Flying with JG 26 at the start of the war and quickly cementing a reputation through the Blitzkrieg of Western Europe and the Battle of Britain that had already begun when flying Bf 109Ds with the Condor Legion in Spain (where he had scored two victories), Eduard Neumann rose from Staffelkaptain to Hauptmann. In 1941 he took command of JG 27 when dispatched to North Africa and became one of the Luftwaffe's most able and long serving officers, surviving the war with 13 victories to his credit.