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Hans-Heinz Augenstein

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German fighter ace and Knight's Cross recipient
Hans-Heinz Augenstein
Born(1921-07-11)11 July 1921
Pforzheim, Germany
Died7 December 1944(1944-12-07) (aged 23)
Münster, Germany
Cause of deathKilled in action
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service / branch Luftwaffe
RankOberleutnant (first lieutenant)
UnitNJG 1
Commands12./NJG 1
Battles / warsSee battles

World War II

AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Hans-Heinz Augenstein (11 July 1921 – 7 December 1944) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and flying ace during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. Operating as a night fighter pilot, he was credited with 46 aerial victories, of which 45 were four-engine bombers, all of which claimed in Defense of the Reich.

Born in Pforzheim-Brötzingen, Augenstein grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. He joined the military service in the Luftwaffe and was trained as a night fighter pilot. Following flight training, he was posted to Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1—1st Fighter Wing) in 1942. Flying with this wing, Augenstein claimed his first aerial victory on 13/14 May 1943 over a Royal Air Force bomber aircraft. In March 1944, he was appointed squadron leader of 12. Staffel (12th squadron) of NJG 1 and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 June 1944 for 35 nocturnal aerial victories claimed. On 7 December 1944, Augenstein was killed in action when he was shot down by a RAF night fighter near Münster.

Early life

Augenstein was born on 11 July 1921 in Pforzheim-Brötzingen, at the time in the Republic of Baden of the Weimar Republic.

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland. Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, Royal Air Force (RAF) attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign. By mid-1940, Generalmajor (Brigadier General) Josef Kammhuber had established a night air defense system dubbed the Kammhuber Line. It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped with radars and searchlights and an associated night fighter. Each sector named a Himmelbett (canopy bed) would direct the night fighter into visual range with target bombers. In 1941, the Luftwaffe started equipping night fighters with airborne radar such as the Lichtenstein radar. This airborne radar did not come into general use until early 1942.

Night fighter career

A map of part of the Kammhuber Line. The 'belt' and night fighter 'boxes' are shown.

Augenstein first served with 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1—1st Fighter Wing) during mid 1942. In late 1942, Augenstein transferred to 7. Staffel. This squadron was part of III. Gruppe (3rd group) of NJG 1 and at the time commanded by Hauptmann Wolfgang Thimmig. Augenstein was credited with his first aerial victory on the night of 13/14 May 1943 when he shot down an Avro Lancaster bomber 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) east of Lingen On the night of 23/24 May, RAF Bomber Command sent 829 heavy bombers to Dortmund of which 38 were lost. Defending against this attack, Augenstein shot down a Handley Page Halifax 6 km (3.7 mi) southwest of Raalte.

Bomber Command sent 518 bombers on a mission to bomb Essen on the night of 27/28 May, 23 bombers did not return to England. Augenstein was credited with four aerial victories that night, including three Halifax and a Vickers Wellington bomber. The Wellington was HE752 from No. 166 Squadron which crashed near Hengelo. On 11/12 June, Bomber Command attacked Düsseldorf with 890 bombers. The RAF lost 43 aircraft that night, including a Lancaster bomber shot down by Augenstein 8 km (5.0 mi) northeast of Deventer. The following night, Bomber Command lost 24 bombers in an attack on Bochum. Augenstein was credited with the destruction of two Halifax bombers that night. Augenstein was awarded the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 16 January 1944.

Squadron leader and death

On 1 March 1944, Augenstein was made Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 12. Staffel of NJG 1 On the night of 27/28 May, Bomber Command attacked Leopoldsburg. Augenstein claimed three Halifax bombers shot down that night, taking his total to 40 aerial victories. A little less than two weeks later, on 9 June, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). Augenstein was shot down on the night of 15/16 June near Roubaix, possibly by Flight Lieutenant W. W. Provan from No. 29 Squadron.

On the night of 2/3 November, flying from an airfield at Dortmund, Augenstein claimed his last three aerial victories during a RAF raid on Düsseldorf. On the night of 7 December 1944, Augenstein's Messerschmitt Bf 110 G-4 (Werknummer 140078—factory number) was shot down 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of Münster-Handorf by a De Havilland Mosquito night fighter of the Fighter Interception Unit, flown by RAF ace Flight Lieutenant Edward Richard Hedgecoe and Flight Sergeant J.R. Whitham. Augenstein and his Bordfunker Feldwebel Günther Steins were killed but his air gunner Unteroffizier Kurt Schmidt bailed out unhurt. Augenstein was credited with 46 victories, all recorded at night and including 45 four-engine bombers.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Augenstein was credited with 46 victories, of which 45 were four-engine bombers. Foreman, Parry and Mathews, authors of Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 45 nocturnal victory claims. Mathews and Foreman also published Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, listing Augenstein with 41 claims, plus five further unconfirmed claim.

Chronicle of aerial victories
  This and the – (dash) indicates unwitnessed aerial victory claims for which Augenstein did not receive credit.   This and the % (percent sign) indicates aerial victories listed in Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims but not in Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945.   This and the ? (question mark) indicates discrepancies between Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945 and Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims.
Claim Date Time Type Location Serial No./Squadron No.
– 7. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –
1 13 May 1943 23:57 Lancaster 6 km (3.7 mi) east of Lingen
2 24 May 1943 02:39 Halifax 6 km (3.7 mi) southwest of Raalte Halifax DK169/No. 76 Squadron RAF
3 28 May 1943 00:54 Wellington 3 km (1.9 mi) southwest of Hengelo Wellington HE752/No. 166 Squadron RAF
4 28 May 1943 01:05 Halifax 3 km (1.9 mi) northeast of Heek (Nienborg [de])
5 28 May 1943 01:21 Halifax Leer Halifax DK147/No. 76 Squadron RAF
6 28 May 1943 01:37 Halifax 10 km (6.2 mi) east-northeast of Deventer
7 12 June 1943 03:00 Lancaster 8 km (5.0 mi) northeast of Deventer
8 13 June 1943 01:56 Halifax 5 km (3.1 mi) west of Gildehaus Halifax W7909/No. 10 Squadron RAF
9 13 June 1943 02:03 Halifax northeast of Oldenzaal Halifax DT568/No. 51 Squadron RAF
– III. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –
10 27/28 August 1943 — Stirling 20 km (12 mi) northwest of Nuremberg
11? 28 August 1943 00:03 four-engined bomber Nuremberg-Lohe
– 9. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –
12 6 September 1943 00:45 Stirling Schönborn Stirling EH878/No. 623 Squadron RAF
13 6 September 1943 01:07 Lancaster 5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of Landau
14 22 September 1943 22:45 Lancaster Hüpede Halifax HR776/No. 158 Squadron RAF
15 23 September 1943 22:50 Lancaster 3 km (1.9 mi) north of Speyer
16 23 September 1943 23:00 Lancaster 3 km (1.9 mi) north of Kirchheimbolanden
17 27 September 1943 23:00 Halifax west of Lübbecke
18 3 October 1943 01:42 Halifax 7 km (4.3 mi) east of Kassel
19 9 October 1943 01:42 Lancaster south-southwest of Hanover
20 20 October 1943 22:24 Lancaster Ommen Lancaster JA907/No. 7 Squadron RAF
21 20 October 1943 22:45 Lancaster near Zwolle
22 3 November 1943 20:03 Lancaster southwest of Sundern Lancaster DV265/No. 101 Squadron RAF
23? 26 November 1943 02:55 Halifax Frankfurt (Oder) Halifax LK995/No. 429 Squadron RAF
– 7. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –
24 16 December 1943 19:00 Lancaster south of Osnabrück
25 24 December 1943 03:00 Lancaster Frankfurt (Oder) Lancaster LL671/No. 514 Squadron RAF
26 22 January 1944 03:00 Halifax 4 km (2.5 mi) east-southeast of Oldenzaal
— 27 January 1944 — Lancaster
27 30 January 1944 21:49 Lancaster Lancaster JA702/No. 156 Squadron RAF
28? 30 January 1944 22:00 Lancaster
29 15 February 1944 22:48 Halifax Emmerich
30 20 February 1944 02:30 Lancaster ES-5
31? 25 February 1944 02:50 Halifax south of Augsburg
32 26 February 1944 02:30 Lancaster
– 12. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –
34 2 May 1944 00:32 Lancaster near Ghent
35 2 May 1944 00:25 Halifax 8 km (5.0 mi) north of Mechelen
36 23 May 1944 01:21 Lancaster Eindhoven
37 23 May 1944 01:34 Lancaster Hoogstraten area
38 28 May 1944 02:13 Halifax
39 28 May 1944 02:15 Halifax
40 28 May 1944 02:17 Halifax
41% 13 June 1944 00:33 Lancaster Cambrai
42 29 July 1944 01:52 four-engined bomber 15 km (9.3 mi) west of Stuttgart
43 29 July 1944 02:11 four-engined bomber near Stuttgart
– IV. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –
44 4/5 November 1944 — Lancaster
45 4/5 November 1944 — Lancaster
46 4/5 November 1944 — Lancaster

Awards

Notes

  1. For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter aces
  2. Authors Mathews and Foreman date these claims on the evening of 4 November, stating that Augenstein shot down three Lancaster bombers.
  3. ^ According to Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, this claim was unconfirmed while Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945 confirm this claim.

References

Citations

  1. Spick 1996, pp. 3–4.
  2. Spick 1996, p. 244.
  3. ^ Obermaier 1989, p. 82.
  4. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 9.
  5. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 27.
  6. ^ Bowman 2016a, p. 153.
  7. Aders 1978, p. 227.
  8. ^ Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 80.
  9. Bowman 2016a, p. 151.
  10. ^ Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 82.
  11. Bowman 2016a, pp. 152–153.
  12. ^ Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 84.
  13. Bowman 2016a, p. 154.
  14. Bowman 2016a, p. 155.
  15. ^ Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 85.
  16. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2014, p. 21.
  17. Bowman 2016b, pp. 88, 90.
  18. Hinchliffe 1998, pp. 296–297.
  19. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2014, p. 22.
  20. Bowman 2016b, p. 161.
  21. Bowman & Davey 2013, p. 79.
  22. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, pp. 80–223.
  23. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2014, pp. 21–22.
  24. Chorley 1996, p. 156.
  25. Accident description for Halifax DK147 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
  26. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 83.
  27. Accident description for Halifax W7909 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
  28. Chorley 1996, p. 182.
  29. ^ Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 108.
  30. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, pp. 108, 130, 146, 152.
  31. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 111.
  32. Bowman 2016a, p. 208.
  33. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 112.
  34. ^ Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 115.
  35. Accident description for Halifax HR776 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
  36. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 116.
  37. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 117.
  38. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 119.
  39. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 120.
  40. ^ Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 124.
  41. Accident description for Lancaster JA907 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
  42. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 126.
  43. Accident description for Lancaster DV265 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
  44. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 130.
  45. Bowman 2016a, p. 227.
  46. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 132.
  47. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 134.
  48. Accident description for Lancaster LL671 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
  49. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 143.
  50. ^ Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 146.
  51. Accident description for Lancaster JA702 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
  52. ^ Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 148.
  53. ^ Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 152.
  54. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 172.
  55. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 176.
  56. ^ Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 179.
  57. ^ Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 180.
  58. ^ Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 206.
  59. ^ Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 223.
  60. Patzwall 2008, p. 43.
  61. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 19.
  62. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 118.
  63. Scherzer 2007, p. 196.

Bibliography

  • Aders, Gebhard (1978). History of the German Night Fighter Force, 1917–1945. London: Janes. ISBN 978-0-354-01247-8.
  • Bowman, Martin; Davey, Chris (2013). Mosquito Bomber/Fighter-Bomber Units 1942–45. Combat Aircraft. Vol. 4. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-0049-7.
  • Bowman, Martin (2016a). Nachtjagd, Defenders of the Reich 1940–1943. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-4738-4986-0.
  • Bowman, Martin (2016b). German Night Fighters Versus Bomber Command 1943–1945. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1-4738-4979-2.
  • Chorley, W. R (1996). Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War: Aircraft and crew losses: 1943. Midland Counties Publications. ISBN 978-0-90459-790-5.
  • Chorley, W. R (1997). Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War: Aircraft and crew losses: 1944. Midland Counties Publications. ISBN 978-0-9045-9791-2.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) . Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • Foreman, John; Mathews, Johannes; Parry, Simon (2004). Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939–1945. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-0-9538061-4-0.
  • Hinchliffe, Peter (1998). Luftkrieg bei Nacht 1939–1945 [Air War at Night 1939–1945] (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-613-01861-7.
  • Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2014). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 1 A–F. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-18-9.
  • Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1.
German World War II night fighter flying aces with 30+ aerial claims
100+
80–99
60–79
50–59
40–49
30–39
Only nocturnal victories
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