Klaus Quaet-Faslem Explained

Klaus Quaet-Faslem
Birth Date:	5 September 1913
Birth Place:	Kiel, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death Place:	Langeleben/Braunschweig, Nazi Germany
Placeofburial:	Cemetery in Mönchengladbach-Holt
Serviceyears:	?–1944
Rank:	Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel)
Unit:	LG 2, JG 53, JG 3
Commands:	I./JG 3
Battles:	World War II Eastern Front Defence of the Reich
Awards:	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Klaus Quaet-Faslem (5 September 1913 – 30 January 1944) was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. On 30 January 1944 he was killed in a flying accident due to bad weather. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross on 9 June 1944. During his career he was credited with 49 aerial victories.

Career

On 20 October 1940, Quaet-Faslem was transferred from Jagdfliegerschule 1 (1st fighter pilot school) at Werneuchen to III. Gruppe (3rd group) of Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing) where he assumed the position of adjutant. At the time, III. Gruppe was commanded by Hauptmann Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke.

Operation Barbarossa

In preparation of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, JG 53 arrived in Mannheim-Sandhofen on 8 June 1941 where the aircraft were given a maintenance overhaul. On 12 June, the Geschwader began its relocation east, with III. Gruppe moving to Suwałki in northeastern Poland. Two days later, III. Gruppe transferred to a forward airfield at Sobolewo.

On 21 November 1941, Quaet-Faslem was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel of JG 53, succeeding Oberleutnant Ignaz Prestele who was transferred.

On 19 August 1942, Quaet-Faslem was transferred and was succeeded by Leutant Walter Zellot as commander of 2. Staffel of JG 53. On 31 August, he took command of I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing), succeeding Hauptmann Georg Michalek.

On 17 August 1943 during the Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission, Quaet-Faslem claimed his 48th aerial victory when he shot down a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber.

On 30 January 1944, Quaet-Faslem was killed in a flying accident when his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 15243—factory number) crashed in bad weather at Langeleben near Helmstedt. Following his death, Hauptmann Joachim von Wehren temporarily assumed command of the Gruppe before Hauptmann Josef Haiböck officially took command on 8 February. His grave is located on the cemetery Mönchengladbach-Holt, next to the grave of Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke.

Summary of military career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Quaet-Faslem was credited with 49 aerial victories, of which 41 were claimed on the Eastern Front, one over Poland and seven over the Western Allies, including two four-engine heavy bombers. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 49 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim. This figure includes 42 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and seven on the Western Front, including two four-engine heavy bombers and one de Havilland Mosquito fighter bomber.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 4939". 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
– 1.(Jagd) Staffel of Lehrgeschwader 2 – Invasion of Poland — 1–30 September 1939
	4 September 1939		PZL P.24	vicinity of Poczałkowo	1	9 September 1939	17:02	PZL P.24	vicinity of Lubień
– Stab III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 53 – Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – July 1941
2	22 June 1941	16:45	I-17 (MiG-1)		5	5 July 1941	16:06	R-5
3	22 June 1941	16:47	I-17 (MiG-1)		6	14 July 1941	14:22	R-5
4	26 June 1941	10:01	DB-3
– Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 53 – Operation Barbarossa — July – 7 August 1941
	25 July 1941		DB-3			4 August 1941		I-16
– Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 53 – Action over the Netherlands — 7 August – 15 December 1941
7	24 October 1941	15:40	Spitfire	80km (50miles) west of Zandvoort
– 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 – Mediterranean Theater — 15 December 1941 – 30 April 1942
8	22 December 1941	14:36	Hurricane	Malta	10	14 April 1942	16:45	Beaufort
9	15 February 1942	09:17?	Beaufort
– 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 – Eastern Front — 28 May – 18 August 1942
11	1 June 1942	08:25	I-61 (MiG-3)		24	7 August 1942	10:47	MiG-1	PQ 4939 25km (16miles) south of Stalingrad
12	1 July 1942	12:20	P-39	6km (04miles) southwest of Voronezh	25	8 August 1942	07:06	Il-2	PQ 49612 35km (22miles) south-southeast of Stalingrad
13	3 July 1942	13:15	Il-2	15km (09miles) northeast of Semljansk	26	8 August 1942	17:30	Er-2	PQ 49351 15km (09miles) southwest of Stalingrad
14	3 July 1942	13:25	Il-2	20km (10miles) south-southwest of Zadonsk	27	10 August 1942	08:27	LaGG-3	PQ 39364 15km (09miles) south of Stalingrad
15	5 July 1942	13:17	Boston	6km (04miles) east of Nishnij Kaluchowka	28	12 August 1942	04:38	LaGG-3	PQ 49351 15km (09miles) southwest of Stalingrad
16	5 July 1942	13:40	Boston	9km (06miles) east of Bojewo railway station	29	13 August 1942	17:40	LaGG-3	PQ 39422 20km (10miles) southwest of Pitomnik Airfield
17	8 July 1942	11:22	Il-2		30	13 August 1942	17:45	MiG-3?	PQ 39432 15km (09miles) south of Pitomnik Airfield
18	11 July 1942	09:54	I-61 (MiG-3)		31	13 August 1942	18:12	Il-2	PQ 49182 5km (03miles) north of Bassargino
19	1 August 1942	07:04	LaGG-3	PQ 39251 15km (09miles) northwest of Pitomnik Airfield	32	16 August 1942	13:30	LaGG-3	PQ 40752 30km (20miles) north of Gumrak
20	5 August 1942	15:23	R-Z	PQ 49653 50km (30miles) south-southeast of Stalingrad	33	17 August 1942	12:20?	Il-2	PQ 39433 15km (09miles) south of Pitomnik Airfield
21	6 August 1942	10:33	MiG-1	PQ 49534 30km (20miles) south of Stalingrad	34	17 August 1942	17:03	LaGG-3	PQ 40774 75km (47miles) north-northeast of Pitomnik Airfield
22	6 August 1942	10:43	R-Z?	PQ 49382 25km (16miles) south of Bassargino	35	17 August 1942	17:07?	LaGG-3	PQ 30893 25km (16miles) north of Pitomnik Airfield
23	6 August 1942	15:00	MiG-1	PQ 4955 45km (28miles) south-southwest of Stalingrad
– Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" – Eastern Front — 19 August 1942 – 20 January 1943
36	19 August 1942	17:30	LaGG-3	PQ 35 Ost 40794	42	3 September 1942	06:00	LaGG-3	PQ 35 Ost 49434
37	19 August 1942	17:47	Il-2	PQ 35 Ost 40841	43	3 September 1942	06:30	P-40	6km (04miles) southeast of Srednyaya Akhtuba 40km (30miles) east of Stalingrad
38	22 August 1942	17:50	Pe-2	PQ 35 Ost 49131 5km (03miles) north of Grebenka	44	3 September 1942	17:30	Yak-1	PQ 35 Ost 59142
39	23 August 1942	06:05	I-180 (Yak-7)	PQ 35 Ost 49253, northeast of Stalingrad 45km (28miles) east-northeast of Stalingrad	45	12 December 1942	09:30	Pe-2	PQ 35 Ost 3987
40	2 September 1942	06:24	Pe-2	PQ 35 Ost 50823	46	20 December 1942	11:00	Il-2	PQ 35 Ost 3963
41	2 September 1942	06:25	Pe-2	PQ 35 Ost 50823
– Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" – Defense of the Reich — 1 May – 22 October 1943
47	17 July 1943	10:45	B-17	PQ 05 Ost S/GJ over sea, off Haarlem	48	17 August 1943	15:58	B-17	PQ 05 Ost S/QR-7 Geisenheim, west of Mainz
– Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" – Action in the West — 1–8 January 1944
49	4 January 1944	15:55	Mosquito	west of Amiens

Awards

• Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 21 September 1942 as Oberleutnant and pilot
• German Cross in Gold on 29 October 1942 as Oberleutnant in the I./Jagdgeschwader 53
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 June 1944 (posthumously) as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"

References

Bibliography

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