Heinrich Sturm
Encyclopedia
Hauptmann
Heinrich Sturm (born 12 June 1920 in Dieburg
, Hessia – killed in flying accident 22 December 1944 in Csorna
, Hungary
) was German
World War II
Luftwaffe
158 victories Flying ace
. He was also a 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.
(JG 52—6th squadron of the 52nd fighter wing) with the rank of Feldwebel
(Sergeant) in the summer of 1941, he claimed his first three aerial victories at the end of the year.
He then transferred to a fighter school as instructor and returned to frontline service in November 1942. He was assigned to the Stab
of II./JG 52 (2nd group of the 52nd fighter wing). In the period up to 17 December 1942 he scored a further six victories. On the 1 January 1943 he was promoted to Leutnant. He claimed his 20th kill on the 15 April 1943, adding five more kills on the 20 April 1943 and reached his 40th kill on the 30 June 1943 and kill total of 75 on the 30 November 1943. From the 1 September 1943 he was top scoring fighter pilot of 4./JG 52 (4th squadron of the 52nd fighter wing). Scoring his 100th victory on the 23. March 1944 he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
three days later. A month later, on the 16 April 1944, he was wounded badly by bomb debris on Chersonese
(Crimea
) airfield.
In August 1944 he returned to JG 52 and took over command of 5./JG 52, his score standing at 111. On the 22 December 1944 he scored his last two kills. Taking off for another sortie from Csorna
that day, one of the landing gear struts hit a truck killing him in the accident.
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...
Heinrich Sturm (born 12 June 1920 in Dieburg
Dieburg
Dieburg is a town in southern Hessen, Germany. It was formerly the seat of the district of Dieburg, but is now part of the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg.-History:...
, Hessia – killed in flying accident 22 December 1944 in Csorna
Csorna
- People :David Gestetner, inventor of the Gestetner duplicating machine, was born in Csorna on March 20, 1854....
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
) was 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....
158 victories 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...
. He was also a 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.
Military career
He joined 6./Jagdgeschwader 52Jagdgeschwader 52
Jagdgeschwader 52 of the Luftwaffe, was the most successful fighter-wing of all time, with a claimed total of more than 10,000 victories over enemy aircraft during World War II. It was the unit of the top three scoring Fighter aces of all time, Erich Hartmann, Gerhard Barkhorn and Günther Rall...
(JG 52—6th squadron of the 52nd fighter wing) with the rank of Feldwebel
Feldwebel
Feldwebel is a German military rank which has existed since at least the 18th century with usage as a title dating to the Middle Ages. The word Feldwebel is usually translated as sergeant being rated OR-6 in the NATO rank comparison scale, equivalent to the British Army Sergeant and the US Army...
(Sergeant) in the summer of 1941, he claimed his first three aerial victories at the end of the year.
He then transferred to a fighter school as instructor and returned to frontline service in November 1942. He was assigned to the Stab
Stab (Luftwaffe designation)
During World War II, the suffix Stab was used in the German Luftwaffe to designate a headquarters unit. This applied to subordinate units in each Gruppe or Geschwader — the equivalent units to wings and groups in other air forces.These command units used the green colour of their aircraft...
of II./JG 52 (2nd group of the 52nd fighter wing). In the period up to 17 December 1942 he scored a further six victories. On the 1 January 1943 he was promoted to Leutnant. He claimed his 20th kill on the 15 April 1943, adding five more kills on the 20 April 1943 and reached his 40th kill on the 30 June 1943 and kill total of 75 on the 30 November 1943. From the 1 September 1943 he was top scoring fighter pilot of 4./JG 52 (4th squadron of the 52nd fighter wing). Scoring his 100th victory on the 23. March 1944 he was awarded 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...
three days later. A month later, on the 16 April 1944, he was wounded badly by bomb debris on Chersonese
Chersonese
Chersonese is a name that was given to several different places in ancient times. The word is Latin; it derives from the Greek term for "peninsula", chersonēsos, from chersos + nēsos ....
(Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
) airfield.
In August 1944 he returned to JG 52 and took over command of 5./JG 52, his score standing at 111. On the 22 December 1944 he scored his last two kills. Taking off for another sortie from Csorna
Csorna
- People :David Gestetner, inventor of the Gestetner duplicating machine, was born in Csorna on March 20, 1854....
that day, one of the landing gear struts hit a truck killing him in the accident.
Awards
- 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...
(26 July 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 23 July 1943 as Leutnant in the Stab/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...
on 26 March 1944 as Leutnant (war officer)and StaffelführerStaffelkapitänStaffelkapitän 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....
of the 4./JG 52