" 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.
