Nyorai kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - II./JG 3 yakatamiswa kuKuban bridgehead muna February 1943. Zvinhu zvose. Wolf-Udo Ettel akaratidza kuti ndiye 'nyeredzi' yeJG 3 panguva iyi, achibvuma kuuraya 28 muna March 1943, 36 muna April, uye 20 muna May. Basa guru rakapoteredza Kerch peninsula rakatevera muna April. Muna July 1943 II./JG 3 uye III./JG 3 panguva ino vaiva chikamu "Luftlotte" 4 uye vakamhanyira Operation Zitadelle
, kurwisa kwamatangi kwakatangwa kumativi eKursk salient. Pana 5 July 1943 oga, II./JG 3 yakati 77 ndege dzeSoviet kubva kune dzose 432 dzakataurwa, Oblt. Joachim Kirschner anozviti akauraya 9 uye "Gruppenkommandeur" Hpt. Kurt Brändle anoti 5.