Gerhard Hoffmann (pilot)
Gerhard Hoffmann | |
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Nickname(s) | Fakken |
Born | Nieden, Eastern Prussia | 6 November 1919
Died | 17 April 1945 near Breslau | (aged 25)
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | ![]() |
Rank | Leutnant (second lieutenant) |
Unit | JG 52 |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Gerhard Hoffmann (6 November 1919 – 17 April 1945) was a Luftwaffe flying ace of World War II credited with 130 shootdowns. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
Career[]
Unteroffizier Hoffmann was transferred to the 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) in June 1942 on the Eastern Front. After claiming multiple aerial victories throughout April and May 1943 over the Kuban bridgehead he claimed his 42nd shootdown on 30 May 1943. He was wounded on 25 September 1943 but later claimed his 100th shootdown on 16 March 1944 over Crimea, making him the 65th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.[1]
His victory tally stood at 125 when he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 14 May 1944. He was transferred to the Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe West at the end of April 1944 as a fighter pilot instructor and promoted to Leutnant. On 26 June 1944 his plane (Messerschmidt Bf 109) crashed not far from Nitra, Slovakia. He was on his way from Cracau to Malacky - Kuchyňa (Slovakia), but because of the bad weather conditions he had to change his planned route and to land in Nitra where he wanted to refuel his plane. After this crash was his plane destroyed but Hoffmann was only lightly injured. He was put in command of the 4./Ergänzungs-Jagdgeschwader 1 (EJG 1). He claimed 4 aerial victories in March 1945 at the Oder front with this Staffel and was made Staffelkapitän of the 11./JG 52. He shuttled an aircraft to Breslau on 11 April 1945. On that flight, he crashed his plane and died in the accident. The reasons for this crash remain unknown.[2]
Summary of career[]
Aerial victory claims[]
According to Obermaier, Hoffmann was credited with 130 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number of combat missions. He was also credited with the destruction of 128 vehicles of all types flying ground support missions.[2] According to Spick, his total of aerial victories was 125 all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.[3] Matthews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 130 aerial victory claims recorded on the Eastern Front.[4]
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 43661". The Luftwaffe grid map (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 360 square miles (930 km2). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 × 4 km in size.[5]
showChronicle of aerial victories |
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Awards[]
- German Cross in Gold on 12 December 1943 as Feldwebel in the 4./Jagdgeschwader 52[28]
- Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 28 February 1944 as Feldwebel and pilot[29]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 May 1944 as pilot and Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel in the 4./Jagdgeschwader 52[30][Note 9]
Notes[]
- ^ According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 15:48.[6]
- ^ The "m.H." refers to an Ilyushin Il-2 with rear gunner (mit Heckschütze).
- ^ According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 17:48.[25]
- ^ According to Matthews and Foreman claimed with 6./Jagdgeschwder 52.[25]
- ^ According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 07:20.[26]
- ^ This claim is not listed by Barbas.[23]
- ^ According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 15:35.[26]
- ^ According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 17:32.[26]
- ^ According to Scherzer as pilot in the 5./Jagdgeschwader 52.[31]
References[]
Citations[]
- ^ Obermaier 1989, p. 243.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Obermaier 1989, p. 135.
- ^ Spick 1996, p. 231.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Matthews & Foreman 2015, pp. 533–535.
- ^ Planquadrat.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 533.
- ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 492.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Prien et al. 2006, p. 496.
- ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 498.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Prien et al. 2012, p. 379.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Prien et al. 2012, p. 384.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Prien et al. 2012, p. 388.
- ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 380.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Prien et al. 2012, p. 381.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k Prien et al. 2012, p. 389.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Prien et al. 2012, p. 382.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Prien et al. 2012, p. 383.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Barbas 2005, p. 359.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Barbas 2005, p. 364.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Barbas 2005, p. 360.
- ^ Barbas 2005, p. 361.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k Barbas 2005, p. 362.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Barbas 2005, p. 365.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Barbas 2005, p. 363.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 534.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 535.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Barbas 2005, p. 366.
- ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 190.
- ^ Patzwall 2008, p. 103.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 231.
- ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 398.
Bibliography[]
- Barbas, Bernd (2005). Die Geschichte der II. Gruppe des Jagdgeschwaders 52 [The History of 2nd Group of Fighter Wing 52] (in German). ISBN 978-3-923457-71-7.
- Bergström, Christer. "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
- 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.
- Matthews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 2 G–L. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-19-6.
- 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.
- Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
- Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3.
- 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] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-77-9.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2012). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 12/II—Einsatz im Osten—4.2. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 12/II—Action in the East—4 February to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN 978-3-942943-05-5.
- 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 Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1.
- Weal, John (2004). Jagdgeschwader 52: The Experten (Aviation Elite Units). Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-786-4.
External links[]
- "Gerhard Hoffmann". TracesOfWar.com. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
- 1919 births
- 1945 deaths
- Luftwaffe pilots
- German World War II flying aces
- German military personnel killed in World War II
- Recipients of the Gold German Cross
- Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
- People from East Prussia
- People from Pisz County