October took a single loss. On 1 November 1918, Jagdgeschwader II retreated to its final base at Carignan. By the time its final victim had been shot down on 6 November, it had tallied at least 339 confirmed aerial victories. When the war ended on 11 November 1918, the wing's personnel began to straggle back to Germany. On 13 November 1918, Jagdgeschwader II was dissolved. Operational history Foundation Jagdgeschwader II (Fighter Wing II, or JG II) was created because Manfred von Richthofen's Jagdgeschwader I demonstrated the advantages of massed fighter air power. The German General Staff decided to establish two more fighter wings. They were planning a mid-March offensive, and wanted to back each of the three attacking Armees with a fighter wing. Thus Jagdgeschwader II was founded on 2 February 1918 in the 7th Armee sector of the Western Front. Appointed to organize and command the new wing was Pour le Merite winner Hauptmann Adolf Ritter von Tutschek, whose aerial victory tally stood at 23 victories. Four existing fighter squadrons with a theoretical strength of 14 aircraft each were designated to form the new fighter wing—Jagdstaffeln 12, 13, 15, and 19. The new wing was placed under direct control of army headquarters and was being prepared to support a spring offensive. Its four squadrons were ordered to concentrate in the vicinity of Marle, France. This placed them opposite the seam in the Allied lines where British and French armies met. They were underequipped with Pfalz and Albatros scouts, but began to receive Fokker Dr.1 triplanes on 16 February. Tutschek commanded Jagdstaffel 12 (Jasta 12) when JG II was founded. As he acquired staff members for his nascent wing, he assigned them to Jasta 12, making it the Stab Staffel or headquarters squadron of the wing. Tutschek flew the new wing's first combat patrol on 13 February. On 18 February, he tested one of the new triplanes. He also began to circulate among his squadrons to make himself known. Into battle Jagdstaffel 13 (Fighter Squadron 13, or Jasta 13) led JG II into combat, scoring the new wing's first victory on 17 February 1918. Three days later, it suffered the new wing's first casualty, as the jasta Staffelführer (Commanding Officer) was killed in a takeoff accident. Nevertheless, during the runup to the German spring offensive, JG II continued to score as its commander led from the front. On March 6,