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Heinz Kemethmüller

German fighter ace and Knight's Cross recipient From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Heinz Kemethmüller (26 June 1914 – 20 February 1984) 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.

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Early life and career

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Kemethmüller was born on 26 June 1914 in Nuremberg in the Kingdom of Bavaria within the German Empire. He volunteered for military service in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany in 1935. Initially serving in the Army, he transferred to the Luftwaffe (air force) in 1939.[1] Following flight and fighter pilot training,[Note 1] Kemethmüller was posted to 8. Staffel (8th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) in early 1941.[3] At the time, the Staffel was commanded by Oberleutnant Willy Stange and subordinated to III. Gruppe of JG 3 headed by Hauptmann Walter Oesau.[4]

War against the Soviet Union

On 18 June, III. Gruppe relocated to Moderówka in south-eastern Poland. On 22 June, German forces launched Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. At the start of the campaign, JG 3 was subordinated to the V. Fliegerkorps (5th Air Corps), under command of General der Flieger Robert Ritter von Greim, which was part of Luftflotte 4 (4th Air Fleet), under command of Generaloberst Alexander Löhr. These air elements supported Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt's Heeresgruppe Süd (Army Group South), with the objective of capturing Ukraine and its capital Kiev.[5] Due to pilot error, Kemethmüller crash landed his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 8146—factory number) that day at Moderówka.[6]

Both Kemethmüller and Feldwebel Siegfried Engfer from 9. Staffel of JG 3 claimed their 50th aerial victories on 18 September 1942.[7] Consequently both pilots were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 2 October 1942.[8] He received the Knight's Cross following his 59th aerial victory, which he had claimed on 355 combat missions.[9]

With Jagdgeschader 26 on the Western and Eastern Front

On 30 December 1942, Kemethmüller was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing).[10] Here, he was assigned to 7. Staffel under the command of Oberleutnant Klaus Mietusch, a Staffel of III. Gruppe based at Wevelgem.[11] On 13 January 1943, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) VIII Bomber Command flew a mission to Lille, targeting the locomotive works and steel factory. Both I. and III. Gruppe of JG 26 were scrambled and intercepted the bombers near Calais. In a frontal attack of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers from the 305th Bombardment Group, Kemethmüller was credited with the destruction of a B-17 bomber between Ypres and Lille.[12]

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Emblem of JG 26

On 4 February, Kemethmüller's Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-4 (Werknummer 2438—factory number) sustained engine damage in combat with fighters of (Royal Air Force) (RAF) No. 331 Squadron, resulting in a forced landing north of Merville. Injuries sustained in the encounter kept him grounded until mid-May, when his Staffel had already relocated to the Eastern Front.[13][14]

In January 1943, the Luftwaffe planned to move JG 26 to the Eastern Front. The idea was to exchange JG 26 with Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) which supported Army Group North.[15] In order to keep up operations, the exchange was planned by rotating each Gruppe by Gruppe and every Staffel by Staffel. In this context, 7. Staffel of JG 26 was attached to I. Gruppe of JG 54 which was commanded by Hauptmann Hans Philipp and was based outside of Leningrad.[16] On 17 February, 7. Staffel left Courtrai, heading east by train. Following a stop at Heiligenbeil, the unit was based at the airbase at Krasnogvardeysk, present day Gatschina, which is located approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Leningrad.[17][18] At Heiligenbeil, 7. Staffel received 13 new Fw 190 A-4 and A-5 fighters. The combat area of I. Gruppe of JG 54 was predominantly over the front of 18th Army, on the left flank of Army Group North, and on the Volkhov River.[15]

On 10 July, 7. Staffel left the Eastern Front, returning to Germany where they again joined III. Gruppe then based at Cuxhaven-Nordholz Airfield where they were equipped with the Bf 109 G.[19] On 28 July, VIII Bomber Command sent 82 bombers of the 1st Bombardment Wing to Kassel while 120 bombers of the 4th Bombardment Wing attacked Oschersleben. Defending against this attack, Kemethmüller was credited with the destruction of a B-17 bomber north of Sylt. The following day, VIII Bomber Command attacked Kiel and Warnemünde. III. Gruppe intercpted the bombers near Heligoland, pursuing them on their attack run to Kiel. In the area of 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) northeast of Schleswig, Kemethmüller shot down a B-17 bomber of the 306th Bombardment Group.[20]

III. Gruppe transferred from Cuxhaven-Nordholz to Amsterdam-Schiphol Airfield on 13 August.[21] The USAAF targeted the German aircraft industry on 17 August in the Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission. On this mission, Kemethmüller claimed two B-17 bombers shot down. The first of which was a endgültige Vernichtung (final destruction), a coup de grâce inflicted on an already damaged heavy bomber, over a 385th Bombardment Group B-17 south of Woensdrecht, the second B-17 was claimed over Holland. Kemethmüller did not receive credit either of these two claims. Shortly after, he was shot down in his Bf 109 G-4 (Werknummer 19216) near Leopoldsburg by Major Loren G. McCollom, commander of the 353rd Fighter Group flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters. Sustaining wounds to his hands, Kemethmüller bailed out at low altitude and was hospitalized.[22][23]

Following his convalescence, Kemethmüller returned to III. Gruppe of JG 26 in early January 1944, which was then based at Mönchengladbach. On 4 January, he flew his first combat mission since sustaining his injuries on 17 August 1943.[24] During his absence from the Gruppe, as part of the group expansion from three Staffeln per Gruppe to four Staffeln per Gruppe, Kemethmüller' 7. Staffel had been re-designated on 1 October and had become the 9. Staffel of JG 26.[25] On 9 January 1944, III. Gruppe returned to France with Gruppenstab (headquarters unit), 9. and 11. Staffel at Lille-Vendeville, and 10. and 12. Staffel at Denain.[26] Here on 14 January, Kemethmüller claimed a Supermarine Spitfire fighter of the No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron shot down near Calais.[27] On 21 January, the USAAF Ninth Air Force sent 119 Martin B-26 Marauder bombers and their escorting Spifire fighters on a mission against V-1 flying bomb launch sites. III. Gruppe intercepted the formation south of Saint-Omer. In this encounter, Kemethmüller claimed a Spitfire fighter shot down, the claim was not approved.[28]

On 17 April 1944, III. Gruppe relocated from Pocking to Munich-Neubiberg Airfield, flying training missions for the next three days.[29] The Gruppe flew its first combat mission from southern Germany on 23 April when they were ordered to intercept a USAAF bomber formation of the Fifteenth Air Force south of Vienna. The bombers were escorted by North American P-51 Mustang fighters of the 31st Fighter Group. In this encounter, Kemethmüller claimed two P-51 fighters shot down, one south of Wiener Neustadt and a second south of Lake Neusiedl, only receiving credit for the second claim.[30]

Squadron leader and end of war

On 24 April 1944, Kemethmüller was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 4. Staffel of JG 26. He succeeded Oberleutnant Wolfgang Neu who had been killed in action two days earlier.[31] The Staffel was subordinated to I. Gruppe of JG 26, commanded by Hauptmann Karl Borris and based at Lille-Vendeville.[32]

On 4 November, Kemethmüller was severely injured in landing accident in his Fw 190 A-9 (Werknummer 205206) at Greven. In consequence, he was replaced by Leutnant Waldemar Söffing as commander of 4. Staffel.[33]

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Later life

Kemethmüller died on 20 February 1984 at the age of 69 in Bonn-Beuel, West Germany.[34]

Summary of career

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Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Kemethmüller was credited with 89 aerial victories.[35] Spick also lists Kemethmüller with 89 aerial victories claimed in 463 combat missions. This figure includes 70 claims on the Eastern Front and 19 over the Western Allies, including three four-engined bombers.[36] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found documentation for 88 aerial victory claims, plus three further unconfirmed claims. This number includes eighteen on the Western Front, including three four-engined bombers, and 70 on the Eastern Front.[37]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 26 Ost 80442". 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 km × 4 km (1.9 mi × 2.5 mi) in size.[38]

More information Chronicle of aerial victories, Claim ...

Awards

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Notes

  1. [N 1]
    Flight training in the Luftwaffe progressed through the levels A1, A2 and B1, B2, referred to as A/B flight training. A training included theoretical and practical training in aerobatics, navigation, long-distance flights and dead-stick landings. The B courses included high-altitude flights, instrument flights, night landings and training to handle the aircraft in difficult situations. For pilots destined to fly multi-engine aircraft, the training was completed with the Luftwaffe Advanced Pilot's Certificate (Erweiterter Luftwaffen-Flugzeugführerschein), also known as the C-Certificate.[2]
  2. [N 2]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as an Ilyushin DB-3.[39]
  3. [N 3]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 09:35.[39]
  4. [N 4]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 08:00.[39]
  5. [N 5]
    This claim is not listed by Mathews and Foreman.[51]
  6. [N 6]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 07:05.[39]
  7. [N 7]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 16:13.[51]
  8. [N 8]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3.[51]
  9. [N 9]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 14:16.[51]
  10. [N 10]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Ilyushin Il-2.[51]
  11. [N 11]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 16:45.[51]
  12. [N 12]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 17:00.[51]
  13. [N 13]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 07:15.[51]
  14. [N 14]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed on 6 June 1943.[51]
  15. [N 15]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 06:12.[51]
  16. [N 16]
    This unconfirmed claim is not listed by Mathews and Foreman.[65]
  17. [N 17]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 13:24.[65]
  18. [N 18]
    According to Scherzer as pilot in the III./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet".[76]
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References

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