Fritz Losigkeit
Encyclopedia
Major
Fritz Losigkeit (born 17 November 1913 in Berlin
-Tegel
– died 14 January 1994 in Hünxe
) was a German
World War II
Luftwaffe
Flying ace
and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He held the position of Geschwaderkommodore
of fighter wing Jagdgeschwader 51
and Jagdgeschwader 77
.
-Tegel
. He joined the Prussian State Police Academy and was eventually selected for flight training. After graduation, he was assigned to Jagdgeschwader (Fighter Wing) 132, the famous Richthofen Wing. In March 1938, he was assigned to J.88 with the Condor Legion
, flying the Heinkel He 51
during the Spanish Civil War
. He was shot down by 20 mm antiaircraft artillery on 31 May 1938 and was captured and held prisoner of war until he escaped in February 1939. For his actions during the Civil War he was awarded the Spanish Cross in silver with swords
.
Losigkeit was then assigned to JG 26 flying the Messerschmitt Bf-109. Losigkeit scored his first victory on 28 May 1940 during the Battle of France
, a Spitfire over Calais
. As the air war turned to England, he achieved four more victories to become an Flying ace
by 15 September 1940. For the next 8 months Losigkeit commanded 2nd Staffel of JG 26 and flew more than 100 combat missions.
In May 1941 he was reassigned as a diplomatic courier to Japan
. Until January 1942 he advised on German air combat tactics with Imperial Japanese Army Air Force pilots flying the Ki-44 against several examples of the Bf-109 fighter shipped to Japan for evaluation. Wanting to rejoin the European war, he made the voyage back to Germany via the German blockade-runner MSS Elsa Essberger.
Travelling 23300 nautical miles (43,151.6 km), Losigkeit arrived in time to form Sonderkommando Losigkeit on the orders of General of Fighters Adolf Galland
. Losigkeit conducted fighter operations over Norway in support of the Navy and the battleship Scharnhorst
. After completing this special operation, he took command of IV./JG 1
at Berlin-Werneuchen, which later became I./JG 1
. Deployed to bases in the West, his unit flew missions against de Havilland Mosquito
reconnaissance aircraft and USAAF heavy bomber formations attacking targets in Germany. In June 1943 Major Losigkeit commanded III./JG 51 "Mölders" flying the Bf-109 in the Orel area of the Eastern Front
. Fighting during the Battle of Kursk
in July 1943, his unit then covered the retreat of the German Army.
On 1 April 1944 he became Geschwaderkommodore
of JG 51 and continued to fight against ever increasing odds as the Russians advanced. Awarded the Knight’s Cross in April 1945, he ended the war as Geschwaderkommodore of JG 77 in Czechoslovakia
.Losigkeit was credited with around 750 combat missions, claiming some 68 air victories.
After the war Losigkeit returned to civilian life, turning his attention to politics and business. He was a secretary in the administration of the Free Democratic Party (FDP)
in 1946. From 1946 until 1978, he served as a business representative and a marketing manager in a utilities company.
Fritz Losigkeit died on 14 January 1994 in Hünxe
.
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. ...
Fritz Losigkeit (born 17 November 1913 in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
-Tegel
Tegel
Tegel is a locality in the Berlin borough of Reinickendorf on the shore of Lake Tegel. The Tegel locality, the second largest in area of the 95 Berlin districts, also includes the neighbourhood of Saatwinkel.-History:...
– died 14 January 1994 in Hünxe
Hünxe
Hünxe is a municipality in the district of Wesel, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the Rhine-Waal euroregion- Location :Hünxe is located approximately 10 km east of Wesel and 9 km north of Dinslaken...
) was a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
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...
Luftwaffe
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....
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...
and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
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 was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He held the position of Geschwaderkommodore
Geschwaderkommodore
Geschwaderkommodore is a Luftwaffe position , originating during World War II, that is the equivalent of a RAF Group Commander or USAF Wing Commander. A Geschwaderkommodore is usually of Oberstleutnant or Oberst rank...
of fighter wing Jagdgeschwader 51
Jagdgeschwader 51
Jagdgeschwader 51 Mölders was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during World War II, named after the fighter ace Werner Mölders in 1942. JG 51's pilots won more Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes than any other Jagdgeschwader, and flew combat from 1939 in all major theatres of war. Flying Bf 109s and then...
and Jagdgeschwader 77
Jagdgeschwader 77
Jagdgeschwader 77 Herz As was a Luftwaffe fighter Geschwader during World War II. It served in all the German theaters of war, from Western Europe to the Eastern Front, and from the high north in Norway to the Mediterranean.All three gruppen within the Geschwader operated variants of the...
.
Biography
Fritz Losigkeit was born on 17 November 1913 in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
-Tegel
Tegel
Tegel is a locality in the Berlin borough of Reinickendorf on the shore of Lake Tegel. The Tegel locality, the second largest in area of the 95 Berlin districts, also includes the neighbourhood of Saatwinkel.-History:...
. He joined the Prussian State Police Academy and was eventually selected for flight training. After graduation, he was assigned to Jagdgeschwader (Fighter Wing) 132, the famous Richthofen Wing. In March 1938, he was assigned to J.88 with the Condor Legion
Condor Legion
The Condor Legion was a unit composed of volunteers from the German Air Force and from the German Army which served with the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to March 1939. The Condor Legion developed methods of terror bombing which were used widely in the Second World War...
, flying the Heinkel He 51
Heinkel He 51
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Donald, David, ed. Warplanes of the Luftwaffe. London: Aerospace, 1994. ISBN 1-874023-56-5.* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "The Cadre Creator...Heinkel's Last Fighting Biplane". Air Enthusiast No. 36, May-August 1988. pp. 11–24. ISSN 0143-5450.*...
during the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. He was shot down by 20 mm antiaircraft artillery on 31 May 1938 and was captured and held prisoner of war until he escaped in February 1939. For his actions during the Civil War he was awarded the Spanish Cross in silver with swords
Spanish Cross
The Spanish Cross was an award of Germany given to Germans who participated in the Spanish Civil War, fighting for Franco.- History :With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Germany sent the Condor Legion to give military aid to Francisco Franco's nationalist forces.On April 14, 1939, Germany...
.
Losigkeit was then assigned to JG 26 flying the Messerschmitt Bf-109. Losigkeit scored his first victory on 28 May 1940 during 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...
, a Spitfire over Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
. As the air war turned to England, he achieved four more victories to become an 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...
by 15 September 1940. For the next 8 months Losigkeit commanded 2nd Staffel of JG 26 and flew more than 100 combat missions.
In May 1941 he was reassigned as a diplomatic courier to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Until January 1942 he advised on German air combat tactics with Imperial Japanese Army Air Force pilots flying the Ki-44 against several examples of the Bf-109 fighter shipped to Japan for evaluation. Wanting to rejoin the European war, he made the voyage back to Germany via the German blockade-runner MSS Elsa Essberger.
Travelling 23300 nautical miles (43,151.6 km), Losigkeit arrived in time to form Sonderkommando Losigkeit on the orders of General of Fighters Adolf Galland
Adolf Galland
Adolf "Dolfo" Joseph Ferdinand Galland was a German Luftwaffe General and flying ace who served throughout World War II in Europe. He flew 705 combat missions, and fought on the Western and the Defence of the Reich fronts...
. Losigkeit conducted fighter operations over Norway in support of the Navy and the battleship Scharnhorst
German battleship Scharnhorst
Scharnhorst was a German capital ship, alternatively described as a battleship and battlecruiser, of the German Kriegsmarine. She was the lead ship of her class, which included one other ship, Gneisenau. The ship was built at the Kriegsmarinewerft dockyard in Wilhelmshaven; she was laid down on 15...
. After completing this special operation, he took command of IV./JG 1
Jagdgeschwader 1 (World War 2)
Jagdgeschwader 1 was a German World War II fighter unit or "wing" which used the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 aircraft, between 1940–1944. The name of the unit derives from Jagd, meaning "hunt" and Geschwader, meaning "wing"...
at Berlin-Werneuchen, which later became I./JG 1
Jagdgeschwader 1 (World War 2)
Jagdgeschwader 1 was a German World War II fighter unit or "wing" which used the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 aircraft, between 1940–1944. The name of the unit derives from Jagd, meaning "hunt" and Geschwader, meaning "wing"...
. Deployed to bases in the West, his unit flew missions against de Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
reconnaissance aircraft and USAAF heavy bomber formations attacking targets in Germany. In June 1943 Major Losigkeit commanded III./JG 51 "Mölders" flying the Bf-109 in the Orel area of the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
. Fighting during the Battle of Kursk
Battle of Kursk
The Battle of Kursk took place when German and Soviet forces confronted each other on the Eastern Front during World War II in the vicinity of the city of Kursk, in the Soviet Union in July and August 1943. It remains both the largest series of armored clashes, including the Battle of Prokhorovka,...
in July 1943, his unit then covered the retreat of the German Army.
On 1 April 1944 he became Geschwaderkommodore
Geschwaderkommodore
Geschwaderkommodore is a Luftwaffe position , originating during World War II, that is the equivalent of a RAF Group Commander or USAF Wing Commander. A Geschwaderkommodore is usually of Oberstleutnant or Oberst rank...
of JG 51 and continued to fight against ever increasing odds as the Russians advanced. Awarded the Knight’s Cross in April 1945, he ended the war as Geschwaderkommodore of JG 77 in Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
.Losigkeit was credited with around 750 combat missions, claiming some 68 air victories.
After the war Losigkeit returned to civilian life, turning his attention to politics and business. He was a secretary in the administration of the Free Democratic Party (FDP)
Free Democratic Party (Germany)
The Free Democratic Party , abbreviated to FDP, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Germany. It is led by Philipp Rösler and currently serves as the junior coalition partner to the Union in the German federal government...
in 1946. From 1946 until 1978, he served as a business representative and a marketing manager in a utilities company.
Fritz Losigkeit died on 14 January 1994 in Hünxe
Hünxe
Hünxe is a municipality in the district of Wesel, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is part of the Rhine-Waal euroregion- Location :Hünxe is located approximately 10 km east of Wesel and 9 km north of Dinslaken...
.
Awards
- Spanish Cross in silver with swordsSpanish CrossThe Spanish Cross was an award of Germany given to Germans who participated in the Spanish Civil War, fighting for Franco.- History :With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Germany sent the Condor Legion to give military aid to Francisco Franco's nationalist forces.On April 14, 1939, Germany...
- 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 (17 October 1943) - 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....
2nd and 1st Class - Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossKnight'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...
on 28 April 1945 as MajorMajor (Germany)Major is a rank of the German military which dates back to the Middle Ages.It equates to Major in the British and US Armies, and is rated OF-3 in NATO.During World War II, the SS equivalent was Sturmbannführer....
and GeschwaderkommodoreGeschwaderkommodoreGeschwaderkommodore is a Luftwaffe position , originating during World War II, that is the equivalent of a RAF Group Commander or USAF Wing Commander. A Geschwaderkommodore is usually of Oberstleutnant or Oberst rank...
of JG 51 "Mölders"