Friedrich Geißhardt
The head and shoulders of a young man, shown in semi-profile. He wears a military uniform with an Iron Cross displayed at the front of his white shirt collar.
Friedrich Geißhardt
Born(1919-01-22)22 January 1919
Sonnefeld, Oberfranken
Died6 April 1943(1943-04-06) (aged 24)
Sint-Denijs-Westrem, Ghent, German-occupied Belgium
Buried
Bourdon German war cemetery, France
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branchBalkenkreuz (Iron Cross) Luftwaffe
Years of service1937–43
RankHauptmann (captain)
UnitLG 2, JG 77, JG 26
Commands heldIII./JG 26
Battles/wars
See battles

World War II

AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Friedrich Geißhardt[Note 1] (22 January 1919 – 6 April 1943) was a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves 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.[1] The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award in the armed forces of Germany during World War II.

Geißhardt is credited with 102 victories in 642 combat missions, including 37 close air support missions. He achieved 63 of his victories over the Eastern Front. In his total are at least seventeen Spitfires.[2] Geißhardt was mortally wounded in combat with US bombers on 5 April 1943 and succumbed to his injuries the next day.

Early life and career

Geißhardt was born on 22 January 1919 in Sonnefeld, near Coburg in Oberfranken. He was the son of a teacher who had died early from wounds sustained during World War I. Aged fifteen, he joined the Flying Hitler Youth (Flieger-HJ) and became a glider pilot.[3] He joined the military service of the Luftwaffe in 1937 and was transferred to the 2./Lehrgeschwader 2 (LG 2—2nd Squadron of the 2nd Demonstration Wing) on 1 July 1939.[2][Note 2]

World War II

During the opening phase of the German invasion of Poland, I.(Jagd)/LG 2 (1st Fighter Group of the 2nd Demonstration Wing) relocated to Lauenburg (now Lębork), near Bromberg, in support of the 4. Armee (4th Army). Unteroffizier (a non-commissioned officer) Geißhard claimed his first aerial victory, a PZL P.24 fighter, that day.[4] The following day, flying a Messerschmitt Bf 109 E, Geißhardt had to make an emergency landing behind Polish lines near Włocławek following combat with Polish PZL P.11 fighter aircraft. After several hours in Polish captivity, he escaped during the confusion caused by a German Junkers Ju 87 dive bomber attack. He returned to German lines after walking and riding on a stolen horse for five days.[5] He was promoted to Leutnant der Reserve (second lieutenant of the military reserve forces) on 1 December 1939.[3]

Geißhardt was transferred to the 1./LG 2 (1st Squadron of the 2nd Demonstration Wing) on 27 February 1940. By the end of 1940, he claimed six Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft shot down during the Battle of Britain, followed by six more claims in early 1941.[2] On 6 April 1941, Geißhardt shot down four Hawker Fury biplane fighter aircraft in the aerial battles against the Yugoslav Royal Air Force's 36th Fighter Group during the Balkans Campaign.[6] During the German Invasion of Crete he claimed two Hawker Hurricanes. He was posted as an adjutant of the Stab to the I.(Jagd)/LG 2 at the end of April 1941.[2]

Eastern Front

Following the Invasion of Crete, I.(Jagd)/LG 2 was again subordinated to Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing) on 18 June 1941 and was moved to Bucharest, Romania in preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. JG 77 supported the German advance as part of Heeresgruppe Süd (Army Group South).[7] On 21 June, the Gruppe was ordered to Roman, a forward airfield near the Siret river.[8] Geißhardt claimed his first aerial victory on the Eastern Front, his twentieth overall, over a Tupolev SB-2 bomber at 05:52 on 23 June 1941.[9]

He received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 30 August 1941, after 27 aerial victories. He shot down further enemy aircraft in quick succession in the early part of 1942.[2] On 3 and 4 February 1942, Geißhardt and Oberleutnant Erwin Clausen shot down three Polikarpov R-5s or Polikarpov R-Zs of 622 LBAP (Legkii Bombardirovochnyy Aviatsionyy Polk—Light Bomber Aviation Regiment) and 672 LBAP.[10] He claimed his 40th victory on 1 March 1942 over a Yakovlev fighter aircraft in the vicinity of Sloviansk.[9] On 19 April 1942, Geißhardt took his total to 51 aerial victories when he shot down three Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3, also referred to by the Germans as I-61.[11] The next day, he became an "ace-in-a-day" when he shot down five further I-61s, earning him his second named reference in the Wehrmachtbericht propaganda bulletin.[12]

On 25 April 1942, Geißhardt became an "ace-in-a-day" for the second time which earned him his third and final named reference in the Wehrmachtbericht radio report. On three separate combat missions in the area of Sloviansk, he was credited with seven aerial victories, three I-61s, three Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-1 and one biplane of unknown type.[13] Geißhardt, who had been promoted to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) on 1 April 1942, was appointed Staffelkapitän of the 3./JG 77 (3rd Squadron of the 77th Fighter Wing) on 26 April 1942.[3]

Geißhardt was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 23 June 1942 for 79 aerial victories. The award was presented at the Führerhauptquartier at Rastenburg on 28/29 June 1942. By this date, he had claimed three more victories for an accumulated number of 82 victories.[2][14] Two other Luftwaffe officers were presented with the Oak Leaves that day by Hitler, the night-fighter pilot Hauptmann (captain) Helmut Lent and fellow JG 77 pilot Oberleutnant Heinrich Setz.[15]

Malta and North Africa

Shortly after the Oak Leaves presentation, I. Gruppe under the command of Hauptmann Heinrich Bär was ordered from the Eastern Front to the Mediterranean theatre of operations. On 29 June, I. Gruppe moved from Baherove, via Odessa, Băneasa, Sofia, Thessaloniki to Eleusis, where they arrived on 1 July.[16] The unit was then ordered to Sicily where it arrived at the Comiso airfield on 5 July 1942 and was subordinated to the command of Jagdgeschwader 53 Pik-As (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing).[17] By the end of October 1942, Geißhardt was credited with destruction of nine enemy aircraft in the aerial battles of Malta, all of them Spitfire fighter aircraft. On 11 July 1942, he claimed two Spitfires shot down, one of which was not confirmed.[18] He was credited with another Spitfire shot down in combat over Luqa on 20 July.[19] On a combat air patrol flown from 09:30 to 10:35 on 29 July, Geißhardt again claimed yet again a Spitfire shot down over Malta.[20] Geißhardt's Gruppe was then reequipped with the Bf 109 G-2, conversion completed on 1 September. Geißhardt claimed one more Spitfire on 8 September 1942,[21] I. Gruppe's 700th aerial victory on 10 October,[22] and his 89th on 10 October.[23] He claimed his last two victories over Malta on 15 October,[24] and was promoted to Hauptmann on 24 October 1942.[25]

I. Gruppe began transferring to the North African theatre on 26 October 1942. That day, Geißhardt and five other pilots from 3. Staffel flew to Tripoli, Libya.[26] There, he added nine more victories, among them his century on 10 November 1942.[2] He was the 30th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.[27]

Western Front and death

His grave at the Bourdon German war cemetery.

Geißhardt arrived at Wevelgem on 11 January 1943 to take over command as Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of the III. Gruppe (3rd group) of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) from Major Josef Priller. Geißhardt's arrogance grated on some of the pilots, who felt that he treated his fellow pilots who had not yet earned the Knight's Cross with too much disdain.[28]

Geißhardt, who was flying Fw 190 A-4 (Werknummer 7051—factory number) in Priller's Schwarm, was severely wounded in combat with United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 306th Bomb Group flying a mission to the Erla aircraft factory at Antwerp on 5 April 1943. He had been hit by the defensive fire from the bombers. He was bleeding profusely from a wound in the abdomen but managed to make a smooth landing on the airfield at Sint-Denijs-Westrem, Belgium. He succumbed to his injuries early the next morning on 6 April 1943.[28]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Geißhardt was credited with 104 aerial victories.[29] Spick lists Geißhardt with 102 enemy aircraft shot down in 642 combat missions, of which one was claimed during the invasion of Poland, 14 during the Battle of France and Britain, 75 over the Eastern Front, nine in the Mediterranean theater and three over North Africa.[30] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 93 aerial victory claims, plus eight further unconfirmed claims. This figure includes 60 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 33 over the Western Allies.[31]

Chronicle of aerial victories
  This and the ♠ (Ace of spades) indicates those aerial victories which made Geißhardt an "ace-in-a-day", a term which designates a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day.
  This and the – (dash) indicates unconfirmed aerial victory claims for which Geißhardt did not receive credit.
Claim Date Time Type Unit Claim Date Time Type Unit
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 77 in Poland –[32]
September 1939
1 9 September 1939 16:30 PZL P.24[33] 2.(J)/LG 2
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 77 against England –[34]
June – November 1940
2 4 July 1940 15:40 Hurricane 1.(J)/LG 2 5 24 August 1940 12:30 Spitfire 1.(J)/LG 2
3 4 July 1940 20:00 Hurricane 1.(J)/LG 2 6 7 September 1940 18:00 Hurricane 1.(J)/LG 2
4 13 August 1940
—
 Blenheim 1.(J)/LG 2 7 23 September 1940
—
 Spitfire 1.(J)/LG 2
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 77 on the Channel Front –[35]
November 1940 – March 1941
8 2 February 1941 15:30 Spitfire 1.(J)/LG 2 11 14 February 1941 13:05 Spitfire 1.(J)/LG 2
9 11 February 1941 18:00 Spitfire 1.(J)/LG 2 12 24 March 1941 19:45 Hurricane 1.(J)/LG 2
10 14 February 1941 13:00 Spitfire 1.(J)/LG 2 13 27 March 1941 18:45 Spitfire Stab I./LG 2
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 77 during the Balkan Campaign –[35]
April 1941
14 6 April 1941 06:12 Fury Stab I./LG 2 16 6 April 1941 06:15 Fury Stab I./LG 2
15 6 April 1941 06:15 Fury Stab I./LG 2 17 6 April 1941 06:20 Fury Stab I./LG 2
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 77 in Crete –[36]
May 1941
18 16 May 1941 17:00 Hurricane Stab I./LG 2 19 26 May 1941
—
 Hurricane Stab I./LG 2
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 77 on the Eastern Front –[37]
Operation Barbarossa — June – December 1941
20 23 June 1941 05:52 SB-2 Stab I./LG 2 24 2 July 1941 12:55 I-153 Stab I./LG 2
21 23 June 1941 18:50 I-18 Stab I./LG 2 25 7 July 1941 11:00 I-16 Stab I./LG 2
22 27 June 1941 09:25 I-16 Stab I./LG 2 26 11 July 1941 10:12 MiG-3 Stab I./LG 2
23 2 July 1941 08:50 MiG-3 Stab I./LG 2 27 3 August 1941 14:15 DB-3 Stab I./LG 2
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 77 on the Eastern Front –[38]
Winter War — December 1941 – April 1942
28 28 December 1941 13:30 I-16 Stab I./LG 2 48 8 April 1942 15:30 I-16 Stab I./JG 77
29 23 January 1942 11:30 I-16 Stab I./JG 77 49 19 April 1942 09:15 I-61 Stab I./JG 77
30 24 January 1942 09:35 DB-3 Stab I./JG 77 50 19 April 1942 11:30 I-61 Stab I./JG 77
31 24 January 1942 12:05 I-16 Stab I./JG 77 51 19 April 1942 15:00 I-61 Stab I./JG 77
32 3 February 1942 09:45 R-5 Stab I./JG 77 52♠ 20 April 1942 07:45 I-61 Stab I./JG 77
33 11 February 1942 14:02 I-153 Stab I./JG 77 53♠ 20 April 1942 07:45 I-61 Stab I./JG 77
34 18 February 1942 12:40 DB-3 Stab I./JG 77 54♠ 20 April 1942 11:30 I-61 Stab I./JG 77
35 18 February 1942 12:45 DB-3 Stab I./JG 77 55♠ 20 April 1942 15:00 I-61 Stab I./JG 77
36 20 February 1942 14:30 LaGG-3 Stab I./JG 77 56♠ 20 April 1942 15:00 I-61 Stab I./JG 77
37 24 February 1942 13:57 I-16 Stab I./JG 77 57 21 April 1942 15:10 I-61 Stab I./JG 77
38 24 February 1942 14:00 I-16 Stab I./JG 77 58 21 April 1942 15:10 I-61 Stab I./JG 77
39 28 February 1942 16:10 LaGG-1 Stab I./JG 77 59 22 April 1942 07:00 LaGG-1 Stab I./JG 77
40 1 March 1942 16:50 Yak Stab I./JG 77 60 22 April 1942 07:00 LaGG-1 Stab I./JG 77
41 9 March 1942 14:20 LaGG-1 Stab I./JG 77 61♠ 25 April 1942 07:00 LaGG-1 Stab I./JG 77
42 16 March 1942 13:25 R-5 Stab I./JG 77 62♠ 25 April 1942 12:00 I-16 Stab I./JG 77
43 21 March 1942 14:45 DB-3 Stab I./JG 77 63♠ 25 April 1942 12:00 I-16 Stab I./JG 77
44 21 March 1942 17:00 I-16 Stab I./JG 77 64♠ 25 April 1942 12:00 I-16 Stab I./JG 77
45 24 March 1942 07:00 Yak-1 Stab I./JG 77 65♠ 25 April 1942 16:00 LaGG-1 Stab I./JG 77
46 6 April 1942 15:00 I-61 Stab I./JG 77 66♠ 25 April 1942 16:00 LaGG-1 Stab I./JG 77
47 6 April 1942 16:50 R-5 Stab I./JG 77 67♠ 25 April 1942 16:00 biplane Stab I./JG 77
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 77 on the Eastern Front –[39]
Kerch, Sevastopol, Izium — May/June 1942
68 7 May 1942 14:30 R-5 3./JG 77 76 20 May 1942 15:45 LaGG-3 3./JG 77
69 7 May 1942 14:30 I-153 3./JG 77 77 28 May 1942 16:15 Yak-1 3./JG 77
70 7 May 1942 16:30 LaGG-3 3./JG 77 78 28 May 1942 16:15 Yak-1 3./JG 77
71 7 May 1942 16:30 LaGG-3 3./JG 77
—
 1 June 1942 14:35 I-16 3./JG 77
72 8 May 1942 15:30 I-15 3./JG 77 79 9 June 1942 16:00 Il-2 3./JG 77
73 15 May 1942 16:00 I-16 3./JG 77 80 16 June 1942 17:00 LaGG-3 3./JG 77
74 17 May 1942 05:00 LaGG-3 3./JG 77 81 22 June 1942 18:45 LaGG-3 3./JG 77
75 18 May 1942 15:00 R-10 3./JG 77 82 22 June 1942 18:45 LaGG-3 3./JG 77
– Claims with I. Gruppe/Jagdgeschwader 77 over Sicily –[40]
July – October 1942
83 11 July 1942 13:48 Spitfire 3./JG 77 87 8 September 1942
—
 Spitfire 3./JG 77
—
 11 July 1942
—
 Spitfire 3./JG 77 88 10 October 1942 8:15–9:20 Spitfire[Note 3] 3./JG 77
84 20 July 1942 14:10 Spitfire 3./JG 77 89 13 October 1942 11:05 Spitfire 3./JG 77
85 26 July 1942 10:10 Spitfire 3./JG 77 90 15 October 1942 11:00 Spitfire[Note 4] 3./JG 77
86 29 July 1942 10:20 Spitfire 3./JG 77 91 15 October 1942
—
 Spitfire[Note 5] 3./JG 77
– Claims with Jagdgeschwader 77 in North Africa –[42]
October – November 1942
92 3 November 1942
—
 P-40 3./JG 77 97 5 November 1942
—
 P-40 3./JG 77
93 4 November 1942
—
 P-40 3./JG 77 98 5 November 1942
—
 P-40 3./JG 77
94 4 November 1942
—
 P-40 3./JG 77 99 9 November 1942
—
 P-40 3./JG 77
95 4 November 1942
—
 P-40 3./JG 77 100 10 November 1942
—
 Spitfire 3./JG 77
96 4 November 1942
—
 P-40 3./JG 77

Awards

Notes

  1. ↑ His name, in German, is spelled with a "sharp S"; see ß.
  2. ↑ For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Organization of the Luftwaffe during World War II.
  3. ↑ 700th victory for I./JG 77[22]
  4. ↑ Potentially a Spitfire of No. 249 Squadron RAF flown by F/Sgt N.G. Bryden, who was wounded and baled out into the sea.[41]
  5. ↑ Potentially a Spitfire of No. 249 Squadron RAF flown by P/O V.K. Moody, who crash-landed at Takali, Malta.[41]
  6. ↑ According to Scherzer as pilot and adjutant in the Stab I.(Jagd)/Lehrgeschwader 2.[46]
  7. ↑ According to Scherzer as Staffelkapitän of the 3./Jagdgeschwader 77.[46]

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Spick 1996, pp. 3–4.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Obermaier 1989, p. 51.
  3. 1 2 3 Stockert 2012, p. 1.
  4. ↑ Weal 1996, p. 10.
  5. ↑ Prien 1992, pp. 84–85.
  6. ↑ Shores, Cull & Malizia 1987, p. 181.
  7. ↑ Prien 1993, p. 628.
  8. ↑ Prien 1993, p. 630.
  9. 1 2 Prien 1993, p. 642.
  10. ↑ Bergström & Mikhailov 2001, p. 76.
  11. ↑ Prien 1993, p. 966.
  12. 1 2 Prien 1993, p. 967.
  13. 1 2 Prien 1993, p. 973.
  14. ↑ Weal 2007, p. 26.
  15. ↑ Prien 1993, p. 1090.
  16. ↑ Prien 1993, p. 1082.
  17. ↑ Prien 1994, p. 1226.
  18. ↑ Prien 1994, p. 1236.
  19. ↑ Prien 1994, p. 1244.
  20. ↑ Prien 1994, p. 1251.
  21. ↑ Prien 1994, p. 1264.
  22. 1 2 Prien 1994, p. 1276.
  23. ↑ Prien 1994, p. 1282.
  24. ↑ Prien 1994, p. 1285.
  25. ↑ Stockert 2012, p. 2.
  26. ↑ Prien 1994, p. 1291.
  27. ↑ Obermaier 1989, p. 243.
  28. 1 2 Caldwell 1998, p. 43.
  29. ↑ Zabecki 2019, p. 331.
  30. ↑ Spick 1996, p. 233.
  31. ↑ Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 377–379.
  32. ↑ Prien 1995, p. 2378.
  33. ↑ Prien et al. 2000, p. 433.
  34. ↑ Prien 1995, pp. 2382–2383.
  35. 1 2 Prien 1995, p. 2384.
  36. ↑ Prien 1995, p. 2385.
  37. ↑ Prien 1995, pp. 2386–2398.
  38. ↑ Prien 1995, pp. 2399–2404.
  39. ↑ Prien 1995, pp. 2405–2409.
  40. ↑ Prien 1995, pp. 2420–2421.
  41. 1 2 Cull & Galea 2016.
  42. ↑ Prien 1995, p. 2422.
  43. 1 2 3 Thomas 1997, p. 194.
  44. ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 133.
  45. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 193.
  46. 1 2 Scherzer 2007, p. 330.
  47. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 60.

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