Herbert Kutscha
Encyclopedia
Herbert Kutscha was a former German
Luftwaffe
fighter ace
and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
during World War II
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
He was one of the very few Luftwaffe
pilots who survived the whole war, serving from 1939 until 1945. During his career he was credited with 47 aerial victories in more than 900 missions.
bomber on 14 December 1939, followed by a Lockheed Hudson
February 24, 1940. In March 1940, Kutscha was transferred to 5. / Zerstörergeschwader 1
. With this unit he took part in the Campaign in the West. This unit was changed to 8./Zertstörergeschwader on 26 June 1940. With this unit he participated in Battle of Britain
. The unit was finally transformed on 24 April 1941 to Kampfgeschwader 210. With this unit Herbert Kutscha entered the war on the Eastern Front
.
In 1943 he was transferred to 12./JG 3 where he fought at the Mediterranean front. In February 1944 was wounded and send home. He returned to the front in Normandy in June 1944 with 4. /JG 3. By the end of 1944 he was transferred to JG 27 and appointed Staffelkapitän
of the 12./JG 27 and then Gruppenführer with II. Gruppe. During the Ardennes offensive he was shot down and lightly wounded, but saved by parachute. On 23 February 1945 was appointed Gruppenkommandeur
of the III./JG 11.
Kutscha has flown more than 900 missions and was credited with 47 victories in air combat, 44 on the Western Front
(at least six was four-engined bombers), plus at least 44 aircraft destroyed on the ground and dozens of different objectives, including 41 tanks, 15 locomotives, 11 artillery positions and 157 vehicles. Herbert Kutscha died September 19, 2003 in Kempten
at the age of 86.
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...
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...
during 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...
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
He was one of the very few 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....
pilots who survived the whole war, serving from 1939 until 1945. During his career he was credited with 47 aerial victories in more than 900 missions.
Career
He began his career as an Unteroffizer within 5./JG 77. He claimed his first victory during the Phoney War by shooting down a British Vickers WellingtonVickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
bomber on 14 December 1939, followed by a Lockheed Hudson
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
February 24, 1940. In March 1940, Kutscha was transferred to 5. / Zerstörergeschwader 1
Zerstörergeschwader 1
Zerstörergeschwader 1 or ZG 1 was a Luftwaffe heavy/destroyer Fighter Aircraft-wing of World War II.-History:...
. With this unit he took part in the Campaign in the West. This unit was changed to 8./Zertstörergeschwader on 26 June 1940. With this unit he participated in Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
. The unit was finally transformed on 24 April 1941 to Kampfgeschwader 210. With this unit Herbert Kutscha entered the war 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...
.
In 1943 he was transferred to 12./JG 3 where he fought at the Mediterranean front. In February 1944 was wounded and send home. He returned to the front in Normandy in June 1944 with 4. /JG 3. By the end of 1944 he was transferred to JG 27 and 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....
of the 12./JG 27 and then Gruppenführer with II. Gruppe. During the Ardennes offensive he was shot down and lightly wounded, but saved by parachute. On 23 February 1945 was appointed 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 the III./JG 11.
Kutscha has flown more than 900 missions and was credited with 47 victories in air combat, 44 on the Western Front
Western Front
Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the contested armed frontier between lands controlled by Germany to the east and the Allies to the west...
(at least six was four-engined bombers), plus at least 44 aircraft destroyed on the ground and dozens of different objectives, including 41 tanks, 15 locomotives, 11 artillery positions and 157 vehicles. Herbert Kutscha died September 19, 2003 in Kempten
Kempten
Kempten can refer to:* Kempten im Allgäu, a town in Bavaria, Germany* Kempten ZH, a district of the town of Wetzikon in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland* Kempton Park, Gauteng, a city in South Africa which was named after Kempten in Bavaria...
at the age of 86.
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
- 1st Class
- Front Flying Clasp of the LuftwaffeFront Flying Clasp of the LuftwaffeThe Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe was awarded in Bronze, Silver, and Gold with upgrade possible to include diamonds. Pennants suspended from the clasp indicated the number of missions obtained in a given type of aircraft...
in Gold with Pennant "500" - Wound BadgeWound BadgeWound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
in Black (December 25, 1944) - 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...
(November 3, 1941) - 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 (February 14, 1942) - 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...
(September 24, 1942)