Adolf Borchers

Adolf Borchers (10 February 1913 – 9 February 1996) was a Luftwaffe flying ace of World War II.

He was credited with 132 aerial victories—that is, 132 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft—claimed in approximately 800 combat missions.

Borchers was born on 10 February 1913 in Wendhausen near Lüneburg.

He had two brothers who also received the Knight's Cross.

Major Walter Borchers was a night fighter pilot and wing commander.

A second brother, SS-Hauptsturmführer Hermann Borchers served in the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen.

He joined the Luftwaffe in 1937 and participated as an Unteroffizier in the Spanish Civil War, flying with 1.

Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) on 21 November 1940.

In this unit he fought in the Invasion of Poland, Battle of France and Battle of Britain, claiming two aerial victories.

On 19 May 1940, he claimed his first aerial victory over a Hawker Hurricane in the vicinity of Le Cateau

Following aerial combat on 31 August 1940, Borchers ditched his Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-1 (Werknummer 5808—factory number) in the Thames Estuary but was rescued.

During Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, he accumulated further victories and by the end of 1941 his score had increased to 23 aerial victories.

After being promoted to an Officers rank, he was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 11.

Staffel of JG 51 on 20 August 1942, replacing Leutnant Wolfgang Böwing-Treuding who was transferred to 10.

Staffel.

On 15 October, Borchers was awarded the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) for 31 aerial victories.

By the end of 1942, his number of aerial victories had increased to 38.

In early January 1943, IV.

Gruppe was based at an airfield named Isotscha, a makeshift airfield built on a frozen lake lokated approximately 50 km west of Velikiye Luki.

In February, the Gruppe converted from the Bf 109 F-2 to the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-4.

In that combat area, Army Group Centre had launched Operation Büffel, a series of retreats eliminating the Rzhev salient.

For 78 aerial victories, Borchers was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 22 November.

He received the award together with fellow JG 51 pilot Joachim Brendel.

On 10 June 1944, I. Gruppe was ordered to an airfield named Peloniczna near Lviv.

Seven days later, they were moved to Serpneve.

Borchers claimed his 100 aerial victory on 24 July 1944.

Staffel (2nd squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing) which later became 10.

That day, I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 77 lost seven Bf 109s in combat over southeastern England, with one pilot killed in action and five taken prisoner of war.

He was the 86th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.

The Gruppe reached Grabowiec in eastern Poland on 27 July and Kraków on 1 August.

On 12 August they were again relocated and moved to Mzurowa.

Staffel of Jagdgruppe 88 (J/88—88th Fighter Group) in the Condor Legion.

After the Spanish Civil War he was transferred to 2.

On 11 June, Borchers was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) replacing Hauptmann Johannes Wiese.

Wiese had been injured on 22 February.

Intermittently, the Gruppe had been led by Oberleutnant Paul-Heinrich Dähne.

Command of 11.

Staffel of JG 51 was then passed to Oberleutnant Horst Walther.

On 22 June, Soviet forces launched Operation Bagration, attacking Army Group Centre in Byelorussia, with the objective of encircling and destroying its main component armies.

On 24 June, the Gruppe transferred to Galați and again to Peloniczna.