front in the vicinity of the northern sector of Army Group South became increasingly fluid. This necessitated the relocation of II. Gruppe to Volodymyr-Volynskyi. The rapid advance of German ground forces required II. Gruppe to move to Lutsk on 5 July and then to Dubno that evening. The following day, II. Gruppe flew combat air patrols over Berdychiv and Zhytomyr. On one of these missions, Münster claimed his first aerial victory over a ZKB-19, referring to an Ilyushin DB-3 bomber. On 9 July, he was credited with the destruction of two further DB-3 bombers. Münster received the Iron Cross 2nd Class () on 24 July 1941 and the Iron Cross 1st Class () on 7 September 1941. Following his ninth aerial victory claimed and 86 combat missions flown, Münster was transferred to the Stab (headquarters unit) of II. Gruppe. There, he increased his total of aerial victories claimed to twelve. Additionally he was credited with five ground victories and the destruction of a locomotive, increasing his number of combat missions flown to 124. On 31 October 1941, II. Gruppe flew its last combat mission over the northern Crimean combat zone and was ordered to retreat to Germany for a period of rest and refurbishment. On 1 December 1941, JG 3 was given the honorary name "Udet" following the suicide of World War I fighter pilot and Luftwaffe Generalleutnant Ernst Udet. Münster was awarded the Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold () on 16 December 1941. Mediterranean Theatre At Wiesbaden-Erbenheim airfield, II. Gruppe was equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 trop as the unit was to be deployed in the Mediterranean Theatre. After almost two months of rest, II. Gruppe was ordered to transfer to Sicily in early January 1942. Münster claimed one aerial victory in this theatre of operations. On 22 February, II. Gruppe was ordered to an airfield at Santo Pietro, approximately northwest of Comiso, Sicily. That day, Münster claimed a Hawker Hurricane shot down over Malta. II. Gruppe flew its last combat mission over Malta on 25 April 1942. On 27 April, II. Gruppe arrived at Plzeň where it was placed under the command of Hauptmann (Captain) Kurt Brändle. Eastern Front After three weeks of rest, II. Gruppe was moved to the southern sector of the Eastern Front and placed under control of VIII. Fliegerkorps (8th Air Corps) on the left wing of Army Group South.