World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939, when German forces
invaded Poland. Wessling was posted to the 9.
Staffel (9th squadron) of
Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) in March 1940. At the time, 9.
Staffel, headed by
Oberleutnant Heinz Kupka was subordinated to III.
Gruppe (3rd group) of JG 3 under the leadership of
Hauptmann Walter Kienitz. The
Gruppe had been newly created on 1 March at the airfield in
Jena-
Rödingen as part of the Luftwaffe expansion plan of 11 October 1939. Wessling was one of 28 pilots assigned to the
Gruppe which was equipped with the
Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-1 and E-3. On 28 March, the
Gruppe was ordered to
Detmold Airfield where it stayed until 10 April, when it relocated to
Hopsten Airfield in preparation for the
Battle of France.
Battle of Britain Following the Battle of France, III.
Gruppe moved to an airfield at
Dieppe on 29 June 1940 in preparation for would become the
Battle of Britain. The next day, Wessling claimed a
Royal Air Force (RAF)
Supermarine Spitfire fighter shot down, a claim which was not confirmed. On 10 July, seven RAF
Bristol Blenheim bombers attacked the
Amiens – Glisy Aerodrome. The bombers were intercepted by fighters from III.
Gruppe and shot all seven bombers down, including one by Wessling. On 21 July, III.
Gruppe was withdrawn from the
English Channel and relocated to
Dortmund Airfield for a brief period of rest, replenishment and maintenance overhaul. On 8 August, the
Gruppe moved to an airfield at
Desvres. On 1 September,
Hauptmann Wilhelm Balthasar replaced
Hauptmann Walter Kienitz as commander of III.
Gruppe. On 27 September, Luftwaffe forces attacked and bombed
London. That day, the Luftwaffe lost 19 Bf 109 single engine fighters, 19
Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters and 17
Junkers Ju 88 bombers. The RAF lost 48 fighters, including a Spitfire claimed by Wessling.
RAF Fighter Command lost 18 Spitfires destroyed or damaged to all causes in the days air battles. In November 1940, the group commander, Balthasar, had to be sent to a hospital as his injury sustained on 4 September had still not fully healed. He would eventually be replaced by
Hauptmann Walter Oesau. On
Christmas Eve,
Adolf Hitler visited the
Gruppe at the Desvres airfield. An event which the
Nazi propaganda exploited and recorded for
Die Deutsche Wochenschau, a
newsreel series released in the cinemas. On 5 February 1941, the RAF flew
"Circus" No. 3 targeting the
Saint-Omer with twelve Blenheim bombers escorted by RAF fighters. Intercepted by fighters from I. and III.
Gruppe of JG 3 fighters near
Pas-de-Calais, Wessling claimed a
Hawker Hurricane fighter shot down. On 15 February, III.
Gruppe was withdrawn from the English Channel. The remaining serviceable aircraft were transferred to
Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). The
Gruppe then traveled to
Gütersloh Airfield by train. The pilots then went on a skiing vacation in
Kleinwalsertal from 8 to 26 March. On 17 April, the
Gruppe was reequipped with Bf 109 F-2. On 3 May, the
Gruppe was again sent to France where they were based at
Auchy-au-Bois. On 21 May, the RAF launched "Circus" No. 10 which sent eleven bombers from
No. 21 and six bombers
No. 110 Squadron to bomb the power station,
benzole refinery at
Gosnay. Defending against this attack, Wessling shot down the Blenheim bomber
V6390 from No. 110 Squadron. The
Gruppe flew its last mission against the RAF on 7 June. In preparation for
Operation Barbarossa, III.
Gruppe was ordered to relocate east on 9 June. During the
layover at
Straubing, the commanding officer of 9.
Staffel,
Oberleutnant Max Jaczak, who had led the
Staffel since 30 October 1940, was killed in a flying accident. In consequence, command of 9.
Staffel was passed to
Oberleutnant Viktor Bauer before the
Gruppe continued their journey to
Breslau-Schöngarten Airfield, present-day Wrocław Airport.
War against the Soviet Union The
Gruppe relocated to an airfield at
Moderówka on 18 June where the
Gruppe concluded their last preparations for Operation Barbarossa. At the start of the campaign, JG 3 was subordinated to the
V. Fliegerkorps (5th Air Corps), under command of
General der Flieger Robert Ritter von Greim, which was part of
Luftflotte 4 (4th Air Fleet), under command of
Generaloberst Alexander Löhr. These air elements supported
Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt's
Heeresgruppe Süd (Army Group South), with the objective of capturing Ukraine and its capital
Kiev. Wessling claimed his first aerial victory of the campaign on 3 October. By then, the
Gruppe was based at
Gluchow and was engaged in the
Battle of Moscow. That day, he was claimed an I-17 fighter, an early war designation for the
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1. On 5 October, Wessling claimed an
Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft destroyed. On 6 November, III.
Gruppe was withdrawn from the Eastern Front and sent to
Mannheim-Sandhofen Airfield for a period of rest and replenishment. The first elements of the
Gruppe arrived by train in Mannheim on 8 December, the transfer was completed a week later. There, the personnel was sent on home leave. The
Gruppe received a full complement of 41 Bf 109 F-4 aircraft and on 6 January 1942 was ordered to relocated to
Sicily. On 13 January, 7.
Staffel and elements of 8. and 9.
Staffel boarded a train to
Bari in southern Italy while the rest of III.
Gruppe headed for
Sciacca, Sicily. The relocation progressed until 26 January when new orders were received, ordering the
Gruppe to return to Germany. At Jesau near
Königsberg, present-day Kaliningrad in Russia, III.
Gruppe began preparations for redeployment to the Eastern Front. Wessling claimed his next aerial victories in March 1942 while German forces were fighting in the
Demyansk Pocket, an area southeast of
Lake Ilmen. The
Gruppe had been moved to an airfield at
Soltsy on 10 February. Wessling claimed an I-61 fighter, an early war designation for the
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3, on 4, 6 and 7 March, and two I-61 fighters on 8 March. On 15 March, Wessling claimed an I-301 fighter, an early war designation for the
Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3, followed by three further I-301 fighters claimed two days later. He then claimed a U-2 biplane which referred to a
Polikarpov Po-2. Wessling was presented the
German Cross in Gold () on 11 May 1942. He was then transferred to 3.
Staffel of JG 3. The
Staffel was then under command of
Oberleutnant Alfons Raich and subordinated to I.
Gruppe headed by
Hauptmann Georg Michalek and was based at Kharkov-
Rogan airfield, southeast of
Kharkov. On 21 July, Wessling was shot down by Soviet
anti-aircraft artillery behind enemy lines south of Belayev. His Bf 109 F-4 trop (
Werknummer 10222—factory number) crashed west of
Morozovsk. On 4 September 1942, Wessling was awarded the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () for 62 aerial victories claimed. He was then transferred to
Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, specialized training unit for new fighter pilots destined for the
Eastern Front, as an instructor. During this assignment, he was promoted to
Leutnant (second lieutenant) of the Reserves, the promotion backdated to 1 August 1942.
Squadron leader and Mediterranean theater As part of the 1943 Luftwaffe expansion of the fighter force, a newly created IV.
Gruppe of JG 3 was created at
Neubiberg Airfield on 1 June. The
Gruppe was placed under the command of
Hauptmann Franz Beyer.
Oberleutnant Franz Daspelgruber was tasked with creation of 10.
Staffel, assisted by Wessling who had been transferred. The
Gruppe was staffed with 40 pilots and equipped with the Bf 109 G-6. In mid-June, IV.
Gruppe received orders to relocate to southern Italy. On 19 June, 10.
Staffel began its relocation arriving in
Lecce the following day where they fought in the
Mediterranean theater. The
Gruppe flew its first combat missions on 2 July when a
United States Army Air Forces (USAAF)
heavy bomber formation was detected heading for
Taranto. During the aerial battle over the
Gulf of Taranto, Wessling claimed two
Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers shot down. As a consequence of the
Allied invasion of Sicily, IV.
Gruppe moved to an airfield at
Ramacca on 11 July. The following day, IV.
Gruppe flew multiple combat missions to the area of
Syracuse on the southern Sicilian coast. During the course of which, Wessling claimed three Spitfire fighters shot down. On 15 July, the
Gruppe had to abandon the airfield at Ramacca due to advancing Allied forces and retreated back to the airfield at Lecce in southern Italy. The next day, Daspelgruber was
killed in action. In consequence, Wessling was appointed
Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 10.
Staffel of JG 3. That day, Wessling also claimed two B-24 bombers shot down. On 18 July, IV.
Gruppe moved to an airfield at
Leverano located approximately southwest of Lecce. That day, Wessling claimed a
Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft destroyed. On 21 July, the airfield at Leverano came under a
carpet bombing attack, killing four men. Two day later, the airfield again came under attack, killing one pilot wounding six, two of whiom later succumbed to their injuries. The ground personnel lost 30 men killed, a further 31 were wounded with three of them succumbing to their injuries. Among those injured was Wessling who had to be replaced by
Oberleutnant Alfred Humer as commander of 10.
Staffel.
Defense of the Reich and death On 10 February 1944,
Leutnant Hermann Schmied, the commander of 11.
Staffel of JG 3, was killed in action. Following his convalescence and return to active duty, Wessling replaced Schmied as
Staffelkapitän of 11.
Staffel later that month. At the time, IV.
Gruppe was based at
Venlo. The next day, the
Gruppenkommandeur Beyer was also killed in action. The
Gruppe was then temporarily led by
Hauptmann Heinz Lang before the position was passed to
Major Friedrich-Karl Müller on 26 February. Following the USAAF offensive dubbed "
Big Week", the
Gruppe moved to
Salzwedel in central Germany now fighting in
Defense of the Reich. At Salzwedel, the
Gruppe was joined by
Sturmstaffel 1, headed by
Major Hans-Günter von Kornatzki. The
Sturmstaffel was an experimental unit flying the so-called
Sturmböcke (battering ram), up-gunned
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-7 and A-8 aircraft, as a means to combat the USAAF heavy bombers. The USAAF
Eighth Air Force targeted
Braunschweig and airfields at
Münster and
Osnabrück on 23 March. Units of JG 3 intercepted the USAAF bombers of the
1st Bombardment Division in the area north of
Hamm in a frontal attack. During this engagement, Wessling was credited with shooting a
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber and a P-38 escort fighter. The USAAF bombers again bombed Braunschweig on 29 March. Defending against this attack, Wessling claimed a B-17 bomber and a
North American P-51 Mustang escort fighter over the combat area west and south of
Verden an der Aller. On 8 April, the USAAF sent 664 heavy bombers to the aircraft factories near Braunschweig and the Luftwaffe airfields in northwestern Germany, among them airfields at
Oldenburg,
Quakenbrück,
Achmer,
Rheine and
Twente in the Netherlands. The bombers were escorted by 780 fighter aircraft. The Luftwaffe countered this attack of 497 fighter aircraft. At 13:05, IV.
Gruppe took off from Salzwedel and intercepted the bombers at 14:00 northwest of Braunschweig. During this encounter, Wessling claimed a B-17 bomber and a B-24 bomber shot down. The next day, the USAAF Eighth Air Force attacked the German aircraft industry and airfields at
Marienburg, present-day Malbork,
Tutow,
Posen, present-day Poznań,
Warnemünde and
Rostock. The Luftwaffe intercepted the bombers near
Rügen over the
Baltic Sea. That day, Wessling claimed a B-24 bomber shot down. es of 3rd Bombardment Division B-17s On 11 April, the USAAF attacked the German aircraft industry in
Oschersleben,
Bernburg,
Sorau,
Cottbus and
Arnimswalde, present-day Załom (eastern part of Szczecin, Poland), with 917 heavy bombers escorted by 819 fighter aircraft. The
Gruppe was
scrambled at 10:05 with the order to unite with other Luftwaffe units of the
1. Jagd Division (1st Fighter Division) and
3. Jagd Division (3rd Fighter Division) over the
Brocken. Between 10:00 and 10:30, the Luftwaffe fighters intercepted the USAAF bombers between Braunschweig and
Halberstadt. During this aerial battle, Wessling claimed two bombers shot down. Following this mission, the Luftwaffe fighters were refueled and rearmed and were scrambled a second time at 12:40. The returning bombers were intercepted south of Rostock. During this combat mission, Wessling was credited with a B-17 bomber shot down, his 80th aerial victory in total. Two days later, the USAAF Eighth Air Force attacked the ball-bearing factories of
Schweinfurt, the
Messerschmitt factory at
Augsburg, the
Dornier factory at
Oberpfaffenhofen and the Luftwaffe
Lechfeld Airfield. IV.
Gruppe attacked the third wave of bombers near
Aschaffenburg in a frontal attack. During this attack, Wessling shot down a B-17 bomber. On 15 April,
General der Jagdflieger Adolf Galland visited IV.
Gruppe at Salzwedel and announced that the
Gruppe was to be converted to a
Sturmgruppe following the example of
Sturmstaffel 1. In consequence, the
Sturmgruppe was placed under the command of
Hauptmann Wilhelm Moritz and 11.
Staffel was to be merged with the experimental
Sturmstaffel 1 and renamed to 11.
Sturmstaffel. Three days later, the USAAF Eighth Air Force headed for industrial targets near
Berlin. The USAAF
3rd Bombardment Division was intercepted in the area of
Rathenow and
Nauen. During the course of a 20 minute aerial battle, Wessling claimed two B-17 bombers shot down, his last claims. The USAAF Eighth Air Force attacked the German aircraft manufacturing and aircraft engine industry as well as various Luftwaffe airfields in
Westphalia and
Hesse on 19 April. IV.
Gruppe took off at 09:30 and met up with the other two
Gruppen of JG 3 near
Göttingen and
Kassel. That day, Wessling was killed in action when his Bf 109 G-6 (
Werknummer 412052) was shot down in aerial combat near
Eschwege. He had managed to make an
emergency landing and had just escaped from his burning aircraft when he was shot by
strafing P-51 fighters. He was succeeded by
Leutnant Werner Gerth as commander of the recently formed 11.
Sturmstaffel. On 20 July 1944, Wessling was posthumously awarded the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (), the 530th soldier or officer of the
Wehrmacht to receive this award. Wessling was also posthumously promoted
Hauptmann (captain) of the Reserves. ==Summary of career==