 On 9 June, 32-victory ace Machold was shot down by a British destroyer and was captured.Machold's E-7 was the last Emil lost by III./JG 2, for the "Geschwader" had, by this time, been almost completely re-equipped with the new and improved Bf 109 F. Over a two day period, JG 2 claimed heavily against RAF formations.On 23 July the wing claimed 29 British aircraft, while JG 26 claimed 10.