Wilhelm Freuwörth Explained

Wilhelm Freuwörth
Birth Date:	4 November 1917
Birth Place:	Börßum
Death Place:	Wetzlar
Nickname:	"Willi"
Rank:	Oberleutnant (first lieutenant)
Unit:	JG 52 JG 26
Battles:	World War II Eastern Front Defence of the Reich
Awards:	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Wilhelm "Willi" Freuwörth (4 November 1917 – 5 December 1970) 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. During his career Wilhelm Freuwörth was credited with 58 aerial victories.

War against the Soviet Union

On 22 June, German forces had launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. Pror to its deployment on the Eastern Front, I. Gruppe was fully equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2. The Gruppe reached Orsha on 27 September before heading to Ponyatovka on 2 October. There, the Gruppe was initially subordinated to the Stab (headquarters unit) of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) and supported German forces fighting in the Battle of Vyazma as part of Operation Typhoon, the code name of the German offensive on Moscow. On 20 October, the Gruppe moved to an airfield named Kalinin-Southwest, present-day Tver, and located on the Volga, and to Staritsa on 31 October and then to Ruza located approximately 80abbr=offNaNabbr=off west of Moscow on 3 November. While transferring to Ruza, Freuwörth belly landed his Bf 109 F-2 at Smolensk on 4 October.

On 29 May 1942, Freuwörth was shot down in his Bf 109 F-4 during aerial combat with I-61 fighters, an early German designation of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 fighter. Freuwörth was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 5 January 1943.

On 24 March 1943, Freuwörth and his wingman Unteroffizier Peter Crump intercepted two Supermarine Spitfire from No. 91 Squadron. Both Spitfires were claimed shot down. Freuwörth hit the Spitfire piloted by Flying Officer Jim Anstie, resulting in a forced landing near RAF Lympne. The following day, Freuwörth claimed another Spitfire fighter shot down 5abbr=offNaNabbr=off southeast of Dover. According to Mathews and Foreman, the aircraft he shot down was a misidentified Hawker Typhoon fighter from the No. 609 Squadron piloted by John Robert Baldwin who was shot down over the English Channel that day. On 1 January 1945, Freuwörth was promoted to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant).

Later life

Freuwörth died on 5 December 1970 at the age of in Wetzlar, West Germany.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Freuwörth was credited with 58 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 48 aerial victory claims. This figure includes 45 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and three over the Western Allies.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 40412". 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
– 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 – On the Western Front — April – 23 September 1941
1	26 August 1941	14:20?	Blenheim	north of Juist
– 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 – Operation Barbarossa — 2 October – 5 December 1941
2	26 November 1941	14:06	Il-2		3	28 November 1941	14:45	I-61 (MiG-3)	west of Mytishchi
– 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 – 19 May 1942 – 1 February 1943
4	24 May 1942	18:22	Il-2		31	25 September 1942	10:40	LaGG-3	PQ 40412
5	26 May 1942	15:43	Pe-2		32?	25 September 1942		LaGG-3
6	28 May 1942	09:53	I-26 (Yak-1)		33	4 October 1942	14:58	Il-2	PQ 59321
7	11 June 1942	05:24	I-16		34	11 October 1942	12:03	LaGG-3	PQ 49432 Srednyaya Akhtuba
8	13 June 1942	06:36	LaGG-3	PQ 70213	35	14 October 1942	08:05	U-2	PQ 40563 55km (34miles) north of Hrebinka
9	2 July 1942	09:32	LaGG-3		36	25 October 1942	14:40	Yak-1	PQ 49214 northeast of Hrebinka
10	31 July 1942	04:52	LaGG-3	PQ 97471	37	27 October 1942	09:08	R-5	PQ 59534 vicinity of Jarsew
11	2 August 1942	18:30	I-153	PQ 66664 east of Zaporizhzhia	38	28 October 1942	11:52	Yak-1	PQ 49431 Srednyaya Akhtuba
12	6 August 1942	09:15	R-5	PQ 75161 east of Anapa	39	29 October 1942	08:23	Yak-1	PQ 59321
13	6 August 1942	17:20	Pe-2	PQ 75161 east of Anapa	40	29 October 1942	14:50	LaGG-3	PQ 50593
14	10 August 1942	11:30	I-16	PQ 75413 vicinity of Vasilyevka	41	31 October 1942	12:52	LaGG-3	PQ 59333
15	22 August 1942	08:05	R-5	PQ 55764 Black Sea	42	1 November 1942	12:56	LaGG-3	PQ 49431 vicinity of Srednyaya Akhtuba
16	22 August 1942	08:08	LaGG-3	PQ 55884 Black Sea	43	1 November 1942	12:59?	LaGG-3	PQ 49431 vicinity of Srednyaya Akhtuba
17	26 August 1942	06:22	I-180 (Yak-7)	PQ 47852 east-southeast of Zubtsov	44	1 November 1942	13:03	LaGG-3	PQ 59143
18	31 August 1942	11:08	Yak-1	PQ 47881	45	1 November 1942	13:06	LaGG-3	PQ 59123
19	31 August 1942	11:10	Yak-1	PQ 47841	46	2 November 1942	10:35	R-5	PQ 59193
20	2 September 1942	13:20	R-5	PQ 56452 Black Sea	47	3 November 1942	14:03?	Il-2	PQ 50751
21	2 September 1942	16:39	LaGG-3	PQ 56414, Garetewo	48?	29 November 1942		R-5
22	3 September 1942	14:35	Il-2	PQ 46253	49♠	16 December 1942		Il-2
23	3 September 1942	14:36	Il-2	PQ 46262	50♠	16 December 1942		Il-2
24	4 September 1942	17:30	Pe-2	PQ 46293	51♠	16 December 1942		Il-2
25	5 September 1942	12:05	LaGG-3	PQ 57894	52♠	16 December 1942		Il-2
26	5 September 1942	12:07	LaGG-3	PQ 57893 Sea of Azov	53♠	16 December 1942		Il-2
27	6 September 1942	10:01	R-5	PQ 49814	54♠	16 December 1942		Il-2
28	11 September 1942	16:17	P-39	PQ 47852	55?	17 December 1942		Il-2
29	14 September 1942	07:50	U-2 (Seversky)	PQ 49824	56?	17 December 1942		Il-2
30	16 September 1942	09:53	R-5	PQ 47361
– 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" – On the Western Front — 1 February – 21 December 1943
57	24 March 1943	10:17	Spitfire	8km (05miles) east of Dungeness	58	25 March 1943	18:14	Spitfire	5km (03miles) southeast of Dover

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
• Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 19 October 1942 as Unteroffizier and pilot
• German Cross in Gold on 17 November 1942 as Unteroffizier in the I./Jagdgeschwader 52
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 5 January 1943 as Feldwebel and pilot in the 2./Jagdgeschwader 52

References

Bibliography

• Web site: Bergström . Christer .

  sv:Christer Bergström

  . Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat . Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website . 27 March 2022 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20181222042030/http://www.bergstrombooks.elknet.pl/bc-rs/planquadrat.htm . 22 December 2018 . dead.
• Book: Dixon , Jeremy . 2023 . Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe: Knight's Cross Holders 1943–1945 . Barnsley . . 978-1-39903-073-1.
• Book: Fellgiebel , Walther-Peer .

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  . 2000 . 1986 . Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile . The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches . de . Friedberg, Germany . Podzun-Pallas . 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Book: Goss . Chris . Cornwell . Peter . Rauchbach . Bernd . 2010 . Luftwaffe Fighter-Bombers Over Britain: The Tip and Run Campaign, 1942–43 . Mechanicsburg, PA . . 978-0-8117-0691-9.
• Book: Mathews . Andrew Johannes . Foreman . John . 2014 . Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 1 A–F . Walton on Thames . Red Kite . 978-1-906592-18-9.
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• Book: Patzwall . Klaus D. . 2008 . Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg . The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War . de . Norderstedt, Germany . Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall . 978-3-931533-08-3.
• Book: Prien . Jochen . Stemmer . Gerhard . Rodeike . Peter . Bock . Winfried . 2003a . Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 5—Heimatverteidigung—10. Mai 1940 bis 31 Dezember 1941—Einsatz im Mittelmeerraum—Oktober 1940 bis November 1941—Einsatz im Westen—22. Juni bis 31. Dezember 1941—Die Ergänzungsjagdgruppen—Einsatz 1941 bis zur Auflösung Anfang 1942 . The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 5—Defense of the Reich—10 May 1940 to 31 December 1941—Action in the Mediterranean Theater—October 1940 to November 1941—Action in the West—22 June to 31 December 1941—The Supplementary Fighter Groups—Action from 1941 until their Breakup in Early 1942 . de . Eutin, Germany . Struve-Druck . 978-3-923457-68-7.
• Book: Prien . Jochen . Stemmer . Gerhard . Rodeike . Peter . Bock . Winfried . 2003b . Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/II—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 . The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/II—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941 . de . Eutin, Germany . Struve-Druck . 978-3-923457-70-0.
• Book: Prien . Jochen . Stemmer . Gerhard . Rodeike . Peter . Bock . Winfried . 2006 . Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/II—Vom Sommerfeldzug 1942 bis zur Niederlage von Stalingrad—1.5.1942 bis 3.2.1943 . The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/II—From the 1942 Summer Campaign to the Defeat at Stalingrad—1 May 1942 to 3 February 1943 . de . Eutin, Germany . Struve-Druck . 978-3-923457-77-9.
• Book: Prien . Jochen . Stemmer . Gerhard . Rodeike . Peter . Bock . Winfried . 2010 . Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 10/IV—Einsatz im Westen—1.1. bis 31.12.1943 . The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 10/IV—Action in the West—1 January to 31 December 1943 . de . Eutin, Germany . Struve-Druck . 978-3-923457-92-2.
• Book: Scherzer , Veit . 2007 . Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives . The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives . de . Jena, Germany . Scherzers Militaer-Verlag . 978-3-938845-17-2.
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• Book: Zabecki . David T. . David T. Zabecki . Germany at War: 400 Years of Military History . Santa Barbara, California . . 2014 . 978-1-59884-981-3.

External links

• TracesOfWar.com