Horst Carganico was one of the most experienced pilots within JG5, becoming the second fighter pilot operating in the Arctic to be awarded the Knight’s Cross. Born on September 27, 1917, in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland), his military career began swiftly.
In 1937, Carganico enrolled in a flying school located in Berlin-Johannisthal. After completing his flight training, he was assigned to II./JG33 under the command of Oberleutnant Karl Schumacher, where he served as the group’s technical officer. His dedication and skill soon propelled him into more prominent roles.
On March 8, 1940, Leutnant Carganico was appointed adjutant to the commander of II./JG77, Major Harry von Bülow-Bothkamp. His first aerial victory came on June 15, 1940, when he shot down a Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber from the RAF’s 42 Sqdn.
Operations in Norway and Early Eastern Front
On July 9, during an attack by 12 Blenheims from 21 and 57 Sqdn. RAF on Stavanger-Sola airfield, which destroyed one Do-215, Carganico demonstrated his prowess. As the bombers returned over the North Sea, they were attacked by Bf-109s from II./JG77 and Bf-110s from 2./ZG26. Eight Blenheims were shot down, two of them credited to Carganico. Only five damaged bombers returned to Lossiemouth in Scotland, after which the British ceased raids on Norway.
In October 1940, Carganico was promoted to Oberleutnant. On October 16, he shot down a British Hudson off the coast of Norway. On November 30, 1940, Carganico achieved his fifth victory, downing another Blenheim at 08:25.
In February 1941, 1./JG77 was formed in Stavanger, and Oberleutnant Carganico, with six victories to his name, was appointed its commander. Simultaneously, three other squadrons were formed: 2./JG77 in Lister (Sylt island), 3./JG77 in Herdla, and 4./JG77 in Stavanger. All these units became part of I./JG77, commanded by Hauptmann Walter Grammes, which was then known as Jagdgruppe Stavanger.
On May 31, 1941, 1./JG77 was transferred to northern Norway, to Kirkenes, and in June, it became part of Jagdgruppe Kirkenes, led by Hauptmann Alfred von Loewski. The Kirkenes group also included 1.(Z)/JG77, 13./JG77, and 14./JG77. Carganico was initially unhappy with the transfer, considering it a remote posting, but the German invasion of the Soviet Union soon changed his mind.
Arctic Front Tactics and Successes
In the latter half of June 29, 1941, Oberleutnant Carganico, along with his wingman Feldwebel Hugo Dahmer, conducted their first combat sortie on the Eastern Front. Although they failed to encounter Soviet aircraft, their Messerschmitts strafed a lighthouse on the Rybachy Peninsula before returning. Carganico’s second combat sortie on the Eastern Front was at the head of his entire squadron, strafing the Soviet airfield of Ura-Guba, 35 km north of Murmansk.
Within the first three weeks of fighting on the Eastern Front, Carganico achieved seven victories. Despite the overwhelming numerical superiority of Soviet aviation in the Murmansk region, with approximately 140 fighters plus an additional 45 MiG-3s and LaGG-3s, the Soviet command did not fully exploit it. Soviet fighters played a passive role, covering ships and targets, while Messerschmitt pilots seized the initiative.
Using “free hunt” tactics, German pilots would find Soviet aircraft, attack them suddenly from the sun or out of the clouds, and then rapidly disengage without prolonged engagement. This allowed Jagdgruppe Kirkenes to shoot down over a hundred Soviet aircraft by the end of summer 1941 with minimal losses. Carganico and Dahmer often flew “free hunt” missions with Bf-110s from 1.(Z)/JG77.
These “triads” were particularly effective near Soviet airfields, surprisingly attacking aircraft during takeoff or landing. The tactic involved Carganico’s and Dahmer’s Bf-109s flying over the airfield to lure out the enemy. When a Soviet fighter link took off, a Bf-110 would unexpectedly appear from behind, easily shooting down aircraft that had not yet retracted their landing gear. This tactic was frequently used near the Shonguy airfield, where the 145th IAP was based.
The most successful Bf-110 pilot employing such tactics was Hauptmann Gerhard Schaschke, commander of ZG76’s staff squadron, temporarily attached to 1.(Z)/JG77. On July 13, 1941, Schaschke shot down three I-16s from the 145th IAP that were taking off from Shonguy. An eyewitness recounted how the Bf-110, camouflaged like a pike, approached at low altitude, attacking from below and behind at low speed.
On August 4, German pilots failed to use the element of surprise, and a maneuvering dogfight lasting over half an hour erupted over Shonguy. Four Bf-110s and four Bf-109s from Jagdgruppe Kirkenes engaged four MiG-3s and three I-16s from the 145th IAP. During the battle, Captain A. P. Zaitsev, flying a MiG-3, managed to hit Hauptmann Schaschke’s Bf-110E-2 W.Nr.3761 “M8+YE”, which crashed three kilometers from Shonguy.
A Soviet patrol was immediately dispatched to the crash site. Schaschke’s gunner, Unteroffizier Michael Widtmann, opened fire and was fatally wounded. Hauptmann Schaschke was already dead, likely from the impact. His insignia and documents were removed before he was buried in the forest next to his Bf-110. Widtmann died while being carried on a stretcher to the airfield. For shooting down Hauptmann Schaschke’s Messerschmitt, the 145th IAP paid a heavy price: three MiG-3s and one I-16 were shot down, and three Soviet pilots were killed.
Final Missions and Demise
In September 1941, Jagdgruppe Kirkenes was renamed Jagdgruppe zur besonderen Verwendung (JGz.b.V.), and Major Henning Strümpell was appointed its commander. The group was reduced to three squadrons. Its primary task was to provide air cover for the advance of Generaloberst Eduard Dietl’s 20th Mountain Army on Murmansk and Poliarny, which began on September 12.
On September 25, 1941, after 27 victories, Oberleutnant Carganico was awarded the Knight’s Cross. He was the second pilot of the 5th Air Fleet to receive this distinction, following Oberfeldwebel Dahmer, who earned his on August 1 after 22 victories while flying in Carganico’s squadron.
By late September, it became clear that Murmansk and Poliarny would not be captured. Forces entrenched, and the Arctic region entered a temporary lull. Thus, in November 1941, 1./JG77 was transferred south to Stavanger, Norway, rejoining Jagdgruppe Stavanger, which was then commanded by Major Joachim Seegert. On January 25, 1942, the group was reorganized as I./JG5, and 1./JG77 was renamed 1./JG5.
However, the squadron soon changed its designation again. On March 16, 1942, 10.(Z)/JG5 was formed based on 6.(Z)/JG5, equipped with Bf-110s. On the same day, 1./JG5 was renamed 6./JG5 and returned to the Eastern Front, relocating to Petsamo airfield. In April 1942, Oberleutnant Carganico was appointed commander of II./JG5, replacing Major Strümpell.
On July 22, 1942, his Bf-109F-4/Trop W.Nr. 10256 made a forced landing behind enemy lines near Motovsky Bay due to engine failure, but Carganico managed to reach German positions. On August 12, 1942, his Bf-109F-4/Trop W.Nr. 10132 was hit in combat and again made a forced landing in the Motovsky Bay area, but Carganico once more evaded capture and crossed the front line.
Until October 1942, II./JG5 was based at airfields in Petsamo and Pori, and then for a year operated from the former Soviet airfield of Alakurtti. On April 19, 1943, Oberfeldwebel Rudolf Müller’s Bf-109G-2 W.Nr. 14810 from 6./JG5 was shot down near Vaenga airfield. Müller made a forced landing and was captured. During interrogation, he described Carganico as a “very cautious pilot” who, “though previously flying boldly, after being shot down twice, now flies cautiously.”
On November 3, 1943, II./JG5 was moved a thousand kilometers south to Pskov-Yuzhny airfield, also utilizing the airfields of Dno and Idritsa. On March 26, 1944, Hauptmann Horst Carganico was appointed commander of I./JG5, following the death of Major Erich Gerlitz in combat on March 16 near Ulm, Germany.
On May 27, 1944, Hauptmann Carganico’s Bf-109G-5 W.Nr.110087 was damaged in combat. He attempted to land the aircraft near Saint-Dizier, 180 km east of Paris, but the Messerschmitt struck power lines, crashed, and exploded. Carganico had no chance of survival.
In total, Horst Carganico completed over 600 combat sorties and achieved 60 aerial victories, leaving a legacy as one of the Luftwaffe’s distinguished aces.