Josef Haiböck Explained

Josef Haiböck
Birth Date:28 February 1917
Death Place:Linz
Nickname:"Pepsch"
Branch:Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte (?–1938)
Luftwaffe (1938–45)
Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte (1956–77)
Serviceyears:?–1945
1956–77
Rank:Hauptmann (Wehrmacht)
Generalmajor (Bundesheer)
Unit:JG 26, JG 52, JG 3
Commands:I./JG 3
Battles:
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|awards=Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross|laterwork=}}

Josef Haiböck (28 February 1917 – 3 July 2002) was a general in the Austrian Air Force. During World War II, he served as a fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Haiböck joined the Austrian Austrian Armed Forces (Budensheer) in 1956 and retired in 1977 as a Generalmajor. During his career he was credited with 77 aerial victories in 604 missions.

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. On 1 December 1939, Leutnant Haiböck joined Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing), which had been named after Albert Leo Schlageter on 1 May 1939. There, he was assigned to 9. Staffel (9th squadron). At the time, the Geschwader was commanded by Oberst Eduard Ritter von Schleich, 9. Staffel by Oberleutnant Gerhard Schöpfel, and III. Gruppe, to which the Staffel was subordinated, was led by Major Ernst Freiherr von Berg. The Gruppe was based at Werl and patrolled western German border during the "Phoney War" without having contact with the enemy. On 1 November, III. Gruppe was ordered to Essen-Mülheim Airfield.

Eastern Front

On 30 December 1942, Haiböck was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) fighting on the Eastern Front. There, he succeeded Oberleutnant Friedrich Bartels as Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 1. Staffel. The Staffel was subordinated to I. Gruppe of JG 52 commanded by Hauptmann Helmut Bennemann.

Group commander

On 1 December 1943, Major Günther Rall, the Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of III. Gruppe of JG 52 was sent on home leave. During his absence, Haiböck temporarily was given command of the Gruppe until Rall's return on 30 January 1944.

On 8 February 1944, Haiböck was transferred to take command of I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) which was fighting in Defense of the Reich. He replaced Hauptmann Joachim von Wehren who had temporarily led the Gruppe after Major Klaus Quaet-Faslem was killed on 30 January. Command of 1. Staffel of JG 52 was passed to Oberleutnant Karl-Heinz Plücker. On 25 February, Haiböck made a forced landing in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 410377—factory number) following engine failure near Malsch, district of Karlsruhe. On the ground, he was then attacked by strafing American aircraft and seriously wounded.

Later life and service

In 1956, Haiböck volunteered for military service in the Austrian Air Force, initially holding the rank auf Hauptmann.

Following retirement from military service in 1977, Haiböck became the president of the Austrian Aero Club. In 1986, he opposed the removal of the Alexander Löhr commemorative plaque from the Vienna the garrison church Stiftskirche. Löhr was one of the main creators of the Austrian Air Force and a convicted war criminal. The commemorative plaque had been donated by the Austrian Aero Club in 1955.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Spick, Haiböck was credited with 77 aerial victories claimed in 604 combat missions. This figure includes 60 aerial victories on the Eastern Front, and further 16 victories over the Western Allies. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 73 aerial victory claims, plus twelve further unconfirmed claims. This figure of confirmed claims includes 59 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 14 over the Western Allies.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 73652". 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
ClaimDateTimeTypeLocationUnitClaimDateTimeTypeLocationUnit
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" –
Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940
129 May 194018:10Spitfirewest of Dunkirk9./JG 2638 June 194010:30Hurricanenorthwest of Beauvais9./JG 26
231 May 194015:40SpitfireDunkirk9./JG 26
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" –
Action at the Channel and over England — 26 June 1940 – 21 June 1941
415 August 194020:25Hurricanewest of Folkestone9./JG 2675 December 194012:15Hurricanewest of HastingsStab III./JG 26
428 August 194010:00Defianteast of Canterbury
Faversham
Stab III./JG 265 December 194016:00~SpitfireStab III./JG 26
63 September 194011:05?SpitfireRochester
east of Southend
Stab III./JG 2617 June 194120:00SpitfireSaint-OmerStab III./JG 26
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" –
Action at the Channel and over England — 22 June – 5 December 1941
87 August 194118:05SpitfireBoulogneStab III./JG 26927 September 194115:40Spitfire1km (01miles) north of Calais9./JG 26
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" –
Western Front — 1 January – 29 October 1942
10?12 April 194213:50Spitfire10km (10miles) east of Dover1./JG 26139 May 194213:40Spitfire2km (01miles) north of Cassel1./JG 26
1127 April 194212:14Spitfirenorth of Saint-Omer1./JG 2629 May 194208:30~Spitfiremiddle of the English Channel1./JG 26
1227 April 194212:14Spitfirenorth of Saint-Omer1./JG 26142 June 194210:55Spitfirewest of Baie de Somme1./JG 26
?27 April 194213:45~Spitfireover sea, north of Dunkirk1./JG 26?29 June 194216:48Spitfiresouthwest of Dunkirk1./JG 26
5 May 194215:30~Spitfire1./JG 26158 November 194212:30Spitfire5km (03miles) north of Gravelines1./JG 26
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 52 –
Eastern Front — 30 December 1942 – 3 February 1943
1629 January 194309:50Il-2 m.H.PQ 73652
40km (30miles) northeast of Kursk
1./JG 521729 January 194310:30Il-2PQ 622731./JG 52
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 52 –
Eastern Front — 4 February – 31 December 1943
1828 February 194309:19Il-2PQ 35 Ost 40422
east of Poltava
1./JG 524722 August 194308:50Yak-1PQ 35 Ost 70873
15km (09miles) northwest of Krasnyi Lyman
1./JG 52
1928 February 194309:21Il-2PQ 35 Ost 40483
east of Poltava
1./JG 524824 August 194312:05La-5PQ 34 Ost 79114
10km (10miles) northeast of Barvinkove
1./JG 52
2019 March 194314:30LaGG-3PQ 35 Ost 71871
40km (30miles) east-southeast of Bely Kolodez
1./JG 524924 August 194314:37Yak-1PQ 35 Ost 70796
20km (10miles) southeast of Izium
1./JG 52
2119 March 194309:15LaGG-3PQ 34 Ost 75422
northeast of Novorossiysk
1./JG 525025 August 194317:21La-5PQ 34 Ost 79123, southwest of Dolynska
vicinity of Dolynska
1./JG 52
2226 April 194317:27?P-39PQ 34 Ost 86744
vicinity of Trojzkaja
1./JG 525126 August 194317:45Yak-1PQ 35 Ost 70799
20km (10miles) southeast of Izium
1./JG 52
2327 April 194318:05Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 85111, Krymskaya
vicinity of Krasshyj Golubowski
1./JG 52529 September 194317:05Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 85144
vicinity of Abinsk
1./JG 52
2427 April 194318:07Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 85113, 15km (09miles) north of Krymskaya1./JG 525314 September 194315:40Il-2 m.H.PQ 34 Ost 76882
vicinity of Kesselerowo
1./JG 52
255 July 194309:20Pe-2PQ 35 Ost 61321
15km (09miles) south of Krasnyi Lyman
1./JG 525414 September 194315:50Il-2 m.H.PQ 34 Ost 76766
south of Bolschoj Rasnokol
1./JG 52
265 July 194318:30Il-2 m.H.PQ 35 Ost 61624, southeast of Belgorod
20km (10miles) southeast of Belgorod
1./JG 525518 September 194310:14LaGG-3PQ 34 Ost 76563
over sea, north of Temryuk
1./JG 52
275 July 194318:33Il-2 m.H.PQ 35 Ost 61621, 12km (07miles) southwest of Belgorod
12km (07miles) southeast of Belgorod
1./JG 525619 September 194315:33Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 76792
south of Starotitarovskaya
1./JG 52
289 July 194310:58Il-2PQ 35 Ost 62786, east of Belgorod
20km (10miles) south of Oboyan
1./JG 525720 September 194312:32LaGG-3PQ 34 Ost 76872
south of Kolonka
1./JG 52
2918 July 194315:16Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 88262
vicinity of Jalisawehino
1./JG 525821 September 194315:32LaGG-3PQ 34 Ost 76812
west of Kalabatka
1./JG 52
3019 July 194316:10Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 88267, east of Marinowka
vicinity of Jalisawehino
1./JG 525923 September 194317:15Il-2PQ 34 Ost 76734
southwest of Kurtschanskaja
1./JG 52
3120 July 194318:26Il-2 m.H.PQ 34 Ost 88294
15km (09miles) east of Jalisawehino
1./JG 526024 September 194309:59LaGG-3PQ 34 Ost 66864
vicinity of Wennlowka
1./JG 52
3222 July 194315:23Il-2 m.H.PQ 34 Ost 88259
vicinity of Dmitrijewka
1./JG 5224 September 1943Il-21./JG 52
331 August 194311:16Il-2 m.H.PQ 34 Ost 88252, southwest of Stepanowka
25km (16miles) east-northeast of Kuteinikowo
1./JG 52612 October 194315:40Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 76771
vicinity of Kossa Goljak
1./JG 52
347 August 194315:16La-5PQ 35 Ost 61595, north of Leskij
30km (20miles) south-southwest of Belgorod
1./JG 52623 October 194315:45Il-2 m.H.PQ 34 Ost 66662
west of Saporoshskaja
1./JG 52
357 August 194317:41Il-2 m.H.PQ 35 Ost 61326
10km (10miles) south of Krasnyi Lyman
1./JG 52637 October 194308:16LaGG-3PQ 34 Ost 66684
over sea, north of Tamanj
1./JG 52
367 August 194317:55Il-2 m.H.PQ 35 Ost 61477
5km (03miles) south of Belgorod
1./JG 526413 October 194315:45?La-5PQ 34 Ost 58212
30km (20miles) northeast of Zaporizhzhia
1./JG 52
378 August 194305:55La-5?PQ 34 Ost 80824
15km (09miles) southwest of Starobelsk
1./JG 526522 October 194311:30LaGG-3PQ 34 Ost 58734
20km (10miles) west of Bolschoj Tokmak
1./JG 52
3811 August 194309:07La-5?PQ 35 Ost 61592, north of Leskij
30km (20miles) south-southwest of Belgorod
1./JG 526623 October 194311:00Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 39662, 16km (10miles) east of Pjatichatki1./JG 52
3911 August 194309:17Yak-1?PQ 35 Ost 51721
north of Krasnokutsk
1./JG 526724 October 194307:00Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 58692
15km (09miles) west-northwest of Bolschoj Tokmak
1./JG 52
4014 August 194311:17Yak-1PQ 35 Ost 51738
10km (10miles) northwest of Bogoduchow
1./JG 526828 October 194309:23Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 48834
vicinity of Beloserka
1./JG 52
4116 August 194311:20La-5PQ 35 Ost 70769
15km (09miles) southeast of Izium
1./JG 526929 October 194311:50Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 47471
5km (03miles) north of Ivanovka
1./JG 52
4217 August 194314:07Yak-1PQ 35 Ost 70766
15km (09miles) southeast of Izium
1./JG 527012 November 194307:10Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 66814
vicinity of Krotkow
1./JG 52
4317 August 194317:30Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 88221, 1km (01miles) west of Rerowka1./JG 527112 November 194310:48Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 66592, 1km (01miles) south of Kerch
southeast of Kerch
1./JG 52
4418 August 194318:39Il-2PQ 34 Ost 88227
west of Stepanowka
1./JG 527228 November 194310:30La-5PQ 34 Ost 39331
10km (10miles) northeast of Mironowka
1./JG 52
4520 August 194311:03P-39PQ 34 Ost 88291
15km (09miles) east of Jalisawehino
1./JG 527 December 1943Yak-9vicinity of Kryvyi RihStab III./JG 52
4620 August 194316:50Yak-1PQ 34 Ost 88299, south-southeast of Kalinowka
15km (09miles) east of Jalisawehino
1./JG 527319 December 1943LaGG-3west of Bolshaya Belozerka
Bol-Bilanka
Stab III./JG 52
21 August 1943Yak-1vicinity of Mius1./JG 52
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 52 –
Eastern Front — 1 January – 7 February 1944
3 January 1944Yak-1Kryvyi RihStab III./JG 5230 January 1944P-39KropyvnytskyiStab III./JG 52
746 January 194411:30P-39?northeast of NowgorodStab III./JG 52
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –
Defense of the Reich — 8 – 25 February 1944
75?24 February 1944P-47vicinity of Cochem/MoselStab I./JG 3

Awards and decorations

References

Bibliography