World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces
invaded Poland. At the time, III.
Gruppe was based at
Neumünster where they were tasked with flying fighter protection over northwestern Germany during the "
Phoney War" period. On 25 September, the
Gruppe was renamed and became
Jagdgruppe 126 (JGr. 126—126th Fighter Group) and moved to
Krefeld Airfield in December. On 4 February 1940, JGr. 126 was ordered to
Dortmund Airfield where they were reequipped with the
Messerschmitt Bf 110, a twin engine
heavy fighter, and again became the III.
Gruppe of ZG 26. Bagagoe participated in the
Battle of France, where he claimed his first aerial victory on 12 May 1940. His opponent may have been
Adjudant Piere Déchanet from
Groupe de Chasse III/1 of the
''Armée de l'Air'' (French Air Force) flying a
Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighter. In total, Baagoe was credited with four aerial victories during the Battle of France, including two
Royal Air Force (RAF)
Hawker Hurricane fighters.
Battle of Britain Baagoe claimed nine more during the
Battle of Britain against the RAF, bringing his total to thirteen. In July, the Luftwaffe conducted air operations against British shipping and the RAF over the
English Channel referred to as
Kanalkampf. On 10 July, Convoy "Bread" was attacked by the Luftwaffe bombers from
Kampfgeschwader 2 (KG 2—2nd Bomber Wing), escorted by fighters from III.
Gruppe of ZG 26. The Luftwaffe bombers and fighters came under attack from RAF fighters of
No. 56 or
No. 74 Squadron. In this encounter, Baagoe claimed two aerial victories. On 29 July,
Erprobungsgruppe 210, an experimental unit evaluating the Bf 110 in a
ground attack role, attacked Convoy "Cat" off
Harwich. The Bf 110 assault aircraft were intercepted by Hurricane fighters from
No. 151 Squadron. The Hurricane fighters however were fended off by 8.
Staffel of ZG 26 and Baagoe was credited with one of the Hurricane fighters shot down. On 18 August, a day that was later referred to as
The Hardest Day, the Luftwaffe made an all-out effort to destroy RAF
Fighter Command. Supporting this offensive operation, III.
Gruppe flew
combat air patrol missions. This resulted in fifteen aerial victories claimed for the loss of one of their own, including two
Supermarine Spitfire fighters claimed by Baagoe. His 12th aerial victory was claimed on 3 September, probably over fighters from
No. 229 or
No. 238 Squadron.
Balkans campaign and death ZG 26 relocated to southeast Europe in 1941. There, III.
Gruppe supported the
German invasion of Yugoslavia from 6 April 1941. Following the collapse of the
Yugoslav Army, ZG 26 and all its
Gruppen moved to support the German forces in the
Battle of Greece in the fighter and fighter-bomber role. On 20 April 1941, Baagoe claimed a Hurricane fighter shot down over
Athens, an aerial battle later named the
Battle of Athens by
Roald Dahl. That day, 10 Bf 110 fighters from 5.
Staffel of ZG 26 encountered 15 Hurricane fighters from
No. 33 and
No. 80 Squadron, flying from
Eleusis. The Bf 110 fighters were returning from a fighter escort mission to their airbase at
Larissa when they were surprised by the RAF fighters. Both sides lost four aircraft each. In this encounter, Baagoe may have shot down the RAF top ace
Marmaduke Pattle from No. 33 Squadron. It is also possible that Luftwaffe pilot
Theodor Rossiwall shot down Pattle. Baagoe and his aerial gunner,
Oberfeldwebel Daniel Becker, were
killed in action on 14 May 1941 during the prelude of the
Battle of Crete, shot down in their Bf 110 D-3 (
Werknummer 4290—factory number). There is some dispute over how Baagoe died; he was either killed by anti-aircraft fire from the ground or by RAF pilots. He may have been shot down by the New Zealand
Gloster Gladiator pilot Derrick Fitzgerald Westenra of
No. 112 Squadron. Baagoe was posthumously awarded the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () on 14 June 1941. He was the only Knight's Cross recipient of
Balkans campaign. ==Summary of career==