Adolf Galland
The first significant operation in which Fw 190s played an important role was Operation Cerberus, the "Channel dash" break-out through the English Channel and Dover Strait by the "Kriegsmarine"s small battleships "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" and the heavy cruiser "Prinz Eugen" on 12 February 1942. Adolf Galland, the "General der Jagdflieger" (General of the Fighter Arm), insisted that the operation take place during daylight hours and accepted responsibility for devising a plan to provide continuous daylight fighter cover against the heavy attacks expected by the RAF. By the end of the day, JG 26 had been credited with seven aerial victories and six probables for the loss of four Fw 190s and their pilots. Adolf Galland was to later call the success of this operation the "greatest hour" of his career.