day. On 10 June, he was credited with two aerial victories, a further Il-2 aircraft, and a MiG-1 fighter. Three days later, he claimed two Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighters destroyed. Flying Bf 109 F-4/R1 (Werknummer 13358), Resch was wounded in combat on 21 June near Sochorowka. On 26 June, the Gruppe moved to an airfield at Bilyi Kolodyaz, approximately southeast of Vovchansk, and to an airfield named Ssowy south of Kursk on 3 July, before returning to Artemovsk on 8 July. On 14 July, II. Gruppe again relocated, this time south to Chatzepetowka, and then on 17 July to Taganrog located on the Sea of Azov. There, Resch shot down a LaGG-3 fighter on 19 July, and two further LaGG-3 fighters the following day. On 22 July, II. Gruppe moved to an airfield named Nowy-Cholan, south of Tatsinskaya, where the Gruppe flew combat air patrols. There, Resch claimed a Sukhoi Su-2 aircraft shot down on 24 July. The next day, he claimed an I-153 fighter, an I-16 fighter and a LaGG-3 fighter. For 40 aerial victories claimed to date, he was awarded the German Cross in Gold () on 27 July 1942. Following several relocations, II. Gruppe was ordered to Tusov on 20 August. Located approximately southwest of Kalach-na-Donu on the western bank of the Don, the Gruppe operated in the combat area of Stalingrad. Until end of August, Resch claimed ten further aerial victories. He shot down a LaGG-3 fighter on 23 August, the next day he claimed a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 fighter. On 25 August, a Yakovlev Yak-1 fighter and LaGG-3 fighter fell to his guns, followed by one LaGG-3 fighter on 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 August, respectively. Resch was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () on 6 September 1942 for 50 aerial victories claimed. Group commander Resch was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of IV. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) on 1 March 1943. He replaced Hauptmann Johann Knauth who was transferred. Command of his former 6. Staffel of JG 52 was passed on to Oberleutnant Gustav Denk. His three squadron leaders were, Oberleutnant Horst-Günther von Fassong heading 10. Staffel, Hauptmann Adolf Borchers in charge of 11. Staffel, and Hauptmann Wilhelm Moritz leading 12. Staffel. The Gruppe had just completed conversion from the Bf 109 F-2 to the Focke Wulf Fw 190 A-4 and was based at Smolensk. In that