Langbahn Team – Weltmeisterschaft

Wolfgang Böwing-Treuding

Wolfgang Böwing-Treuding
Born28 January 1922
Hamburg
Died11 February 1943(1943-02-11) (aged 21)
near Velikiye Luki
Cause of deathKilled in action
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service / branch Luftwaffe
Years of service?–1943
RankOberleutnant (first lieutenant)
UnitJG 51
Commands10./JG 51
Battles / warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Wolfgang Böwing-Treuding (28 January 1922 – 11 February 1943) was a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Böwing-Treuding was credited by Nazi propaganda with 46 aerial victories, all over the Eastern Front. He was killed by the Red Army ground-fire on 11 February 1943 and was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross on 24 March 1943.[1]

Career

Böwing-Treuding was born on 28 January 1922 in Hamburg, at the time a sovereign state of the Weimar Republic.[2] Following flight training,[Note 1] Böwing-Treuding was posted to 8. Staffel (8th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing), a squadron of III. Gruppe (3rd group) of JG 51.[4]

On 10 August 1942, Böwing-Treuding was temporarily appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 11. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). He replaced Oberleutnant Georg Seelmann who had been wounded in combat on 3 August. Böwing-Treuding held this position until 20 August when Oberleutnant Adolf Borchers was given official command of the Staffel. On 17 December, Böwing-Treuding was given command of 10. Staffel after its former commander, Leutnant Rolf Kickert, was killed in action.[5]

On 11 February 1943, Böwing-Treuding was killed in action when his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-4 (Werknummer 5777—factory number) was hit and shot down by anti-aircraft artillery in a location 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) northwest of Velikiye Luki.[6] In consequence, command of 10. Staffel was passed to Oberleutnant Horst-Günther von Fassong.[7] Posthumously, Böwing-Treuding was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 24 March 1943 for 46 aerial victories claimed.[8]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Böwing-Treuding was credited with 46 aerial victories.[2]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 47872". 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.[9]

Chronicle of aerial victories
Claim Date Time Type Location Claim Date Time Type Location
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –
Operation Barbarossa — July 1941
1 13 July 1941 09:55 DB-3[10] 2 29 July 1941 04:20 SB-3[11]
– 12. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –
Operation Barbarossa — August – 5 December 1941
3 28 August 1941 13:00 SB-2[12] 7 4 November 1941 08:55 DB-3[13]
4 15 October 1941 07:21 I-61[13] 8 5 November 1941 09:15 I-16[14]
5 23 October 1941 14:25 I-61[13] 9 4 December 1941 07:55 LaGG-3[15]
6 24 October 1941 13:19 I-18[13]
– 12. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" –
Eastern Front — 6 December 1941 – 30 April 1942
10 17 December1941 13:30 I-61[16] 14 21 March 1942 15:55 Pe-2[16]
11 30 December1941 14:57 Pe-2[16] 15 28 March 1942 13:40 Pe-2[16]
12 8 January 1942 10:35 R-10[16] 16 5 April 1942 12:21 Pe-2[17]
13 18 January 1942 14:22 R-5[16] 17 17 April 1942 08:54 Pe-2[17]
– Stab IV. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" –
Eastern Front — 1 May – 13 August 1942
18 5 June 1942 18:21 Il-2[18] 23 5 August 1942 10:22 Il-2 PQ 47872[19]
19 6 July 1942 19:35 I-16[18] 24 6 August 1942 18:54 Il-2 PQ 56381[19]
20 1 August 1942 12:34 Il-2 PQ 46212[19] 25 9 August 1942 08:15 MiG-3 PQ 56144[19]
21 2 August 1942 14:58 Pe-2 PQ 47564[19] 26 13 August 1942 18:52 Il-2 PQ 56182[19]
22 2 August 1942 17:35 Pe-2 PQ 47561[19]
– 11. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" –
Eastern Front — 13 August – 16 December 1942
27 23 August 1942 14:42 Il-2 PQ 47594[20] 32 10 September 1942 14:14 Pe-2 PQ 56541[20]
28 2 September 1942 07:15 Il-2 northwest of Rzhev[20] 33 13 September 1942 17:24 Il-2 PQ 45513[20]
29 5 September 1942 11:21 Il-2 north-northwest of Rzhev[20] 34 30 October 1942 09:25 Il-2 Puschyanik[20]
30 7 September 1942 16:56 Pe-2 west of Rzhev[20] 35 30 October 1942 09:27 Il-2 Kurino[20]
31 10 September 1942 07:08 Pe-2 PQ 47843[20] 36 30 October 1942 10:45 Il-2 Schogussowo[20]
– 10. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" –
Eastern Front — 17 December 1942 – 11 February 1943
37 17 December 1942 10:55 MiG-3 2 km (1.2 mi) east of Ischewosew[21] 42 6 January 1943 10:41 Pe-2 PQ 07583[21]
38 17 December 1942 10:59 Il-2 1 km (0.62 mi) east of Petruschino[21] 43 6 January 1943 10:58 Pe-2 PQ 07594[21]
39 29 December 1942 09:50 Il-2 PQ 07593[21] 44 7 January 1943 12:09 Pe-2 PQ 07593[21]
40 6 January 1943 08:50 Il-2 PQ 07593[21] 45 26 January 1943 13:55 Pe-2 PQ 07892[22]
41 6 January 1943 10:40 Pe-2 PQ 07714[21] 46 3 February 1943 14:01 Pe-2 PQ 25462[22]

Awards

Notes

  1. ^ Flight training in the Luftwaffe progressed through the levels A1, A2 and B1, B2, referred to as A/B flight training. A training included theoretical and practical training in aerobatics, navigation, long-distance flights and dead-stick landings. The B courses included high-altitude flights, instrument flights, night landings and training to handle the aircraft in difficult situations.[3]
  2. ^ According to Scherzer as Staffelkapitän of the 10./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders".[25]

References

Citations

  1. ^ Page 2020, p. 17.
  2. ^ a b Obermaier 1989, p. 91.
  3. ^ Bergström, Antipov & Sundin 2003, p. 17.
  4. ^ a b Dixon 2023, p. 23.
  5. ^ Prien et al. 2006, pp. 350, 361–362.
  6. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 157.
  7. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 143.
  8. ^ Weal 2006, p. 122.
  9. ^ Planquadrat.
  10. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 304.
  11. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 305.
  12. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 343.
  13. ^ a b c d Prien et al. 2003, p. 345.
  14. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 346.
  15. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 347.
  16. ^ a b c d e f Prien et al. 2005, p. 119.
  17. ^ a b Prien et al. 2005, p. 120.
  18. ^ a b Prien et al. 2006, p. 353.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g Prien et al. 2006, p. 355.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Prien et al. 2006, p. 356.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h Prien et al. 2006, p. 358.
  22. ^ a b Prien et al. 2006, p. 359.
  23. ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 55.
  24. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 138.
  25. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 231.

Bibliography

  • Bergström, Christer [in Swedish]; Antipov, Vlad; Sundin, Claes (2003). Graf & Grislawski – A Pair of Aces. Hamilton MT: Eagle Editions. ISBN 978-0-9721060-4-7.
  • Bergström, Christer [in Swedish]. "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  • Dixon, Jeremy (2023). Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe: Knight's Cross Holders 1943–1945. Barnsley: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-39903-073-1.
  • 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.
  • Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
  • Page, Neil (2020). Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe 1943–45. Philadelphia, PA: Casemate Publishers. ISBN 978-1-61200-879-0.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
  • 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.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2012). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 12/II—Einsatz im Osten—4.2. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 12/II—Action in the East—4 February to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN 978-3-942943-05-5.
  • 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 (2006). Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders". Aviation Elite Units. Vol. 22. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-045-1.
Quelle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_B%C3%B6wing-Treuding