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Heinrich Klöpper
Born	(1918-01-09)9 January 1918 Groß Bülten, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died	29 November 1943(1943-11-29) (aged 25) Vollenhove, Netherlands
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1939–1943
Rank	Oberleutnant (first lieutenant)
Unit	JG 77, JG 51, JG 2, JG 1
Commands	7./JG 1
Battles / wars	World War II Eastern Front Western Front Battle of France Battle of Britain Operation Barbarossa Defence of the Reich
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Heinrich (Heinz) Klöpper (9 January 1918 – 29 November 1943) was a former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Heinrich Klöpper was credited with 94 victories.

Career

Klöpper was born on 9 January 1918 in Größ Bülten, present-day part of Ilsede, at the time in the Province of Hanover within the German Empire.

In 1940 Heinrich (Heinz) Klöpper served with Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing), during the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain he recorded his first two victories. On 15 May, elements of 2. Staffel of JG 77 engaged five Armée de l'air Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 fighters west of Dinant. During this encounter, Klöpper claimed a M.S.406 fighter shot down, which was not confirmed, but was himself shot down and had to bail out of his Messerschmitt Bf 109 E. He landed safely near the advancing German tanks.

On 21 November, I. Gruppe of JG 77 was redesignated and became the IV. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). In consequence, Klöpper's former 2. Staffel of JG 77 became 11. Staffel of JG 51.

On the first day of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, he claimed his first victory on the Eastern Front, when he shot down a Russian SB-3 bomber. On 27 October 1941 he claimed a double Soviet victory, shooting down two LaGG-3 fighters. Another double on 5 July 1942, an Il-2 and an I-16 Rata; and five victories on 7 July 1942. Another five victories on 4 August 1942; a MiG-3, a Pe-2 and three Il-2 ground-attack aircraft.

On 4 September 1942, Klöpper was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) for 65 aerial victories claimed.

Defense of the Reich

In May 1943, Klöpper was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 7. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1—1st Fighter Wing). He succeeded Hauptmann Günther Specht who was transferred. On the Western Front his 91st victim was a B-17 bomber on 5 November 1943. His 92nd, was a P-38 Lightning fighter on 13 November 1943. His 93rd aerial victory was the Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber, "Sack-Time Sally", claimed on 26 November 1943. His 94th and final victory was a P-38 at Hasselt claimed on 29 November 1943.

On 29 November 1943, Klöpper was killed in action following aerial combat with USAAF approximately 20 to 30 Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighters of the 55th Fighter Group, supported by few Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters. The combat occurred at an altitude of 9,000 meters (30,000 feet) in the area of Groningen, Leeuwarden and Meppel, ending over the Zuiderzee. Following this encounter, Klöpper crashed his Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 410 106—factory number) southwest of Meppel after flying through a low cloud cover.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

During his career, he shot down a total of 94 enemy planes in approximately 500 combat missions (18 victories were on the Western Front), of which eight were four engined bombers and seven Il-2 Sturmoviks. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 89 aerial victories, plus further one unconfirmed claim. This figure includes 80 claims on the Eastern Front and nine claims over the Western Allies, including four four-engined heavy bombers.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 05 Ost 0021". The Luftwaffe grid map (Jägermeldenetz) covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about 360 square miles (930 km). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 km × 4 km (1.9 mi × 2.5 mi) in size.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
• Wound Badge in Black (25 June 1943)
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant
• Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 20 October 1941 as Feldwebel in a Jagdgeschwader
• German Cross in Gold on 21 August 1942 as Oberfeldwebel in the VI./Jagdgeschwader 51
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 4 September 1942 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 11./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"

Notes

1. This unconfirmed claim is not listed by Mathews and Foreman.
2. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as Ilyushin Il-2.
3. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3.
4. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as Ilyushin Il-2.
5. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 11:22.
6. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 10:38.
7. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 07:50.
8. This claim is not listed by Mathews and Foreman.
9. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed ao 23 March 1943.

References

Citations

1. Obermaier 1989, p. 146.
2. Prien 1992, pp. 286–287.
3. Prien et al. 2002, pp. 97, 101.
4. Weal 2006, p. 82.
5. Prien et al. 2008, p. 190.
6. B-24 42-40749.
7. Prien et al. 2008, pp. 183–184, 200.
8. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 647–648.
9. Planquadrat.
10. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 646.
11. Prien 1995, p. 2380.
12. Prien et al. 2002, p. 420.
13. Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 646–647.
14. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 334.
15. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 342.
16. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 344.
17. Prien et al. 2003, p. 335.
18. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 647.
19. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 337.
20. Prien et al. 2003, p. 338.
21. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 345.
22. Prien et al. 2003, p. 339.
23. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 341.
24. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 353.
25. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 355.
26. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 356.
27. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 354.
28. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 648.
29. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 357.
30. ^ Prien et al. 2010, p. 443.
31. ^ Prien et al. 2008, p. 197.
32. ^ Prien et al. 2008, p. 195.
33. Patzwall 2008, p. 119.
34. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 235.
35. Scherzer 2007, p. 449.
36. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 260.

Bibliography

• Bergström, Christer . "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
• 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.
• Forsyth, Robert (2017). Jagdgeschwader 1 'Oesau' Aces 1939–45. Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 134. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-2291-8.
• Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 2 G–L. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-19-6.
• 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.
• Prien, Jochen (1992). Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 77—Teil 1—1934–1941 [History of Jagdgeschwader 77—Volume 1—1934–1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-19-9.
• Prien, Jochen (1995). Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 77—Teil 4—1944–1945 [History of Jagdgeschwader 77—Volume 4—1944–1945] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-29-8.
• Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2002). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 4/II—Einsatz am Kanal und über England—26.6.1940 bis 21.6.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 4/II—Action at the Channel and over England—26 June 1940 to 21 June 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-64-9.
• Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/I—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/I—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-69-4.
• Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2006). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/II—Vom Sommerfeldzug 1942 bis zur Niederlage von Stalingrad—1.5.1942 bis 3.2.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/II—From the 1942 Summer Campaign to the Defeat at Stalingrad—1 May 1942 to 3 February 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-77-9.
• Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2008). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 10/II—Reichsverteidigung—1.1. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 10/II—Defense of the Reich—1 January to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-85-4.
• Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2010). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 10/IV—Einsatz im Westen—1.1. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 10/IV—Action in the West—1 January to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-92-2.
• 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.
• Weal, John (2006). Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders". Aviation Elite Units. Vol. 22. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-045-1.
• Accident description for B-24 42-40749 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 15 December 2023.

• Aviation
• Biography

• 1918 births
• 1943 deaths
• Luftwaffe pilots
• Luftwaffe personnel killed in World War II
• Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
• Aviators killed by being shot down
• Military personnel from Lower Saxony
• German World War II flying aces
• People from Peine (district)