Langbahn Team – Weltmeisterschaft

Heinrich Krafft

Heinrich Krafft
Nickname(s)"Gaudi"
Born13 August 1914
Bilin, Bohemia
Died14 December 1942(1942-12-14) (aged 28)
Belyi, Russia
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service / branchArmy (1935–36)
Luftwaffe (1936–42)
Years of service1935–1942
RankHauptmann (captain)
UnitJG 51
CommandsI./JG 51
Battles / warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Heinrich "Gaudi" Krafft (13 August 1914 – 14 December 1942) was a Luftwaffe 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. During his career he was credited with 78 aerial victories, 4 over the Western Front and 74 over the Eastern Front.

Career

On 10 November 1940, Krafft was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 3. Staffel of JG 51, replacing Oberleutnant Richard Leppla who was transferred.[1]

On 18 March, Krafft and fellow JG 51 pilot Leutnant Hans Strelow were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) for 46 and 52 aerial victories claimed respectively.[2][3]

On 1 June 1942, Krafft succeeded Hauptmann Josef Fözö as Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe of JG 51.[4]

On 14 December 1942, Krafft's Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-3 (Werknummer 0539—factory number) was hit by anti-aircraft artillery resulting in a forced landing near Torbin, located approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) south of Bely behind enemy lines. Krafft was captured by Soviet forces and beaten to death. His body was later recovered by German forces, indicating severe blows to the head.[5] Command of I. Gruppe of JG 51 was temporarily passed to Oberleutnant Rudolf Busch before Hauptmann Erich Leie was given command on 6 January 1943.[6]

Summary of career

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Krafft was credited with 78 aerial victories.[7]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 46131". The Luftwaffe grid map (Jägermeldenetz) covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about 360 square miles (930 km2). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 km × 4 km (1.9 mi × 2.5 mi) in size.[8]

Chronicle of aerial victories
  This and the ♠ (Ace of spades) indicates those aerial victories which made Krafft an "ace-in-a-day", a term which designates a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day.
  This and the # (hash mark) indicates those aerial victories listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock without an explicit sequence number.
Claim Date Time Type Location Claim Date Time Type Location
– 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –
Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940
1 11 May 1940 18:08 Hurricane Rotterdam[9] 3 21 May 1940 08:10 M.S.406 Abbeville[9]
2 11 May 1940 18:16 Hurricane Rotterdam[9] 4 22 May 1940
—
 Curtiss Abbeville[9]
– 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –
Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 5 December 1941
5 22 June 1941 07:02 I-153[10] 18 31 August 1941 10:31 SB-3[11]
6 22 June 1941 09:55 SB-2[10] 19 31 August 1941 10:36 SB-3[11]
7 22 June 1941 10:02 SB-2[10] 20 8 September 1941 09:30 Pe-2[11]
8 22 June 1941 17:45 DB-3[10] 21 4 October 1941 08:20 I-16[12]
9 25 June 1941 14:00 SB-2[10] 22 5 October 1941 06:50 I-61 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Dubrowka[12]
10 29 June 1941 12:40 I-16[10] 23 8 October 1941 14:15 DB-3[12]
11 30 June 1941 13:05 SB-3[10] 24 10 October 1941 11:00 I-61[12]
12 30 June 1941 18:50 DB-3[10] 25 11 October 1941 14:35 I-61[12]
13 13 July 1941 14:55 SB-3[13] 26 22 October 1941 11:35 I-61[12]
14 24 July 1941 11:30 Seversky[14] 27 24 October 1941 15:45 I-61[15]
15 26 August 1941 17:14 V-11[11] 28 25 October 1941 08:50 I-61[15]
16 26 August 1941 17:19 V-11 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Dobruschij[11] 29 1 December 1941 13:13 I-61[15]
17 31 August 1941 10:25 SB-3[11] 30 5 December 1941 14:30 I-61[16]
– 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –
Eastern Front — 6 December 1941 – 30 April 1942
31 6 December 1941 11:32 I-61[17] # 10 February 1942 15:14 I-61[17]
32 6 December 1941 14:38 BSch (Il-2)[17][Note 1] # 10 February 1942 15:17 I-61[17]
33 6 December 1941 14:40 BSch (Il-2)[17][Note 1] # 16 February 1942 15:25 I-61[17]
34 12 December 1941 12:19 I-61[17] # 17 February 1942 16:20 I-61[17]
35 18 December 1941 11:00 I-61[17] # 18 February 1942 15:30 I-61[17]
36 18 December 1941 11:07 BSch (Il-2)[17][Note 1] # 20 February 1942 10:10 U-2[17]
# 25 January 1942 15:03 I-61[17] # 30 April 1942 16:33 Il-2[18]
# 26 January 1942 15:20 I-61[17]
– Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" –
Eastern Front — May – 14 December 1942
# 22 May 1942 16:13 unknown[19] # 6 July 1942 10:51 unknown[19]
# 3 June 1942 19:20 unknown[19] # 6 July 1942 15:20 unknown[19]
# 11 June 1942 07:56 unknown[19] # 6 July 1942 15:20 unknown[19]
# 11 June 1942 07:58 unknown[19] # 7 July 1942 09:55 unknown[19]
# 26 June 1942 14:58 unknown[19] # 7 July 1942 19:42 unknown[19]
# 26 June 1942 14:59 unknown[19] # 8 July 1942 15:43 unknown[19]
# 27 June 1942 09:41 unknown[19]
According to Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock, Krafft claimed two undocumented aerial victories before August 1942.[20]
61 7 August 1942 09:55 Il-2[21] 70 30 November 1942 12:07 Il-2 PQ 46131[22]
62 29 September 1942
—
 I-16[21] 71♠ 4 December 1942 09:25 Il-2 vicinity of Ssolowino[23]
63 30 September 1942
—
 I-16[21] 72♠ 4 December 1942 09:30 Il-2 vicinity of Bortniki[23]
64 1 October 1942
—
 Hurricane[21] 73♠ 4 December 1942 12:15 Il-2 south of Dubawo[23]
65 23 October 1942 15:22 LaGG-3 Sapadnaja Dwina[22] 74♠ 4 December 1942 12:17 Il-2 Dubawo[23]
66 11 November 1942 14:16 LaGG-3 PQ 27814[22] 75♠ 4 December 1942 14:57 Il-2 vicinity of Swrtuiki[23]
67 26 November 1942 12:24 Il-2 PQ 26422, west of Ramuschewo[22] 76 8 December 1942 13:35 La-5 PQ 26281[23]
68 26 November 1942 12:26 Il-2 PQ 26384, west of Ramuschewo[22] 77 10 December 1942 09:35 LaGG-3 vicinity of Ssawoschny[23]
69 26 November 1942 12:28 Il-2 PQ 26284, west of Ramuschewo[22] 78 10 December 1942 12:28 Pe-2 vicinity of Meinzorow[23]

Awards

Notes

  1. ^ a b c The aircraft type "BSchl" refers to an unspecified ground-attack aircraft, most likely an Ilyushin Il-2.[18]
  2. ^ According to Scherzer as Oberleutnant.[25]

References

Citations

  1. ^ Prien et al. 2002, p. 28.
  2. ^ Weal 2001, p. 45.
  3. ^ Weal 2006, p. 122.
  4. ^ Aders & Held 1993, p. 247.
  5. ^ Prien et al. 2006, pp. 262, 276.
  6. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 265.
  7. ^ Zabecki 2014, p. 1615.
  8. ^ Planquadrat.
  9. ^ a b c d Prien et al. 2001, p. 274.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h Prien et al. 2003, p. 248.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Prien et al. 2003, p. 254.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Prien et al. 2003, p. 255.
  13. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 251.
  14. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 252.
  15. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2003, p. 256.
  16. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 257.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Prien et al. 2005, p. 70.
  18. ^ a b Prien et al. 2005, p. 72.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Prien et al. 2006, p. 269.
  20. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 273.
  21. ^ a b c d Prien et al. 2006, p. 270.
  22. ^ a b c d e f Prien et al. 2006, p. 271.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h Prien et al. 2006, p. 272.
  24. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 271.
  25. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 469.

Bibliography

  • Aders, Gebhard; Held, Werner (1993). Jagdgeschwader 51 'Mölders' Eine Chronik – Berichte – Erlebnisse – Dokumente [Fighter Wing 51 'Mölders' A Chronicle – Reports – Experiences – Documents] (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-613-01045-1.
  • Bergström, Christer [in Swedish]. "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2025.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer [in German] (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2001). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945 Teil 3—Einsatz in Dänemark und Norwegen 9.4. bis 30.11.1940—Der Feldzug im Westen 10.5. bis 25.6.1940 [Fighter Pilot Association of the German Luftwaffe 1934 to 1945 Part 3—Assignments in Denmark and Norway 9 April to 30 November 1940—The campaign in the West 10 May to 25 June 1940] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-61-8.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2002). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 4/II—Einsatz am Kanal und über England—26.6.1940 bis 21.6.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 4/II—Action at the Channel and over England—26 June 1940 to 21 June 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-64-9.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/I—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/I—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-69-4.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2005). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/I—Winterkampf im Osten—6 December 1941 bis 30 April 1942 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/I—Winter War in the East—6 December 1941 to 30 April 1942] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-76-2.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2006). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/II—Vom Sommerfeldzug 1942 bis zur Niederlage von Stalingrad—1.5.1942 bis 3.2.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/II—From the 1942 Summer Campaign to the Defeat at Stalingrad—1 May 1942 to 3 February 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-77-9.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Weal, John (2001). Bf 109 Aces of the Russian Front. Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 37. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-084-1.
  • Weal, John (2006). Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders". Aviation Elite Units. Vol. 22. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-045-1.
  • Zabecki, David T., ed. (2014). Germany at War: 400 Years of Military History. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. ISBN 978-1-59884-981-3.
Military offices
Preceded by
Hauptmann Josef Fözö
 Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 51
1 June 1942 – 14 December 1942 		Succeeded by
Hauptmann Rudolf Busch
Quelle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Krafft