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Erbo Graf von Kageneck
Kageneck in front of his Messerschmitt Me 109E in Sicily, with ground crew
Born	(1918-04-02)2 April 1918 Bonn, German Empire
Died	12 January 1942(1942-01-12) (aged 23) Naples, Italy
Buried	Cemetery Bleichheim
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1937–1942
Rank	Hauptmann (captain)
Unit	JG 1, JG 27
Commands	9./JG 27
Battles / wars	See battles World War II Battle of France Battle of Britain Malta Operation Barbarossa Mediterranean
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Erbo Graf von Kageneck (2 April 1918 – 12 January 1942) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator of aristocratic descent during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 67 enemy aircraft shot down claimed in 329 combat missions. The majority of his victories were claimed over the Eastern Front, with 19 claims in the Mediterranean theatre and over the Western Front. He was "ace-in-a-day" once, shooting down five or more aircraft on a single day.

Born in Bonn, Kageneck volunteered for military service in the Luftwaffe in 1937. Following flight training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1—1st Fighter Wing). He fought in the Invasion of Poland and then in the Battle of France, claiming his first aerial victory on 12 May 1940. During the Battle of Britain, Kageneck was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 9. Staffel (9th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) in September 1940. In 1941, his unit fought in Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Here, Kageneck was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 31 July 1941 for 37 aerial victories claimed followed by the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 16 October for 65 aerial victories claimed. His unit was then transferred to North Africa in late 1941. On 24 December, Kageneck was seriously wounded in combat and succumbed to his injuries on 12 January 1942 in a hopital at Naples, Itlay.

Early life and career

Kageneck was born on 2 April 1918 in Bonn, at the time in the Rhine Province of the German Empire. He was the fourth of six children of Generalmajor Karl von Kageneck [de] and Baroness Maria von Schorlemer (1888-1959), daughter of Clemens Freiherr von Schorlemer-Lieser, an Imperial Secretary of Agriculture. His oldest brother was Clemens-Heinrich Graf von Kageneck (1913–2005), a captain in the army, and August von Kageneck (1922–2004), a lieutenant in the army, later a journalist and writer. His first name was Arbogast in homage to a distant 10th century Kageneck knight, which was quickly summed up to Erbo. Following four years of schooling at the Volksschule in Lieser, Kageneck attended the Aloisiuskolleg in Bad Godesberg, a school his brothers also attended. In 1935, Kageneck joined the Hitler Youth. In early 1936, he transferred to the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Gymnasium [de] in Trier where he graduated with his Abitur (diploma) in 1937.

Following his graduation, Kageneck volunteered for military service in the Luftwaffe in 1937. Following completion of flight and fighter pilot training, he was posted to 2. Staffel (2nd squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1—1st Fighter Wing), a squadron of I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 1 commanded by Major Bernhard Woldenga.

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland. In preparation for the invasion I. Gruppe of JG 1 had moved to airfields at Schippenbeil, present-day Sępopol, Heiligenbeil, present-day Mamonovo, and Arys-Rostken, present-day Orzysz, in East Prussia. Here, the Gruppe was subordinated to Luftflotte 1 (Air Fleet 1) under command of General der Flieger Albert Kesselring. On 6 September, the Gruppe was withdrawn from Poland and ordered to Lübeck-Blankensee and then on 15 September to an airfield at Vörden, located approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Osnabrück, where the unit stayed until January 1940. There, the Gruppe flew fighter protection during the "Phoney War" on the German border to the Netherlands.

In mid-January 1940, I. Gruppe was ordered to an airfield at Gymnich, today part of Erftstadt, where it patrolled Germany's western border. There, the Gruppe continuously conducted various flight exercises. In late April, the unit received the first Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-4 variant, replacing the Bf 109 E-3s. On 13 February, command of I. Gruppe was transferred from Woldenga to Hauptmann Joachim Schlichting.

Battle of France and Britain

The Wehrmacht launched the invasion of France and the Low Countries (Fall Gelb) on 10 May 1940. During this campaign, I. Gruppe of JG 1 was subordinated to the Geschwaderstab (headquarters unit) of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27–27th Fighter Wing) which was under the control of VIII. Fliegerkorps (8th Air Corps) under the command of Generaloberst Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen. Two days later, Kageneck claimed his first two aerial victories while providing fighter protection for the German ground forces crossing the Meuse, as well as the bridges crossing the Albert Canal at Veldwezelt, Vroenhoven and Kanne. That day, I. Gruppe claimed ten Bristol Blenheim bombers shot down, including two by Kageneck near Maastricht. This earned him the Iron Cross 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse) on 14 May. Following the advancing German ground forces, the Gruppe moved to an airfield at Charleville-Mézières on 16 May, and then to Tupigny on 31 May. The second and decisive phase, Fall Rot (Case Red), of the Battle of France began on 5 June. I. Gruppe supported the German forces fighting at the Somme and Aisne. That day, I. Gruppe pilots claimed eleven aerial victories including a Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighter near Roye. On 6 June, Kageneck claimed a French Lioré et Olivier LeO 451 bomber in the vicinity of Noyon, his fourth and last during the French campaign.

In preparation for combat with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in what would become the Battle of Britain, I. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Plumetot, locate north of Caen on the English Channel, on 30 June. On 5 July 1940, the Jagdwaffe (fighter force) of the Luftwaffe was reorganized and in consequence the I. Gruppe of JG 1 became the III. Gruppe of JG 27, subsequently his 2. Staffel of JG 1 became the 8. Staffel of JG 27. On 11 July, Kageneck was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class (Eisernes Kreuz erster Klasse). A week later, on 19 July, Kageneck was wounded in aerial combat east of the Isle of Wight while flying a Bf 109 E-4. It is possible, that his opponent may have been Pilot Officer Frank Reginald Carey who claimed to have scored hits on two and to have shot down one Bf 109 that day. In this encounter, Kageneck had claimed two RAF Hawker Hurricane fighters shot down south of the Isle of Wight. Following his recovery, he claimed his next aerial victory on 18 August over a Supermarine Spitfire fighter near Bognor Regis. On 9 September during a mission supporting Operation "Loge", Kageneck claimed a Spitfire shot near Rochford.

On 18 September 1940, Kageneck was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 9. Staffel of JG 27, replacing Oberleutnant Max Dobislav who was transferred. He claimed his first aerial victory as Staffelkapitän on 20 October, a Hurricane shot down southeast of London. He was promoted to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) on 1 October 1940. On 10 November, III. Gruppe was withdrawn from Channel operations. The Gruppe was first ordered to Diepholz Airfield and then to Vechta for a period of replenishment and equipment overhaul.

Balkan and Malta

In January 1941, JG 27 was ordered to relocate to Romania. Between 12 and 14 January, the ground personnel of III. Gruppe arrived in Bucharest-Băneasa, preparing for the arrival of the air elements which relocated on 2 February. Shortly after, the Gruppe moved to Giulești.

Following the Balkans campaign, III. Gruppe was briefly deployed to Sicily for actions against Malta. On 2 May, the Gruppe transferred to Gela and flew its first combat mission to Malta on 6 May, escorting Heinkel He 111 bombers from Kampfgeschwader 26 (KG 26—26th Bomber Wing). That day, Kageneck claimed a Hurricane shot down near Luqa. According to Shores, it is likely that his opponent was Pilot Officer Alan Sydney Dredge from No. 261 Squadron who made a forced landing in his Hurricane Z3057 and sustained severe burns. On 20 May, Kageneck claimed III. Gruppe's last aerial victory over Malta when he shot down Pilot Officer Anthony John Reeves from No. 261 Squadron flying Hurricane N2673. On 24 May, III. Gruppe left Sicily and returned to Germany.

Operation Barbarossa

In June, the Wehrmacht was preparing for Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet, and consolidating its forces near the border established in the German–Soviet Frontier Treaty. On 4 June, III. Gruppe arrived at Suwałki before being redeployed to Sobolewo on 12 June. At the start of the invasion, JG 27, with the exception of I. Gruppe, was subordinated to VIII. Fliegerkorps and was deployed in the northern sector of Army Group Centre. On 22 June 1941, the opening day of Operation Barbarossa, III. Gruppe flew many ground support missions against Soviet airfields and forces, its first just past 03:00. Later in the day, Kageneck shot down a Tupolev SB bomber south of Vilnius.

Following his 37th aerial victory, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 30 July 1941. The following day, III. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Soltsy, located west of Lake Ilmen. From this airfield, the Gruppe fought over the combat areas near Staraya Russa, south of Lake Ilmen, and Veliky Novgorod which is north of Lake Ilmen. On 10 August, Kageneck claimed a SB-3 bomber shot down. He became an "ace-in-a-day" on 14 August, claiming his 39th to 43rd aerial victory. On 20 August, Kageneck made a forced landing in his Bf 109 E-4 (Werknummer 1326—factory number) near Chudovo. Kageneck had logged his 300th combat mission in this aircraft.

On 16 October, General der Flieger Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen discharged III. Gruppe at Stabna, located just north of Smolensk, from operations on the Eastern Front. By this date, Kageneck had claimed 48 Soviet victories and — with his total now at 65 — was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 26 October 1941. He was the first pilot of JG 27 and 39th member of the German armed forces to be so honored.

North Africa and death

Following the withdrawal from the Eastern Front, III. Gruppe had been moved to Döberitz on 26 October. There, the Gruppe was equipped with the Bf 109 F-4 trop and began training for deployment to the Mediterranean theatre. On 5 November, Kageneck, together with Hauptmann Gordon Gollob, received the Oak Leaves from Adolf Hitler personally at the Wolf's Lair, Hitler's headquarters in Rastenburg, present-day Kętrzyn in Poland. When Oberst Werner Mölders was killed in a flying accident on 22 November, he was given a state funeral in Berlin on 28 November. His coffin was laid out in the honor court of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (Ministry of Aviation). The guard of honor consisted of Johann Schalk, Günther Lützow, Walter Oesau, Joachim Müncheberg, Adolf Galland, Wolfgang Falck, Herbert Kaminski and Karl-Gottfried Nordmann, with Kageneck holding Mölders' military decorations pillow. On 6 December, III. Gruppe transferred to North Africa where they were based at Timimi, Libya.

Kageneck claimed his last two aerial victories against British Commonwealth fighters on 12 December. That day, he claimed a Hurricane and Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter shot down near Timimi. On 24 December, Kageneck was seriously wounded in combat with several Desert Air Force (DAF) P-40 and Hurricane fighters south of Agedabia. Both Sergeant Maxwell of No. 94 Squadron and Pilot Officer Thompson No. 229 Squadron made claims for a fighter shot down in the same action. Many years later, some sources, including Kageneck's brother, August von Kageneck, claimed that the shots which hit Erbo were fired by the pre-eminent Australian ace of the war, Clive Caldwell.

Kageneck sustained severe injuries in combat near Agedabia resulting in a forced landing of his Bf 109 F-4 trop (Werknummer 8554) in the desert near El Magrun where he was recovered by Italian soldiers. He was immediately evacuated, first to a hospital in Athens, and then to another in Naples where, despite intensive care, he died of his wounds to his stomach and abdomen on 12 January 1942. He was posthumously promoted to Hauptmann (captain). Command of 9. Staffel was temporarily passed on to Leutnant Klaus Faber before Hauptmann Hans-Joachim Heinecke took command on 2 May 1942. Initially, Kageneck was buried in Naples before his family had him reinterred with military honors at the cemetery in Bleichheim, present-day part of Herbolzheim.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Kageneck was credited with 67 aerial victories. Spick also lists him with 67 aerial victories, claimed in an unknown number of combat missions, 19 on the Western Front - including four over Malta and two in North Africa - and 48 on the Eastern Front. The authors Ring and Girbig list him 67 aerial victories, 19 on the Western Front and 48 on the Eastern Front, as well. Thomas states that Kageneck flew 329 combat missions. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 66 aerial victory claims. This number includes 19 claims over the Western Allies and 47 on the Eastern Front.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (14 May 1940)
  • 1st Class (11 July 1940)
• Wound Badge (1939) in Black (July 1940)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 30 July 1941 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 27
  • 39th Oak Leaves on 26 October 1941 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 27

Dates of rank

Notes

1. Regarding personal names: Graf was a title before 1919, but now is regarded as part of the surname. It is translated as Count. Before the August 1919 abolition of nobility as a legal class, titles preceded the full name when given (Graf Helmuth James von Moltke). Since 1919, these titles, along with any nobiliary prefix (von, zu, etc.), can be used, but are regarded as a dependent part of the surname, and thus come after any given names (Helmuth James Graf von Moltke). Titles and all dependent parts of surnames are ignored in alphabetical sorting. The feminine form is Gräfin.
2. 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.
3. According to Schumann on 11 June 1940.
4. This claim is not listed by Mathews and Foreman.
5. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 09:47.

References

Citations

1. Obermaier 1989, p. 47.
2. von Kageneck 1999, pp. 17, 48.
3. Schumann 2022, pp. 2–3.
4. von Kageneck 1999, p. 23.
5. ^ Williamson & Bujeiro 2005, p. 55.
6. Schumann 2022, pp. 4–5.
7. Bergström, Antipov & Sundin 2003, p. 17.
8. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 599.
9. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, p. 312.
10. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, p. 25.
11. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, p. 31.
12. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, pp. 31, 33.
13. Prien et al. 2001, p. 70.
14. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, pp. 54, 338.
15. Dixon 2023, p. 90.
16. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, p. 54.
17. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, pp. 57, 338.
18. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, pp. 57, 339.
19. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, p. 70.
20. Prien et al. 2002, p. 408.
21. ^ Stockert 2012, p. 217.
22. Schumann 2022, p. 8.
23. Prien et al. 2002, p. 422.
24. Franks 2008, p. 63.
25. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, pp. 70, 72, 339.
26. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, pp. 72, 339.
27. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, pp. 73, 340.
28. Prien et al. 2002, p. 416.
29. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, pp. 75, 340.
30. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, p. 75.
31. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, p. 88.
32. Prien et al. 2003a, pp. 380, 382.
33. Shores 1999, p. 220.
34. Shores, Cull & Malizia 1987, p. 213.
35. Prien et al. 2003a, p. 380.
36. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, p. 136.
37. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, pp. 136, 340.
38. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, p. 141.
39. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, pp. 140, 342.
40. Prien et al. 2003b, p. 195.
41. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, p. 152.
42. Prien et al. 2003b, p. 180.
43. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1995, p. 142.
44. ^ Schumann 2022, p. 17.
45. ^ Prien et al. 2004, p. 297.
46. Stockert 2012, pp. 213, 218.
47. Alexander 2006, pp. 224–228.
48. Prien et al. 2004, pp. 298–299, 344.
49. ^ Stockert 2012, p. 219.
50. Prien et al. 2004, p. 332.
51. Schumann 2022, pp. 27, 29.
52. Zabecki 2014, p. 1616.
53. Spick 1996, p. 239.
54. Ring & Girbig 1994, p. 325.
55. ^ Thomas 1997, p. 339.
56. Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 599–601.
57. Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 599–600.
58. ^ Prien et al. 2001, p. 77.
59. Prien et al. 2001, p. 78.
60. Prien et al. 2001, p. 79.
61. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 600.
62. ^ Prien et al. 2002, p. 420.
63. ^ Prien et al. 2002, p. 421.
64. ^ Prien et al. 2003a, p. 382.
65. Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 600–601.
66. ^ Prien et al. 2003b, p. 187.
67. ^ Prien et al. 2003b, p. 190.
68. ^ Prien et al. 2003b, p. 188.
69. ^ Prien et al. 2003b, p. 191.
70. ^ Prien et al. 2003b, p. 189.
71. ^ Prien et al. 2003b, p. 192.
72. Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 601.
73. ^ Prien et al. 2004, p. 337.
74. Schumann 2022, p. ii.
75. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 428.
76. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 249.
77. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 55.
78. Stockert 2012, p. 216.

Bibliography

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v t e Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients of Jagdgeschwader 27
Karl-Heinz Bendert Ernst Börngen Ernst Düllberg Wolf-Udo Ettel (Oak Leaves) Ludwig Franzisket Fritz Gromotka Gerhard Homuth Max Ibel Erbo Graf von Kageneck (Oak Leaves) Willy Kientsch (Oak Leaves) Friedrich Körner Wolfgang Lippert Hans-Joachim Marseille (Oak Leaves, Swords & Diamonds) Karl-Wolfgang Redlich Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert (Oak Leaves & Swords) Hans Remmer Gustav Rödel (Oak Leaves) Joachim Schlichting Herbert Schramm (Oak Leaves) Werner Schröer (Oak Leaves & Swords) Otto Schulz Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt (Oak Leaves) Günter Steinhausen Peter Werfft
Knight's Cross with JG 3. Knight's Cross and Oak Leaves with JG 77. Oak Leaves with JG 53. Swords with JG 3.

• Aviation
• Biography

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• 1918 births
• 1942 deaths
• Counts in Germany
• Military personnel from Bonn
• Military personnel from the Rhine Province
• German World War II flying aces
• Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
• Luftwaffe personnel killed in World War II