Konrad Bauer Explained

Konrad Bauer
Birth Date:9 February 1919
Birth Place:Gelsenkirchen
Death Place:Gelsenkirchen
Nickname:"Pitt"
Allegiance: (to 1945)
Branch:
German Air Force
Serviceyears:?–1945
?–1960
Rank:Oberfeldwebel (Wehrmacht)
Hauptmann (Bundeswehr)
Unit:JG 51
JG 3
JG 300
Battles:World War II
Awards:Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Konrad Bauer (9 February 1919 – 17 June 1990) was a Luftwaffe fighter pilot during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Bauer claimed 57 aerial victories, 39 over the Western Front and 18 over the Eastern Front.

Bauer claimed his first of 18 victories over the Eastern Front on 20 March 1943. In 1944 he was transferred to the Western Front where he claimed another 39 victories. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 31 October 1944 after his 34th victory. After the war he joined the new Luftwaffe and retired as a Hauptmann in 1960.

With Jagdgeschwader 300

In June 1944, Bauer was posted to II. Sturmgruppe (2nd assault group) of Jagdgeschwader 300 "Wilde Sau" (JG 300—300th Fighter Wing). On 9 August, Bauer made a forced landing in his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A at Griesheim Airfield following combat with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. Bauer was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 31 October for 34 aerial victories.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Bauer was credited with 57 aerial victories. Obermaier also lists Bauer with 57 aerial victory claims, 39 over the Western Front, including 32 four-engine bombers, and 18 over the Eastern Front. According to Weal, he was credited with 68 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found documentation for 38 aerial victory claims, plus further ten unconfirmed claims. The number of confirmed claims includes 16 on the Eastern Front and 22 on the Western Front, including 13 four-engine bombers.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 35 Ost 25281". 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
– 10. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" –
Eastern Front — March – August 1943
120 March 194315:25Pe-2PQ 35 Ost 252813?2 August 194308:42Il-2 m.H.PQ 35 Ost 53681
217 July 194308:11Il-2 m.H.PQ 35 Ost 63643
vicinity of Lukowets
Stab of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" –
Eastern Front — September – 31 December 1943
41 September 194318:12La-5PQ 35 Ost 25467
20km (10miles) west-northwest of Yelnya
9♠15 December 194310:06BostonPQ 25 Ost 93276
10km (10miles) east of Parichi
52 September 194311:10Il-2 m.H.PQ 35 Ost 25496, west of Yelnya
20km (10miles) west of Yelnya
10♠15 December 194310:07BostonPQ 25 Ost 93425, southwest of Zhlobin
20km (10miles) east-southeast of Parichi
65 September 194311:23Il-2 m.H.southwest of Yelnya
10km (10miles) west of Yelnya
11♠15 December 194310:09Il-2 m.H.PQ 25 Ost 93436
20km (10miles) south of Zhlobin
729 November 194314:24Pe-225km (16miles) east of Zhlobin12♠15 December 194310:09Il-2 m.H.PQ 35 Ost 03311
20km (10miles) south-southwest of Zhlobin
8♠15 December 194308:20Il-2 m.H.PQ 35 Ost 03176
10km (10miles) south of Zhlobin
13♠15 December 194310:10Il-2 m.H.PQ 25 Ost 93299, 15km (09miles) south of Zhlobin
Stab of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" –
Eastern Front — January 1944
1410 January 194411:15Yak-720km (10miles) west-southwest of Talachyn1612 January 194412:05Pe-240km (30miles) southeast of Parichi
1510 January 194411:17Il-240km (30miles) south-southeast of Parichi1712 January 194412:05Pe-240km (30miles) north-northeast of Mazyr
– 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –
Defense of the Reich — April 1944
1918 April 194414:50B-17Zehdenick21?24 May 1944B-17
20?24 May 1944B-17
– 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 300 "Wilde Sau" –
Defense of the Reich — June – August 1944
?13 June 1944B-24vicinity of Munich2519 July 194409:35P-51Obergünzburg
?13 June 1944B-24vicinity of Munich2620 July 194411:05B-17Zwickau
?20 June 1944B-242720 July 194411:06B-17Zwickau
?20 June 1944B-242825 July 194411:08B-24Grein forest, west of Krems an der Donau
Martinsburg/Spitz
?26 June 1944B-242927 July 194410:00B-24Mór
Székesfehérvár
?26 June 1944B-243027 July 194410:00B-2415km (09miles) southwest of Mór
Székesfehérvár
?29 June 1944B-17vicinity of Naumburg3127 July 194410:01B-24Mór
Székesfehérvár
?29 June 1944B-17329 August 194410:45B-17Herrenberg, southwest of Stuttgart
Wildberg
227 July 194409:36B-24Artern3315 August 194411:45B-17Schwarzenborn, northeast of Bitburg
vicinity of Kyllburg
237 July 194409:37B-24Artern3422 August 194410:05B-24Celldömölk-Sümeg/Herend
Nagykanizsa
247 July 194409:46P-38Wernigerode3523 August 194412:18P-51Seeberg
Hochschwab
?16 July 1944B-17vicinity of Weilheim3623 August 194412:19P-51Seeberg
Hochschwab
?16 July 1944B-17vicinity of Weilheim3729 August 194410:45B-17Púchov
Brno
– 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 300 "Wilde Sau" –
Defense of the Reich — September 1944 – May 1945
389 February 1945B-24Magdeburg392 April 194515:00–15:15P-51west of Halle

Awards

References

Bibliography