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 Eastern Front Defence of the Reich
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
Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location	Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location
– 10. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" – Eastern Front — March – August 1943
1	20 March 1943	15:25	Pe-2	PQ 35 Ost 25281	3?	2 August 1943	08:42	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 35 Ost 53681
2	17 July 1943	08:11	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 35 Ost 63643 vicinity of Lukowets
– Stab of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" – Eastern Front — September – 31 December 1943
4	1 September 1943	18:12	La-5	PQ 35 Ost 25467 20km (10miles) west-northwest of Yelnya	9♠	15 December 1943	10:06	Boston	PQ 25 Ost 93276 10km (10miles) east of Parichi
5	2 September 1943	11:10	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 35 Ost 25496, west of Yelnya 20km (10miles) west of Yelnya	10♠	15 December 1943	10:07	Boston	PQ 25 Ost 93425, southwest of Zhlobin 20km (10miles) east-southeast of Parichi
6	5 September 1943	11:23	Il-2 m.H.	southwest of Yelnya 10km (10miles) west of Yelnya	11♠	15 December 1943	10:09	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 25 Ost 93436 20km (10miles) south of Zhlobin
7	29 November 1943	14:24	Pe-2	25km (16miles) east of Zhlobin	12♠	15 December 1943	10:09	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 35 Ost 03311 20km (10miles) south-southwest of Zhlobin
8♠	15 December 1943	08:20	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 35 Ost 03176 10km (10miles) south of Zhlobin	13♠	15 December 1943	10:10	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 25 Ost 93299, 15km (09miles) south of Zhlobin
– Stab of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" – Eastern Front — January 1944
14	10 January 1944	11:15	Yak-7	20km (10miles) west-southwest of Talachyn	16	12 January 1944	12:05	Pe-2	40km (30miles) southeast of Parichi
15	10 January 1944	11:17	Il-2	40km (30miles) south-southeast of Parichi	17	12 January 1944	12:05	Pe-2	40km (30miles) north-northeast of Mazyr
– 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" – Defense of the Reich — April 1944
19	18 April 1944	14:50	B-17	Zehdenick	21?	24 May 1944		B-17
20?	24 May 1944		B-17
– 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 300 "Wilde Sau" – Defense of the Reich — June – August 1944
?	13 June 1944		B-24	vicinity of Munich	25	19 July 1944	09:35	P-51	Obergünzburg
?	13 June 1944		B-24	vicinity of Munich	26	20 July 1944	11:05	B-17	Zwickau
?	20 June 1944		B-24		27	20 July 1944	11:06	B-17	Zwickau
?	20 June 1944		B-24		28	25 July 1944	11:08	B-24	Grein forest, west of Krems an der Donau Martinsburg/Spitz
?	26 June 1944		B-24		29	27 July 1944	10:00	B-24	Mór Székesfehérvár
?	26 June 1944		B-24		30	27 July 1944	10:00	B-24	15km (09miles) southwest of Mór Székesfehérvár
?	29 June 1944		B-17	vicinity of Naumburg	31	27 July 1944	10:01	B-24	Mór Székesfehérvár
?	29 June 1944		B-17		32	9 August 1944	10:45	B-17	Herrenberg, southwest of Stuttgart Wildberg
22	7 July 1944	09:36	B-24	Artern	33	15 August 1944	11:45	B-17	Schwarzenborn, northeast of Bitburg vicinity of Kyllburg
23	7 July 1944	09:37	B-24	Artern	34	22 August 1944	10:05	B-24	Celldömölk-Sümeg/Herend Nagykanizsa
24	7 July 1944	09:46	P-38	Wernigerode	35	23 August 1944	12:18	P-51	Seeberg Hochschwab
?	16 July 1944		B-17	vicinity of Weilheim	36	23 August 1944	12:19	P-51	Seeberg Hochschwab
?	16 July 1944		B-17	vicinity of Weilheim	37	29 August 1944	10:45	B-17	Púchov Brno
– 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 300 "Wilde Sau" – Defense of the Reich — September 1944 – May 1945
38	9 February 1945		B-24	Magdeburg	39	2 April 1945	15:00–15:15	P-51	west of Halle

Awards

• Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 8 May 1944 as Feldwebel and pilot
• German Cross in Gold on 10 July 1944 as Feldwebel in the 5./Jagdgeschwader 300
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 31 October 1944 as Feldwebel and pilot in the 5./Jagdgeschwader 300

References

Bibliography

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