Jagdgruppe 88 Jagdgruppe 88 ( J / 88 ) was a German Condor Legion fighter group serving in the Spanish Civil War . J / 88 consisted of a headquarters ( " Stab " ) and four squadrons ( " Staffeln " ) , although the 4th Staffel was short lived . J / 88 had formed on 3 November 1936 . Formation . The Condor Legion was an expeditionary force of soldiers and airmen sent to aid the Spanish Nationalist group during the Spanish Civil War . The Germans used the war as an opportunity to evaluate new equipment , guns , vehicles and aircraft , and to develop tactical techniques which were later used in the 1939 - 45 conflict . In addition to a detachment of converted Junkers Ju - 52s , a initial cadre of six Heinkel He - 51s , were despatched , with enough service staff to instruct the Spanish aircrews in the operation and maintenance of the aircraft . Under the leadership of Leutnant Hannes Trautloft J / 88 arrived by sea in August 1936 . While the Spanish Air Force pilots trained , Trautloft and the other pilots became the first of an eventual 326 aircrew who would serve with Jagdgruppe 88 during the next two and a half years . Operational history . " Oberleutnant " Eberhardt Kraft made the unit ' s first claim on 25 August 1936 , a Casa - Breguet 19 . Meantime aid from the Soviet Union arrived for the Republican forces . The supplied Soviet fighters ( Polikarpov I - 15 and I - 16 ) easily outperformed the Heinkel He 51 s , and in late 1936 , three Messerschmitt Bf 109 prototypes were sent to J / 88 , and soon followed by the first 15 of the latest Bf 109 - Bs . A He 112 V6 prototype was also sent . Armed with a single 20mm cannon firing through the airscrew hub , the " Kanonenvogel " ( cannon bird ) was to be evaluated as a ground attack aircraft and assigned to Jagdgruppe 88 at Almorox in March . Over the next few months the He 112 V6 was flown by several pilots , but on 19 July 1937 , with " Unteroffizier " Max Schulze flying , the engine seized during landing , and the He 112 V6 broke its back and was written off . The first unit to fly the Bf 109 was " 2 . Staffel " , commanded by " Oberleutnat " Günther Lützow . The unit initially suffered several landing accidents , until the pilots became familiar with taking off and landing on the narrow ‑ track undercarriage . The first major action of 2 . J / 88 with the Bf 109 - B1 , took place during the Battle of Brunete in July 1937 . Based near Ávila , its main mission was to escort the Junkers Ju 52 bombers . The Bf 109s , utilising superior tactics developed by " Leutnant " Werner Mölders , turned air superiority in favour of the Condor Legion . The Bf 109s drew first blood on 8 July 1937 when " Leutnant " Rolf Pingel and Uzz . Guido Höness claimed two Tupolev SB ‑ 2 bombers . Air combats fought on 12 July resulted in two Aero A . 101 s claimed by Höness , an SB ‑ 2 to Pingel , and three I ‑ 16s by Pingel , Fw . Peter Boddem and Fw . Adolf Buhl . Höness became the first Bf 109 loss , probably shot down and killed by an Republican I - 16 flown by American Frank Tinker . The Condor Legion lost eight aircraft , but J / 88 fighters claimed 18 victories . On 24 July Republican forces launched their final major offensive , the Battle of the Ebro . Reconnaissance aircraft of the Condor Legion noticed the troop build - up , and while the Republic forced gained ground , they failed to take Gandesa , due to intensive ( over 400 ) sorties by 70 Legion aircraft . The rest of the battle saw a series of air strikes , followed by a Nationalist counter - offensive . During the 113 - day battle , only 10 aircraft were lost and 14 damaged ; the Legion claimed some 100 Republican aircraft destroyed , a third of those lost . Only 5 aircrew had been killed , and 6 captured . Some 19 Bf 109C - 1s , with a fuel ‑ injected Jumo 210Ga engine and four 7 . 9mm machine guns , arrived in Spain in the spring 1938 , followed by nine Bf 109 - Ds in August . In February 1939 the latest Bf 109E ‑ 1 model was sent to Jagdgruppe 88 , with " 2 Staffel " converting from the Bf 109 - B in late February 1939 , just prior to the end of the War . The unit then took part in operations against the remnants of the Republican Air Force through early 1939 , with considerable success . The men of J / 88 returned to Germany in May 1939 . Some 365 aircraft were claimed destroyed by Jagdgruppe 88 , and some 26 pilots claimed 5 kills or more . Werner Mölders ( 14 ) , Wolfgang Schellmann ( 12 ) , Harro Harder ( 11 ) and Peter Boddem ( 10 ) were top scorers . Prominent members of J / 88 . Hauptmann Gotthard Handrick , winner of the modern pentathlon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics , arrived in the summer of 1937 to assume command of Jagdgruppe 88 , remaining until September 1938 , during which time he had claimed 5 victories . " Oberleutnant " Werner Mölders arrived on 14 April 1938 , and took over from Adolf Galland commanding " 3 staffel " . During the conflict he showed considerable qualities as both a pilot and tactician . He helped to develop the " finger four " , formation , which improved a combat flight ' s all - round effectiveness , vision and flexibility in combat . Between July and November 1938 he shot down fourteen aircraft : eleven I - 16s , two Polikarpov I - 15s and one SB - 2 , mostly flying a Bf 109C - 1 coded 6 - 79 " Luchs " . " Leutnant " Wilhelm Balthasar joined Jagdgruppe 88 in September 1937 , and gained six victories , including four Tupolev SB - 2 bombers shot down in one mission on 7 February 1938 . " Oberleutnant " Adolf Galland was appointed " Staffelkapitän " of " 3 . Staffel " , in July 1937 , eventually flying 200 ground attack missions in the Heinkel He 51 .