Paul Zorner
Encyclopedia
Paul Zorner, born Paul Zloch (born 31 March 1920), was a highly decorated German night fighter
pilot in World War II
. He was born in Roben
district of Leobschütz, Upper Silesia
. Zorner is credited with 59 nocturnal aerial victories claimed in 272 missions, including 110 night fighter missions.For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter aces. His wireless radio operator Oberfeldwebel Heinrich Wilke received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 December 1944.
He joined the Luftwaffe in October 1938 and began training at Oschatz-Sachsen
on 7 November. He attended Luftkriegsschule 2 at Berlin-Gatow
in and in November qualified and was sent for conversion training on twin-engine aircraft. He was posted as an instructor in July 1940. In March 1941 Leut. Zorner was posted to KGr.z.b.v. 104. to fly the Junkers Ju 52
transport aircraft. He flew over 160 missions in the Mediterranean
area, and in August 1941 operated over the Ukraine.
In October 1941 Zorner commenced training as a night fighter pilot. He was the posted to 8. NJG 2 based at Gilze-Rijen
to fly the Junkers Ju 88 C
night fighter. In December 1942 Zorner was posted to command 2./NJG 3 at Wittmundhafen
flying the Bf 110
and Do 217
night fighters.
On the night of 17-18 January 1943, Zorner claimed his first victory. By March, he had six victories to his credit. He was shot down on 17 April 1943 while intercepting USAAF
bombers
during the day, force-landed his Bf 110 near Cloppenburg
.
He claimed his 10th victory on 25-26 July, a Halifax
bomber raiding Essen
, but he and his crewman had to bale out when his Bf 110 G-4 had an engine catch fire. In August 1943 Zorner was made Staffelkapitän
of 8./NJG 3. He claimed three Lancaster
bombers on 23-24 December, and another Lancaster near Luckenwalde
as his 20th claim on 2-3 January 1944. He claimed another four Lancasters shot down on the night of 19-20 February and five more shot down on 24-25 February.
Zorner claimed a Mosquito
night fighter of 169 Squadron
shot down on 20-21 April. Zorner was appointed Gruppenkommandeur
of III./NJG 5 in April 1944. On the night of 27-28 April, Zorner claimed three Lancasters shot down attacking Friedrichshafen
to take his total to 46.
Zorner was awarded the Ritterkreuz in June for 48 victories. He shot down four bombers targeting railway installations in support of the Normandy invasion
on the night of 10-11 June and then three Halifaxes targeting V-1
launch sites in the Pas-de-Calais on 24-25 July.
Zorner was awarded the Oakleaves on 17 September for 58 victories. In October 1944 Zorner was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./NJG 100 equipped with Ju 88 night-fighters. In February 1945 II./NJG 100 was relocated to Wien-Seyring. Major Zorner claimed his 59th and last victory on 5-6 March 1945, a B-24 bomber near Graz
.
Zorner surrendered his Gruppe to United States
troops near Karlsbad
on 10 May 1945. He was then handed over to Soviet Forces
on 17 May. He returned to Germany
after years of incarceration in December 1949.
Zorner studied mechanical engineering in Stuttgart
and entered the field of refrigeration engineering before he rejoined the Bundesluftwaffe in 1956 . He was not passed fit to fly jet fighters and returned to civilian life in May 1957. He was employed within the chemical industry. He retired in 1981 as a chief engineer with Hoechst near Frankfurt. Zorner was credited with 59 victories recorded at night in 272 missions, of which 110 were night fighter missions.
Night fighter
A night fighter is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility...
pilot in 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...
. He was born in Roben
Równe, Opole Voivodeship
Równe is a village located in Poland, in Opole Voivodeship, Głubczyce County, Gmina Głubczyce, near the border with the Czech Republic....
district of Leobschütz, Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
. Zorner is credited with 59 nocturnal aerial victories claimed in 272 missions, including 110 night fighter missions.For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter aces. His wireless radio operator Oberfeldwebel Heinrich Wilke received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 December 1944.
He joined the Luftwaffe in October 1938 and began training at Oschatz-Sachsen
Oschatz
Oschatz is a town in the district Nordsachsen, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is located 60 km east of Leipzig and 60 km west of Dresden.- Site and Climate :...
on 7 November. He attended Luftkriegsschule 2 at Berlin-Gatow
RAF Gatow
Known for most of its operational life as Royal Air Force Station Gatow, or more commonly RAF Gatow, this former British Royal Air Force military airbase is in the district of Gatow in south-western Berlin, west of the Havel river, in the borough of Spandau...
in and in November qualified and was sent for conversion training on twin-engine aircraft. He was posted as an instructor in July 1940. In March 1941 Leut. Zorner was posted to KGr.z.b.v. 104. to fly the Junkers Ju 52
Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa as an airliner and freight hauler...
transport aircraft. He flew over 160 missions in the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
area, and in August 1941 operated over the Ukraine.
In October 1941 Zorner commenced training as a night fighter pilot. He was the posted to 8. NJG 2 based at Gilze-Rijen
Gilze-Rijen Air Base
Gilze-Rijen Air Base is a military airbase in the Netherlands located between the cities of Breda and Tilburg, in the Noord-Brabant province. It is mainly, but not exclusively used as a base for attack helicopters. The airfield has two runways, the longest, complete with instrument landing...
to fly the Junkers Ju 88 C
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
night fighter. In December 1942 Zorner was posted to command 2./NJG 3 at Wittmundhafen
Wittmund
Wittmund is a town and capital of the district of Wittmund, in Lower Saxony, Germany.-Geography:Wittmund is a town of 21,000 inhabitants located in Germany's historic coastal district of East Frisia, between the towns of Aurich and Jever...
flying the Bf 110
Messerschmitt Bf 110
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often called Me 110, was a twin-engine heavy fighter in the service of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110, and nicknamed it his Eisenseiten...
and Do 217
Dornier Do 217
The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by German Luftwaffe during World War II as a more powerful version of the Dornier Do 17, known as the Fliegender Bleistift . Designed in 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bomber, its design was refined during 1939 and production began in late 1940...
night fighters.
On the night of 17-18 January 1943, Zorner claimed his first victory. By March, he had six victories to his credit. He was shot down on 17 April 1943 while intercepting USAAF
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
bombers
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
during the day, force-landed his Bf 110 near Cloppenburg
Cloppenburg
Cloppenburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, capital of Cloppenburg District. It lies 38 km south-south-west of Oldenburg in the Weser-Ems region between Bremen and the Dutch border. Cloppenburg is not far from the A1, the major motorway connecting the Ruhr area to Bremen and Hamburg...
.
He claimed his 10th victory on 25-26 July, a Halifax
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
bomber raiding Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, but he and his crewman had to bale out when his Bf 110 G-4 had an engine catch fire. In August 1943 Zorner was made 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 8./NJG 3. He claimed three Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
bombers on 23-24 December, and another Lancaster near Luckenwalde
Luckenwalde
Luckenwalde is the capital of the Teltow-Fläming district in the German state of Brandenburg. It is situated on the Nuthe river north of the Fläming Heath, at the eastern rim of the Nuthe-Nieplitz Nature Park, about south of Berlin...
as his 20th claim on 2-3 January 1944. He claimed another four Lancasters shot down on the night of 19-20 February and five more shot down on 24-25 February.
Zorner claimed a 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"...
night fighter of 169 Squadron
No. 169 Squadron RAF
No. 169 Squadron RAF was a tactical reconnaissance and later a night intruder squadron of the Royal Air Force during World War II-History:No. 169 squadron was formed on 15 June 1942 at RAF Twinwood Farm as a tactical reconnaissance squadron from 'B' flight of 613 Squadron, and took over their North...
shot down on 20-21 April. Zorner 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 III./NJG 5 in April 1944. On the night of 27-28 April, Zorner claimed three Lancasters shot down attacking Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen
This article is about a German town. For the Danish town, see Frederikshavn, and for the Finnish town, see Fredrikshamn .Friedrichshafen is a university city on the northern side of Lake Constance in Southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria.It is the district capital of the...
to take his total to 46.
Zorner was awarded the Ritterkreuz in June for 48 victories. He shot down four bombers targeting railway installations in support of the Normandy invasion
Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the operation that launched the invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II by Allied forces. The operation commenced on 6 June 1944 with the Normandy landings...
on the night of 10-11 June and then three Halifaxes targeting V-1
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
launch sites in the Pas-de-Calais on 24-25 July.
Zorner was awarded the Oakleaves on 17 September for 58 victories. In October 1944 Zorner was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./NJG 100 equipped with Ju 88 night-fighters. In February 1945 II./NJG 100 was relocated to Wien-Seyring. Major Zorner claimed his 59th and last victory on 5-6 March 1945, a B-24 bomber near Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
.
Zorner surrendered his Gruppe to United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
troops near Karlsbad
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately west of Prague . It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370...
on 10 May 1945. He was then handed over to Soviet Forces
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...
on 17 May. He returned to Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
after years of incarceration in December 1949.
Zorner studied mechanical engineering in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
and entered the field of refrigeration engineering before he rejoined the Bundesluftwaffe in 1956 . He was not passed fit to fly jet fighters and returned to civilian life in May 1957. He was employed within the chemical industry. He retired in 1981 as a chief engineer with Hoechst near Frankfurt. Zorner was credited with 59 victories recorded at night in 272 missions, of which 110 were night fighter missions.
Awards
- Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (31 August 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 (20 March 1944) - 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...
with Oak Leaves- Knight's Cross on 9 June 1944 as HauptmannHauptmannHauptmann 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...
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 8./NJG 3 - 588th Oak Leaves on 17 September 1944 as HauptmannHauptmannHauptmann 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...
and GruppenkommandeurGruppenkommandeurGruppenkommandeur 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./NJG 5
- Knight's Cross on 9 June 1944 as Hauptmann
- Medal of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2006)