Remembering Wilhelm Balthasar by Dr. Gerhard Lohmann

Following the death in combat of Helmut Wick in late 1940, his replacement as Kommodore JG 2 was one of the leading Jagdwaffe aces of the campaign in the West, Hptm. Wilhelm Balthasar. He is seen here (left below) with his usual wingman, Oblt. Erich Leie from his Stabsschwarm, in early 1941 in front of his Bf 109 E-7/N. This was just a short time prior to the arrival of the first Friedrichs in JG 2. Note the open refill hatches for the GM-1 power boost tanks. Balthasar’s Friedrich would display very similar markings - see below.

by Dr. Gerhard Lohmann in Jägerblatt (May 1962 issue) 

"..The most successful fighter pilot of the French campaign was Wilhelm Balthasar. The tall Kapitän of 7./JG 27 had managed to achieve 23 victories during the weeks of May and June—a feat for which, alongside Mölders, he became one of the first fighter pilots to receive the Knight's Cross. He had also destroyed 13 additional aircraft on the ground. Günther Lützow then recruited him to command III./JG 3.

When he took over command of JG 2 on February 16, 1941, with 29 victories to his name, he was evidently still suffering from the after-effects of the severe wound he had received in the autumn of 1940, which had not yet fully healed and from which he suffered until his death. Perhaps this is why he appeared serious throughout his life, although his cheerful nature always broke through at the opportunity. He was simple, modest, and straightforward, embodying the best Prussian spirit. This "more than you seem!" as an expression of a moral character trait was, incidentally, possessed by many non-Prussians! He demanded much of his men, but even more of himself! He took his task very seriously, tirelessly visiting the geographically dispersed units of his Geschwader and imparting to them his combat experience, which stretched back to the Spanish Civil War, where he had achieved seven victories.

Here's a little anecdote. One evening, there was a particularly cheerful atmosphere in the officers' mess. When I entered, Balthasar, with a twinkle in his eye, asked me why I had ordered our Ju 52 to Königsberg. As he did so, he waved a telegram that read: "Ju just landed safely." Astonished, I replied: "Impossible! ..the Ju is right there on the field!" Roars of laughter! Finally, the penny dropped! Balthasar had arranged with his wife that she should refer to the expected addition to their family as either a Ju or a Me in the telegram. Soon after, he flew home to hold his son in his arms for the first (and last) time.

After the quiet winter weeks, during which he managed to shoot down two enemy aircraft, the situation in the air began to change significantly in the spring of 1941. Aerial combat no longer took place on the other side of the Channel, but rather over the Channel itself and over friendly territory. The bulk of the Geschwader redeployed north to French Flanders and the Pas de Calais. The headquarters Stab was stationed at St.-Pol-Brias, alongside Assi Hahn’s III. Gruppe and his "young bears." The British launched their air offensive against the Belgian-French industrial region. Balthasar always flew at the head of the formations; how often one heard his clear voice and his battle cry—"Hinein! (Dive in!) "—over the radio. Within a week, he achieved nine victories, bringing his total to forty. He used a lull in operations caused by the weather to visit the grave of his father—a Hauptmann killed near La Bassée in October 1914—with myself at the cemetery in Illies, southwest of Lille. Was it a premonition of death when he said, "If I should fall fighting against England, I want to be laid to rest beside my father"?

On July 3, 1941, the Geschwader took off following the report: "Inbound raid by many 'Indians' [enemy fighters]!" I was in charge of the operations center. Over the radio, I heard Leie shout: "Watch out, Balthasar—two Spitfires behind you!" "Yeah, yeah!" came his somewhat impatient-sounding reply. The fighters of J.G. 2 engaged the enemy. The only aircraft missing was the Kommodore’s. At first, no one was worried; during such wild dogfights, it was common for aircraft to land elsewhere. Later, a call came in from the Jafü (Fighter Leader) reporting that an Me 109 had crashed into the ground not far from Hazebrouck. It was Wilhelm Balthasar's. Neither he nor the aircraft had sustained any hits; the wing lay a considerable distance away. Balthasar was known for pushing his machines to the absolute limit. A wing had evidently been torn off during a dive. Deep sorrow settled in our hearts. Wilhelm Balthasar was laid to rest beside his father... The graves of Balthasar (father and son)—which are difficult to locate today, as the large iron crosses we originally erected were destroyed—are being selflessly tended by Monsieur Jacques Raille (of 49 Rue Grande Chaussée, Lille), as is the grave of Rudi Pflanz south of Abbeville. Our thanks go to this French comrade!.. "

Here a rare view taken at Kommodore Balthasar's funeral ceremony..

The court martial of Hptm. Willi Elstermann - I./JG 6 in Schroda, 21-22 January 1945

In July 1944 two Gruppen of Oblt. Johann Kogler's ZG 26 converted from the Me 410 to the Fw 190 and a new Jagdgeschwader 6 was established. Kogler retained his position as Kommodore. Hptm. Willi Elstermann was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 6. Elstermann was a pre-war pilot, born in December 1917, and a decorated career officer -awarded the EK I and the combat clasp in Gold - and rated as 'above average'. Having flown in ZG 52 - and been shot down by French H-75 Hawks during September 1939 - he flew combat in NJG 3 prior to being appointed Kdr. of II./ZG 26. His 'Einsatzfreudigkeit' was especially noted - his 'enthusiasm and commitment to combat'. By mid-January 1945 he had flown some 150 combat sorties and returned seven victories. Although he had been 'sanctioned' after the disastrous performance of his Gruppe in France during late August 1944 (some 50 machines lost in around two weeks combat) he had been re-appointed to command later in the year, taking over as Kommandeur of I./JG 6.

In late January 1945 Elstermann and elements of his Gruppe had the misfortune to find themselves directly in the advance of the so-called Soviet 'Vistula-Oder' operation - the 'steamroller' that brought the Red Army in a matter of weeks to within striking distance of Berlin. I./JG 6 was on the airfield of Schroda-Ost.  Schroda (now Środa Wielkopolska) was a German town and administrative district (Kreis) within the Prussian province of Posen (Poznań region), located some 30 km south-east of the city of Posen (Poznań). Posen lies on the river Warta (Werte in German or Werthe in English), one of Poland's longest rivers. It meets the Oder at Kostrzyn on the Polish-German border - the then German 'fortress' of Küstrin. Alongside Elstermann and I./JG 6 in Schroda were elements of I./JG 301 under Gruppenkommandeur Hptm. Friedrich-Karl Wodtke and III./SG 77 under the Staffelkapitän of 7./SG 77 Hptm Günther Ludigkeit. Wodtke was another pre-war pilot (born 1916 in Ansbach) transferring from the Aufkl.Kette AS/88 to 3./Kü.Fl.Gr. 406, prior to retraining as a bomber pilot. As Stafü in III./KG 1 he attended the Verbandsführerschule/KG 101 and during September 1943 held the rank of Hptm. and was StaKa in 3./KG 30. Ludigkeit was a decorated Stuka pilot in St.G 77 with the DKiG. He had subsequently been awarded the Ritterkreuz in March 1944 having then flown some 765 combat sorties.  All three of the Gruppen led by these officers were assigned to 3. Flieger-Division. 

I./JG 301 had barely arrived  in Schroda, transferring on 21 January 1945 as part of the wholesale shift of Western fighter Gruppen to the Eastern Front. Unfortunately for the hapless fighter pilots Schroda was so close to the front lines that pilots were among some of the men immediately deployed to the ground forces attempting to hold up the Russians. At least two pilots were killed in theses clashes.

But crucially for what happened next, all three Gruppen were then 'socked-in' by bad weather with little chance of getting airborne...

On Monday 22 January takeoffs were impossible at Schroda Ost due to weather conditions. I./JG 6 had twelve operational and four non-operational Focke-Wulf aircraft at Schroda; also present were elements of I./JG 301—with two operational and two non-operational Fw 190s each—and III./SG 77 with eight aircraft. Other units had parked their aircraft at the airfield and handed them over to the airfield commandant. All told, the Schroda-Ost airfield held approximately 65 aircraft. Over the course of the day and the following night, the situation there became critical, as the capture of the airfield by Soviet troops became ever more likely. In light of this, the Kommandeur I./JG 6 was placed in command of I./JG 301 and III./SG 77 present on site, by order of the 3. FL. Div. (3rd Air Division). Furthermore, it was ordered that only the minimum number of aircrew and technical personnel required to ready the aircraft for takeoff and ferry them away were to remain at the airfield. All other personnel were to withdraw immediately to Posen, travelling by road as a unified group. The mission assigned to the Gruppenkommandeur I./JG 6 was to order and oversee the transfer of the aircraft to Posen, subject to weather conditions. As a precaution, the aircraft were to be concentrated together in a tight formation and at the same time prepared for demolition—an action the Gruppenkommandeur was to order should the airfield come under direct fire and takeoffs become impossible. Subsequently, the detachment remaining at the airfield was to be deployed for the airfield's continued defense or begin the march back to Posen, in accordance with the instructions of the Horstkommandant (Airfield Commander). As the situation grew increasingly critical and repeated telephone appeals to the 3rd Air Division failed to yield an evacuation order, the Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 6—acting in concert with the commanders of I./JG 301 and III./SG 77—decided to load the available vehicles and ready all personnel (with the exception of the I./JG 6 Gruppenkommandeur himself and a small demolition squad) for departure outside the airfield perimeter. That evening, when the column could see from a distance that the Schroda-West airfield was being destroyed and demolitions were also taking place at Schroda Ost, it began its withdrawal. In reality, however, only the permanent structures at the East airfield were demolished at that stage, while the remaining detachment continued to hold its position. It was not until 05:30 on the morning of January 23—prompted by the approach of enemy forces—that the aircraft assembled at the airfield were actually destroyed - some 60-odd aircraft. As a result of these events, court-martial proceedings were initiated against the three Kommandeure involved; following an oral hearing on January 27, all three were sentenced to several weeks of aggravated barracks arrest ( geschärfter Stubenarrest) for negligent breach of duty..

The events at Schroda-Ost as recounted above are based on the field court-martial verdict issued by the Special Court of the Commander-in-Chief of *Luftflotte* 6 on 27 January 1945 (BA/MA RL 7/529).

. To quote from JfV 16/I (Prien/Balke) 

".. The verdict leaves a decidedly ambivalent impression; while formally correct, the presiding judge appears to have been torn between the higher command's implicit demand for harsh penalties and a discernible desire to ensure justice for the highly decorated officers on trial—particularly given that they were neither responsible for the desperate situation that arose at Schroda nor had their actions resulted in damage that could have been avoided through proper conduct... " 

In other words - and as understood by this blog - Elstermann would likely have been court-martialed and punished regardless of whether he had blown up 60 perfectly good aircraft or let them fall into Russian hands - all of this through no fault of his own....

".. The accused are convicted of negligent breach of duty— Hptm. Wodtke also of negligent disobedience—as follows: 

Hptm. Elstermann is sentenced to 6 (six) weeks of strict room arrest, 

Hptm. Wodtke to (four) weeks of strict room arrest, 

Hptm. Ludigkeit to 3 (three) weeks of strict room arrest. 

Hptm. Ludigkeit is acquitted of the charge of cowardice on the grounds of lack of culpability.."

" erster Abschuss mit 19 Jahren.." - first victory aged 19

 

.. from the 'Adler im Süden' dated Tuesday 24 March 1942 (nummer 24)

"...Just a few days ago, the Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) introduced him to us as our "chick". ('unser Küken') He took him under his arm with fatherly kindness and hugged him close, as if the lad still needed special protection and tender care.

The "chick" has since taken wing—in more ways than one. Now, on his twenty-first combat sortie, he has shot down a Hurricane off the coast of Malta, just like the veterans do. A single pass was enough; the Englishman tumbled, crashed onto the chalk cliffs of Malta, and burned. There stood the Gefreiter Beitz in the circle of old hands—men who had already added a zero to their tally of victories - and was awarded the Iron Cross, Second Class. A spark of daring spirit shone in his bright eyes; he grinned broadly, accepting their congratulations—still a youngster, yet already a true fighter pilot.

When the war broke out, he was an eighteen-year-old office worker; he volunteered, determined to become a fighter pilot. It took time, but he eventually found the finest role imaginable: flying fighter missions with the legendary "Ace of Spades" Geschwader. He knows what is expected of him, and he has proven himself. He aims to build upon the trust placed in him and to live up to the example set by his role models..."

**War Correspondent Helmut Heidelauf**

Gert Beitz of 9./JG 53 achieved a second victory on 18 May 1942 but in the course of the dogfight in which he shot down a Spitfire, Beitz’s own Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 (WNr. 8670,  "Yellow 2 + I") was struck and heavily damaged during aerial combat. Beitz successfully bailed out of his crippled fighter and parachuted safely into the Mediterranean. He was quickly rescued from the water by a Royal Air Force (RAF) High-Speed Launch and spent the remainder of the war as a POW. 

Below; Friedrichs of III./JG 53 in February 1942 heading for Malta ..

From the original PK caption - "..Combat in the Mediterranean: escorted by our agile fighters, our combat aircraft thunder toward their target (Malta) carrying their destructive payloads..."

PK (Propaganda Company) photo: War correspondent Linden. 

Below Kommandeur and Ritterkreuzträger Kaminski with one of his pilots describing a combat...

.. and from Jochen Prien..

".. Just stumbled over your article on Beitz – the last photo shows Hptm. Herbert Kaminski, who was Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 53, not III./JG 53. The officer-pilot he is listening to could be Lt. Joachim Louis, then in the Stabsschwarm of I./JG 53.."

new Luftwaffe books - 'Nachtjagd over the Eastern Front' (by Sven Carlsen, Morten Jessen and Adam Thompson, Air War Publications )

 

After a lengthy gestation a superb new volume is just published by the Luftwaffe 'specialists' at Air War Publications. Covering a little-known area of Luftwaffe operations during WWII in unprecedented detail - Eastern Front night-fighting - this is a stunning large-format 316-page volume with artwork by Claes Sundin and many rare photos from the collections of numerous Luftwaffe 'luminaries' (Boiten, Davis, Meyer and Stipdonk to name a few!) with text and research contributions from Andrew Arthy and Nigel Moore...

On the launch of Barbarossa in June 1941 the Luftwaffe hierarchy could hardly have imagined that their planned rapid campaign of conquest would require a night-fighting arm. But, six months later they had already lost all momentum. And as in the West, the defenders quickly learnt that night-time operations could be conducted in relative safety. By early 1942 ad-hoc measures were being implemented on both sides - Bf 109s from JG 54 were some of the first Eastern Front 'night fighters' as the Luftwaffe sought to interdict Soviet night-time resupply sorties into Leningrad. It goes without saying therefore that Luftwaffe night fighting in the East developed somewhat differently from the much more 'sophisticated' defensive 'lines' established along virtually the entire length of Germany's western borders. Soviet night-time air operations were initially countered by whatever aircraft and crews were available - including He 111s - organised into small night-fighting Schwärme ('flights') assembled from the bomber and reconnaissance units under the auspices of the various Luftflotten (air fleets); for example the Nachtjagdschwarm of Luftflotte 4 comprised several pilots from 9./KG 27 including Engelbert Heiner who scored some 11 night victories in the He 111, a performance that led to his award of the Ritterkreuz on 9 December 1942.

The Germans faced both conventional -albeit antiquated- Soviet bombers and transports and more especially the small 'sowing machine' biplanes (also known as 'crabs') that were used extensively for harassment and resupply missions for partisan groupings operating behind German front lines. These proved surprisingly difficult targets because they operated at low speed and extremely low-level - they may have been 'lame ducks' but interception by fast fighters was particularly challenging. The solution was the deployment of much  'slower' German machines such as the Fw 189 and the Fw 58 as night fighters. Several aces achieved victories with what Oblt. Josef Pützkuhl called the “slowest night fighter in the world" - the Fw 189 was fitted with search radar 'antlers' and Schräge Musik as MG 151s became available and hunted these R-5 and U-2 'crabs' when there were no bombing raids.

As Soviet night activity increased, the Luftwaffe established more specialised units, notably Nachtjagdgeschwader 100 (NJG 100) and NJG 200 in 1943. Their Ju 88s, Do 217s and Bf 110s were supported by mobile radar and ground-control stations on 'nightfighting trains', which could be moved as the front shifted. This was the so-called Eisenbahnnachtjagd ('railway night-fighting') in which NJG 100 'specialised', flying in the 'dark' Nachtjagd' role. This allowed German crews to be directed towards approaching Soviet aircraft rather than simply searching for them independently. Nevertheless, the enormous distances involved, rapidly changing front lines, limited communications and the almost total absence of infrastructure made night interceptions particularly challenging. The fighters of NJG 200 on the other hand were generally not even fitted with radar, flying 'helle' Nachtjagd, targets illuminated from the ground either by searchlights or flak fire. The organisation of NJG 200 formed in late August 1943 attests to the ad-hoc nature of the Luftwaffe's embryonic night fighter force in the East - the unit never had a Stab, far less a full complement. 1./NJG 200 was the redesignation of the Nachtjagdschwarm of Luftflotte 1 at Dno; 4./NJG 200 was formed at Orscha from the remnants of 10./ZG 1; 5./NJG 200 at Nikolajew was the former NJ Schwarm of Luftflotte 4, while 7./NJG 200 came from the NJ Schwarm of Luftflotte 6 at Smolensk. 7./NJG 200 was eventually absorbed into NJG 100, being disbanded in December 1943 while an 8./NJG 200 established at Stalino with a mix of He 111s and Ju 88As never completed operational training (see Table 43 on page 220). Only 5. Staffel of NJG 200 ever managed to field a full complement of aircraft (12 machines). In total NJG 200 had barely  more than 50 aircraft on strength of which only a certain percentage would likely be serviceable.

Nonetheless experienced crews could achieve impressive results - especially during early 1944. Lt. Klaus Scheer of 4./NJG 100 downed five Soviet PS-84s in the Narva area (Estonia) at the controls of his Ju 88 C-6 coded “W7+BM” before landing back at Reval on the night of 6-7 March 1944. He accounted for four DB3-Fs on the night of 9-10 March during a raid by over 500 Soviet bombers on the Estonian capital of Tallinn, all later confirmed by Luftflotte 1. He ended the war with 24 night victories. That same night his comrade Uffz. Otto Holler achieved four Abschüsse during the raid on Tallinn, achieving ace status. He was shot down and killed by return fire from his last victim—his kills were all later confirmed by Luftflotte 6. Hptm. Theodor Bellinghausen (4./NJG 100) also achieved ace status during the Tallinn raid, while Ofw. Karl Strohecker of 3./NJG 100 claimed a DB-6 and a “Martin” SB-2 for his fourth and fifth Luftsiege. Men such as Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, Günther Bertram, Josef Kociok, Alois Lechner, and Gustav Francsi became notable Eastern Front night-fighter aces and their comprehensive biographies feature throughout this magnificent volume in extensive 'side-bars'. Lechner was awarded the Ritterkreuz on February 5, 1944 after 42 victories, Francsi survived the war as the highest-scorer in the East with some 59 confirmed 'kills'. As the Russians moved ever westwards, some of these aces found themselves flying against the Western Allies - most notably following the uprising in Warsaw in the late summer of 1944. The Poles began their uprising without any significant logistic reserves, assuming that the fighting would last only three days. The Red Army failed to intervene and the fighting lasted 63 days. The RAF and the USAAF attempted to mount hazardous and ultimately unsuccessful resupply operations. Gustav Francsi claimed eight RAF bombers attempting to drop supplies over the Polish capital—including three “Lancasters” on the night of August 14/15 (all three were 178 Sqn B-24s from 205 Group). Another 1./NJG 100 ace, Ofw. Helmut Dahms, claimed two more 'Viermots' on the night of 16-17 August 1944 and finished the war with 28 Abschüsse..

By early 1945 as huge Soviet columns moved through Poland and massed on the eastern approaches to Berlin the Eastern Front nightfighters flew what were primarily night ground-attack missions, so-called Straßenjagd sorties - once again new tactics had to be adopted and improvised even as the war neared its end. Gliding down silently from altitude -engines cut - to launch firing passes against motorised columns advancing deep into the Reich, all headlights blazing, must have been extremely risky. But even sorties like this had little impact on the Russian advance. By now units such as NJG 100 could not even operate from their remaining operational aerodromes without Mosquito intruders appearing over the field. Bertram's last victory - his 35th - was an RAF Lancaster on the evening of 10 April 1945.

The full story of the Luftwaffe's Eastern Front night fighters is told in this remarkable volume - from its ad-hoc beginnings to its 'radar trains', its aces, its 'chaotic' deployments and constantly improvised tactics. Comprehensive appendices include personnel and aircraft loss lists, camouflage and markings, tactics, victory claims and airfields and commanders. Maps and data tables make it easy to follow the  dense text. Full-page 'side-bars' look at the night fighters opponents - the RAF over the Balkans (p227)  - and even some non-Eastern Front ops, eg II./NJG 100 in Operation 'Bodenplatte (page 253)  Unlike other World War II air forces and contrary to the accepted view, 'Nachtjagd over the Eastern Front' highlights the constant shortage of personnel and aircraft endured by the Luftwaffe. There were major difficulties in raising new units - the Zerstörer, bomber, transport and reconnaissance pilots could not make up the shortfall. The deployment of innovations such as night-fighting 'radar trains' resulted in important successes, but as in the West, the sheer numerical supremacy of the enemy led to an inexorable decline..

Ewald Janssen, Stab I./SG 4 - 300th combat sortie - Bundesarchiv photo report #15

 

 

..somewhere on the northern sector of the Eastern Front, early summer 1944 – a PK reporter captures some shots marking the 300th combat sortie flown by pilot Maj. Ewald Janssen, seen here climbing down from his (presumably) 'green 2',  a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 F-8 of the Stab I./SG 4, Luftflotte 1.

Janssen was an original member of JG Herrmann, joining the 'experimental' wilde Sau  night fighters (Nachtjagdversuchskommando) from the Stuka arm. He went on to briefly command I./JG 300 during the summer of 1943 before being appointed to head up JG 302 until early 1944. He had been awarded the DKiG with St.G 2 and received the RK in October 1944 as Kommodore of SG 4.  According to De Zeng/Stankey he was later relieved of his command due to the poor performance of his Geschwader during the Ardennes Offensive/Battle of the Bulge. He does not get a mention in Robert Forsyth's latest title 'Fw 190 Schlacht units'. He survived the war and died in Brazil in 1985.

 

Breguet Bizerte in the Luftwaffe

 

The Breguet 521 Bizerte was descended directly from the British Shorts Calcutta ( the military version was named 'Rangoon') after Breguet purchased one example and built four more under licence, after Louis Breguet acquired a factory in Le Havre in 1929 (nationalised in 1936). The aircraft were delivered in 1932-33 and  assigned to escadrille 3E1.The French Marine Nationale had previously bought a Calcutta directly from Shorts in Rochester, Kent. The Bizerte was the 'francisation' of the Calcutta and first flew in September 1933. Around 37 examples were constructed, the last three - still incomplete in June 1940- delivered directly to the Luftwaffe during 1941. The ungainly "nose" was designed for observation tasks while the aircraft was in flight. Note the defensive position to the right of the cockpit. The machine above is still displaying its French tail livery and has yet to receive Luftwaffe markings, a task that was hurriedly accomplished as the Germans had an urgent requirement for air-sea rescue seaplanes along the French Atlantic and Channel coastlines.

The first loss of a Bizerte was SG+FM (N° 11), launched on 16 November 1940 to look for the crew of a KG 100 He 111 and intercepted and shot down by a N° 236 (Coastal Command) Squadron Blenheim. As of April 1944 the Luftwaffe Seenot Staffeln had just five Bizertes on strength, two with 3. Seenot at Berre (N° 20 and ??) and three with 1. Seenotstaffel (N° 3, 4 and 36) at Biscarosse. With the Allied landings in Provence during August 1944, both Staffeln were ordered back to Germany. At least one of these machines (N° 4) remained in France to be incorporated back into the French naval air arm with 30S post-war. 

Bizerte flying boats were based in Hourtin (Atlantic coast, north of Bordeaux) and Brest among others. It was in Hourtin that Leutnante Klingspor and Unterhorst first arrived on 30 July 1940 with two crews to take possession of Bizertes N° 11 and 34 abandoned on 18 June. Both machines were repainted in German colours and flew into Lanvéoc-Poulmic (Brest, southern Brittany) on 7 August 1940

The Fighter Pilot from Ratibor - Herbert Kutscha

 

" The Fighter Pilot from Ratibor Herbert Kutscha Turns 70 "     from Jägerblatt (May 1987)

 "Der Ratiborer"—the official hometown publication for the city and district of Ratibor** (Upper Silesia) and an independent periodical dedicated to preserving and deepening ties to the homeland—published an extensive tribute in its latest issue to famous aviation pioneers and pilots from the Upper Silesian city of Ratibor. Alongside the former balloonist and airship pilot Dr. Hugo von Abercron and the leader of *Jagdstaffel* Boelcke (and *Pour le Mérite* recipient) Otto Bernert, the article honored an active member of our community: the fighter pilot and Knight's Cross recipient Herbert Kutscha. We share the pride felt by his fellow natives of Ratibor for a man who distinguished himself in both war and peace; after losing his Upper Silesian homeland, he overcame great difficulties to build a new career in Northern Württemberg, all while remaining steadfastly loyal to our community. 

** Now Racibórz in southern Poland, close to the Czech border) the town maintains active ties with Germany today through municipal partnerships, cultural exchanges, and European cooperation, even though its local ethnic German population was largely expelled after World War II

Herbert Kutscha was born on April 24, 1917, in Ratibor. He joined the commercial pilot training school (Verkehrsfliegerschule) as early as 1934 and transferred to the Luftwaffe shortly thereafter. During the Second World War, while serving as a Unteroffizier with II./JG 77, he achieved his first victory on December 14, 1939, over the German Bight. In February 1940, he was transferred to II./ZG 1. After achieving ten victories with II./SKG 210, he was deployed to Russia, where he enjoyed great success in low-level ground-attack missions. From June 1943, he served as *Staffelkapitän* of 15./JG 3 in Italy, flying missions in 'Ofenrohr' (stove pipe) equipped Gustavs against four-engine bombers. In August 1944 he became Kommandeur of II./JG 3 and in December 1944 was appointed Kommandeur of II./JG 27, a post that he held until February 1945 when he was posted to command III./JG 11. Herbert Kutscha was the recipient of numerous decorations; as a pilot, he was awarded the Knight's Cross on September 24, 1942, while serving on the Eastern Front with 5./ZG 1. With 47 aerial victories—including 22 four-engine bombers—and numerous ground-attack missions against tanks, locomotives, flak positions etc in some 900 sorties Kutscha settled in West Germany post-war after release from captivity. 

As a Staffelkapitän in IV./JG 3, he briefly led the Gruppe in the air during early 1944 after 83-victory ace and Kommandeur Franz Beyer was shot down and killed on 11 February 1944. Kutscha himself was downed barely ten days later on 24 February 1944 in combat with P-47s. Although wounded he baled out of his Bf 109 G-6, WNr. 411048, "yellow 13" (below) over Quakenbrück and was out of action for several months. 

 1939: Küstenjagdstaffel of II./JG 136 at Jever, equipped with Bf 109 Bs (from left): Merker, Kutscha, Pohl, Heilmayer, Babucke.