Development of the Schwarm

[Steve Church]

Hello,

I've been a member of the forum now for a few months, but have never posted before.

I'm a professional pilot based in the north central USA. My passion for aviation began when I became interested in the fighter aircraft and pilots of WWII. It has led me to a challenging and rewarding carrier.

I've made a long study of the fighter tactics and methods of these pilots and one of the questions I still have is - what inspired the Germans to start flying in pairs and fours during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930's?

I'm aware that Werner Mölders is primarily credited with the invention, combat testing and eventual implementation of the 'Schwarm'. What I'm trying to get to the bottom of is; what influenced the Luftwaffe to start experimenting with flying fighters in pairs and fours rather than the usual three aircraft formation? I believe that I read, or heard, somewhere that Günther Lützow accidentally discovered that a pair of fighters was superior to a three aircraft 'vic'. The story goes that when he was commanding the first Staffel of Bf 109s in the Spanish Civil War, there were so few of them that he was forced to divide his fighters into groups of two instead of three because he didn't have enough aircraft to put up even two flights of three. He and his fellow pilots soon discovered that a pair was superior to a trio and this eventually led to Mölders adopting the pair concept and developing the 'Schwarm'.

Does this sound correct? If so, where can I find it in print? I'd like to get the story straight and properly reference it, if possible.

Thanks in advance for any responses.

Steve