Josef Haiböck

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Josef Haiböck
Nickname(s)"Pepsch"
Born28 February 1917
Linz
Died3 July 2002(2002-07-03) (aged 85)
Linz
Allegiance Federal State of Austria
 Nazi Germany (to 1945)
Austria Second Austrian Republic
Service/branchÖsterreichische Luftstreitkräfte (?–1938)
Luftwaffe (1938–45)
Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte (1956–77)
Years of service?–1945
1956–77
RankHauptmann (Wehrmacht)
Generalmajor (Bundesheer)
UnitJG 26, JG 52, JG 3
Commands heldI./JG 3
Battles/wars
See battles
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Josef Haiböck (28 February 1917 – 3 July 2002) was a general in the Austrian Air Force. During World War II, he served as a fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Haiböck joined the Austrian Austrian Armed Forces (Budensheer) in 1956 and retired in 1977 as a Generalmajor. During his career he was credited with 77 aerial victories in 604 missions.

World War II[]

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. On 1 December 1939, Leutnant Haiböck joined Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing), which had been named after Albert Leo Schlageter on 1 May 1939.[1] There, he was assigned to 9. Staffel (9th squadron).[2] At the time, the Geschwader was commanded by Oberst Eduard Ritter von Schleich, 9. Staffel by Oberleutnant Gerhard Schöpfel, and III. Gruppe, to which the Staffel was subordinated, was led by Major Ernst Freiherr von Berg.[3] The Gruppe was based at Werl and patrolled western German border during the "Phoney War" without having contact with the enemy. On 1 November, III. Gruppe was ordered to Essen-Mülheim Airfield.[4]

Eastern Front[]

On 30 December 1942, Haiböck was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) fighting on the Eastern Front. There, he succeeded Oberleutnant Friedrich Bartels as Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 1. Staffel. The Staffel was subordinated to I. Gruppe of JG 52 commanded by Hauptmann Helmut Bennemann.[5]

Group commander[]

On 1 December 1943, Major Günther Rall, the Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of III. Gruppe of JG 52 was sent on home leave. During his absence, Haiböck temporarily was given command of the Gruppe until Rall's return on 30 January 1944.[6]

On 8 February 1944, Haiböck was transferred to take command of I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) which was fighting in Defense of the Reich. He replaced Hauptmann Joachim von Wehren who was transferred too.[7] Command of 1. Staffel of JG 52 was passed to Oberleutnant Karl-Heinz Plücker.[8] On 25 February, Haiböck made a forced landing in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 410377—factory number) following engine failure near Malsch, district of Karlsruhe. On the ground, he was then attacked by strafing American aircraft and seriously wounded.[9]

Later life and service[]

In 1956, Haiböck volunteered for military service in the Austrian Air Force, initially holding the rank auf Hauptmann.[10]

Following retirement from military service in 1977, Haiböck became the president of the Austrian Aero Club.[10] In 1986, he opposed the removal of the Alexander Löhr commemorative plaque from the Vienna the garrison church Stiftskirche. Löhr was one of the main creators of the Austrian Air Force and a convicted war criminal. The commemorative plaque had been donated by the Austrian Aero Club in 1955.[11][12]

Summary of career[]

Aerial victory claims[]

According to Spick, Haiböck was credited with 77 aerial victories claimed in 604 combat missions. This figure includes 60 aerial victories on the Eastern Front, and further 16 victories over the Western Allies.[13] Matthews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 73 aerial victory claims, plus twelve further unconfirmed claims. This figure of confirmed claims includes 59 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 14 over the Western Allies.[14]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 73652". 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.[15]

Awards and decorations[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c This unconfirmed claim is not listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock.[19][20]
  2. ^ According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 11:10.[16]
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b According to Matthews and Foreman this claim is unconfirmed.[14]
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k The "m.H." refers to an Ilyushin Il-2 with rear gunner (mit Heckschütze).
  5. ^ According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 07:27.[16]
  6. ^ This unconfirmed claim is not listed by Matthews and Foreman.[33]
  7. ^ According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 15:15.[33]
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b According to Matthews and Foreman claimed as a Yakovlev Yak-1.[33]
  9. ^ According to Matthews and Foreman claimed as a Douglas A-20 Havoc.[33]
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b This unconfirmed claim is not listed by Barbas.[39]
  11. ^ According to Matthews and Foreman claimed as a Ilyushin Il-2.[33]
  12. ^ According to Scherzer as Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" [for his achievements as Staffelkapitän in the I./Jagdgeschwader 52].[43]

References[]

Citations[]

  1. ^ Caldwell 1996, pp. 6, 14.
  2. ^ Obermaier 1989, p. 128.
  3. ^ Prien et al. 2001, pp. 166, 204.
  4. ^ Prien et al. 2001, p. 204.
  5. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 423.
  6. ^ Barbas 2010, p. 279.
  7. ^ Prien & Stemmer 2002, p. 404.
  8. ^ Schreier 1990, p. 187.
  9. ^ Prien & Stemmer 2002, pp. 256, 416.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c Berger & Habisohn 2003, p. 57.
  11. ^ Pitsch 2004, p. 26.
  12. ^ Hufschmied et al. 2021, p. 420.
  13. ^ Spick 1996, p. 236.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b c Matthews & Foreman 2015, pp. 470–471.
  15. ^ Planquadrat.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 470.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b c Prien et al. 2000, p. 228.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b Prien et al. 2002, p. 336.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b Prien et al. 2002, p. 340.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Prien et al. 2004, p. 352.
  21. ^ Prien et al. 2002, p. 337.
  22. ^ Prien et al. 2002, p. 341.
  23. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 548.
  24. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 550.
  25. ^ Prien et al. 2004, p. 353.
  26. ^ Jump up to: a b Prien et al. 2006, p. 439.
  27. ^ Jump up to: a b c Prien et al. 2012, p. 282.
  28. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l Prien et al. 2012, p. 289.
  29. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Prien et al. 2012, p. 283.
  30. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Prien et al. 2012, p. 286.
  31. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Prien et al. 2012, p. 290.
  32. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Prien et al. 2012, p. 287.
  33. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 471.
  34. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l Prien et al. 2012, p. 288.
  35. ^ Jump up to: a b c Prien et al. 2012, p. 291.
  36. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Prien et al. 2012, p. 292.
  37. ^ Jump up to: a b c Prien et al. 2012, p. 293.
  38. ^ Jump up to: a b Prien et al. 2012, p. 493.
  39. ^ Jump up to: a b Barbas 2010, p. 373.
  40. ^ Prien & Stemmer 2002, p. 445.
  41. ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 161.
  42. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 211.
  43. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 361.

Bibliography[]

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  • Berger, Florian; Habisohn, Christian (2003). Ritterkreuzträger im Österreichischen Bundesheer 1955–1985 [Knight's Cross Bearers of the Austrian Armed Forces 1955–1985] (in German). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 978-3-9501307-2-0.
  • Bergström, Christer. "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  • Caldwell, Donald L. (1996). The JG 26 War Diary: Volume One 1939–1942. London, UK: Grubstreet. ISBN 978-1-898697-52-7.
  • 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.
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  • Pitsch, Erwin (2004). Alexander Löhr. Band 1: Der Generalmajor und Schöpfer der Österreichischen Luftstreitkräfte [Alexander Löhr. Volume 1: The Major General and Creator of the Austrian Air Force] (in German). Salzburg, Austria: Österreichischer Miliz-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-901185-21-2.
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Military offices
Preceded by
Hauptmann Joachim von Wehren 		Commander of I./JG 3
8 February 1944 – 25 February 1944 		Succeeded by
Major Dr. Langer
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