Gerhard Thyben Explained

Gerhard Thyben
Birth Date:24 February 1922
Nickname:Gerd
Birth Place:Kiel
Death Place:Santiago de Cali, Colombia
Allegiance:
Colombia
Branch:
Colombian Air Force (Post-war)
Serviceyears:1940–1945
Rank:Oberleutnant (first lieutenant)
Commands:7./JG 54
Unit:JG 3, JG 54
Awards:Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Laterwork:Crop dusting

Gerhard Thyben (24 February 1922 – 4 September 2006) was a German military aviator who served in the Luftwaffe from 1940 until the end of World War II and later as an instructor with the Colombian Air Force. As a fighter ace, he claimed 157 enemy aircraft shot down in 385 combat missions, five of which over the Western Allies the other 152 were claimed on the Eastern Front.

Born in Kiel, Thyben volunteered for service in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany in 1940. After a period of training at various pilot and fighter pilot schools, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing), operating on the Eastern Front. He claimed his first aerial victory on 26 February 1943. In August 1943, his unit was transferred to Western Front where he claimed five aerial victories. In 1944, Thyben was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) which was based on the Eastern Front. In September 1944, Thyben was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 7. Staffel (7th squadron) of JG 54 and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 116 aerial victories in December. Following his 156th aerial victory, he was injured in combat and received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves in April 1945.

Following World War II, Thyben left Germany and moved Spain, later to Argentina and then to Colombia where he worked for the Colombian Air Force as an instructor. He continued to pursue a career in civil aviation until his retirement. Thyben died on 4 September 2006 in Cali, Colombia.

Early life and career

Thyben was born on 24 February 1922 in Kiel, at the time the capital of the Province of Schleswig-Holstein, a free State of Prussia in the Weimar Republic. He was the son of Fritz Thyben, a manager (German: Prokurist) with Johannsen & Schmielau, and his wife Lisbeth, née Ebelmann. While in school, Thyben joined the Hitler Youth where he learned to fly the Schneider Grunau 9 glider aircraft. Following graduation from school, he volunteered for military service in the Luftwaffe on 15 July 1940. Until October, he completed his recruit training with Fliegerausbildungs-Regiment 71 (71st Aviators Training Regiment) in Wien-Stammersdorf. He was then transferred to Flugzeugführerschule A/B 113 in Brünn, present-day Brno in the Czech Republic, where he learned to fly the Heinkel He 72 Kadett. He was then transferred to 3./Fliegerausbildungs-Regiment 32 (3rd company of the 32nd Aviators Training Regiment) in Rochefort-en-Terre for further flight training on 14 October. On 15 November he was transferred to another flight school where he was promoted to Gefreiter (Privat First Class) on 1 July 1941.

On 16 September 1941, Thyben was posted to the Jagdfliegervorschule 2 (2nd fighter pilot pre-school), passing this course on 14 December. He was then transferred to the Jagdfliegerschule 5 (5th fighter pilot school) in Wien-Schwechat. There, for disciplinary reasons, he was arrested for six days in April and further five days in May 1942. After he completed his fighter pilot training on 1 November, Thyben was then posted to the 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, a specialized training unit for new fighter pilots destined for the Eastern Front, and on 13 November to 1. Staffel of Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Süd.[1] On 13 December 1942, Thyben was posted to the II. Gruppe (2nd group) of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing), named after the World War I fighter ace Ernst Udet. This Gruppe was then based on the southern sector of the Eastern Front and Thyben was assigned to 6. Staffel.

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland. Following his posting to JG 3, Thyben travelled to Krakau, present-day Kraków, where he waited for an aircraft to shuttle to his unit on the Eastern Front. On 28 December 1942, Thyben was assigned a Messerschmitt Bf 109 and together with two other Luftwaffe pilots flew to Lemberg, present-day Lviv. Adverse weather conditions delayed his flight east. Seven days later, he flew to Kirovohrad, present-day Kropyvnytskyi, and onwards to Zaporozhye. Due to further delays, Thyben eventually arrived with II. Gruppe of JG 3, then based at Rovenky and commanded by Hauptmann Kurt Brändle, on 22 January 1943.

Thyben had arrived at the front during the closing days of the Battle of Stalingrad which ended in the defeat of the German 6th Army. On 6 February, II. Gruppe retreated 110abbr=offNaNabbr=off to an airfield near Makiivka where they stayed until 5 April. Flying combat missions along the Mius-Front, Thyben claimed his first aerial victory on 26 February when he shot down a Lend-Lease Douglas A-20 Havoc bomber, also known as "Boston". On 25 May 1943 following his sixth aerial victory, Thyben was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class (German: Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse).

Defense of the Reich

In early August 1943, II. Gruppe was withdrawn from the Eastern Front for service in Defense of the Reich on the Western Front. The Gruppe spent one-month training in northern Germany before they arrived at the Schiphol airfield near Amsterdam in the Netherlands on 12 September. Thyben claimed his first aerial victory on the Western Front on 8 October. That day the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) attacked the harbor and shipyards at Bremen and the U-boat manufacturing site at Bremen-Vegesack. At 14:08 II. Gruppe was scrambled and took off from Schiphol airfield. The Gruppe intercepted a formation of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers and their escorting Republic P-47 Thunderbolt at 15:00 over the IJsselmeer. In this encounter, II. Gruppe pilots claimed two B-17 bombers shot down, one of which was not confirmed, and a P-47 fighter shot down by Thyben. On 24 October 1943, Thyben was personally awarded the German Cross in Gold (German: Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) from Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring during a visit at Deelen Airfield. The presentation was made ad hoc when Göring learned that Thyben was credited with 33 aerial victories at the time. Since no spare German Cross was available, Siegfried Knemeyer volunteered his own German Cross which was then pinned on Thyben's uniform. On 3 November, Thyben flew as wingman to the Gruppenkomandeur, Major Brändle, the two got separated during aerial combat and Brändle was killed in action.

Thyben suffered from abdominal pain caused by lactose intolerance, the root cause not understood at the time. The pain was particularly severe while flying at high altitudes. In consequence, a Luftwaffe doctor advised to transfer Thyben to the Eastern Front where aerial combat for the most part took place below an altitude of 4000abbr=offNaNabbr=off. On 20 April 1944, Thyben was informed that he was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing). He arrived with JG 54 on 24 April. Two days later he was assigned to 5. Staffel which was based at Idritsa. At the time, 5. Staffel was commanded by Oberleutnant Emil Lang while II. Gruppe of JG 54 to which the Staffel was subordinated was headed by Major Erich Rudorffer.

Eastern Front

In September 1944, Thyben was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 7. Staffel of JG 54, succeeding Leutnant Hermann Schleinhege who had temporarily led the Staffel after Hauptmann Franz Eisenach had been transferred on 8 August. On 30 September, Thyben was credited with his 100th aerial victory. He was the 93rd Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. On 6 December 1944, Thyben was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) after 116 aerial victories. The presentation was made by General der Flieger Kurt Pflugbeil at an airfield in Libau, present-day Liepāja, on 9 December. On 9 February 1945, Thyben was promoted to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant).

Following his 156th aerial victory, Thyben was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 8 April 1945. He was the 822nd member of the German armed forces to be so honored. On 8 May, with his mechanic Albert Mayers as a passenger in the radio compartment, Thyben and his wingman Feldwebel Fritz Hangebrauk flew west. Over the Baltic Sea, he shot down a Petlyakov Pe-2 bomber that was almost certainly looking for German refugee ships escaping from the besieged Courland Pocket. Thyben caught the reconnaissance Pe-2 at 07:54 and achieved what very well might have been the last Focke-Wulf Fw 190 victory of World War II.

Later life

Thyben was released from British captivity on 10 July 1945. On 17 March 1948, Thyben left Kiel heading to Spain by taking a train to Toulouse in southern France. From Toulouse, he headed to the Pyrenees on foot, crossing the border on 22 March. His ambition to continue flying in Spain remained unfulfilled. On 15 February 1949, with the aid of the Falange, a fascist party created by General Francisco Franco in 1937, Thyben borded the Rio Santa Cruz heading to Argentina. Thyben settled in Buenos Aires where he found work in automotive painting. As a member of the German community living in Buenos Aires, Thyben met and married Magda Sonnenberger, the widow of a German officer killed on the Eastern Front. In 1954, the former General der Jagdflieger, Adolf Galland, visited Thyben and rekindled Thyben's desire to fly. With the aid of another former member of the Luftwaffe, Thyben was led to believe that he could fly for Avianca airline in Colombia.

Arriving in Bogotá, Colombia, Thyben, who did not own a civil pilots license, failed to find employment as a pilot. The Colombian Civil Aviation Authority however offered him civil employment with Colombian Air Force as an instructor and consultant. His contract started on 19 July 1954 and was issued for one year with the option of extension. Based at the Captain Germán Olano Moreno Air Base near Puerto Salgar, Thyben flew the F-47, a post World war II designation of the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt. He was also asked to fly combat missions during La Violencia, a ten-year civil war in Colombia from 1948 to 1958, between the Colombian Conservative Party and the Colombian Liberal Party, which he rejected. His contract was extended by a second year during which he taught at the Marco Fidel Suárez Air Base near Cali, also known as Santiago de Cali. There he flew the Boeing-Stearman Model 75, the North American T-6 Texan and the Beechcraft T-34 Mentor as a flight instructor. During this period, Magda gave birth to their son Gerhard Friedrich Wilhelm.

Thyben's contract with the Colombian Air Force ended after two years of service. Having received a civilian pilots license, he then found work flying air taxis for Aviance (Aerotaxi de Avianca). Based in Bucaramanga, Aerotaxi de Avianca was equipped with the Cessna 195 and de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver. Avianca also operated the Bell 47 helicopter which Thyben learned to fly. A flight accident on 30 December 1960 resulted in his dismissal. Thyben then found work flying agricultural aircraft in Tolima. In 1979, Thyben attended an international fighter pilot meeting held in Fürstenfeldbruck. Among others, the meeting was attended by Douglas Bader, Robert Stanford Tuck, Günther Rall, Erich Hartmann, Gerhard Barkhorn, Adolf Galland and Walter Scheel. On the return flight to Colombia, Thyben's luggage was lost, including his original Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross later showed up again in the United States with a private collector. However, US authorities were unable to confiscate his stolen Knight's Cross and return it. Thyben died on 4 September 2006 in Cali, Colombia.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Thyben was credited with 157 aerial victories. Spick also lists him with 157 aerial victories, 152 on the Eastern Front and five on the Western Front, claimed in 385 combat missions. In addition, Obermaier states that he flew 22 close air support missions on which he claimed two aircraft and seven trucks destroyed on the ground. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and state that Thyben was credited with 157 aerial victories. This figure includes 152 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 5 over the Western Allies.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 34 Ost 79142". The Luftwaffe grid map (German: Jägermeldenetz) covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about 360sqmi. These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3x in size.

Chronicle of aerial victories
ClaimDateTimeTypeLocationClaimDateTimeTypeLocation
– 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –
Eastern Front — 4 February – 3 August 1943
126 February 194309:15BostonPQ 34 Ost 79142, south of Barvinkove
10km (10miles) east of Barvinkove
172 July 194307:46BostonPQ 35 Ost 61154, vicinity of Sawidowka
20km (10miles) north-northeast of Vovchansk
2 6 May 194304:15?BostonPQ 35 Ost 71343, east of Belgorod
10km (10miles) north-northeast of Balakliia
186 July 194312:30La-5PQ 35 Ost 61492, southeast of Belgorod
25km (16miles) east-southeast of Belgorod
38 May 194308:00SpitfirePQ 35 Ost 85143, north of Abinskaja
west of Abinsk
197 July 194307:55Yak-1PQ 35 Ost 61453, east of Belgorod
15km (09miles) east-northeast of Belgorod
48 May 194315:46P-39PQ 34 Ost 85142, northwest of Abinskaja
west of Abinsk
207 July 194308:10La-5PQ 35 Ost 61472, southeast of Belgorod
5km (03miles) south of Belgorod
511 May 194316:23LaGGPQ 34 Ost 86584, east of Slavyansk-na-Kubani217 July 194317:02La-5PQ 35 Ost 60291, east of Malinovka
20km (10miles) east-southeast of Malinovka
614 May 194312:15Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 85113, north of Mertschanskaja
vicinity of Mertschanskaja
227 July 194317:14La-5PQ 35 Ost 60114, east of Kharkiv
25km (16miles) south of Bilyj Kolodjas
71 June 194305:05LaGG-3PQ 35 Ost 61224, west of Bolenichino train station
15km (09miles) east of Prokhorovka
239 July 194306:20La-5PQ 35 Ost 62882, Prokhorovka
20km (10miles) northeast of Prokhorovka
83 June 194303:15La-5PQ 35 Ost 61364, west of Belgorod
vicinity of Belgorod
249 July 194306:35La-5PQ 35 Ost 61461, east of Belgorod
25km (16miles) east-northeast of Belgorod
93 June 194303:22Yak-1PQ 35 Ost 61382, southwest of Belgorod
vicinity of Orlivka
2513 July 194305:56Yak-1PQ 35 Ost 62883, northeast of Prokhorovka
20km (10miles) northeast of Prokhorovka
1012 June 194303:39La-5PQ 35 Ost 61264, Bolshoj Bodjarugi
25km (16miles) east-southeast of Prokhorovka
2613 July 194306:02P-51PQ 35 Ost 62853, northeast of Prokhorovka
25km (16miles) northeast of Prokhorovka
1112 June 194307:15La-5PQ 35 Ost 61483, southeast of Belgorod
15km (09miles) east-southeast of Belgorod
2714 July 194306:47Yak-1PQ 35 Ost 61243, west of Oskotschnoje
10km (10miles) south of Prokhorovka
1223 June 194306:16Yak-4PQ 35 Ost 61424, north of Belgorod
20km (10miles) northeast of Belgorod
2820 July 194304:36Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 88264, northeast of Kuibyschewo
vicinity of Jalisawehino
1324 June 194305:25Yak-1PQ 35 Ost 61634, southeast of Vovchansk
20km (10miles) north of Vovchansk
2920 July 194315:50Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 88231, east of Dmitrijewka
20km (10miles) northeast of Jalisawehino
1424 June 194318:05La-5PQ 35 Ost 71583, east of Jefremowka
15km (09miles) northeast of Bilyj Kolodjas
3024 July 194304:42Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 88283, east of Kuteinikowo
10km (10miles) south of Jalisawehino
1526 June 194319:28La-5PQ 35 Ost 61463, east of Belgorod
25km (16miles) east-northeast of Belgorod
3125 July 194318:24Yak-1PQ 35 Ost 61458, northeast of Belgorod
15km (09miles) east-northeast of Belgorod
1626 June 194319:34La-5PQ 35 Ost 71314, west of Szokojowka
40km (30miles) northeast of Belgorod
3230 July 194312:43Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 88433, southwest of Marijewka
20km (10miles) southeast of Jalisawehino
– 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –
Defense of the Reich — 1 September 1943 – 31 December 1943
338 October 194315:34P-47PQ 05 Ost S/FM-4, over sea
50km (30miles) west of Egmond
3430 November 194311:40?P-47PQ 05 Ost S/KL-7
Dendermonde
– 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –
Defense of the Reich — 1 January – February 1944
3511 February 194413:06P-38PQ 05 Ost S/RK-RL-PM-QL-QM
east of St. Vith
3711 February 194413:10P-38PQ 05 Ost S/RK-RL-PM-QL-QM
east of St. Vith
3611 February 194413:07P-38PQ 05 Ost S/RK-RL-PM-QL-QM
east of St. Vith
– 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –
Eastern Front — April – 5 September 1944
3830 April 194406:02La-5PQ 25 Ost 96384, 24km (15miles) east-northeast of Polotsk
15km (09miles) southeast of Dretun
551 July 194408:08La-5PQ 26 Ost 91345, 6km (04miles) northeast of Kämarä
20km (10miles) southeast of Vyborg
395 May 194404:36Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 96525
25km (16miles) east of Polotsk
561 July 194413:22P-39PQ 26 Ost 81434, east of Vyborg
10km (10miles) east of Vyborg
405 May 194418:45Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 96382
15km (09miles) southeast of Dretun
573 July 194411:37Yak-9?PQ 26 Ost 81464
10km (10miles) southeast of Vyborg
4112 May 194413:18Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 9754584 July 194408:05Yak-9PQ 26 Ost 81474
Gulf of Finland, southwest of Vyborg
4216 May 194407:41Yak-7PQ 25 Ost 88853, 2km (01miles) east of Velikaya
40km (30miles) southeast of Ostrov
596 July 194412:09Yak-9PQ 26 Ost 91277
45km (28miles) east-northeast of Vyborg
4316 May 194408:07Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 88856, 4km (02miles) east of Velikaya
40km (30miles) southeast of Ostrov
607 July 194406:44Yak-9PQ 26 Ost 91464
65km (40miles) east-southeast of Vyborg
445 June 194411:26La-5PQ 26 Ost 70264, 12km (07miles) south of Lavansaari
Baltic Sea, 90km (60miles) northeast of Kunda
619 July 194409:16Yak-9PQ 26 Ost 91273
45km (28miles) east-northeast of Vyborg
4519 June 194420:01?Yak-9PQ 26 Ost 81623, 16km (10miles) northeast of Koivisto
25km (16miles) south of Vyborg
626 August 194418:00Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 89162
Lake Peipus
4619 June 194420:10P-39PQ 26 Ost 81626, 6km (04miles) east of Römpötti
25km (16miles) south of Vyborg
637 August 194406:57La-5PQ 26 Ost 80527, 12km (07miles) southwest of Narva
southwest of Narva
4719 June 194420:22P-39PQ 26 Ost 81415, 12km (07miles) north of Römpötti
20km (10miles) south of Vyborg
647 August 194414:33?La-5PQ 26 Ost 70631, Lavansaari
Baltic Sea, 10km (10miles) west of Hungerburg
4820 June 194417:45P-39PQ 26 Ost 91323, 6km (04miles) north of Ristseppala
30km (20miles) east of Vyborg
6517 August 194412:10La-5PQ 25 Ost 79841
western edge of Lake Peipus
4921 June 194406:41?LaGG-3PQ 26 Ost 81543, 30km (20miles) west of Koivisto
Baltic Sea, northeast of Hungerburg
6623 August 194409:22La-5PQ 25 Ost 69328
20km (10miles) south of Tartu
5023 June 194414:12La-5PQ 26 Ost 91122, 10km (10miles) northeast of Talikkala
40km (30miles) northeast of Vyborg
6723 August 194409:45La-5PQ 25 Ost 69688
south of Tartu
5129 June 194407:03Yak-9PQ 26 Ost 81447
20km (10miles) southeast of Vyborg
6828 August 194417:50Pe-2PQ 25 Ost 69592
5229 June 194408:03?P-39PQ 26 Ost 91349, 15km (09miles) southeast of Säinio
Gulf of Finland, southwest of Vyborg
6930 August 194417:29Il-2PQ 25 Ost 69549
Lake Wirz
5330 June 194412:16La-5PQ 26 Ost 91345, 7km (04miles) northeast of Kämarä
20km (10miles) southeast of Vyborg
704 September 194418:09La-5PQ 25 Ost 69592
east of Tartu
5430 June 194420:13Yak-9PQ 26 Ost 81298, northeast of Talias
20km (10miles) northwest of Vyborg
715 September 194416:52La-7PQ 25 Ost 69639
northeast of Tartu
– 7. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –
Eastern Front — 6 September 1944 – 8 May 1945
726 September 194406:47Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 69596
20km (10miles) southwest of Tartu
11330 October 194412:00Pe-2PQ 25 Ost 17546
20km (10miles) south of Liepāja
736 September 194410:42Il-2PQ 25 Ost 69651
Tartu
11430 October 194414:31P-39PQ 25 Ost 17636
55km (34miles) east-southeast of Liepāja
746 September 194413:55La-5PQ 25 Ost 69628
north of Tartu
11530 October 194414:48?P-39PQ 25 Ost 17613
40km (30miles) east-southeast of Liepāja
756 September 194414:00La-5PQ 25 Ost 69624
north of Tartu
11623 November 194408:20Il-2PQ 25 Ost 28183
Gulf of Riga, northeast of Ventspils
7614 September 194410:43Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 68162
20km (10miles) northeast of Walk
11714 December 194412:16Il-2
7715 September 194411:35Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 68191
20km (10miles) north of Walk
11814 December 194412:24Il-2
7815 September 194412:00La-5PQ 25 Ost 68167
10km (10miles) northeast of Walk
11915 December 194411:12Pe-2
7915 September 194412:11La-5PQ 25 Ost 68229
25km (16miles) northwest of Walk
12015 December 194411:24Pe-2
8015 September 194417:15La-5PQ 25 Ost 58133
20km (10miles) southeast of Moiseküll
12115 December 194411:25Pe-2
81♠16 September 194409:10La-5PQ 25 Ost 57256
40km (30miles) north-northwest of Kreuzburg
12221 December 194411:49La-7
82♠16 September 194409:11La-5PQ 25 Ost 57258, north of Indrau
40km (30miles) north-northwest of Kreuzburg
12321 December 194412:05Il-2
83♠16 September 194409:14La-5PQ 25 Ost 57292
30km (20miles) north of Kreuzburg
12421 December 194412:20Pe-2
84♠16 September 194409:24Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 57231
50km (30miles) north of Kreuzburg
12521 December 194412:21Il-2
85♠16 September 194409:30Yak-9east-southeast of Katrina126♠22 December 194411:39Pe-2
86♠16 September 194415:40Il-2PQ 25 Ost 68176
vicinity of Walk
127♠22 December 194411:47Yak-9
8718 September 194410:11La-5PQ 25 Ost 57276
35km (22miles) northwest of Kreuzburg
128♠22 December 194411:48Yak-9
8823 September 194415:50La-5PQ 25 Ost 37466
15km (09miles) east of Jelgava
129♠22 December 194414:20Il-2
8924 September 194409:40Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 37418
10km (10miles) northwest of Jelgava
130♠22 December 194414:21Il-2
9024 September 194409:41Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 37456
vicinity of Jelgava
13123 December 194408:55Pe-2
9124 September 194409:45Il-2PQ 25 Ost 37353
20km (10miles) west-southwest of Jelgava
13223 December 194408:56Pe-2
9225 September 194412:40Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 37418
10km (10miles) northwest of Jelgava
13323 December 194408:59Pe-2
9325 September 194412:44Il-2PQ 25 Ost 37274
15km (09miles) northwest of Jelgava
13429 December 194409:57Pe-2
9425 September 194413:06Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 37337
20km (10miles) west-southwest of Jelgava
13529 December 194410:01Pe-2
9525 September 194416:42?Il-2PQ 25 Ost 57151
25km (16miles) southeast of Mālpils
13629 December 194410:02Pe-2
9627 September 194417:41Il-2PQ 25 Ost 57141
25km (16miles) south-southeast of Mālpils
13729 December 194413:20Il-2
9728 September 194417:24Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 58751
20km (10miles) south of Wenden
13820 January 194514:57Il-2
9830 September 194410:31La-5PQ 25 Ost 48863
north of Mālpils
13920 January 194514:59Il-2
9930 September 194411:00Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 57146
25km (16miles) south-southeast of Mālpils
14026 January 194510:31P-39
10030 September 194415:03Il-2PQ 25 Ost 57111
10km (10miles) southeast of Mālpils
14126 January 194510:32P-39
10110 October 194409:55Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 0765314230 January 194513:04Il-2
10210 October 194410:15Pe-2PQ 25 Ost 17522
15km (09miles) southeast of Liepāja
1439 February 194513:24Yak-3
10316 October 194413:50Il-2PQ 25 Ost 17641
25km (16miles) south-southeast of Liepāja
14417 February 194507:55Yak-9
10417 October 194414:46Il-2PQ 25 Ost 27546
45km (28miles) north-northwest of Telšiai
14517 February 194514:15La-7
10522 October 194412:48P-39PQ 25 Ost 17469
30km (20miles) southeast of Liepāja
14617 February 194514:16La-7
10622 October 194414:20Pe-2PQ 25 Ost 17587
25km (16miles) south-southeast of Liepāja
14723 February 194508:00Il-2
10727 October 194411:08Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 27518
55km (34miles) north-northwest of Telšiai
14823 February 194515:50Il-2
10828 October 194411:54Il-2PQ 25 Ost 0753714923 February 194516:00Pe-2
10928 October 194415:10Il-2PQ 25 Ost 17567
25km (16miles) southeast of Liepāja
15023 February 194516:08Yak-3
11029 October 194409:45Il-2PQ 25 Ost 17459
40km (30miles) south-southwest of Kuldīga
15124 February 194513:48Yak-9
11129 October 194412:59Yak-9?PQ 25 Ost 17687
45km (28miles) east-southeast of Liepāja
1525 March 194514:32Pe-2
11230 October 194411:58Pe-2PQ 25 Ost 17551
20km (10miles) southeast of Liepāja
According to Mathews and Foreman, aerial victories 153 to 156 were not documented.
1578 May 194507:54Pe-2Baltic Sea, west of Liepāja

Awards

References

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. For an explanation of Luftwaffe unit designations see Organization of the Luftwaffe during World War II.