Theodor Weissenberger
Encyclopedia
Major
Theodor Weissenberger (born 21 December 1914 in Mühlheim am Main
, Grand Duchy of Hesse
, killed in a car racing accident 10 June 1950 on the Nürburgring
) was a German
World War II
fighter ace
who served in the Luftwaffe
from 1936 until the end of World War II
in 1945. He flew more than 500 combat missions claiming 208 enemy aircraft shot down. 33 claims were made on the Western Front, including some 7 heavy bombers.
In September 1942 he was posted to II./JG 5, based in Northern Finland. Flying with 6 Staffel, and then as commander of 7 Staffel, he had claimed 104 kills by July 1943, and been awarded the Ritterkreuz.
Becoming Gruppenkommandeur
of II./JG 5 in April 1944, he had claimed some 175 kills by May 1944 in over 350 missions on the Arctic Front.
Taking over I./JG 5 on 4 June, the unit transferred to the Western Front in mid 1944 and through June and July 1944, Weissenberger flew twenty-six sorties and was credited with twenty-five victories over the Invasion Front around Normandy (his claims were half the total score by the whole unit, I./JG 5, during this period).
He claimed five P-47's on 7 June, two more P-47's on 9 June, and another three P-47's on 12 June. He scored again on 19 July with three Typhoons and a P-51. On 25 July he claimed two more Spitfires shot down.
Weissenberger converted to the Messerschmitt Me 262
jet fighter in the second half of 1944. In November 1944 he was posted to command I./JG 7.
On New Year's Day
1945 Theo Weissenberger married his teenage love Cilly Vogel. Best man at his wedding
was Walter Schuck
.
Promoted to Major
on 1 January 1945, Weissenberger was put in command of JG 7 as Geschwaderkommodore
. He is credited with eight confirmed victories (seven B-17s and a P-51) while flying the Messerschmitt 262.For a list of Luftwaffe Jet aces see List of German World War II Jet aces
Despite his excellent talents as a fighter pilot, Weissenberger's casual often 'non-military' attitude and demeanour meant he often got into trouble with his superiors regarding discipline.
Weissenberger became a motor racing driver after the war and was killed at the infamous Nürburgring
circuit on 10 June 1950, when his BMW-powered single seater crashed on the first lap of the XV Eifelrennen
motor race.
He was recommended by Oberstleutnant
Johannes Steinhoff
for the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
after his 200th aerial victory. This request was declined on 20 February 1945.
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. ...
Theodor Weissenberger (born 21 December 1914 in Mühlheim am Main
Mühlheim am Main
Mühlheim am Main is a town of roughly 26,600 on the Main’s left bank in the Offenbach district in the Regierungsbezirk of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany. Its municipal area measures 20.67 km² .-Location:...
, Grand Duchy of Hesse
Grand Duchy of Hesse
The Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine , or, between 1806 and 1816, Grand Duchy of Hesse —as it was also known after 1816—was a member state of the German Confederation from 1806, when the Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt was elevated to a Grand Duchy, until 1918, when all the German...
, killed in a car racing accident 10 June 1950 on the Nürburgring
Nürburgring
The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
) was a German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
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....
from 1936 until the end of 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...
in 1945. He flew more than 500 combat missions claiming 208 enemy aircraft shot down. 33 claims were made on the Western Front, including some 7 heavy bombers.
World War II
Prewar Weissenberger was a keen glider pilot and was an instructor in the early war years. He finally managed an operational posting in mid 1941, to I(Z)./JG 77 in Norway. He claimed his first kill in October 1941, and went on to score a further twenty-one kills in the Bf 110, in addition to fifteen locomotives, two flak installations, and numerous ground targets destroyed.In September 1942 he was posted to II./JG 5, based in Northern Finland. Flying with 6 Staffel, and then as commander of 7 Staffel, he had claimed 104 kills by July 1943, and been awarded the Ritterkreuz.
Becoming 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 II./JG 5 in April 1944, he had claimed some 175 kills by May 1944 in over 350 missions on the Arctic Front.
Taking over I./JG 5 on 4 June, the unit transferred to the Western Front in mid 1944 and through June and July 1944, Weissenberger flew twenty-six sorties and was credited with twenty-five victories over the Invasion Front around Normandy (his claims were half the total score by the whole unit, I./JG 5, during this period).
He claimed five P-47's on 7 June, two more P-47's on 9 June, and another three P-47's on 12 June. He scored again on 19 July with three Typhoons and a P-51. On 25 July he claimed two more Spitfires shot down.
Weissenberger converted to the Messerschmitt Me 262
Messerschmitt Me 262
The Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe was the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but engine problems prevented the aircraft from attaining operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944...
jet fighter in the second half of 1944. In November 1944 he was posted to command I./JG 7.
On New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
1945 Theo Weissenberger married his teenage love Cilly Vogel. Best man at his wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
was Walter Schuck
Walter Schuck
Walter Schuck is a former German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1937 until the end of World War II on 8 May 1945. He was born in Frankenholz, Saarland...
.
Promoted to Major
Major (Germany)
Major is a rank of the German military which dates back to the Middle Ages.It equates to Major in the British and US Armies, and is rated OF-3 in NATO.During World War II, the SS equivalent was Sturmbannführer....
on 1 January 1945, Weissenberger was put in command of JG 7 as 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...
. He is credited with eight confirmed victories (seven B-17s and a P-51) while flying the Messerschmitt 262.For a list of Luftwaffe Jet aces see List of German World War II Jet aces
Despite his excellent talents as a fighter pilot, Weissenberger's casual often 'non-military' attitude and demeanour meant he often got into trouble with his superiors regarding discipline.
Weissenberger became a motor racing driver after the war and was killed at the infamous Nürburgring
Nürburgring
The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
circuit on 10 June 1950, when his BMW-powered single seater crashed on the first lap of the XV Eifelrennen
Eifelrennen
The ADAC Eifelrennen was an annual motor race, organised by ADAC Automobile Club from 1922 to 2003, held in Germany's Eifel mountain region even before the Nürburgring was built there.- History :...
motor race.
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...
(28 May 1942) - 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 8 September 1942 as Oberfeldwebel in the 10.(ZS)/JG 5 - 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 - 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....
2nd and 1st class - Knight's Cross with Oak LeavesKnight'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 13 November 1942 as Leutnant(war officer) and pilot in the 6./JG 5
- 266th Oak Leaves in 2 August 1943 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...
(war officer) 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 7./JG 5
- Mentioned twice 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....
He was recommended by Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant
Oberstleutnant is a German Army and Air Force rank equal to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst.There are two paygrade associated to the rank of Oberstleutnant...
Johannes Steinhoff
Johannes Steinhoff
Johannes Steinhoff was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace of World War II, and later a senior West German air force officer and military commander of NATO. Steinhoff was one of very few Luftwaffe pilots who survived to fly operationally through the whole of the war period 1939-45...
for the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
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 his 200th aerial victory. This request was declined on 20 February 1945.