Friedrich Beckh

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Friedrich Beckh
Bundesarchiv Bild 146-2008-0197, Friedrich Beckh.jpg
Born17 January 1908
Nuremberg
Died21 June 1942(1942-06-21) (aged 34)
near Charkow
Allegiance Weimar Republic (to 1933)
 Nazi Germany
Service/branchBalkenkreuz.svg Luftwaffe
Years of service1926–42
RankOberstleutnant im Generalstab
Commands heldJG 51, JG 52
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Friedrich Beckh (17 January 1908 – 21 June 1942) was 48 victory-Luftwaffe flying ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He held the position of Geschwaderkommodore of fighter wing Jagdgeschwader 51 and Jagdgeschwader 52.

Early life and career[]

Beckh was born on 17 January 1908 in Nuremberg. He was a career soldier having joined the cavalry in 1926 as part of the-then 100,000 strong German Army. He joined the Luftwaffe with the rank of Oberleutnant in 1935 and trained to be a fighter pilot but Beckh had no particular aptitude for flying.

World War II[]

By the time World War II broke out he had already occupied several positions on the General Staff and because of his age did not fly any combat sorties. Instead, he was lecturing at the Air War Academy. It was during 1940 as Jägerverbindungsoffizier in the Luftgaukommando Wiesbaden (fighter communications or liaison officer) that he became close friends with Werner Mölders, the two men served in Jagdgeschwader 134 Horst Wessel. When Mölders became Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) on 27 July 1940 he arranged for Beckh to transfer to his Geschwaderstab, as an officer on secondment from the General Staff.

Beckh was nonetheless an enthusiastic fighter pilot. However, there was one further factor in Beckh's make-up that would constitute something of a handicap when flying fighters. He was simply unable to see anything in the air. In fact, Beckh's eyesight had deteriorated considerably since he had first joined the Luftwaffe.

Group commander[]

On 1 March 1941, Beckh was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of IV. Gruppe of JG 51, succeeding Oberleutnant Hans-Karl Keitel who was transferred.[1]

During the opening weeks of Operation Barbarossa Beckh had considerable success, mostly in tandem with his Wingman Leutnant Bernd Gallowitsch, who at the time was credited with around twenty victories. The two pilots invariably returned from sorties with a victory each.

Wing commander[]

On 19 July 1941, Beckh was appointed Geschwaderkommodore of JG 51. He succeeded Mölders in this capacity who transferred and appointed Inspekteur der Jagdflieger (Inspector of Fighters).[2] Command of IV. Gruppe then passed on to Haupmann Karl-Gottfried Nordmann.[3]

JG 51 supported Heinz Guderian's Panzerarmee in the battles around Kiev, Beckh claimed the Geschwader's 2000th victory.[4]

However, on 16 September, during a fighter sweep, his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 8988—factory number) was hit by anti-aircraft artillery, resulting in a forced landing 30 kilometers (19 miles) east of Konotop. During his convalescence, he was temporarily replaced by Major Günther Lützow as commander of JG 51.[5] Two days after being wounded in action, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) for 27 victories, 23 of them on the Eastern Front. He had also claimed around twenty aircraft destroyed on the ground. Initially he insisted on leading the Geschwader from the ground but on 3 October he was eventually admitted to a hospital with the foot infected.

Beckh returned to the Geschwader on 21 December 1941 and he achieved approximately twenty further victories before being transferred back to the Reich Air Ministry on 9 April 1942. He was then appointed Kommodore of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) on 3 June 1942 barely two months later following the death of Major Wilhelm Lessmann.[6]

On 21 June 1942, Beckh was airborne in his Bf 109 F-4 "weiße 4" (Werknummer13362) with his wingman for a low-level sortie of the type he preferred in the area of Izium-Kupiansk-Waluiki, east of Charkov. East of Waluiki the duo observed a Russian air base with Russian fighters on the ground. Beckh dived, claiming two fighters, but his wingman observed Beckh's F-4 taking a number of flak hits before it too nosed down and appeared to plunge to the ground. The Bf 109 came down in a marsh near Valuyki. His body was found inside his fighter when the site was excavated 60 years later.[7] At the time of his death he claimed over 40 aircraft in aerial combat and a dozen on the ground.[6]

Summary of career[]

Aerial victory claims[]

According to Obermaier, Beckh was credited with 48 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number of combat missions. This figure includes eleven claims on the Eastern Front and four over the Western Allies.[8] Matthews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 40 aerial victory claims, plus two further unconfirmed claims. This figure of confirmed claims includes four aerial victories on the Western Front and 36 on the Eastern Front.[9]

Awards[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b According to Matthews and Foreman this claim is unconfirmed.[10]

References[]

Citations[]

  1. ^ Prien et al. 2002, p. 101.
  2. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 216.
  3. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 329.
  4. ^ Bergström 2007a, p. 69.
  5. ^ Prien et al. 2003, pp. 210, 222.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Bergström 2007a, p. 52.
  7. ^ Bergström 2007b, p. 53.
  8. ^ Obermaier 1989, p. 85.
  9. ^ Matthews & Foreman 2014, pp. 70–71.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Matthews & Foreman 2014, p. 71.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Prien et al. 2002, p. 106.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b c Prien et al. 2003, p. 334.
  13. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 336.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Prien et al. 2003, p. 220.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k Prien et al. 2003, p. 221.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Prien et al. 2005, p. 47.
  17. ^ MacLean 2007, p. 55.
  18. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 127.
  19. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 210.

Bibliography[]

  • Bergström, Christer (2007a). Barbarossa - The Air Battle: July–December 1941. London: Chevron/Ian Allan. ISBN 978-1-85780-270-2.
  • Bergström, Christer (2007b). Stalingrad – The Air Battle: 1942 through January 1943. Hinkley: Midland Puplishing. ISBN 978-1-85780-276-4.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (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] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • MacLean, French L (2007). Luftwaffe Efficiency & Promotion Reports: For the Knight's Cross Winners. One. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military History. ISBN 978-0-7643-2657-8.
  • Matthews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2014). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 1 A–F. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-18-9.
  • Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2002). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 4/II—Einsatz am Kanal und über England—26.6.1940 bis 21.6.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 4/II—Action at the Channel and over England—26 June 1940 to 21 June 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-64-9.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/I—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/I—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-69-4.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2005). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/I—Winterkampf im Osten—6.12.1941 bis 30.4.1942 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/I—Winter War in the East—6 December 1941 to 30 April 1942] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-76-2.
  • 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] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.

External links[]

Military offices
Preceded by
Oberstleutnant Werner Mölders 		Commander of Jagdgeschwader 51 Mölders
19 July 1941 – October 1941 		Succeeded by
Major Günther Lützow
Preceded by
Major 		Commander of Jagdgeschwader 52
3 June 1942 – 21 June 1942 		Succeeded by
Major Herbert Ihlefeld
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