Günter Steinhausen Explained

Günther Steinhausen
Birth Date:	15 September 1917
Birth Place:	Lobkevitz on the isle of Rügen
Death Place:	near El Alamein
Rank:	Leutnant (second lieutenant)
Unit:	JG 27
Battles:	World War II
Awards:	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Günther Steinhausen (15 September 1917 – 6 September 1942) was a World War II Luftwaffe Flying ace with 40 combat victories to his name. He was also a posthumous recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Biography

Steinhausen was born 15 September 1917 at Lobkevitz, present-day part of Breege, on the island of Rügen. After flight training, Steinhausen was posted, as an Unteroffizier, to 1. Staffel (1st squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) in the spring of 1941. The squadron was subordinated to I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 27 headed by Hauptmann Eduard Neumann.

North Africa

Following Operation Marita, the German invasion of Greece, the air elements of I. Gruppe briefly moved to Munich-Riem Airfield before they transferred to North Africa, arriving in Ayn al-Ġazāla between 18 and 22 April 1941. Steinhausen claimed his first aerial victory on 9 June, shooting down a Hawker Hurricane north of Tobruk. On 15 June, British forces launched Operation Battleaxe, an offensive to raise the Siege of Tobruk and re-capture eastern Cyrenaica. On 17 June, the offensive ended with reaching its objectives. The next day, the Royal Air Force (RAF) attacked the road from Fort Capuzzo to Al Adm and Tobruk. A flight from 1. Staffel bounced these aircraft and Steinhausen claimed his second aerial victory when he shot down a Brewster F2A Buffalo near Buq Buq. On 26 August 1941, Steinhausen claimed his fifth victory: probably a Tomahawk IIb AK374 of No. 250 Squadron flown by British ace Sgt. Maurice Hards (7 victories) who force-landed wounded near Mersa Matruh.

In August, as the remaining Gruppen of Jagdgeschwader 27 transferred in to North Africa from Russia as reinforcements. In late October, I. Gruppe was reequipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4/trop. To retain operation status, 1. and 3. Staffel left North Africa on 22 October while 2. Staffel stayed. In Italy they handed over their Bf 109 E variants and continued the journey back home by train. The pilots were sent on a short home-leave before returning to Ayn al-Ġazāla on 10 November.

After the British Operation Crusader in November and December had relieved Tobruk and driven the Axis back, in January Rommel had sufficient fuel supplies to launch his next counter-attack, and he took Benghazi on 29 January, as the aircrew retraced their steps to airfields they had abandoned only a month or so previously. On 28 March Steinhausen claimed his 10th victory, when he shot down a Kittyhawk fighter of No. 94 Squadron RAF flown by P/O Crosbie, near Timimi.

On 26 May 1942, Generaloberst Erwin Rommel launched Operation Theseus, also referred to as the Battle of Gazala and the Battle of Bir Hakeim. Two days later, I. Gruppe predominantly flew fighter escort missions for Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers to the combat area near Al Adm. On an early morning mission east of Gambut, Steinhause claimed a Hawker Hurricane fighter shot down. With a rush of multiple victories he advanced his tally: a pair of South African Tomahawks on 31 May, followed by four fighters in the Al Adm area on 16 June (20-23v.) and then a further four Hurricanes (of No. 238 Sqn (RAF)) on 28 June over Sidi Haneish (27-30v.).

On 9 July, Steinhausen shot down a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) B-24 Liberator, ("Eager Beaver"), and only the second four-engine bomber claimed by JG 27. One of six bombers of the Halverston Detachment that had been sent to attack an Axis supply convoy, it was his 34th victory. By now the front had stabilised at the Alamein line and both sides paused to draw breath, and build up supplies for their next offensives. In the interim, he was awarded the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (German: Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 5 August, and then the German Cross in Gold (German: Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 21 August, for his success to date.

At the end of August, activity picked up again, and Rommel launched his assault on the fortified Alamein line at the beginning of September. On 6 September 1942, on an early-morning patrol, Steinhausen shot down a Hurricane of South African Air Force (SAAF) No. 7 Squadron or the RAF No. 274 Squadron near El Alamein for his 40th victory. However, he was then himself shot down in his Bf 109F-4 "White 5" (Werknummer 13272—factory number) southeast of El Alamein. His body was never recovered. One analyst asserts that James Francis Edwards was his victor since his combat report tallies with the action, though he only claimed a "damaged" Bf 109. Another objects, since the time differences do not match. Christopher Shores and his co-authors noted Steinhausen was killed in the morning at 08:00 local time. Francis made a claim between 17:30 and 18:50 in an evening sortie. They assert the more certain candidates are Sergeant W J Malone and Flight Lieutenant R L Mannix from No. 127 Squadron RAF. Both made claim at approximately 08:25 to 09:35. posthumously, Steinhausen was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 3 November 1942, and promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant).

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Ring and Girbig, Steinhausen was credited with 40 aerial victories including one four-engined heavy bomber. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces: Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 32 aerial victory claims, plus eight further unconfirmed claims. All of his aerial victories were claimed on the Western Front and includes one four-engined bomber.

Chronicle of aerial victories
Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location	Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 27 – In North Africa — June 1941 – September 1942
1	9 June 1941	05:05	Hurricane	north of Tobruk	21	16 June 1942	18:10	P-40	east of El Adem
2	18 June 1941	06:05	Brewster	Buq Buq	22	16 June 1942	18:14	P-40	southwest of El Adem
3	2 August 1941	18:50	Hurricane	40km (30miles) northwest of Mersa Matruh	23	16 June 1942	18:20	P-40	east of Gambut
4?	2 August 1941	18:50	Hurricane	40km (30miles) northwest of Mersa Matruh	24?	27 June 1942	08:58	Martin 167	west-southwest of El Dabaa
5?	26 August 1941		P-40	north of Sidi Barrani	25	27 June 1942	18:27	Hurricane	southwest of Fouka
6	14 September 1941	18:15	P-40	southeast of Gasr el Ahrid	26	27 June 1942	18:30	Hurricane	southwest of Fouka
7	7 January 1942	13:02	P-40	northeast of Ajdabiya	27	28 June 1942	11:25	Hurricane	southwest of Fouka
8?	9 January 1942	15:05	P-40	east of Ajdabiya	28	28 June 1942	11:30	Hurricane	south of Fouka
9	9 January 1942	15:30	P-40	east of Ajdabiya	29	28 June 1942	11:31	Hurricane	southwest of Fouka
10	28 March 1942	13:40	P-40	south of Timimi	30	28 June 1942	11:33	Hurricane	southwest of Fouka
11	11 April 1942	10:50	P-40	north of Bir Habex	31	3 July 1942	09:15	P-40	east-southeast of El Alamein
12	25 April 1942	10:10	P-40	east-southeast of Ain el Gazala	32	4 July 1942	17:05	Hurricane	20km (10miles) south-southeast of El Alamein
13	22 May 1942	07:50	P-46	20km (10miles) south of Martuba	33?	5 July 1942	18:00	P-46	2- south of Borg El Arab
14	28 May 1942	10:00	Hurricane	5km (03miles) north of Gasr el Ahrid	34	9 July 1942	18:00	B-24	100km (100miles) northwest of Bir el Astas
15	31 May 1942	07:25	P-40	north of Bir Hakeim	35?	22 August 1942	14:07	Spitfire	7km (04miles) south of El Hammam
16	31 May 1942	07:35	P-40	north of Bir Hakeim	36?	25 August 1942	12:14	Hurricane	south of El Alamein
17	9 June 1942	07:53	P-40	south of Mteifel Chebir	37	1 September 1942	17:46	Hurricane	Alam el Halfa
18	12 June 1942	19:03	Hurricane	west of El Adem	38?	3 September 1942	15:43	Hurricane	north of Manga el Rahla
19	12 June 1942	19:14	P-40	south-southwest of El Adem	39	3 September 1942	15:46	Hurricane	north of Manga el Rahla
20	16 June 1942	18:00	Hurricane	east of El Adem	40	6 September 1942	07:57	P-40	southwest of El Alamein

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
• Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 10 August 1942 as Feldwebel and pilot
• German Cross in Gold on 21 August 1942 as Feldwebel in the I./Jagdgeschwader 27
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 3 November 1942 as Feldwebel and pilot in the 1./Jagdgeschwader 27

References

Bibliography

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