Jürgen Brocke Explained

Jürgen Brocke
Birth Date:	4 February 1922
Birth Place:	Bad Harzburg
Death Place:	Voronezh, Russia
Serviceyears:	1939–42
Battles:	World War II
Awards:	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Jürgen Brocke (4 February 1922 – 15 September 1942) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Brocke claimed 42 victories in 150 missions. He was shot down on 15 September 1942 and was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross on 9 December 1942.

Career

On 15 September 1942, Brocke was shot down and killed in action by anti-aircraft artillery in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 7623—factory number) southwest of Devitsa, located approximately 15abbr=offNaNabbr=off west of Voronezh.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Brocke was credited with 42 aerial victories claimed in approximately 150 combat mission on the Eastern Front. Spick also lists him with 42 aerial victories and a mission-to-claim ratio of 3.57. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 39 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed over the Eastern Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 82133". 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

Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location	Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location
– 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 77 – Eastern Front — 17 March – 30 April 1942
1	7 April 1942	11:00	I-16	Kerch	3	10 April 1942	10:20	I-153
2	9 April 1942	15:50	I-153		4	22 April 1942	16:55	I-153
– 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 77 – Eastern Front — 1 May – 15 September 1942
5	13 May 1942	07:56	I-180 (Yak-7)		24	6 August 1942	18:09	Boston	PQ 82133 60km (40miles) northwest of Voronezh
6	16 May 1942	09:40	Yak-1		25	9 August 1942	18:54	LaGG-3	PQ 92184 15km (09miles) north of Voronezh
7	21 May 1942	17:50	Yak-1	PQ 35383	26	12 August 1942	14:48	LaGG-3	PQ 83674 60km (40miles) south-southwest of Yelets
8	12 June 1942	12:03	LaGG-3		27	13 August 1942	06:12	Yak-1	PQ 92163 25km (16miles) northeast of Voronezh
9	14 June 1942	14:53	I-16		28	13 August 1942	18:20	LaGG-3	PQ 93714 50km (30miles) north of Voronezh
10	10 July 1942	03:45	Yak-1		29	13 August 1942	18:22	LaGG-3	PQ 92112 30km (20miles) north-northwest of Voronezh
11	11 July 1942	05:32	LaGG-3		30?	14 August 1942	09:18	Pe-2
12	14 July 1942	06:47	P-39		31?	14 August 1942	09:28	Pe-2
13	14 July 1942	19:33	DB-3		32	17 August 1942	04:18	Boston	PQ 92312 vicinity of Devitsa
14	16 July 1942	13:15	LaGG-3		33	5 September 1942	17:17	Il-2	PQ 82162 55km (34miles) northwest of Voronezh
15	18 July 1942	18:36	Yak-1		34	5 September 1942	17:22	LaGG-3	PQ 83851 60km (40miles) north-northwest of Voronezh
16	21 July 1942	15:00	P-40		35	5 September 1942	17:28	Il-2	PQ 83822 50km (30miles) south-southeast of Yelets
17	24 July 1942	18:41	LaGG-3		36	13 September 1942	10:18	Il-2	PQ 92731 25km (16miles) north-northwest of Sloboda
18	26 July 1942	17:52	Pe-2		37	13 September 1942	10:24	Hurricane	PQ 92644 45km (28miles) north of Sloboda
19	26 July 1942	17:54	Pe-2		38	15 September 1942	10:30	Il-2	PQ 92192 vicinity of Devitsa
20	26 July 1942	18:02	Pe-2		39	15 September 1942	10:39	Pe-2	PQ 92383 vicinity of Devitsa
21	27 July 1942	11:39	LaGG-3		40	15 September 1942	10:40	Pe-2	PQ 92384 vicinity of Devitsa
22	28 July 1942	07:42	Il-2	PQ 83872 60km (40miles) northwest of Voronezh	41	15 September 1942	10:41	Pe-2	PQ 92512 vicinity of Devitsa
23	28 July 1942	18:58	LaGG-3	PQ 93783 50km (30miles) north of Voronezh

Awards

Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 13 September 1942 as Leutnant and pilot
German Cross in Gold on 8 October 1942 as Leutnant in the II/Jagdgeschwader 77
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 December 1942 as Leutnant and pilot in the 4./Jagdgeschwader 77

References

Bibliography

Web site: Bergström . Christer .
sv:Christer Bergström
. Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat . Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website . 13 March 2024 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20181222042030/http://www.bergstrombooks.elknet.pl/bc-rs/planquadrat.htm . 22 December 2018 . dead.
Book: Dixon , Jeremy . 2023 . Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe: Knight's Cross Holders 1939–1942 . . 978-1-52677-864-2.
Book: Mathews . Andrew Johannes . Foreman . John . 2014 . Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims – Volume 1 A–F . Walton on Thames . Red Kite . 978-1-906592-18-9.
Book: Obermaier , Ernst . 1989 . Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 . The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945 . de . Mainz, Germany . Verlag Dieter Hoffmann . 978-3-87341-065-7.
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. 2000 . 1986 . Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile . The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches . de . Friedberg, Germany . Podzun-Pallas . 978-3-7909-0284-6.
Book: Patzwall . Klaus D. . Scherzer . Veit . 2001 . Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II . The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2 . de . Norderstedt, Germany . Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall . 978-3-931533-45-8.
Book: Patzwall . Klaus D. . 2008 . Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg . The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War . de . Norderstedt, Germany . Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall . 978-3-931533-08-3.
Book: Prien . Jochen . Stemmer . Gerhard . Rodeike . Peter . Bock . Winfried . 2005 . Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/I—Winterkampf im Osten—6 December 1941 bis 30 April 1942 . The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/I—Winter War in the East—6 December 1941 to 30 April 1942 . de . Eutin, Germany . Struve-Druck . 978-3-923457-76-2.
Book: Prien . Jochen . Stemmer . Gerhard . Rodeike . Peter . Bock . Winfried . 2006 . Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/III—Vom Sommerfeldzug 1942 bis zur Niederlage von Stalingrad—1.5.1942 bis 3.2.1943 . The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/III—From the 1942 Summer Campaign to the Defeat at Stalingrad—1 May 1942 to 3 February 1943 . German . Eutin, Germany . Struve-Druck . 978-3-923457-78-6.
Book: Scherzer , Veit . 2007 . Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives . The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives . de . Jena, Germany . Scherzers Militaer-Verlag . 978-3-938845-17-2.
Book: Spick , Mike . 1996 . Luftwaffe Fighter Aces . New York . . 978-0-8041-1696-1 . registration .