Horst Hannig

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Horst Hannig
Horst Hannig.jpg
Born13 November 1921
Frankenstein, Lower Silesia, Poland
Died15 May 1943 (1943-05-16) (aged 21)
near Rocquancourt, Normandy, German-occupied France
Buried
Saint-Désir-de-Lisieux German war cemetery, Lisieux, Normandy
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branchBalkenkreuz (Iron Cross) Luftwaffe
Years of service1939–43
RankOberleutnant (posthumously)
UnitJG 54, JG 2 "Richthofen"
Commands held7./JG 54, 2./JG 2
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Horst Hannig (13 November 1921 – 15 May 1943) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and posthumous recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.[1] Hannig is credited with 98 aerial victories claimed in over 350 combat missions. He was killed in action following combat with Royal Air Force (RAF) Spitfires on 15 May 1943.

Career[]

Born in 1921 in Frankenstein, Lower Silesia, Hannig joined the military service in the Luftwaffe as a Fahnenjunker (officer cadet) in October 1939. He was posted to the 6./Jagdgeschwader 54 "Grünherz" (JG 54—54th fighter wing) in early 1941.[2] His brother, Walter Hannig, received the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 28 April 1943 as an observer with Aufklärungsgruppe (reconnaissance group) 4.(F)/14 of the Luftwaffe.[3] Horst Hannig claimed his first aerial victory, a Tupolev SB-2, on the first day of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941.[4] He achieved his first 30 victories up to November 1941. On 9 May 1942, Leutnant (second Lieutenant) Hannig was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) having flown over 200 operations and claiming 48 victories. He and Leutnant Hans Beißwenger received the Knight's Cross from General der Flieger Helmuth Förster at Siverskaya. On 21 July 1942 he claimed his 54th victory, a Petlyakov Pe-2 reconnaissance aircraft, near Lake Ilmen. It was JG 54 2,500th aerial victory.[5]

Western Front and death[]

Focke Wulf Fw 190 A-4 of I./JG 2, flown by Leutnant Hannig, early 1943

On 27 January, Hannig was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd fighter fing) based in France. He replaced Oberleutnant Christian Eickhoff who had been killed in action the day before.[6] While with 2./JG 2 he achieved another 8 victories, including 1 four-engine United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) heavy bomber shot down on 16 February 1943.

Hannig was killed in action on 15 May 1943 against Royal Air Force (RAF) operations that targeted Caen-Carpiquet Airdrome and . He was shot down in his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-4 (Werknummer 0734—factory number) near the airfield at Rocquancourt.[7] His victor was Squadron Leader J. Charles leading Yellow Section of No. 611 Squadron. He had managed to bail out but his parachute failed to open.[8] Hannig was posthumously awarded the 364th Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 3 January 1944 and posthumously promoted to Oberleutnant (first Lieutenant). He was interred at the Saint-Désir-de-Lisieux German war cemetery.[9]

Summary of career[]

Aerial victory claims[]

Matthews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found documentation for 97 aerial victory claims. This number includes 90 on the Eastern Front and 7 on the Western Front, including one four-engined bomber.[10]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 54251". 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.[11]

Awards[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 10:05.[35]
  2. ^ This claim is not listed by Matthews and Foreman.[40]
  3. ^ According to Scherzer as pilot in the 5./Jagdgeschwader 54.[44]

References[]

Citations[]

  1. ^ Spick 1996, pp. 3–4.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Obermaier 1989, p. 60.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 164.
  4. ^ Weal 2007, pp. 7–8.
  5. ^ Bergström et al. 2006, p. 100.
  6. ^ Prien et al. 2010, p. 438.
  7. ^ Prien et al. 2010, p. 447.
  8. ^ Weal 2000, p. 100.
  9. ^ Stockert 2013, p. 276.
  10. ^ Matthews & Foreman 2015, pp. 478–480.
  11. ^ Planquadrat.
  12. ^ Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 478.
  13. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 228.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Prien et al. 2003, p. 235.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b Prien et al. 2003, p. 229.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j Prien et al. 2003, p. 237.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Prien et al. 2003, p. 231.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b Prien et al. 2003, p. 233.
  19. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 234.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b c Prien et al. 2003, p. 238.
  21. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 239.
  22. ^ Matthews & Foreman 2015, pp. 478–479.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b c Prien et al. 2005, p. 220.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Prien et al. 2005, p. 224.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Prien et al. 2005, p. 222.
  26. ^ Prien et al. 2005, p. 223.
  27. ^ Matthews & Foreman 2015, pp. 479–480.
  28. ^ Jump up to: a b c Prien et al. 2006, p. 144.
  29. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Prien et al. 2006, p. 150.
  30. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 145.
  31. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 146.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b c Prien et al. 2006, p. 151.
  33. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Prien et al. 2006, p. 147.
  34. ^ Jump up to: a b Prien et al. 2006, p. 152.
  35. ^ Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 479.
  36. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Prien et al. 2006, p. 154.
  37. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Prien et al. 2006, p. 148.
  38. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Prien et al. 2006, p. 155.
  39. ^ Jump up to: a b c Prien et al. 2006, p. 149.
  40. ^ Jump up to: a b Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 480.
  41. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Prien et al. 2010, p. 443.
  42. ^ Jump up to: a b Thomas 1997, p. 242.
  43. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 213.
  44. ^ Jump up to: a b Scherzer 2007, p. 365.
  45. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 76.

Bibliography[]

  • Bergström, Christer. "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  • Bergström, Christer; Dikov, Andrey; Antipov, Vlad; Sundin, Claes (2006). Black Cross / Red Star Air War Over the Eastern Front, Volume 3, Everything for Stalingrad. Hamilton MT: Eagle Editions. ISBN 978-0-9761034-4-8.
  • (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.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). 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] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-70-0.
  • 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.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2006). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/III—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/III—From the 1942 Summer Campaign to the Defeat at Stalingrad—1 May 1942 to 3 February 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-78-6.
  • 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] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-92-2.
  • 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 Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1.
  • Stockert, Peter (2013) [1998]. Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 4 [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 4] (in German) (3rd ed.). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. ISBN 978-3-932915-03-1.
  • Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.
  • Weal, John (2000). Jagdgeschwader 2 'Richthofen'. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-046-9.
  • Weal, John (2007). More Bf 109 Aces of the Russian Front. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-177-9.
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