Kurt Dombacher Explained

Kurt Dombacher
Birth Date:9 February 1920
Birth Place:Untertürkheim, Germany
Death Place:Rust, Germany
Allegiance: (to 1945)
Serviceyears:?–1945
1956–1970's
Rank:Oberleutnant (Wehrmacht)
Major (Bundeswehr)
Unit:JG 5
JG 51
Battles:World War II
Awards:Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Kurt Dombacher (9 February 1920 – 8 October 1993) was a German Luftwaffe ace during World War II. Kurt Dombacher was credited with 68 victories in 800+ missions, with 1 over Western forces and 67 over Soviet forces. He was captured by Soviet forces in May 1945 and was held until 1950.

Career

On 10 September 1944, Dombacher was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). He succeeded Leutnant Gerhard Mai who had temporarily led the Staffel after its former commander Hauptmann Joachim Brendel had been transferred on 2 September.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Spick, Dombacher is credited with 68 aerial victories claimed in approximately 300 combat missions. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 68 aerial victory claims, 67 of which on the Eastern Front and one four-engined heavy bomber on the Weastern Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 35 Ost 34333". 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
– 12. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1 –
Action in south and west Norway — 1 January – 26 June 1942
1?3 April 1942SpitfireTrondheim Fjord
– 10. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –
Eastern Front — 4 February – 31 December 1943
210 June 194319:03Pe-2PQ 35 Ost 34333
5abbr=onNaNabbr=on east of Seschtschinskaja
14♠14 August 194318:24Il-2 m.H.northeast of Schilow
330 June 194309:05MiG-3PQ 35 Ost 64322
10abbr=onNaNabbr=on south-southeast of Belyov
1516 August 194318:26La-5southwest of Tschernezkii
46 July 194319:30BostonPQ 35 Ost 63843
5abbr=onNaNabbr=on southeast of Zolotukhino
1618 August 194317:39Il-2 m.H.west of Savur-Mohyla
513 July 194313:43Il-2 m.H.PQ 35 Ost 63254
15abbr=onNaNabbr=on southeast of Zalegoshch
1718 August 194317:43Il-2 m.H.northwest of Dmitriyevka
613 July 194314:08Il-2 m.H.PQ 35 Ost 63251
15abbr=onNaNabbr=on southeast of Zalegoshch
1827 September 194310:28Il-2 m.H.south of Akimovka
717 July 194308:10Il-2 m.H.PQ 35 Ost 63564
10abbr=onNaNabbr=on southwest of Maloarkhangelsk
1927 September 194310:29Il-2 m.H.east of Sagolitschki
85 August 194307:34LaGG-3west of Petrosselki2027 September 194316:08Il-2 m.H.northeast of Schulgowka
95 August 194307:40Bostonsouthwest of Krassawka2127 September 194316:10Il-2 m.H.northeast of Gorodajewka
10♠14 August 194318:14Il-2 m.H.east of Rakinoye2229 September 194314:35Il-2 m.H.west of Trozko
11♠14 August 194318:16Il-2 m.H.east of Jkalowka2330 November 194308:29Il-2 m.H.PQ 34 Ost 49818
30abbr=onNaNabbr=on south-southwest of Dnepropetrovsk
12♠14 August 194318:17Il-2 m.H.north of Kut2430 November 194313:23La-5PQ 34 Ost 49767
55abbr=onNaNabbr=on southwest of Dnepropetrovsk
13♠14 August 194318:21Il-2 m.H.southwest of Ogulzy
– 10. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –
Eastern Front — 1 January – 14 August 1944
2516 January 194413:10La-5PQ 25 Ost 90572
40abbr=onNaNabbr=on east-northeast of Vinnytsia
327 April 194417:49Il-2PQ 25 Ost 50814
40abbr=onNaNabbr=on south of Ternopil
2624 January 194410:32Il-2 m.H.PQ 25 Ost 80662
30abbr=onNaNabbr=on east-northeast of Vinnytsia
3322 April 194418:18Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 40681
20abbr=onNaNabbr=on south-southwest of Berezhany
2724 January 194410:35Il-2 m.H.PQ 25 Ost 80632
25abbr=onNaNabbr=on south-southeast of Koziatyn
3427 April 194415:34Il-2 m.H.PQ 24 Ost 59314
20abbr=onNaNabbr=on north of Kolomyia
2824 January 194410:42Il-2 m.H.PQ 25 Ost 90513
30abbr=onNaNabbr=on south-southeast of Koziatyn
35?1 May 194417:10Il-2 m.H.PQ 24 Ost 59173
2925 January 194410:37Il-2 m.H.PQ 25 Ost 80634
25abbr=onNaNabbr=on south-southeast of Koziatyn
367 July 194414:55Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 44816
10abbr=onNaNabbr=on west of Kovel
3025 January 194410:42?Il-2 m.H.PQ 25 Ost 90371
25abbr=onNaNabbr=on south-southeast of Koziatyn
371 August 194410:43La-5PQ 25 Ost 35315
20abbr=onNaNabbr=on north of Mariiampil
317 April 194414:23Il-2PQ 25 Ost 50641
20abbr=onNaNabbr=on south of Ternopil
381 August 194411:15Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 35345
20abbr=onNaNabbr=on west-northwest of Mariiampil
– 13. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –
Eastern Front — 15 August – 9 September 1944
39♠15 August 194414:45Yak-9PQ 25 Ost 25297
25abbr=onNaNabbr=on east of Blumenfeld
43♠15 August 194418:27La-5PQ 25 Ost 35342
20abbr=onNaNabbr=on west-northwest of Mariiampil
40♠15 August 194414:50Il-2 m.H.PQ 25 Ost 35155
35abbr=onNaNabbr=on north of Mariiampil
4417 August 194407:00Il-2 m.H.PQ 25 Ost 36331
25abbr=onNaNabbr=on south of Schaulen
41♠15 August 194415:23Il-2 m.H.PQ 25 Ost 35319
20abbr=onNaNabbr=on northwest of Mariiampil
451 September 194410:56Il-2PQ 25 Ost 13552
15abbr=onNaNabbr=on northeast of Warsaw
42♠15 August 194418:20La-5PQ 25 Ost 25433
25abbr=onNaNabbr=on east-southeast of Blumenfeld
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –
Eastern Front — 10 September – 31 December 1944
4612 September 194409:12Il-2PQ 25 Ost N/13729
15abbr=onNaNabbr=on east of Warsaw
5018 September 194413:43P-51?PQ 25 Ost N/03685
20abbr=onNaNabbr=on west of Warsaw
4712 September 194409:16?Yak-9PQ 25 Ost N/13588
15abbr=onNaNabbr=on east-northeast of Warsaw
519 October 194414:22Il-2 m.H.PQ 25 Ost N/26726
vicinity of Tauroggen
4815 September 194409:55P-39PQ 25 Ost N/03861
15abbr=onNaNabbr=on southwest of Warsaw
5213 October 194414:30Yak-9PQ 25 Ost N/25312
20abbr=onNaNabbr=on northeast of Insterburg
4915 September 194410:15P-39PQ 25 Ost N/13547
15abbr=onNaNabbr=on north of Warsaw
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –
Eastern Front — 1 January – 8 May 1945
According to Mathews and Foreman, Dombacher claimed 17 aerial victories on the Eastern Front in 1945, six of which are documented.
5616 February 1945Il-2northwest of Graudenz5919 February 1945Il-2northwest of Neuenburg
5716 February 1945Il-2northwest of Graudenz6020 February 1945unknown
5816 February 1945Il-2northwest of Graudenz619 March 194512:48Il-2

Awards

References

Bibliography