Heinz Sachsenberg
Encyclopedia
Heinz Wimmersaal Sachsenberg (12 July 1922 – 17 June 1951) was a German
World War II
fighter ace
who served in the Luftwaffe
. 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. Sachsenberg was credited with 104 aerial victories.
. "Heino", also called "Wimmersaal" by his comrades, was the nephew of the Pour le Mérite
awarded World War I
fighter pilot Gotthard Sachsenberg
. He had a brother named Gotthard, who also served in the Luftwaffe, and was killed in action on 8 March 1944 during a night fighter mission. He joined the Luftwaffe in 1941.
, and was assigned to 6./JG 52. On 21 April 1943 he achieved his first air victory, shooting down an Il-2 ground attack aircraft. By 12 August 1943 he had shot down 34 enemy airplanes. By the end of 1943 his score had climbed to 52 air victories in the intense air-battles over the Kuban bridgehead, despite his absences due to overstress for several weeks in September and October.
After 76 victories, and on leave, Sachsenberg was recommended for the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes in March 1944. Upon returning to the front at the beginning of May, he shot down 25 aircraft in just a month including 6 planes on the 7th May (77-82v.). On 31 May he claimed four victories (89-92v.) and five more were claimed on 8 June 1944, bringing his total to 101 air victories, when Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel Sachsenberg was finally awarded the Ritterkreuz. Returning from leave, his unit was then transferred to cover the Ploesti oilfields in Romania
. After claiming one more vistory, he was seriously wounded during an air battle with American
P-51 Mustang
fighters on 23 June 1944 although he managed to successfully belly-land his Bf-109 G-6, W.Nr. 166233 "Yellow 1". He achieved his final victories over Hungary
, including a USAAF P-51 (#103, on 3rd March) and a Russian P-39 (#104, on 16th April).
of 9./JG7, but in April 1945 he joined JV 44
. His task was to provide top cover for the Me 262 jet fighters. Sachsenberg was assigned as Staffelkapitän
of the Platzschutzstaffel or airfield-protection squadron, flying the Fw 190 D9 fighter. As squadron commnader, his particular aircraft was known as "Red 1". The inscription on his Fw 190 D9 was "Verkaaft's mei Gwand 'I foahr in himmel!" meaning "Sell my clothes I'm going to heaven".
The aircraft in the protection squadron were painted red on their underbelly with prominent white stripes to help in their identification by ground crews. The legend of the Papagei Staffel (parrot squadron) was born (the name was given after the war and is truly misleading as it was not used by the squadron itself). The decision to paint the aircraft in this manner was made by the pilots themselves, perhaps as result of the failed Operation Bodenplatte
, where a number of German aircraft were lost to friendly fire.
The protection squadron was tasked with flying Start- und Landeschutz (Takeoff and landing cover). During take off and landing, the jets were very vulnerable to attacks by strafing allied ground attack airplanes, because their engines were not very responsive at those times and the jets could not accelerate and decelerate quickly. Thus to give additional protection besides the light and medium AA-guns around the airfields, parts of JG 52 and JG 54 were delegated to fly protective missions to cover the take off and landing phase of the 'Stormbirds'. JV 44 was a special case in that they had their own protection squadron.
Luftwaffe 39-45 (Brazil) - Heinz Sachsenberg
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...
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...
who served in the 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....
. 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. Sachsenberg was credited with 104 aerial victories.
Early life
Sachsenberg was born in DessauDessau
Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
. "Heino", also called "Wimmersaal" by his comrades, was the nephew of the Pour le Mérite
Pour le Mérite
The Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I....
awarded World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
fighter pilot Gotthard Sachsenberg
Gotthard Sachsenberg
Gotthard Sachsenberg was a German World War I fighter ace with 31 victories who went on to command the world's first naval air wing...
. He had a brother named Gotthard, who also served in the Luftwaffe, and was killed in action on 8 March 1944 during a night fighter mission. He joined the Luftwaffe in 1941.
Flying on the Eastern Front
After flight training he was assigned, as a Feldwebel, to JG 52 in the Fall of 1942. He was sent to the front in late 1942 at the Eastern frontEastern 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...
, and was assigned to 6./JG 52. On 21 April 1943 he achieved his first air victory, shooting down an Il-2 ground attack aircraft. By 12 August 1943 he had shot down 34 enemy airplanes. By the end of 1943 his score had climbed to 52 air victories in the intense air-battles over the Kuban bridgehead, despite his absences due to overstress for several weeks in September and October.
After 76 victories, and on leave, Sachsenberg was recommended for the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes in March 1944. Upon returning to the front at the beginning of May, he shot down 25 aircraft in just a month including 6 planes on the 7th May (77-82v.). On 31 May he claimed four victories (89-92v.) and five more were claimed on 8 June 1944, bringing his total to 101 air victories, when Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel Sachsenberg was finally awarded the Ritterkreuz. Returning from leave, his unit was then transferred to cover the Ploesti oilfields in Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. After claiming one more vistory, he was seriously wounded during an air battle with American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
fighters on 23 June 1944 although he managed to successfully belly-land his Bf-109 G-6, W.Nr. 166233 "Yellow 1". He achieved his final victories over 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...
, including a USAAF P-51 (#103, on 3rd March) and a Russian P-39 (#104, on 16th April).
The 'Sachsenberg Schwarm'
In 1945 he transferred briefly to jet fighters in JG 7 as StaffelkapitänStaffelkapitän
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....
of 9./JG7, but in April 1945 he joined JV 44
JV 44
Jagdverband 44 was a special fighter unit of top German fighter ace pilots in the Luftwaffe during the last months of World War II. The main aircraft used by the unit was the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter...
. His task was to provide top cover for the Me 262 jet fighters. Sachsenberg was assigned 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....
of the Platzschutzstaffel or airfield-protection squadron, flying the Fw 190 D9 fighter. As squadron commnader, his particular aircraft was known as "Red 1". The inscription on his Fw 190 D9 was "Verkaaft's mei Gwand 'I foahr in himmel!" meaning "Sell my clothes I'm going to heaven".
The aircraft in the protection squadron were painted red on their underbelly with prominent white stripes to help in their identification by ground crews. The legend of the Papagei Staffel (parrot squadron) was born (the name was given after the war and is truly misleading as it was not used by the squadron itself). The decision to paint the aircraft in this manner was made by the pilots themselves, perhaps as result of the failed Operation Bodenplatte
Operation Bodenplatte
Operation Bodenplatte launched on 1 January 1945, was an attempt by the Luftwaffe to cripple Allied air forces in the Low Countries during the Second World War. The goal of Bodenplatte was to gain air superiority during the stagnant stage of the Battle of the Bulge, to allow the German Army and...
, where a number of German aircraft were lost to friendly fire.
The protection squadron was tasked with flying Start- und Landeschutz (Takeoff and landing cover). During take off and landing, the jets were very vulnerable to attacks by strafing allied ground attack airplanes, because their engines were not very responsive at those times and the jets could not accelerate and decelerate quickly. Thus to give additional protection besides the light and medium AA-guns around the airfields, parts of JG 52 and JG 54 were delegated to fly protective missions to cover the take off and landing phase of the 'Stormbirds'. JV 44 was a special case in that they had their own protection squadron.
After the war
Sachsenberg had a total of 104 victories over a total of 520 flown sorties. Of his 104 air victories, 1 was achieved in the west, 84 of his victories were fighter planes. He also sunk 1 speed boat. He died on 17 June 1951, following complications from wounds he received during the war.Quotations
"I don't trust anything without a Propeller at least." - Sachsenberg in reply to being asked why he didn't fly jet aircraft.Awards
- Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes 9.6.1944
- Deutsches KreuzGerman 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...
17.10.1943 - 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...
2.10.1943
External Links
Petr Kacha's 'Aces of the Luftwaffe' - Heinz SachsenbergLuftwaffe 39-45 (Brazil) - Heinz Sachsenberg