Junkers Ju 88 Mediterranean TDW: 1941-1942 Gawo 7
Ju 88 A, L1 + BT kuchokera ku 9./LG 1 ku Catania Airport, Ju 52/3m ndege zoyendera kumbuyo.
Mtsogoleri wa Italy, Benito Mussolini, atapambana Wehrmacht m'chaka cha 1940 ku Western Europe, adaganiza zopita kunkhondo kumbali ya Germany ndipo pa June 10, 1940 adalengeza nkhondo ya France ndi Great Britain. Kuyambira pachiyambi, kutenga nawo mbali kwa Italy pazidanizo kunasanduka kugonjetsedwa ndi kugonjetsedwa komwe kunaperekedwa ndi British, ndiyeno ndi Agiriki, omwe nkhondoyo inayambika pa October 28, 1940. Mussolini anatembenukira ku Germany kuti amuthandize.
Pa November 20, 1940, Mussolini analandira lonjezo lothandizira mwachindunji kuchokera kwa Adolf Hitler. Kale pa January 8, 1941, ndege za X. Fliegerkorps, kuphatikizapo makina a Stab, II, anatumizidwa ku ndege za ku Italy za Catania, Comiso, Palermo, Reggio, Calabria ndi Trapani ku Sicily. ndi III./LG 1 adapuma pantchito ku England.
Ju 88 A yochokera ku LG 1 mu hanger ya Comiso Airport, Sicily, ndi matanki awiri owonjezera amafuta a malita 900 ayimitsidwa pansi pa mapiko.
LG 1 ku Sicily: 8 Januware mpaka 3 Epulo 1941
Nkhondo yoyamba yapanyanja ya Mediterranean Ju 88 idachitika masana pa Januware 10, 1941. Ntchito ya oponya mabombawo inali yolanda ndege yonyamula ndege ya Royal Navy ya HMS Illustrious, yomwe m'mbuyomu idaphulitsidwa ndi mabomba asanu ndi limodzi a 500 kg. Ju 87s a St.G 1 ndi 2. Wonyamulira ndege zowonongeka anali kupita ku doko la La Valetta ku Malta pamene atatu a Ju 88s ochokera ku LG 1 akuyandikira zombo za ku Britain adagonjetsedwa ndi 10 Hurricane fighters. Ajeremani anapanga dontho ladzidzidzi la mabomba ndipo, akuwuluka pamwamba pa mafunde, anathawira ku Sicily. Kuwukira kwa Ju 88s angapo kuchokera ku III./LG 1, komwe kudachitika mphindi makumi angapo pambuyo pake, kudalepheranso.
Patatha masiku awiri, ndege yaku Britain yaku Britain idatsimikizira malipoti anzeru kuti ndege ya Luftwaffe idawonekera pa eyapoti ya Catania. Pakati pa 21:25 ndi 23:35, mabomba khumi ndi atatu a Wellington ochokera ku No. 148 Squadron RAF yochokera ku Malta anaukira bwalo la ndege, kuwononga ndege zisanu pansi, kuphatikizapo Ju 88s awiri a III./LG 1.
Pa Januware 15, 1941, II./LG 1 idafika ku eyapoti ya Catania kuti inyamuka madzulo a 16 Ju 88 motsutsana ndi gulu lankhondo laku Britain ku La Valletta. Zigawenga zinagwetsa mabomba 10 SC 1000 ndi mabomba anayi a SD 500 m'mitambo yakuda. Panthawi imodzimodziyo, ndege ya Wellington yochokera ku 148 Squadron RAF inagwetsanso matani 15 a mabomba pa Catania Airport. Ndege zinayi zinawonongeka pansi, kuphatikizapo Ju 88 kuchokera ku LG 1. Gululi linatayanso asilikali ake oyambirira a 6 omwe anaphedwa. Ena mwa iwo anali Lieutenant Horst Nagel, woyendetsa ndege 6. Staffel. Asilikali asanu ndi atatu a LG 1 adavulala, kuphatikiza. dokotala wa dipatimenti, Dr. Gerhard Fischbach.
M'mawa wa Januware 16, 1941, 17 Ju 88 A wa II. ndi III./LG 1, zoperekezedwa ndi 20 Bf 110s kuchokera ku ZG 26, zolunjika ku La Valletta, komwe chonyamulira ndege cha HMS Illustrious chinaimitsidwa kuchokera ku French Creek. Mabomba awiri a SC 1000 anaphulika pakati pa bwalo ndi chombo cha chonyamuliracho, zidutswa zake zomwe zikuwononga pang'ono chombo cha sitimayo. Bomba lachitatu la SC 1800 linagunda Essex moped (11 GRT) yomwe idawonongeka kwambiri. Pa doko, oponya mabombawo adawukiridwa ndi omenyera a Fulmar ochokera ku FAA's 063 Squadron, omwe adanenanso kuti ndege ziwiri zidawomberedwa. Ajeremani anataya ndege imodzi pa Malta, Ju 806 A-88, W.Nr. 5, L2275 + CT kuchokera ku 1. Staffel (woyendetsa ndege, Oblt. Kurt Pichler), amene antchito ake anali kusowa. Ndege zina zitatu, zoonongeka ndi omenyera nkhondo kapena zida zankhondo zolimbana ndi ndege, zidagwa pakutera mokakamizidwa ku Sicily. Pa tsiku lomwelo, gulu linataya Ju 9 A-88, W.Nr. 5, yomwe idawomberedwa pansi ndi wophulitsa bomba waku Italy yemwe adafika.
Patatha masiku awiri, pa 18 Januware, 12 Ju 88s adaphulitsanso doko la La Valletta, osachita bwino. Wophulitsa bomba wa Ju 88 A-5, W.Nr. 3276, L1 + ER ya 7. Staffel anawomberedwa ndi mphepo yamkuntho ndipo anafika pamtunda wa makilomita 15 kumpoto kwa Malta, antchito ake akusowa. Tsiku lotsatira, HMS Illustrious inayang'aniridwa ndi 30 Ju 88 LG 1s omwe adagwetsera mabomba 32 SC 1000, 2 SD 1000 ndi 25 SC 500 mabomba padoko. ophatikizidwa ndi ogwira ntchito ku likulu la 9: Ju 88 A-8, W.Nr. 88, L5 + AS, ndi Ju 3285 A-1, W.Nr. 88, L5 + ES ndi Ju 8156 A-1, W.Nr. 88, yomwe idagwa pofika mwadzidzidzi ku Posallo, ogwira nawo ntchito adatuluka pangoziyo osavulala.
M'masiku otsatira, nyengo yoyipa idakwera ndege za LG 1 pama eyapoti. Pakadali pano, m'mawa wa Januware 23, ndege yowunikira inanena kuti chonyamulira ndege cha HMS Illustrious sichinalinso padoko la La Valletta. Kuwongolera kwanyengo kunalola khumi ndi limodzi Ju 17 A-10s a III./LG 88 kuti anyamuke pa 5:1, apatsidwa ntchito yopeza sitima ya ku Britain. Mitambo yochepa ndi mvula yamphamvu inalepheretsa kufufuza bwino, ndipo pambuyo pa 20:00 ndegeyo inabwerera ku eyapoti ya Catania. Pobwerera, pazifukwa zosadziwika, magalimoto ena anataya kwathunthu wailesi ndi zida zoyendera. Ndege zitatu zidatayika mumdima ndipo zidatera pafupi ndi Sicily, mwa oyendetsa ndege 12, Ofw yekha. Herbert Isaksen wa 8 Staffel adatha kupulumutsa moyo ndikufika kumtunda pafupi ndi Capo Rizzutto.
Masana tsiku lotsatira, ndege yofufuza za ku Germany inaona HMS Illustrious, itaperekezedwa ndi zigawenga zinayi. Pafupifupi 16:00 17 Ju 88 wa II adanyamuka ku eyapoti ya Catania. Gruppe ndi 14 kuchokera ku III./LG 1 alunjika ku timu yaku Britain. Kuukirako kunalephera, mabomba onse anaphonya. Pobwerera Ju 88 A-5, W.Nr. 2175, L1 + HM kuchokera ku 4. Staffel (woyendetsa ndege - Ufts. Gustav Ulrich) anawomberedwa ndi British Gladiator womenya nkhondo, akuchita ndege yowunikira zanyengo pa Nyanja ya Mediterranean pakati pa Sicily ndi Malta. Ndege zina zaku Germany zidatera kumpoto kwa Africa pabwalo la ndege la Benghassi-Benin chifukwa chosowa mafuta.
