1942 began with a continuation of the 1941 successes. In February 1942, the battleships "Scharnhorst" and "Gneisenau" and the cruiser "Prinz Eugen" escaped from the French port at Brest in Operation Cerberus upon their return from the recent Operation Berlin. One of Sperrle's former wing commanders, "General der Jagdflieger" Adolf Galland, planned Operation Donnerkeil, an air superiority plan with Sperrle's chief of staff Karl Koller. From the Luftwaffe's perspective, the operation was a success against the odds. Sperrle was able to provide five bomber groups for the "Donnerkeil".