Eduard Tratt
Encyclopedia
Eduard Tratt was a Luftwaffe
fighter
, test pilot
and flying ace
of World War II
. Major
Eduard Tratt was a the highest scoring Zerstörer pilot of the war with 38 victories and Gruppenkommandeur
of II./Zerstörergeschwader 26
(ZG 26). He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. On 20 April 1944 he was posthumously promoted to the rank of Major
.
. By 1937 Tratt was serving as a Fahnenjunker in the Luftwaffe. At the beginning of World War II, Leutnant Tratt was serving in 1 Staffel, Zerstörergeschwader 1
(ZG 1), flying the Messerschmitt Bf 110
heavy twin-engine fighter. After participation in Polish campaign Tratt took part in the Battle of France
, and on 1 June 1940 claimed 3 Hawker Hurricane
fighters over Dunkirk. Tratt was wounded in action on 12 August 1940 flying with 2./ZG 2 over England.
Later in 1940 Tratt was transferred to 1./Erprobungsgruppe 210. The Gruppe, charged with introducing the new Messerschmitt Me 210
to operations, were, while awaiting delivery of the new aircraft, were pioneering the use of Bf 110 and Bf 109 fighter-bombers in low level, pin-point bombing attacks against British targets. Tratt flew numerous combat missions over England, and by the end of 1940 had 13 victory claims to his credit.
Erprobungsgruppe 210, was redesignated Schnellkampfgeschwader 210
in April 1941 and transferred to the East to take part in the assault on Russia. As part of 1./SKG 210 Tratt flew over the Central part of the front during Operation Barbarossa
supporting the German army's encirclement and overrunning of Russian land forces in the Bialystok
and Minsk
area in the early phase of the campaign. Tratt flew numerous ground attack and fighter missions during 1941 and claimed another 9 victories over Russian aircraft by the end of 1941.
When I Gruppe were recalled to Landsberg-Lech to begin conversion to the Me 210 in January 1942, Tratt was then transferred to command 4 Staffel, ZG 26. On 18 February 1942 Oberleutnant
Tratt was wounded by ground fire over Rzhev
. He was then appointed Staffelkapitän
, 6./ZG 26 in March, before being wounded again by enemy fire on 27 March.
Oberleutnant
Tratt received the Ritterkreuz in April 1942 and in May was transferred as to command 2./ZG 2. He was then sent as Staffelkapitän
to 1./ZG 1 in July 1942.
In early 1943 I./ZG 1 flew against targets in the Stalingrad area, but then moved to Poltava
, with attacks on Russian troop positions, supply and communications lines, and airfields.
On 30 January 1943 Tratt suffered serious injuries (and his bordfunker Fw. Paul Rennefahrt killed) when he crash-landed his Bf 110 G-2 after suffering engine damage North of Rowenki.
When recovered, Tratt next commanded Erprobungskommando 25, undertaking the operational testing and evaluation of new weapons for use against the United States Army Air Forces
(USAAF) bomber offensive. One of these was the Me 410A-1/U4 (bomber destroyer) armed with a 50 mm BK-5 gun mounted underneath the fuselage. The gun, weighing some 900 kg, severely restricted manoeuvrability, though carrying some 21 rounds and having a recoil pressure of about seven tons. Tratt claimed 2 B-17s during the summer of 1943, on 21 May 1943 with Epr. Kdo. 25, and one North of Baltrum on 13 June 1943 while Hptm. Tratt briefly commanded Kdo.I./JG 1.
On 11 October 1943 Hauptmann
Tratt was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of the reformed II./ZG 26, flying the new fighter versions of the Messerschmitt Me 410
from Hildesheim
.
He led the unit on Reichsverteidigung (Defence of the Reich) duties. As late 1943 ground on interceptions were infrequent, but by early 1944 the Zerstörer day fighters found the odds increasingly stacked as the massed American escort fighter accompanied the bombers all the way deep into Germany. During Tratt's tenure in command, II./ZG 26 sustained increasingly heavy losses to these fighter escorts. He claimed a P-38 south of Löningen on 13 November 1943 and on 29 November he shot down a B-17 bomber as his 30th victory. On 10 February he claimed a P-38 near Ettenbrock, and on 11 February he claimed another 3 P-38 fighters, shot down in the Oberstein area.
He recorded his final and 38th victory on 20 February 1944; a B-17 of the 452nd Bomb Group, also attacked by Oberleutnant Dürkopp of 6./ZG 26.
Tratt was shot down and killed (with his gunner Ofw. Gillert) single-handedly attacking B-17's of the 91st Bomb Group near Nordhausen
on 22 February 1944, flying a Messerschmitt Me410B-1/U2/R4.
He was posthumously awarded the Eichenlaub on 26 March 1944 and was promoted to the rank of Major
on 20 April 1944.
Major
Eduard Tratt was credited with 38 victories in over 350 missions. He recorded 18 victories over the Western front, including 6 four-engine heavy bombers (5 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and 1 Consolidated B-24 Liberator) and 5 P-38 Lightning
s. In addition he claimed 26 aircraft destroyed on the ground, 24 tanks, 312 road vehicles/transport and 33 anti-aircraft guns, 4 anti-aircraft batteries and 8 machine-gun nests.
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
, test pilot
Test pilot
A test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, known as flight test techniques or FTTs, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated....
and flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Eduard Tratt was a the highest scoring Zerstörer pilot of the war with 38 victories and Gruppenkommandeur
Gruppenkommandeur
Gruppenkommandeur is a Luftwaffe position , that is the equivalent of a commander of a group or wing in other air forces. Gruppenkommandeur usually has the rank of Hauptmann or Major, and commands a Gruppe, which is a sub-division of a Geschwader. A Gruppe usually consists of three or four...
of II./Zerstörergeschwader 26
Zerstörergeschwader 26
Zerstörergeschwader 26 "Horst Wessel" was a Luftwaffe heavy/destroyer Fighter Aircraft-wing of World War II.-History:Zerstörergeschwader 26 was formed in early 1936 from the Jagdgeschwader 134 "Horst Wessel". The Geschwaderstab and I. Gruppe was located in Dortmund, II. Gruppe in Werl and III....
(ZG 26). He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. On 20 April 1944 he was posthumously promoted to the rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
.
Career
Tratt was born on 24 February 1919 in WürzburgWürzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
. By 1937 Tratt was serving as a Fahnenjunker in the Luftwaffe. At the beginning of World War II, Leutnant Tratt was serving in 1 Staffel, Zerstörergeschwader 1
Zerstörergeschwader 1
Zerstörergeschwader 1 or ZG 1 was a Luftwaffe heavy/destroyer Fighter Aircraft-wing of World War II.-History:...
(ZG 1), flying the Messerschmitt Bf 110
Messerschmitt Bf 110
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often called Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter in the service of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110, and nicknamed it his Eisenseiten...
heavy twin-engine fighter. After participation in Polish campaign Tratt took part in the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, and on 1 June 1940 claimed 3 Hawker Hurricane
Hawker Hurricane
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force...
fighters over Dunkirk. Tratt was wounded in action on 12 August 1940 flying with 2./ZG 2 over England.
Later in 1940 Tratt was transferred to 1./Erprobungsgruppe 210. The Gruppe, charged with introducing the new Messerschmitt Me 210
Messerschmitt Me 210
The Messerschmitt Me 210 was a German heavy fighter and ground-attack aircraft of World War II. The Me 210 was designed to replace the Bf 110 in heavy fighter role; design started before the opening of World War II. The first examples of the Me 210 were ready in 1939, but they proved to have poor...
to operations, were, while awaiting delivery of the new aircraft, were pioneering the use of Bf 110 and Bf 109 fighter-bombers in low level, pin-point bombing attacks against British targets. Tratt flew numerous combat missions over England, and by the end of 1940 had 13 victory claims to his credit.
Erprobungsgruppe 210, was redesignated Schnellkampfgeschwader 210
Schnellkampfgeschwader 210
Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 was a Luftwaffe fast bomber wing of the Second World War. The unit was created in April 1941 and absorbed by the Zerstörergeschwader 1 on 4 January 1942.- Origins 1940 :...
in April 1941 and transferred to the East to take part in the assault on Russia. As part of 1./SKG 210 Tratt flew over the Central part of the front during Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
supporting the German army's encirclement and overrunning of Russian land forces in the Bialystok
Bialystok
Białystok is the largest city in northeastern Poland and the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Located on the Podlaskie Plain on the banks of the Biała River, Białystok ranks second in terms of population density, eleventh in population, and thirteenth in area, of the cities of Poland...
and Minsk
Minsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
area in the early phase of the campaign. Tratt flew numerous ground attack and fighter missions during 1941 and claimed another 9 victories over Russian aircraft by the end of 1941.
When I Gruppe were recalled to Landsberg-Lech to begin conversion to the Me 210 in January 1942, Tratt was then transferred to command 4 Staffel, ZG 26. On 18 February 1942 Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
Tratt was wounded by ground fire over Rzhev
Rzhev
Rzhev is a town in Tver Oblast, Russia, southwest of Staritsa and from Tver, on the highway and railway connecting Moscow and Riga. It is the uppermost town situated on the Volga River. Population:...
. He was then appointed Staffelkapitän
Staffelkapitän
Staffelkapitän is a position in flying units of the German Luftwaffe that is the equivalent of RAF/USAF Squadron Commander. Usually today a Staffelkapitän is of Oberstleutnant or Major rank....
, 6./ZG 26 in March, before being wounded again by enemy fire on 27 March.
Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
Tratt received the Ritterkreuz in April 1942 and in May was transferred as to command 2./ZG 2. He was then sent as Staffelkapitän
Staffelkapitän
Staffelkapitän is a position in flying units of the German Luftwaffe that is the equivalent of RAF/USAF Squadron Commander. Usually today a Staffelkapitän is of Oberstleutnant or Major rank....
to 1./ZG 1 in July 1942.
In early 1943 I./ZG 1 flew against targets in the Stalingrad area, but then moved to Poltava
Poltava
Poltava is a city in located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Poltava Oblast , as well as the surrounding Poltava Raion of the oblast. Poltava's estimated population is 298,652 ....
, with attacks on Russian troop positions, supply and communications lines, and airfields.
On 30 January 1943 Tratt suffered serious injuries (and his bordfunker Fw. Paul Rennefahrt killed) when he crash-landed his Bf 110 G-2 after suffering engine damage North of Rowenki.
When recovered, Tratt next commanded Erprobungskommando 25, undertaking the operational testing and evaluation of new weapons for use against the United States Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
(USAAF) bomber offensive. One of these was the Me 410A-1/U4 (bomber destroyer) armed with a 50 mm BK-5 gun mounted underneath the fuselage. The gun, weighing some 900 kg, severely restricted manoeuvrability, though carrying some 21 rounds and having a recoil pressure of about seven tons. Tratt claimed 2 B-17s during the summer of 1943, on 21 May 1943 with Epr. Kdo. 25, and one North of Baltrum on 13 June 1943 while Hptm. Tratt briefly commanded Kdo.I./JG 1.
On 11 October 1943 Hauptmann
Hauptmann
Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
Tratt was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of the reformed II./ZG 26, flying the new fighter versions of the Messerschmitt Me 410
Messerschmitt Me 410
The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse was a German heavy fighter and Schnellbomber used by Luftwaffe during World War II. Though essentially a straightforward modification of the Me 210, it was designated the Me 410 to avoid association with its notoriously flawed predecessor.-Design and...
from Hildesheim
Hildesheim
Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...
.
He led the unit on Reichsverteidigung (Defence of the Reich) duties. As late 1943 ground on interceptions were infrequent, but by early 1944 the Zerstörer day fighters found the odds increasingly stacked as the massed American escort fighter accompanied the bombers all the way deep into Germany. During Tratt's tenure in command, II./ZG 26 sustained increasingly heavy losses to these fighter escorts. He claimed a P-38 south of Löningen on 13 November 1943 and on 29 November he shot down a B-17 bomber as his 30th victory. On 10 February he claimed a P-38 near Ettenbrock, and on 11 February he claimed another 3 P-38 fighters, shot down in the Oberstein area.
He recorded his final and 38th victory on 20 February 1944; a B-17 of the 452nd Bomb Group, also attacked by Oberleutnant Dürkopp of 6./ZG 26.
Tratt was shot down and killed (with his gunner Ofw. Gillert) single-handedly attacking B-17's of the 91st Bomb Group near Nordhausen
Nordhausen
Nordhausen is a town at the southern edge of the Harz Mountains, in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Nordhausen...
on 22 February 1944, flying a Messerschmitt Me410B-1/U2/R4.
He was posthumously awarded the Eichenlaub on 26 March 1944 and was promoted to the rank of Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
on 20 April 1944.
Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Eduard Tratt was credited with 38 victories in over 350 missions. He recorded 18 victories over the Western front, including 6 four-engine heavy bombers (5 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and 1 Consolidated B-24 Liberator) and 5 P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
s. In addition he claimed 26 aircraft destroyed on the ground, 24 tanks, 312 road vehicles/transport and 33 anti-aircraft guns, 4 anti-aircraft batteries and 8 machine-gun nests.
Awards
- Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
(1939)- 2nd class on 13 June 1940
- 1st class on 25 August 1940 as Leutnant
- Ehrenpokal der LuftwaffeEhrenpokal der LuftwaffeThe Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe was a Luftwaffe award established on February 27, 1940 by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, the Reich Minister of Aviation and Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe. It was officially known as the Ehrenpokal "für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg", or Honor Goblet "For...
on 28 September 1940 as Leutnant - German CrossGerman CrossThe German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 17 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross respectively ranking higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit...
in Gold on 25 June 1943 as HauptmannHauptmannHauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
in the 1./ZG 1 - Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak LeavesKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
- Knight's Cross on 12 April 1942 as OberleutnantOberleutnantOberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
and pilot of the I./ZG 1 - 437th Oak Leaves on 26 March 1944 (posthumously) as Hauptmann and GruppenkommandeurGruppenkommandeurGruppenkommandeur is a Luftwaffe position , that is the equivalent of a commander of a group or wing in other air forces. Gruppenkommandeur usually has the rank of Hauptmann or Major, and commands a Gruppe, which is a sub-division of a Geschwader. A Gruppe usually consists of three or four...
of the II./ZG 26
- Knight's Cross on 12 April 1942 as Oberleutnant