Fliegerführer Irak Flyer Command Iraq ( ) was a unit of the German Air Force ( " Luftwaffe " ) sent to Iraq in May 1941 as part of a German mission to support the regime of Rashid Ali during the Anglo - Iraqi War . The mission was part of a larger effort to gain support in the Middle East for the Axis Powers against the United Kingdom and its allies during World War II . Background . On 1 April 1941 , Rashid Ali and members of the " Golden Square " led a " coup d ' état " in Iraq . During the time leading up to the " coup " , Rashid Ali ' s supporters had been informed that Germany was willing to recognize the independence of Iraq from the British Empire , there had also been discussions on matériel being sent to support the Iraqis and other Arab factions in fighting the British . German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop persuaded Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler on 3 May that Dr . Fritz Grobba be secretly returned to Iraq to head up a diplomatic mission to channel support to the Rashid Ali regime . Grobba ' s mission was accompanied by a military force commanded by the " Oberkommando der Wehrmacht " , or " OKW " ( the High Command of the Armed Forces ) . The military mission had the cover name " Sonderstab F " ( Special Staff F ) ; it included components from the " Abwehr " - based Brandenburgers and from the " Luftwaffe " . " Sonderstab F " was commanded by " General der Flieger " Hellmuth Felmy . " Fliegerführer Irak " ( Flyer Command Iraq ) was the " Luftwaffe " component of " Sonderstab F " . While " Fliegerführer Irak " was part of the " Sonderstab F " military mission , it was also somewhat separate from it . Its personnel reported to the " Luftwaffe " High Command and not to the Chief of the OKW . On 6 May , in accordance with the " Paris Protocols " , Germany concluded a deal with the Vichy French government to release war matériel , including aircraft , from sealed stockpiles in Syria and transport them to the Iraqis . The French also agreed to allow the passage of other weapons and stores as well as loaning several airbases in northern Syria , to Germany , for the transport of their aircraft to Iraq . Also on 6 May , " Luftwaffe " Oberst Werner Junck received instructions in Berlin that he was to take a small force of aircraft to Iraq . That force was " Fliegerführer Irak " , Junck met Reichmarschall Hermann Göring and was named " Commander of Aviation Iraq . " Junck was then briefed by " Generalleutnant " Hans Jeschonnek , Göring ' s Chief of Staff . While under Junck ' s tactical direction , " Fliegerführer Irak " was to be under the overall direction of Jeschonnek . The aircraft of " Fliegerführer Irak " had Iraqi markings and operated from an air base in Mosul , some 240 miles north of Baghdad . Initial composition . " Fliegerführer Irak " was to consist of a squadron of Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighters ( 12 aircraft ) from the 4 . " Staffel " / ZG 76 , and a squadron of Heinkel 111 bombers ( 12 aircraft ) . In addition , to assist in transporting the force to Iraq , Junck was lent 13 Junkers 52 and Junkers 90 transport aircraft . All but three of these transports had to be returned to Greece immediately to prepare for the invasion of Crete . . Junck was accompanied to Iraq by Major Axel von Blomberg . It was von Blomberg ' s task to head a reconnaissance group that was to precede the unit and to integrate " Fliegerführer Irak " with Iraqi forces in operations against the British . Arrival . Dr . Grobba and his mission reached Aleppo in Syria on 9 May . They were accompanied by two Messerschmitt 110s . On 11 May , they reached Baghdad . On 13 May , the bulk of Junck ' s force arrived in Mosul . The flight had taken the aircraft some 36 hours and covered 1200 miles . Over the following days , Junck ' s aircraft became increasingly frequent visitors to Baghdad . Junck ' s transport aircraft began to stage through Aleppo to Mosul on 14 May . On this date , a further three Messerschmitt 110s and three Heinkel 111s arrived in Mosul . Due to damaged rear wheels , two over - loaded Heinkel 111s were left in Palmyra in central Syria . British fighters illegally entered Vichy French air - space and strafed the disabled Heinkels . On 15 May , Junck arrived in Mosul with a further nine aircraft . By the end of the day , he had assembled a force comprising 12 Messerschmitt 110s , 5 Heinkel 111s , a communications flight with light aircraft , a section of anti - aircraft guns , and 3 Junkers 52s . Activities . British forces had already begun to counterattack in Iraq . By 15 May , Junck knew that " Habforce " was on its way to RAF Habbaniya and Kingcol had taken Rutba Fort . Junck sent a lone Heinkel bomber to find " Kingcol " at Rutba . The bomber found and attacked " Kingcol " , which alerted the British to the German military assistance to the Iraqi regime . On the same day , von Blomberg was sent by Junck to Baghdad to make arrangements for a council of war with the Iraqi government . The council was planned for 17 May . However , von Blomberg was killed by friendly fire from Iraqi positions . His Heinkel 111 was shot at from the ground as it flew low on approach and von Blomberg was found to be dead upon landing . . Junck visited Baghdad in place of von Blomberg on 16 May . He met Dr . Grobba , Rashid Ali , General Amin Zaki , Colonel Nur ed - Din Mahmud , and Mahmud Salman . The group agreed on a number of priorities for " Fliegerführer Irak " . The first was to prevent " Kingcol " from reaching RAF Habbaniya . The second was for Iraqi ground forces to take Habbaniya with air support provided by " Fliegerführer Irak " . It was also very important to the Germans to provide the Royal Iraqi Army with a " spine straightening . " Much of the RIrA was known to be terrified of bombing by British aircraft . On the same day , Junck arranged for a raid by " Fliegerführer Irak " on Habbaniya . Six Messerschmitt 110s and 3 Heinkel 111s attacked the base , which took the RAF personnel there by surprise . However , while a number of defenders were killed on the ground , the Germans lost a Heinkel in exchange for an Audax and a Gladiator . On 17 May , three Messerschmitt 110s attacked an extended column of " Kingcol " in the open desert . Luckily for the British , the fighters had not attacked the previous day when many vehicles were caught up to the axles in soft sand . On the same day , the British Royal Air Force ( RAF ) paid Junck back with his own coin . Two cannon - firing , long - range Hawker Hurricane s which had arrived unannounced from Egypt , and six Bristol Blenheim bombers from 84 Squadron , struck the Germans at Mosul . For the loss of one Hurricane , two German aircraft were destroyed and four damaged . In addition , two Gladiator biplane fighters from Habbaniya encountered two Messerschmitt 110s attempting to take off from Rashid Airfield in Baghdad . Both Messerschmitts were destroyed . By 18 May , Junck ' s force had been whittled down to 8 Messerschmitt 110s , 4 Heinkel 111s , and 2 Junkers 52s . This represented a roughly 30 percent loss of his original force . With few replacements available , no spares , poor fuel and aggressive attacks by the British , this rate of attrition did not bode well for " Fliegerführer Irak " . By the end of May , Junck had lost 14 Messerschmitts and 5 Heinkels . Hitler issued " Führer Directive No . 30 on 23 May . " Among other things , it said On 27 May , twelve Italian Fiat CR . 42 s of the " Regia Aeronautica " ( Royal Italian Air Force ) arrived in Mosul to operate under German command . By 29 May , Italian aircraft were reported over Baghdad . According to Winston Churchill , the Italian aircraft accomplished nothing . Grobba sent a panicked message from Baghdad to Berlin on 28 May reporting that the British were close to the city with more than " one hundred tanks . " By then , Junck had no serviceable Messerschmitt 110s and only two Heinkel 111s with just four bombs between them . The German military mission to Iraq left under cover of darkness on 29 May . Dr . Grobba himself fled Iraq the next day . " 1 . Some sources indicate that this unit was named " Special Force Junck " ( Sonderkommando Junck ) " Notes . This is indeed the correct name , thus this article is a misnomer . " Fliegerführer " is a squadron commander , thus the title refers to Werner Junck ( later Jagdfliegerführer Deutsche Bucht in the Baltic campaign ) The correct name of the Luftwaffe mission in Iraq was Sonderkommando Junck , as referenced here : http : / / de . wikipedia . org / wiki / Sonderstab _ F http : / / de . wikipedia . org / wiki / Werner _ Junck http : / / einestages . spiegel . de / external / ShowTopicAlbumBackground / a22615 / l0 / l0 / F . html # featuredEntry