Oblt. Bruno Kolthoff was a pilot in I./JG 77 born on Christmas day 1918 in the town of Weener. In 1939 he was serving in a Flak unit before joining the flying personnel. Trained at Brün (Brno) and Paris (Villacoublay?). His first victory was a Spitfire, claimed on 14 October 1942 flying from Comiso with 1./JG 77 over Malta according to a 'Herz As' claims list. Freytag and Brandt also claimed on that day. By the end of the month I./JG 77 had shifted to Tunisia and at some stage during November 1942 Kolthoff was posted to the Stab I./JG 77 before joining 3./JG 77. Prior to this he had been shot down on November 2, the first day of the British 'Supercharge' offensive (El Alamein) but was able to bail out.
In late 1943 he was sometime acting Staffelführer of 2./JG 77 and took over from Oblt Köhler at the end of the year. Now with the rank of Oblt. and serving in the Gruppenstab his next claim - a B-24 at 4,200 metres - was filed on 2 April 1944 over Italy during the interception of a 15th AF raid on Steyr (Austria). On 25 June 1944 he shot down a Spitfire into the sea off Rimini, claiming his second over Italy. After reorganization during early October 1944, he was named Adjutant of I./JG 77 having claimed a P-47 north of Liege on 11 September and a second P-47 on September 28 according to a 'Herz As' claims list. He was shot down just eight days later on October 6, 1944. Airborne in the early afternoon from Babenhausen for a fighter sweep over the Volkel area, Kolthoff was intercepted and shot down by Spitfires near Zand (close to Arnhem) at the controls of his Bf 109 G-14 ('black chevron' WNr. 460429). The 25-year old did not survive and rests today at Ysselsteyn cemetery in Limburg; grave AD-5-125. He had been officially credited with four victories.
Below; Oblt. Bruno Kolthoff, on a G-6 Trop possibly in Italy during 1944, possibly a 2. Staffel machine 'black 8'. Note the heavy overspray ahead of the aircraft Kennung where a previous emblem might have appeared....
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