World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. On 6 September, I.
Gruppe (1st group) of JG 1, to which 1.
Staffel was subordinated, was withdrawn and ordered to
Lübeck-Blankensee and then on 15 September to
Vörden where the unit stayed until January 1940. There, the
Gruppe flew fighter protection during the "
Phoney War" on the German border to the Netherlands. On 23 September 1939, Balthasar received the
Iron Cross 2nd Class (). He was promoted to
Hauptmann (captain) on 1 December 1939. In January 1940, I.
Gruppe moved to
Plantlünne and on 11 March to
Gymnich, patrolling the area
Düren–
Aachen–
Cologne.
Battle of France On 10 May 1940, German forces launched the
Battle of France. During this campaign, I.
Gruppe of JG 1 was subordinated to the
Stab (headquarters unit) of
Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27–27th Fighter Wing). That day, I.
Gruppe flew
combat air patrols in the area of
Venlo–
Tirlemont–
Liège and later that day to
Maastricht. The following day, Balthasar claimed three
Belgian Air Force Gloster Gladiator fighters and a
French Air Force Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighter in the combat area of Maastricht. Four Belgian Air Force Gladiators from 1/I/2 (1st Squadron, 1st Group, 2nd Wing) were shot down by 1./JG 1 on 13 May while flying a fighter escort mission for Belgian bombers, although the Germans claimed seven, only six were sent on the mission. Three badly damaged Belgian Battles of the 5/III/3 from the nine dispatched returned. Two Fairey Foxes were also claimed on this date by the pilots. On 13 May Balthasar claimed a Hurricane from
No. 87 Squadron RAF, who claimed one of the Bf 109s—neither side reported on losses. On 19 May the
RAF Advanced Air Striking Force utilised the
Westland Lysander liaison aircraft as a bomber as the situation in the air was now desperate for the Belgians, French and British. Balthasar claimed one near
Amiens. Two aircraft from
No. 26 Squadron RAF are known to have been lost on this date.
Flight Lieutenant Ian Gleed, 87 Squadron, observed the Bf 109 attack that shot down the Lysanders and engaged the enemy. Gleed and his pilots made several victory claims. 2(J)/
LG 2 and II./
JG 26 were involved in this combat. Later that day, the British recorded the loss of two Lysanders from a formation of six sent up by
No. 16 Squadron RAF—one source suggests this was the one claimed by Balthasar. One of the crews force-landed unhurt, but the other crew were killed. On 23 May he claimed three
Hawker Hurricane fighters near Douai.
RAF Fighter Command lost six in total this day over France—one
32 Squadron aircraft near
Arras to 109s with pilot
Sergeant GL Nowell wounded.
242 lost four on an escort mission; Flying Officer JW Graafstra and Pilot Officer GA Malone were killed in action with Bf 109s, Pilot Officer J Benzie was wounded and JB Smiley was
captured.
253 Squadron pilot DJ Ford survived and
605 Squadron Flight Lieutenant PG Leeson was taken prisoner. Three days later, on the final day of the
Siege of Calais, Balthasar claimed two Spitfires over the port. Six Spitfires were shot down after combat with Bf 109s this day;
No. 19 Squadron RAF lost three destroyed and two damaged;
Squadron leader GD Stephenson was captured and sent to Colidtz prison, Pilot Officer PV Wilson died of wounds on 28 May, Sergeant CA Irwin was killed, Pilot Officer MD Lyne and Flying Officer GE Ball were wounded. Pilot Officer KG Hart from 65 Squadron force-landed and Pilot Officer JL Allen
DFC, was rescued after parachuting into the
English Channel. On 5 June, Balthasar became an
"ace-in-a-day", claiming two
Lioré et Olivier LeO 45 medium bombers, a
Potez 63 bomber a two M.S.406 fighters shot down. The next day, he claimed four further victories, three LeO 451s and a M.S.406, which brought his World War II tally to 21. For this achievement, on 14 June 1940, Balthasar was awarded the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), becoming the second Luftwaffe fighter pilot after
Werner Mölders, to be so decorated. With 23 aerial victories, Balthasar was the most successful German fighter pilot of the Battle of France.
Group commander On 1 September 1940, Balthasar was appointed
Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of III.
Gruppe of
Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3–3rd Fighter Wing), replacing
Hauptmann Walter Kienitz during the
Battle of Britain. On 4 September, Balthasar led III.
Gruppe on a fighter escort mission for German bombers targeting
Canterbury. Over Canterbury, he claimed a
Supermarine Spitfire fighter destroyed, probably from
No. 222 Squadron but was himself wounded in the leg. Despite the injury, he managed to fly back to
Desvres. Two Spirifres from 222 Squadron were destroyed by enemy fire.
Flying Officer OJW Cutts was killed over Maidstone at approximately 13:30 and Sergeant JW Ramshaw crashed in the same area. Although his leg was not yet fully healed, Balthasar led his
Gruppe again from the air on 23 September. That day the target area was southeast England. III.
Gruppe claimed three aerial victories, including two Spitfires by Balthasar, for the loss of two of their own. 92 Squadron suffered one damaged in a crash landing near Gravesend at 10:00 with pilot
Pilot Officer AJS Pattinson was wounded;
P3971 was repaired. At approximately 10:30 Pilot Officer BW Brown of 72 Squadron bailed out after combat with 109s in the same area. Spitfire II,
P7362 disappeared at approximately 11:30 to an unknown cause, 26-year-old Sergeant DH Ayres' body was recovered from the water off Southwald on 4 October. A number of Hurricane fighters were also lost.
P2960, from
257 Squadron was lost in combat with 109s at approximately 09:50 over the
Thames Estuary and pilot Sereant DJ Austin was wounded.
73 Squadron suffered the loss of four at approximately 10:55, near
Faversham and over or near the
Isle of Sheppey. All four pilots parachuted to safety but three were wounded; one rescued from the water with burns. One
229 Squadron Hurricane was lost over the
Hoo Peninsula at 10:50. Pilot Officer POD Allcock was wounded—the incident was caused by an attack by enemy fighters. Balthasar claimed a Sptifire north of
Cap Gris-Nez that same day.
No. 234 Squadron RAF lost Spitfire I,
R6896. Flying Officer TM Kane became a prisoner of war and was sent to
Stalag Luft III. He claimed another Spitfire on 27 September. That day, the Luftwaffe targeted London and lost 19 Bf 109s, 19 Bf 110s and 17 Ju 88s. RAF Fighter Command lost 18 Spitfires destroyed or damaged to all causes in the days air battles. Balthasar claimed his last aerial victories with JG 3 on 29 October. On the second mission of the day targeting
Kent, Balthasar claimed two Spritfires shot down. In November 1940, Balthasar had to be submitted to a hospital as his injury sustained on 4 September had still not fully healed. In 1940, Balthasar married Lore Drohn. The marriage produced their son Wolff Balthasar born on 10 April 1941.
Wing commander and death On 16 February 1941, Balthasar was appointed
Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of
Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" (JG 2–2nd Fighter Wing), named after the World War I fighter ace
Manfred von Richthofen. Balthasar thus succeeded
Hauptmann Karl-Heinz Greisert who had assumed temporary command of JG 2 following the death of
Helmut Wick on 28 November 1940. Command of III.
Gruppe of JG 3 was passed to
Hauptmann Walter Oesau. Between 22 and 27 June 1941, he claimed another nine
Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft, including two
Bristol Blenheim bombers on 22 and 23 June each, which brought his victory total to 40. For this milestone, he was awarded
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves () on 2 July 1941. He was the 17th member of the German armed forces to be so honored. The next day, Balthasar was killed in action in his Bf 109 F-4 (
Werknummer 7066—factory number) near the road from
Aire to Saint-Omer at 15:25 hours. His victor may have been
Squadron Leader Michael Lister-Robinson from
No. 609 Squadron. Other RAF pilots observed and reported that one of the Bf 109's wings had come off. Lister-Robinson reported a wing came off after he used his cannon against a Messerschmitt. It is also possible that
Wing Commander Harry Broadhurst could have made a head-on attack on his Messerschmitt, receiving severe punishment himself and crash-landing his Spitfire at Hornchurch. Balthasar was posthumously promoted to the rank of
Major and buried at a World War I cemetery in
Flanders alongside his father at
Illies. His former
Gymnasium, the
Freiherr-vom-Stein-Schule, an advanced secondary school in Fulda, was named the
Wilhelm-Balthasar-Schule in 1942 and carried this name until the end of World War II. ==Summary of career==