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 Eastern Front
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
Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location	Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location
– 12. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1 – Action in south and west Norway — 1 January – 26 June 1942
1?	3 April 1942		Spitfire	Trondheim Fjord
– 10. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 – Eastern Front — 4 February – 31 December 1943
2	10 June 1943	19:03	Pe-2	PQ 35 Ost 34333 5abbr=onNaNabbr=on east of Seschtschinskaja	14♠	14 August 1943	18:24	Il-2 m.H.	northeast of Schilow
3	30 June 1943	09:05	MiG-3	PQ 35 Ost 64322 10abbr=onNaNabbr=on south-southeast of Belyov	15	16 August 1943	18:26	La-5	southwest of Tschernezkii
4	6 July 1943	19:30	Boston	PQ 35 Ost 63843 5abbr=onNaNabbr=on southeast of Zolotukhino	16	18 August 1943	17:39	Il-2 m.H.	west of Savur-Mohyla
5	13 July 1943	13:43	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 35 Ost 63254 15abbr=onNaNabbr=on southeast of Zalegoshch	17	18 August 1943	17:43	Il-2 m.H.	northwest of Dmitriyevka
6	13 July 1943	14:08	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 35 Ost 63251 15abbr=onNaNabbr=on southeast of Zalegoshch	18	27 September 1943	10:28	Il-2 m.H.	south of Akimovka
7	17 July 1943	08:10	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 35 Ost 63564 10abbr=onNaNabbr=on southwest of Maloarkhangelsk	19	27 September 1943	10:29	Il-2 m.H.	east of Sagolitschki
8	5 August 1943	07:34	LaGG-3	west of Petrosselki	20	27 September 1943	16:08	Il-2 m.H.	northeast of Schulgowka
9	5 August 1943	07:40	Boston	southwest of Krassawka	21	27 September 1943	16:10	Il-2 m.H.	northeast of Gorodajewka
10♠	14 August 1943	18:14	Il-2 m.H.	east of Rakinoye	22	29 September 1943	14:35	Il-2 m.H.	west of Trozko
11♠	14 August 1943	18:16	Il-2 m.H.	east of Jkalowka	23	30 November 1943	08:29	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 34 Ost 49818 30abbr=onNaNabbr=on south-southwest of Dnepropetrovsk
12♠	14 August 1943	18:17	Il-2 m.H.	north of Kut	24	30 November 1943	13:23	La-5	PQ 34 Ost 49767 55abbr=onNaNabbr=on southwest of Dnepropetrovsk
13♠	14 August 1943	18:21	Il-2 m.H.	southwest of Ogulzy
– 10. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 – Eastern Front — 1 January – 14 August 1944
25	16 January 1944	13:10	La-5	PQ 25 Ost 90572 40abbr=onNaNabbr=on east-northeast of Vinnytsia	32	7 April 1944	17:49	Il-2	PQ 25 Ost 50814 40abbr=onNaNabbr=on south of Ternopil
26	24 January 1944	10:32	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 25 Ost 80662 30abbr=onNaNabbr=on east-northeast of Vinnytsia	33	22 April 1944	18:18	Yak-9	PQ 25 Ost 40681 20abbr=onNaNabbr=on south-southwest of Berezhany
27	24 January 1944	10:35	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 25 Ost 80632 25abbr=onNaNabbr=on south-southeast of Koziatyn	34	27 April 1944	15:34	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 24 Ost 59314 20abbr=onNaNabbr=on north of Kolomyia
28	24 January 1944	10:42	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 25 Ost 90513 30abbr=onNaNabbr=on south-southeast of Koziatyn	35?	1 May 1944	17:10	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 24 Ost 59173
29	25 January 1944	10:37	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 25 Ost 80634 25abbr=onNaNabbr=on south-southeast of Koziatyn	36	7 July 1944	14:55	Yak-9	PQ 25 Ost 44816 10abbr=onNaNabbr=on west of Kovel
30	25 January 1944	10:42?	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 25 Ost 90371 25abbr=onNaNabbr=on south-southeast of Koziatyn	37	1 August 1944	10:43	La-5	PQ 25 Ost 35315 20abbr=onNaNabbr=on north of Mariiampil
31	7 April 1944	14:23	Il-2	PQ 25 Ost 50641 20abbr=onNaNabbr=on south of Ternopil	38	1 August 1944	11:15	Yak-9	PQ 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 1944	14:45	Yak-9	PQ 25 Ost 25297 25abbr=onNaNabbr=on east of Blumenfeld	43♠	15 August 1944	18:27	La-5	PQ 25 Ost 35342 20abbr=onNaNabbr=on west-northwest of Mariiampil
40♠	15 August 1944	14:50	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 25 Ost 35155 35abbr=onNaNabbr=on north of Mariiampil	44	17 August 1944	07:00	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 25 Ost 36331 25abbr=onNaNabbr=on south of Schaulen
41♠	15 August 1944	15:23	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 25 Ost 35319 20abbr=onNaNabbr=on northwest of Mariiampil	45	1 September 1944	10:56	Il-2	PQ 25 Ost 13552 15abbr=onNaNabbr=on northeast of Warsaw
42♠	15 August 1944	18:20	La-5	PQ 25 Ost 25433 25abbr=onNaNabbr=on east-southeast of Blumenfeld
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 – Eastern Front — 10 September – 31 December 1944
46	12 September 1944	09:12	Il-2	PQ 25 Ost N/13729 15abbr=onNaNabbr=on east of Warsaw	50	18 September 1944	13:43	P-51?	PQ 25 Ost N/03685 20abbr=onNaNabbr=on west of Warsaw
47	12 September 1944	09:16?	Yak-9	PQ 25 Ost N/13588 15abbr=onNaNabbr=on east-northeast of Warsaw	51	9 October 1944	14:22	Il-2 m.H.	PQ 25 Ost N/26726 vicinity of Tauroggen
48	15 September 1944	09:55	P-39	PQ 25 Ost N/03861 15abbr=onNaNabbr=on southwest of Warsaw	52	13 October 1944	14:30	Yak-9	PQ 25 Ost N/25312 20abbr=onNaNabbr=on northeast of Insterburg
49	15 September 1944	10:15	P-39	PQ 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.
56	16 February 1945		Il-2	northwest of Graudenz	59	19 February 1945		Il-2	northwest of Neuenburg
57	16 February 1945		Il-2	northwest of Graudenz	60	20 February 1945		unknown
58	16 February 1945		Il-2	northwest of Graudenz	61	9 March 1945	12:48	Il-2

Awards

• Aviator badge
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
• Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 3 April 1944 as Feldwebel and pilot
• German Cross in Gold on 25 May 1944 as Oberfeldwebel in the I./Jagdgeschwader 51
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 8 April 1945 as Leutnant and pilot in 1./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders

References

Bibliography

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  sv:Christer Bergström

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