged heavy bomber was forced to separate from its
combat box—was counted as an aerial victory by the Luftwaffe. In late 1943, in parallel to his obligations as
Geschwaderkommodore, Priller served as interims
Jagdfliegerführer 4, the commander of the fighter forces of
Luftflotte 3. Priller was promoted to
Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel) on 1 January 1944. On 6 June 1944 (
D-Day), Priller, accompanied by his wingman made a single
strafing pass attack on
Sword Beach in their
Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-8s. This act was first brought to the world's attention by the
book, then the film,
The Longest Day. Contrary to popular belief, Priller and his wingman (
Feldwebel Heinz Wodarczyk) were not the only Luftwaffe forces to attack the beachhead that day. Both Luftwaffe
Hauptmann (Captain)
Helmut Eberspächer, leading a ground-attack four-plane element of Fw 190s of
Schnellkampfgeschwader 10, which downed a quartet of RAF
Avro Lancasters at 05:00 over the invasion area, and the Luftwaffe bomber wing
Kampfgeschwader 54 made several attacks on the British beachheads on D-Day. The
Eighth Air Force attacked various tactical targets in France on 15 June. To counter this attack,
Jagdfliegerführer 5 dispatched the German fighters at dawn. Priller and his
wingman,
Unteroffizier Heinz Wodarczyk, joined II.
Gruppe, heading for the area west of Caen and encountered the USAAF heavy bombers just as they were crossing the French coast. Avoiding the escort fighters, Priller attacked the first
combat box of about twenty B-24 bombers from the front. Priller shot down a B-24 from the
492nd Bomb Group flying in the left outboard position at 07:10 west of
Dreux and southwest of
Chartres. This aerial victory was Priller's 100th claim. He was the 77th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. Priller was awarded the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords () on 2 July 1944. He was the 93rd member of the German armed forces to be so honored. On 1 January 1945, he led JG 26 in the ill-fated mass attack on Allied airfields, in
Operation Bodenplatte, (an operation that saw Wodarczyk killed). That day, Priller was promoted to
Oberst (colonel). On 28 January 1945, Priller left JG 26 and was replaced as
Geschwaderkommodore of JG 26 by
Major Franz Götz. Priller was appointed as Inspector of Day Fighters (West), a staff position with the
Inspector of Fighters. ==After the war==