Walter Adolph

Adolph's Fw 190 was the first of it's type to be lost in combat.

Walter Adolph was born on the 11th of June 1913 at Fontanelle in the Bacau region of Rumania. Leutnant Adolph served with 1./J.88 of the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War from autumn 1937 until spring 1938. He gained one victory in that conflict, claiming a Republican Curtiss (Polikarpov I-15) biplane fighter shot down on the 30th of December 1937. From early 1939, Adolph served as Staffelkapitän of 2./JG 1. Towards the end of summer 1939, he was based at Seerapen, given the role of protecting East Prussia. The unit flew several missions over Poland but was soon recalled to Germany. He opened his account for World War 2 by shooting down a RAF twin-engine reconnaissance Blenheim over Osnabrück on the 1st of October 1939. During the French campaign, Adolph recorded a further five victories. His total included three RAF Blenheim twin-engine bombers, shot down in five minutes in the Maastricht area, on the 12th of May 1940. On the 9th of July 1940, 2./JG 1 was redesignated 8./JG 27. Adolph was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 26 and transferred in on the 4th of October 1940. He had recorded nine victories to date. Hauptmann Adolph was awarded the Ritterkreuz on the 13th of November 1940 after 15 victories. II./JG 26 was the first Luftwaffe unit to transition on to the new Focke Wulf Fw 190 fighter, receiving their first aircraft in July 1941. On the 18th of September, Adolph led eight aircraft, in his Fw 190 A-1 (W.Nr. 0110 028) “Black”, to escort a German tanker off Ostend.

They encountered a force of RAF Blenheims escorted by Spitfire and Hurricane fighters. Adolph did not return from the mission and his body was washed up on a Belgian beach three weeks later. It would appear that he had been shot down and killed by the English ace Cyril Babbage of 41 Sqn, RAF off Blankenberge, Belgium. Babbage claimed an unidentified aircraft similar to a Curtiss Hawk. Adolph’s Fw 190 was the first of the type to be lost in aerial combat.
Walter had recorded 25 victories at the time of his death. In addition he had claimed four unconfirmed victories. Included in his total is one victory gained in the Spanish Civil War.