Hermann Graf
Encyclopedia
Colonel
Hermann Graf (24 October 1912 – 4 November 1988) was a German
Luftwaffe
World War II
fighter ace
. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator
credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft
during aerial combat. He served on both the Eastern
and Western Fronts
. He became the first pilot in aviation history to claim 200 aerial victories—that is, 200 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft. He claimed 212 aerial victories in over 830 combat missions, 202 of which were on the Eastern Front.
Graf, a pre-war football player and glider pilot
, joined the Luftwaffe in 1935 and initially selected for transport aviation was posted to Jagdgeschwader 51
(JG 51—51st fighter wing) in May 1939. At the outbreak of World War II he was stationed at the French border flying uneventful patrols. Serving as a flight instructor he was stationed in Romania as part of a German military mission training Romanian pilots. Graf flew a few ground support missions in the closing days of the German invasion of Crete before being relocated east. He claimed his first aerial victory on 4 August 1941 during Operation Barbarossa. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
after 45 victories on 24 January 1942. By 16 September 1942 his number of victories had increased to 172 for which he was honored with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds . On 26 September 1942 he became the first fighter pilot in aviation history to claim 200 enemy aircraft shot down.
Graf was then posted to a fighter pilot training school in France before being tasked with leadership of a high flying de Havilland Mosquito
intercept unit called Jagdgeschwader 50. In November 1943 Graf was appointed Geschwaderkommodore
(wing commander) of Jagdgeschwader 11
(JG 11—11th fighter wing) and claimed his last aerial victory on 29 March 1944. He was severely injured during this encounter and after a period of convalescence became Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 52
(JG 52—52nd fighter wing). He and the remainder of JG 52 surrendered to United States Army
forces on 8 May 1945 and were turned over to the Red Army
. Graf was held in Soviet captivity until 1949. After the war he worked as an electronic sales manager and died of Parkinson's disease
in his home town of Engen on 4 November 1988.
in Baden
not far from the Swiss border, the son of Wilhelm Graf, a small farmer, and his wife Maria, née Sailer. He was the third of three children, with two older brothers, Wilhelm Wilhelm and Josef Wilhelm. Wilhelm Graf fought in World War I
as an artillery
soldier and was awarded the Iron Cross
(Eisernes Kreuz) and did not return home until Hermann was six years old. Hermann's main reference point in his life was therefore his mother forming a very close relationship which prevailed the remainder of her life. The inflation in the Weimar Republic
wiped out all the family savings in 1923. From a very early age Hermann learned to work very hard to make a living.
As a young boy Graf was fascinated by football. He started with the football club DJK Engen (Deutsche Jugendkraft—Litteral for "German Youthful Strength", a catholic
sports organisation dating back to 1920) and later became a goalkeeper in FC Höhen. In his teens he had been selected to join a group of talented young football players who were trained by Sepp Herberger
, a former forward (1921–1925) of the German national football team
and later head-coach of the German team winning the 1954 FIFA World Cup
. A broken thumb ended all of Graf's early hopes for a career in the national football team.
Graf graduated from the Volksschule
(primary school) in 1926 at the age of thirteen. Since the savings for Graf's higher education had been lost in the 1923 inflation he had no option but to apply for a professional education. For the next three years Graf worked as a locksmith apprentice at a local factory. A locksmith had a low income and when he received an offer to work as a clerk apprentice he gladly accepted a change in careers. In this position Graf helped Jewish families escape to Switzerland at a time when the "J" stamp in German Jews' passport had been demanded by Germany's neighboring countries. He took a great personal risk and came close to getting caught. Graf was saved by Gruppenführer
(Group Leader) Albert Keller of the Nazi Sailplane Club NSFK in Engen, who cleared all the tracks that Graf had left.
Graf saw his first aircraft when he was twelve years old causing an emotional conflict between his passion for football and aviation. Graf had started working at the Engen town Hall in 1930, saving all his money to buy a sailplane. Before his twentieth birthday he contributed a homemade sailplane to the newly founded Engen Sailplane Club. Every Sunday he would go out to the nearby Ballenberg
mountain until an almost fatal crash destroyed his sailplane in the fall of 1932. In 1935 when Adolf Hitler
nullified the Treaty of Versailles
, Hermann Graf applied for flight training in the newly created Luftwaffe.
Hermann Graf was accepted for the Luftwaffes A pilot training school in Karlsruhe
on 2 June 1936. Following basic training
, flight training progressed through the levels A1, A2 and B1, B2, referred to as A/B flight training. Graf's A training included theoretical and practical training in aerobatics, navigation, long-distance flights and dead-stick landings, graduating from A2 on 25 September 1936. Graf joined the B1 school in Ulm
-Dornstadt
on 4 October 1937. The B courses included high-altitude flights, instrument flights, night landings and training to handle the aircraft in difficult situations. He completed his B1 training on 23 December 1937 and progressed to B2 training in Karlsruhe on 19 January 1938, completing on 31 May 1938.
After the B2 course the pilots were either selected for fighter pilot training and transferred to a Jagdfliegerschule
(fighter pilot school) or chosen for bomber or transport pilot training at a C flight school. Graf, at the age of twenty-six, was initially thought to be too old for fighter pilot training and selected for the transport pilot C school. Largely due to the fact that the fighter force was in dire need for new officers Unteroffizier
Graf, without training on modern fighter aircraft, was transferred to the 2. Staffel
(2nd squadron) of the I./Jagdgeschwader 51
(I./JG 51—1st group of the 51st fighter wing) at Bad Aibling
on 31 May 1939 after he had completed his officers candidate training at Neubiberg
.For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organization
border. Graf, now a Feldwebel
, flew many patrols, but had no opportunity to engage the enemy during this phoney war.
In early 1940 Graf was posted to a training unit, during which time he was promoted to leutnant on 1 May. On 6 October Graf was assigned to 9./Jagdgeschwader 52
(JG 52). His wingman
at the time was Leopold Steinbatz
. A few days later JG 52 was transferred to Romania
, to help train Romanian pilots.
In May 1941 III./JG 52 was transferred to Greece
to support Operation Merkur, the invasion of Crete
. The unit flew mostly ground attack missions during this time. In early June the unit transferred back to Romania
, and from 22 June the unit supported Operation Barbarossa
. On 1 August JG 52 transferred to forward airfields in Ukraine
, and on 4 August Graf got his first aerial victory against an I-16 while escorting a Ju 87 strike against Kiev
. At this point he had clearly found his 'shooting eye' and quickly racked up further victories.
By early 1942 he had 45 victories, for which he was awarded the Ritterkreuz
on 24 January. On 23 March Graf was appointed Staffelkapitän
of 9./JG 52. Shortly thereafter he had an impressive string of successes, shooting down
48 enemy aircraft over a period of three weeks. On 14 May he shot down 8 enemy aircraft, and on 17 May he was awarded the Eichenlaub to his Ritterkreuz for reaching 104 victories. Only two days later he was awarded the Schwerter, after adding a further two victories to his tally.
From August onwards JG 52 supported Heeresgruppe Süd's
advances towards Stalingrad and Graf continued shooting down enemies at a high rate. In September alone he shot down 64 enemy aircraft, including 10 on 23 September. During this month he also became the first pilot to down 200 enemy aircraft, earning him the Brillanten on 16 September. Some time after this Graf was ordered not to fly operationally any more, as the High Command was concerned about the potential morale loss if he was to be shot down. Indeed, Graf received heavy damage to his aircraft on several occasions, including a cannon hit to the cockpit, and half the rudder shot away.
In early 1943 Graf, now a major
, was sent to France to command Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost
, an advanced fighter pilot school stationed near Bordeaux
. On 21 June he was appointed commander of Jagdgeschwader 50, a high-altitude fighter unit charged with combating the increasing menace of the high flying RAF De Havilland Mosquito
s. Here Graf pulled together the Karaya Quartet
.
In 1943, Graf used his fame and influence to intervene to save all the best German soccer players from front-line service, having them transferred into JGr 50, under the pretext that they were "badly needed technical experts". These included Fritz Walter
, future captain of the West German World Cup
winning team in 1954. Walter was the star in Graf's own soccer team, following Graf from JGr 50 to JG 1, JG 11, and JG 52.
During this assignment Graf shot down three more enemy aircraft, including two B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. In October the unit was disbanded by Göring and absorbed into I./JG 301, and Graf was promoted to Oberst
and appointed Geschwaderkommodore
of JG 11 on 11 November. JG 11 was tasked with Reichsverteidigung (Defense of the Reich
), and despite officially being banned from flying operational missions Graf managed to down 6 more aircraft over the next four months.
On 29 March 1944 Graf shot down one P-51 Mustang
and in the confusion of the dog fight collided with another. He managed to bail out, but was injured and had to spend some time in a hospital. While on convalescence leave Graf married the German actress Jola Jobst on 24 June 1944. The couple was formally divorced after Graf returned as a prisoner of war. Jola Jobst would go on to marry Wolfgang Kieling
in 1950 and committed suicide in October 1952.
After recovering he was appointed Kommodore of his old unit JG 52 on 1 October, which was still operating on the Eastern Front. With German forces in retreat by this time Graf did not have opportunity for air combat. He managed to bring his tally to 212 before he surrendered to the Americans on 8 May 1945. Graf had disobeyed an order from General Hans Seidemann
. Seidemann had ordered him and Erich Hartmann
to fly to the British sector, to avoid capture by the Russians, with the rest of the wing surrendering to the Soviets. Instead Graf chose to surrender his unit to the 90th US Infantry Division
.
Of his 212 victories, 10 were achieved in the West, and 6 of these were against heavy bombers.
football club between 1958 and 1962. Endler employed Graf as a salesman in his company, and Graf would eventually advance to branch leader in Baden-Württemberg
and Chief of Sales.
Graf eventually re-married twice. His third marriage from May 1959 with Helga Graf resulted in the birth of his son, Hermann-Ulrich born in 1959, and his daughter Birgit born in 1961. In 1965 Graf was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease
which had a slow deteriorating effect on his health. Parkinson's disease affected many of those who had flown high-altitude missions during the war. Hermann died in his hometown Engen on 4 November 1988.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Hermann Graf (24 October 1912 – 4 November 1988) 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...
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....
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...
. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
during aerial combat. He served on both the Eastern
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...
and Western Fronts
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...
. He became the first pilot in aviation history to claim 200 aerial victories—that is, 200 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft. He claimed 212 aerial victories in over 830 combat missions, 202 of which were on the Eastern Front.
Graf, a pre-war football player and glider pilot
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
, joined the Luftwaffe in 1935 and initially selected for transport aviation was posted to 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...
(JG 51—51st fighter wing) in May 1939. At the outbreak of World War II he was stationed at the French border flying uneventful patrols. Serving as a flight instructor he was stationed in Romania as part of a German military mission training Romanian pilots. Graf flew a few ground support missions in the closing days of the German invasion of Crete before being relocated east. He claimed his first aerial victory on 4 August 1941 during Operation Barbarossa. 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...
after 45 victories on 24 January 1942. By 16 September 1942 his number of victories had increased to 172 for which he was honored with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds . On 26 September 1942 he became the first fighter pilot in aviation history to claim 200 enemy aircraft shot down.
Graf was then posted to a fighter pilot training school in France before being tasked with leadership of a high flying 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"...
intercept unit called Jagdgeschwader 50. In November 1943 Graf was appointed 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...
(wing commander) of Jagdgeschwader 11
Jagdgeschwader 11
Jagdgeschwader 11 was a German fighter wing of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Its primary role was the defense of Northern Germany against Allied day bomber raids...
(JG 11—11th fighter wing) and claimed his last aerial victory on 29 March 1944. He was severely injured during this encounter and after a period of convalescence became Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 52
Jagdgeschwader 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—52nd fighter wing). He and the remainder of JG 52 surrendered to United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
forces on 8 May 1945 and were turned over to the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. Graf was held in Soviet captivity until 1949. After the war he worked as an electronic sales manager and died of Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
in his home town of Engen on 4 November 1988.
Childhood, education and early career
Hermann Anton Graf was born on 24 October 1912 in EngenEngen, Germany
Engen is a town in the district of Konstanz, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 12 km northwest of Singen, and 15 km south of Tuttlingen....
in Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
not far from the Swiss border, the son of Wilhelm Graf, a small farmer, and his wife Maria, née Sailer. He was the third of three children, with two older brothers, Wilhelm Wilhelm and Josef Wilhelm. Wilhelm Graf fought in 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...
as an artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
soldier and was awarded the Iron Cross
Iron Cross
The 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....
(Eisernes Kreuz) and did not return home until Hermann was six years old. Hermann's main reference point in his life was therefore his mother forming a very close relationship which prevailed the remainder of her life. The inflation in the Weimar Republic
Inflation in the Weimar Republic
The hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic was a three year period of hyperinflation in Germany between June 1921 and July 1924.- Analysis :...
wiped out all the family savings in 1923. From a very early age Hermann learned to work very hard to make a living.
As a young boy Graf was fascinated by football. He started with the football club DJK Engen (Deutsche Jugendkraft—Litteral for "German Youthful Strength", a catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
sports organisation dating back to 1920) and later became a goalkeeper in FC Höhen. In his teens he had been selected to join a group of talented young football players who were trained by Sepp Herberger
Sepp Herberger
Josef "Sepp" Herberger was a German football player and manager...
, a former forward (1921–1925) of the German national football team
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
and later head-coach of the German team winning the 1954 FIFA World Cup
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
. A broken thumb ended all of Graf's early hopes for a career in the national football team.
Graf graduated from the Volksschule
Volksschule
A Volksschule was an 18th century system of state-supported primary schools established in the Habsburg Austrian Empire and Prussia . Attendance was supposedly compulsory, but a 1781 census reveals that only one fourth of school-age children attended. At the time, this was one of the few examples...
(primary school) in 1926 at the age of thirteen. Since the savings for Graf's higher education had been lost in the 1923 inflation he had no option but to apply for a professional education. For the next three years Graf worked as a locksmith apprentice at a local factory. A locksmith had a low income and when he received an offer to work as a clerk apprentice he gladly accepted a change in careers. In this position Graf helped Jewish families escape to Switzerland at a time when the "J" stamp in German Jews' passport had been demanded by Germany's neighboring countries. He took a great personal risk and came close to getting caught. Graf was saved by Gruppenführer
Gruppenführer
Gruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
(Group Leader) Albert Keller of the Nazi Sailplane Club NSFK in Engen, who cleared all the tracks that Graf had left.
Graf saw his first aircraft when he was twelve years old causing an emotional conflict between his passion for football and aviation. Graf had started working at the Engen town Hall in 1930, saving all his money to buy a sailplane. Before his twentieth birthday he contributed a homemade sailplane to the newly founded Engen Sailplane Club. Every Sunday he would go out to the nearby Ballenberg
Ballenberg
Ballenberg is an open air museum in Switzerland that displays traditional buildings and architecture from all over the country. Located near Brienz in the municipality of Hofstetten bei Brienz, Canton of Berne, Ballenberg has over 100 original buildings that have been transported from their...
mountain until an almost fatal crash destroyed his sailplane in the fall of 1932. In 1935 when Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
nullified the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
, Hermann Graf applied for flight training in the newly created Luftwaffe.
Hermann Graf was accepted for the Luftwaffes A pilot training school in Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
on 2 June 1936. Following basic training
Basic Training
Basic Training may refer to:* Basic Training, a 1971 American documentary directed by Frederick Wiseman* Basic Training , an American sex comedy* Recruit training...
, flight training progressed through the levels A1, A2 and B1, B2, referred to as A/B flight training. Graf's A training included theoretical and practical training in aerobatics, navigation, long-distance flights and dead-stick landings, graduating from A2 on 25 September 1936. Graf joined the B1 school in Ulm
Ulm
Ulm is a city in the federal German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube. The city, whose population is estimated at 120,000 , forms an urban district of its own and is the administrative seat of the Alb-Donau district. Ulm, founded around 850, is rich in history and...
-Dornstadt
Dornstadt
Dornstadt is a town in the district of Alb-Donau in Baden-Württemberg in Germany....
on 4 October 1937. The B courses included high-altitude flights, instrument flights, night landings and training to handle the aircraft in difficult situations. He completed his B1 training on 23 December 1937 and progressed to B2 training in Karlsruhe on 19 January 1938, completing on 31 May 1938.
After the B2 course the pilots were either selected for fighter pilot training and transferred to a Jagdfliegerschule
Jagdfliegerschule
The German Luftwaffe of the Wehrmacht had seven Jagdfliegerschulen or Fighter Pilot Schools.- Jagdfliegerschule Werneuchen or Jagdfliegerschule 1 :...
(fighter pilot school) or chosen for bomber or transport pilot training at a C flight school. Graf, at the age of twenty-six, was initially thought to be too old for fighter pilot training and selected for the transport pilot C school. Largely due to the fact that the fighter force was in dire need for new officers 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...
Graf, without training on modern fighter aircraft, was transferred to the 2. Staffel
Staffel
Staffel may refer to:* Staffel** Staffelkapitän, a position in flying units of the German Luftwaffe** Schutz Staffel** DDR-Liga Staffel A** 5th Staffel of Kampfgeschwader 200, an unit** Propaganda-Staffel- Family name :...
(2nd squadron) of the I./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...
(I./JG 51—1st group of the 51st fighter wing) at Bad Aibling
Bad Aibling
Bad Aibling is a spa town and former district seat in Bavaria on the river Mangfall, located some 35 miles southeast of Munich. It is a health resort .-History:...
on 31 May 1939 after he had completed his officers candidate training at Neubiberg
Neubiberg
Neubiberg is a municipality south-east of Munich, Germany, founded in 1912. It used to have an airport that was used as a Luftwaffe-base in the Third Reich and after the war as an U.S. airbase and in the following years as the German Air Force officer school. Today the largest part of the area is...
.For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organization
Luftwaffe Organization
Between 1933 and 1945, the organization of the Luftwaffe underwent several changes. Originally, the German military high command decided to use an organizational structure similar to the army and navy, treating the branch as a strategic weapon of war...
World War 2
At the outbreak of War on 1 September 1939 JG 51 was stationed at the FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
border. Graf, now a 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...
, flew many patrols, but had no opportunity to engage the enemy during this phoney war.
In early 1940 Graf was posted to a training unit, during which time he was promoted to leutnant on 1 May. On 6 October Graf was assigned to 9./Jagdgeschwader 52
Jagdgeschwader 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). His wingman
Wingman
A wingman is a pilot who supports another in a potentially dangerous flying environment. Wingman was originally a term referring to the plane flying beside and slightly behind the lead plane in an aircraft formation....
at the time was Leopold Steinbatz
Leopold Steinbatz
Leopold "Bazi" Steinbatz was a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace and sole non Officer recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords during World War II.-Luftwaffe career:After service in the Austrian Army Steinbatz joined the...
. A few days later JG 52 was transferred to 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...
, to help train Romanian pilots.
In May 1941 III./JG 52 was transferred to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
to support Operation Merkur, the invasion of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
. The unit flew mostly ground attack missions during this time. In early June the unit transferred back to 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...
, and from 22 June the unit supported Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
. On 1 August JG 52 transferred to forward airfields in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, and on 4 August Graf got his first aerial victory against an I-16 while escorting a Ju 87 strike against Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
. At this point he had clearly found his 'shooting eye' and quickly racked up further victories.
By early 1942 he had 45 victories, for which he was awarded the Ritterkreuz
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...
on 24 January. On 23 March Graf was 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 9./JG 52. Shortly thereafter he had an impressive string of successes, shooting down
48 enemy aircraft over a period of three weeks. On 14 May he shot down 8 enemy aircraft, and on 17 May he was awarded the Eichenlaub to his Ritterkreuz for reaching 104 victories. Only two days later he was awarded the Schwerter, after adding a further two victories to his tally.
From August onwards JG 52 supported Heeresgruppe Süd's
Army Group South
Army Group South was the name of a number of German Army Groups during World War II.- Poland campaign :Germany used two army groups to invade Poland in 1939: Army Group North and Army Group South...
advances towards Stalingrad and Graf continued shooting down enemies at a high rate. In September alone he shot down 64 enemy aircraft, including 10 on 23 September. During this month he also became the first pilot to down 200 enemy aircraft, earning him the Brillanten on 16 September. Some time after this Graf was ordered not to fly operationally any more, as the High Command was concerned about the potential morale loss if he was to be shot down. Indeed, Graf received heavy damage to his aircraft on several occasions, including a cannon hit to the cockpit, and half the rudder shot away.
In early 1943 Graf, now a major
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. ...
, was sent to France to command Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost
Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost
Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost was a figher pilot training unit of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. It was formed on 27 January 1942 in Krakau and renamed Jagdgruppe Ost on 25 November 1942.-Gruppenkommandeure:...
, an advanced fighter pilot school stationed near Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
. On 21 June he was appointed commander of Jagdgeschwader 50, a high-altitude fighter unit charged with combating the increasing menace of the high flying RAF 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"...
s. Here Graf pulled together the Karaya Quartet
Karaya Quartet
Jagdgeschwader 50 , sometimes erroneously referred to as Jagdgruppe 50, was a special high-altitude fighter unit that specialized in intercepting the Royal Air Force's de Havilland Mosquito light bombers during World War II.-History:...
.
In 1943, Graf used his fame and influence to intervene to save all the best German soccer players from front-line service, having them transferred into JGr 50, under the pretext that they were "badly needed technical experts". These included Fritz Walter
Fritz Walter
Friedrich "Fritz" Walter was a German footballer. In his time with the German national team, he won 61 caps and scored 33 goals.-Early club career:...
, future captain of the West German World Cup
1954 FIFA World Cup
The 1954 FIFA World Cup, the fifth staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Switzerland from 16 June to 4 July. Switzerland was chosen as hosts in July 1946. The tournament set a number of all-time records for goal-scoring, including the highest average goals scored per game...
winning team in 1954. Walter was the star in Graf's own soccer team, following Graf from JGr 50 to JG 1, JG 11, and JG 52.
During this assignment Graf shot down three more enemy aircraft, including two B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. In October the unit was disbanded by Göring and absorbed into I./JG 301, and Graf was promoted to 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...
and appointed 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 11 on 11 November. JG 11 was tasked with Reichsverteidigung (Defense of the Reich
Defense of the Reich
The Defence of the Reich is the name given to the strategic defensive aerial campaign fought by the Luftwaffe over German occupied Europe and Germany itself during World War II. Its aim was to prevent the destruction of German military and civil industries by the Western Allies...
), and despite officially being banned from flying operational missions Graf managed to down 6 more aircraft over the next four months.
On 29 March 1944 Graf shot down one 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...
and in the confusion of the dog fight collided with another. He managed to bail out, but was injured and had to spend some time in a hospital. While on convalescence leave Graf married the German actress Jola Jobst on 24 June 1944. The couple was formally divorced after Graf returned as a prisoner of war. Jola Jobst would go on to marry Wolfgang Kieling
Wolfgang Kieling
Wolfgang Kieling was a German actor. In films since childhood in his native Germany, Kieling also occasionally appeared in English-language films, most notably in Alfred Hitchcock's Torn Curtain , where he played an East German agent brutally slain by Paul Newman...
in 1950 and committed suicide in October 1952.
After recovering he was appointed Kommodore of his old unit JG 52 on 1 October, which was still operating on the Eastern Front. With German forces in retreat by this time Graf did not have opportunity for air combat. He managed to bring his tally to 212 before he surrendered to the Americans on 8 May 1945. Graf had disobeyed an order from General Hans Seidemann
Hans Seidemann
Hans Seidemann was a World War II Luftwaffe general. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
. Seidemann had ordered him and Erich Hartmann
Erich Hartmann
Erich Alfred Hartmann , nicknamed "Bubi" by his comrades and "The Black Devil" by his Soviet enemies, was a German World War II fighter pilot and is the highest-scoring fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare...
to fly to the British sector, to avoid capture by the Russians, with the rest of the wing surrendering to the Soviets. Instead Graf chose to surrender his unit to the 90th US Infantry Division
U.S. 90th Infantry Division
The 90th Infantry Division was a unit of the United States Army that served in World War I and World War II.Its heraldic descendant is the 90th Sustainment Brigade.-World War I:*Activated: August 1917.*Overseas: June 1918....
.
Of his 212 victories, 10 were achieved in the West, and 6 of these were against heavy bombers.
Prisoner of war
Along with most of the JG 52 personnel, Graf was handed over to the Russians shortly after his surrender. Having become famous via the Nazi propaganda machine and as the Commander of JG 52, Graf was singled out for attention by the Soviets. He was imprisoned until 29 December 1949. This relatively early release was by many perceived to be caused by his willingness to co-operate with his Soviet captors, something fellow pilots criticized him for, especially following a 1950s book by fellow fighter ace & Soviet POW Hans "Assi" Hahn entitled I Tell the Truth. This led to Graf being largely ostracized from post-war Luftwaffe comrade associations.Later life
After Hermann Graf had returned from Soviet captivity in December 1949 his marriage with Jola Jobst collapsed and they were divorced. Initially Graf had a hard time obtaining work but his relationship in the football community helped him. Sepp Herberger introduced Graf to Roland Endler, an electronics manufacturer from Neuss who also was president of the FC Bayern MunichFC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
football club between 1958 and 1962. Endler employed Graf as a salesman in his company, and Graf would eventually advance to branch leader in Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of and 10.7 million inhabitants...
and Chief of Sales.
Graf eventually re-married twice. His third marriage from May 1959 with Helga Graf resulted in the birth of his son, Hermann-Ulrich born in 1959, and his daughter Birgit born in 1961. In 1965 Graf was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
which had a slow deteriorating effect on his health. Parkinson's disease affected many of those who had flown high-altitude missions during the war. Hermann died in his hometown Engen on 4 November 1988.
Quote
"We have to begin a new thinking, I am on the Russian side, and therefore I would like to live with the Russians.... I am happy now to be a Russian prisoner. I know that all I have done is wrong and I have now only one wish. That is to fly with the Russian Air Force." -Herman GrafAwards
- 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 Silver - 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...
(9 December 1941) - Combined Pilots-Observation BadgeCombined Pilots-Observation BadgeCombined Pilots-Observation Badge was a German military award instituted on 26 March 1936 by the Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe Hermann Göring to commemorate soldiers or servicemen who had already been awarded the Pilot's badge or Observer badge...
in Gold with Diamonds - Romanian Pilots Badge
- Romanian Knight of Order of the CrownOrder of the Crown (Romania)The Order of the Crown is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania...
(23 May 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 in April 1942 - 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 (9 August 1941)
- 1st Class (31 August 1941)
- 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...
for Fighter Pilots in Gold- in Bronze (15 May 1941)
- in Silver (25 August 1941)
- in Gold (10 November 1941)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and DiamondsKnight'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...
- Knight's Cross on 24 January 1942 as Leutnant of the ReservesMilitary reserve forceA military reserve force is a military organization composed of citizens of a country who combine a military role or career with a civilian career. They are not normally kept under arms and their main role is to be available to fight when a nation mobilizes for total war or to defend against invasion...
and pilot in the 9./JG 52 - 93rd Oak Leaves on 17 May 1942 as Leutnant of the Reserves and Staffelführer of the 9./JG 52
- 11th Swords on 19 May 1942 as Leutnant of the Reserves and StaffelkapitänStaffelkapitänStaffelkapitän 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 9./JG 52 - 5th Diamonds on 16 September 1942 as OberleutnantOberleutnantOberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
of the Reserves and Staffelkapitän of the 9./JG 52
- Knight's Cross on 24 January 1942 as Leutnant of the Reserves
- Mentioned five times in the WehrmachtberichtWehrmachtberichtThe Wehrmachtbericht was a daily radio report on the Großdeutscher Rundfunk of Nazi Germany, published by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regarding the military situation on all fronts of World War II....
Reference in the Wehrmachtbericht
| Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 3 May 1942 | Yesterday on the Eastern front, Leutnant Koeppen Gerhard Köppen Gerhard Köppen was a German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership... achieved his 80th to 84th, Leutnant Graf his 70th to 76th and Feldwebel Steinbatz Leopold Steinbatz Leopold "Bazi" Steinbatz was a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace and sole non Officer recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords during World War II.-Luftwaffe career:After service in the Austrian Army Steinbatz joined the... his 44th to 49th aerial victory. |
|
| Friday, 15 May 1942 | Leutnant Graf achieved his 98th to 104th, Leutnant Dickfeld Adolf Dickfeld Oberst Adolf Dickfeld was a German World War II Luftwaffe 136 victories Flying ace. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves... his 82nd to 90th aerial victory in yesterdays aerial combat on the Eastern front. |
|
| Saturday, 5 September 1942 | Oberleutnant Graf, squadron leader in a fighter wing, achieved his 150th aerial victory on the Eastern front on September 4. | |
| Tuesday, 22 September 1942 | Hauptmann Graf achieved his 182nd to 185th aerial victory as a fighter pilot on September 21. | |
| Sunday, 27 September 1942 | Hauptmann Graf, squadron leader in a fighter wing, achieved his 200th to 202nd aerial victory on September 26. |