On 13 May 1940, he claimed his first victory, and he claimed five more victories before the Armistice of 22 June 1940. On 26 June 1940, I. "Gruppe" of JG 76 was moved to the airfield at Waalhaven in the Netherlands and subordinated to "Jagdgeschwader" 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing). There, the "Gruppe" was tasked with providing aerial protection over the Dutch coastal area. On 5 July, I./JG 76 was officially integrated into JG 54 and was renamed to II./JG 54 and 1./JG 76 became 4./JG 54.