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Hans Waldmann (fighter pilot)
Encyclopedia
Hans Dackel Waldmann was a German
former Luftwaffe
fighter ace
and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
.
in 1940. On 21 August 1942 Unteroffizier
Waldmann was assigned to the 6./JG 52 on the Eastern front
.
On 9 September 1942 Waldmann scored his first aerial victory, and thereafter managed to score rapidly. After 84 victories on 1 September 1943, Waldmann was promoted to Leutnant and assigned to ErgGr. Ost. Here he shot down a B-17 Flying Fortress.
He received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
after his 85th aerial victory. In late February 1944 he took command of 4./JG 52 as its Staffelkapitän
. He was able to continue his success and claimed victories 98 to 125 by 31 May 1944.
In June 1944 his entire staffel was reassigned to 8./JG 3, now fighting against the Allied invasion forces. In August he shot down 7 enemy planes, including one B-24 and five P-47 Thunderbolts. In December 1944 he converted to the Messerschmitt Me 262
. He was then transferred to 3./JG 7, flying now the ’’Stormbird’’. On 22 February 1945 he shot down two P-51 Mustang
s.
Climbing in dense fog on 18 March 1945, he collided with his wingman, Leutnant Hans-Dieter Weihs
, and crashed near Schwarzenbek
south of Hamburg
. He was killed in his Messerschmitt Me 262
A-1 "Yellow 3" (Wk. no. 170097). Waldmann was recommended for the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross, but the recommendation was not finalized before the end of the war.
Hans Waldmann flew 527 combat missions, being credited with 134 aerial victories, 10 on the Western front
and 124 on the Eastern front. His tally on the Eastern front includes 5 bombers, 87 fighters and 32 Il-2 Sturmovik
ground-attack aircraft. On the Western front he claimed 8 fighters and 2 four-engined bombers. He also flew a number of ground attack
missions, destroying 33 various vehicles and 8 heavy transports.
Hans Waldmann may have been awarded a posthumous Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Oberst
Nicolaus von Below processed such a request between 20 April 1945 and 2 May 1945. However no official proof exists.
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...
former 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....
fighter ace
Fighter Ace
Fighter Ace was a massively multiplayer online computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots...
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...
.
World War II
Hans Waldmann voluntarily joined the LuftwaffeLuftwaffe
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....
in 1940. On 21 August 1942 Unteroffizier
Unteroffizier
Unteroffizier is both a specific military rank as well as a collective term for non-commissioned officers of the German military that has existed since the 19th century. The rank existed as a title as early as the 17th century with the first widespread usage occurring in the Bavarian Army of the...
Waldmann was assigned to the 6./JG 52 on 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...
.
On 9 September 1942 Waldmann scored his first aerial victory, and thereafter managed to score rapidly. After 84 victories on 1 September 1943, Waldmann was promoted to Leutnant and assigned to ErgGr. Ost. Here he shot down a B-17 Flying Fortress.
He received 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...
after his 85th aerial victory. In late February 1944 he took command of 4./JG 52 as its 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....
. He was able to continue his success and claimed victories 98 to 125 by 31 May 1944.
In June 1944 his entire staffel was reassigned to 8./JG 3, now fighting against the Allied invasion forces. In August he shot down 7 enemy planes, including one B-24 and five P-47 Thunderbolts. In December 1944 he converted to the Messerschmitt Me 262
Messerschmitt Me 262
The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but engine problems prevented the aircraft from attaining operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944...
. He was then transferred to 3./JG 7, flying now the ’’Stormbird’’. On 22 February 1945 he shot down two P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
s.
Climbing in dense fog on 18 March 1945, he collided with his wingman, Leutnant Hans-Dieter Weihs
Hans-Dieter Weihs
Hans-Dieter Weihs was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace. He is credited with 8 aerial victories flying the Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter, making him one of only 28 jet aces of World War II....
, and crashed near Schwarzenbek
Schwarzenbek
Schwarzenbek is a town in the district of Lauenburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approximately 10 km northeast of Geesthacht, and 35 km east of Hamburg...
south of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. He was killed in his Messerschmitt Me 262
Messerschmitt Me 262
The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but engine problems prevented the aircraft from attaining operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944...
A-1 "Yellow 3" (Wk. no. 170097). Waldmann was recommended for the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross, but the recommendation was not finalized before the end of the war.
Hans Waldmann flew 527 combat missions, being credited with 134 aerial victories, 10 on the Western front
Western Front (World War II)
The Western Front of the European Theatre of World War II encompassed, Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and West Germany. The Western Front was marked by two phases of large-scale ground combat operations...
and 124 on the Eastern front. His tally on the Eastern front includes 5 bombers, 87 fighters and 32 Il-2 Sturmovik
Ilyushin Il-2
The Ilyushin Il-2 was a ground-attack aircraft in the Second World War, produced by the Soviet Union in very large numbers...
ground-attack aircraft. On the Western front he claimed 8 fighters and 2 four-engined bombers. He also flew a number of ground attack
Close air support
In military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...
missions, destroying 33 various vehicles and 8 heavy transports.
Awards
- Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (10 March 1943)
- 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 17 April 1943 as UnteroffizierUnteroffizierUnteroffizier is both a specific military rank as well as a collective term for non-commissioned officers of the German military that has existed since the 19th century. The rank existed as a title as early as the 17th century with the first widespread usage occurring in the Bavarian Army of the...
in the 6./JG 52 - 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 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...
(5 February 1944)
Hans Waldmann may have been awarded a posthumous Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Oberst
Oberst
Oberst is a military rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. The Swedish rank överste is a direct translation, as are the Finnish rank eversti...
Nicolaus von Below processed such a request between 20 April 1945 and 2 May 1945. However no official proof exists.