3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) in March 1940. At the time, 9. Staffel, headed by Oberleutnant Heinz Kupka was subordinated to III. Gruppe (3rd group) of JG 3 under the leadership of Hauptmann Walter Kienitz. The Gruppe had been newly created on 1 March at the airfield in Jena-Rödingen as part of the Luftwaffe expansion plan of 11 October 1939. Wessling was one of 28 pilots assigned to the Gruppe which was equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-1 and E-3. On 28 March, the Gruppe was ordered to Detmold Airfield where it stayed until 10 April, when it relocated to Hopsten Airfield in preparation for the Battle of France. Battle of Britain Following the Battle of France, III. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Dieppe on 29 June 1940 in preparation for would become the Battle of Britain. The next day, Wessling claimed a Royal Air Force (RAF) Supermarine Spitfire fighter shot down, a claim which was not confirmed. On 10 July, seven RAF Bristol Blenheim bombers attacked the Amiens – Glisy Aerodrome. The bombers were intercepted by fighters from III. Gruppe and shot all seven bombers down, including one by Wessling. On 21 July, III. Gruppe was withdrawn from the English Channel and relocated to Dortmund Airfield for a brief period of rest, replenishment and maintenance overhaul. On 8 August, the Gruppe moved to an airfield at Desvres. On 1 September, Hauptmann Wilhelm Balthasar replaced Hauptmann Walter Kienitz as commander of III. Gruppe. On 27 September, Luftwaffe forces attacked and bombed London. That day, the Luftwaffe lost 19 Bf 109 single engine fighters, 19 Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters and 17 Junkers Ju 88 bombers. The RAF lost 48 fighters, including a Spitfire claimed by Wessling. RAF Fighter Command lost 18 Spitfires destroyed or damaged to all causes in the days air battles. In November 1940, the group commander, Balthasar, had to be sent to a hospital as his injury sustained on 4 September had still not fully healed. He would eventually be replaced by Hauptmann Walter Oesau. On Christmas Eve, Adolf Hitler visited the Gruppe at the Desvres airfield. An event which the Nazi propaganda exploited and recorded for Die Deutsche Wochenschau, a newsreel series released in the cinemas. On 5 February 1941, the RAF flew "Circus" No. 3 targeting the Saint-Omer with twelve Blenheim bombers escorted by RAF fighters. Intercepted by fighters from I. and III.