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Karl Borris

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Karl Borris
Born3 January 1916
Heinsdorf
Died18 August 1981(1981-08-18) (aged 65)
Bornum
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service / branch Luftwaffe
Years of service1939–1945
RankMajor (major)
UnitJG 26 "Schlageter"
Commands8./JG 26, I./JG 26
Battles / wars
See battles
World War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Karl Borris (3 January 1916 – 18 August 1981) was a World War II Luftwaffe military aviator and test pilot. As a flying ace, he is credited with 43 victories, all of them over the Western Front, for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. Borris was involved in the introduction of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 to front line service. Borris and 30 other pilots, technicians and engineers extensively tested the Fw 190 and their input was used in the decision to continue the project.

World War II

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World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. On 1 December 1939, Leutnant Borris joined Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing), which had been named after Albert Leo Schlageter on 1 May 1939.[1] There, he was assigned to II. Gruppe (2nd group).[2] At the time, the Geschwader was commanded by Oberst Eduard Ritter von Schleich and II. Gruppe was led by Hauptmann Herwig Knüppel.[3] The Gruppe was based at Werl and patrolled western German border during the "Phoney War" without having contact with the enemy. On 27 January, II. Gruppe was ordered to Dortmund where it stayed until 9 May 1940.[4]

During the Battle of France on 13 May, Borris was shot down in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3 by a Boulton Paul Defiant fighter near Dordrecht. He managed to bail out, was injured and returned to his Staffel on 17 May.[5] According to Mathews and Foremann, his victor was either Flight Lieutenant Ken Gillies from No. 66 Squadron or Pilot Officer P. E. J. Greenhous from No. 264 Squadron.[6] Prior to this mission, Borris had attended a gas-protection course in Berlin.[7] Command of II. Gruppe changed frequently in 1940. On 19 May, Knüppel was killed in action, he was temporarily replaced by Hauptmann Karl Ebbinghausen until he was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 4. Staffel on 31 May. On 1 June, command of II. Gruppe was officially handed over to Hauptmann Erich Noack.[8] Noack was killed in a landing accident on 24 July, and command of II. Gruppe was again given to Ebbighausen, who was then killed in action on 16 August. Hauptmann Erich Bode then led the Gruppe until 3 October when Hauptmann Walter Adolph was given command.[9]

Borris claimed his first aerial victory on 1 June during the Battle of Dunkirk. He was credited with the destruction of a Royal Air Force (RAF) Supermarine Spitfire at 12:42 over the combat area of Dunkirk.[10] The next day, II. Gruppe again fought over the Dunkirk battle zone and Borris claimed his second aerial victory. At 09:10, he claimed a Spitfire which came from either No. 66, No. 266 or No. 611 Squadron.[11]

During the Battle of Britain, Borris was credited with two aerial victories on 13 August, a day that was codenamed Adlertag (Eagle Day) by the Luftwaffe. II. Gruppe made contact with Hawker Hurricane fighters from No. 56 Squadron over Maidstone and for the loss of one Bf 109 E-1 shot down, claimed two Hurricanes destroyed, both of them by Borris between Maidstone and Detling.[12] On 6 September, he claimed another Hurricane shot down. This Hurricane was a No. 501 Squadron aircraft and was claimed at 09:55 near Folkestone.[13] Borris claimed his final aerial victory of the Battle of Britain on 25 October. On an escort mission for fighter bombers from II. Gruppe of Lehrgeschwader 2 (LG 2—2nd Demonstration Wing), Borris claimed the destruction of a No. 603 Squadron Spitfire near Maidstone.[14]

Testing the Fw 190

[edit]
A Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter similar to those flown by Borris

On 5 March 1941, Borris, at the time the technical officer of II. Gruppe, and Oberleutnant Otto Behrens, the Staffelkapitän of 6. Staffel, were sent to the Luftwaffe main testing ground (Erprobungsstelle) for new aircraft designs at Rechlin for operational testing of the then new Focke-Wulf Fw 190. Both Borris and Behrens were prewar aircraft mechanics and headed a team of 30 mechanics and engineers.[15] The unit was given six pre-production Fw 190 A-0 fighters for evaluation and conducted numerous test flights and made various suggestions which proved vital to working out all the technical challenges associated with a new aircraft design.[16][17]

The Erprobungsstaffel 190, the operational Fw 190 test squadron, headed by Behrens, was ordered from Rechlin to the Le Bourget airfield near Paris on 1 August. There, they were tasked with training II. Gruppe of JG 26 on the Fw 190 A-1.[18][19] Borris was transferred to the 6. Staffel which at the time was commanded by Oberleutnant Walter Schneider and was based at an airfield in Moorsele Belgium.[20] 6. Staffel was the first operational unit to be equipped with the Fw 190. By September, the entire II. Gruppe was flying the Fw 190.[21] On 9 August, he claimed his first aerial victory on the Fw 190. That day, the RAF had sent a "Rodeo" to Neufchâtel-Hardelot and Borris claimed a No. 403 Squadron Spitfire shot down near Campagne.[22] On 20 September, the RAF Fighter Command flew three "Circuses" simultaneously; No. 100A targeted the Hazebrouck motor yards, No. 100B the Abbeville motor yards, and No. 100C hit the Rouen shipyards. In defence of this attack, Borris was credited with destruction of Spitfire, claimed at 16:57 near Mardyck.[23] The next day, "Circus" No. 101 consisting of twelve Bristol Blenheim bombers and escorted by fourteen squadrons of Spitfires and Hurricanes which targeted Béthune and Gosnay. In combat over Étaples, Borris managed to shoot down a No. 315 Polish Fighter Squadron Spitfire at 16:30.[24]

Squadron leader

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On 6 November 1941, Hauptmann Johann Schmid, the Staffelkapitän of 8. Staffel, was killed in action. In consequence, Borris was transferred and chosen as his successor.[25] 8. Staffel was a squadron of III. Gruppe and at the time commanded by Major Gerhard Schöpfel.[26] Borris claimed his first aerial victory whilst flying with 8. Staffel on 13 March 1942. By this date, his Fw 190 had been equipped with the FuG 25a Erstling, an identification friend or foe transponder, allowing German radar operators to distinguish between friendly and enemy aircraft. That day, the RAF sent "Circus" No. 114 to bomb the railway yards at Hazebrouck. III. Gruppe was dispatched and fought a lengthy air battle with the Kenley Wing. During this air battle, Borris downed a No. 602 Squadron Spitfire for his tenth aerial victory.[27]

During the Dieppe Raid on 19 August 1942, on III. Gruppe's second patrol of the day, a flight led by Borris and Oberleutnant Klaus Mietusch took off from Wevelgem airfield at 09:36. The flight intercepted Spitfire fighters from No. 19 and No. 121 Squadron, an Eagle Squadron. In this encounter, Borris claimed a Spitfire shot down at 10:15 in the vicinity of Dieppe.[28] Following this 21st aerial victory claim, he was awarded the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 8 September.[29]

Defense of the Reich

[edit]

On 14 May 1943, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) targeted four separate targets in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. In defense of this attack, Borris was shot down in his Fw 190 A-5 (Werknummer 7326—factory number) by the defensive gunfire of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber in combat near Wevelgem. He managed to bail out at 7,000 meters (23,000 feet) but opened his parachute too soon, causing it to partially collapse. He sustained multiple broken bones, requiring a lengthy period in hospitals and convalescence.[30] On 22 June, Major Fritz Losigkeit the commander of I. Gruppe was transferred. In consequence, Oberst Josef Priller, the Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of JG 26, was forced to appoint a new Gruppenkommandeur (group commander). While Borris was still in a hospital, Priller called him and gave him command of I. Gruppe.[31]

24 July marked the beginning of a period in the Combined Bomber Offensive which was referred to as "Blitz Week". As part of the offensive, the next day, U.S. Martin B-26 Marauder bombers attacked the Ghent coke furnaces. I. Gruppe, led by Borris, was scrambled at Woensdrecht to intercept the attack on Ghent. The Gruppe engaged the escorting fighters and claimed four Spitfires destroyed plus a further Spitfire damaged, without loss. Following this aerial battle, Borris was credited with two aerial victories over two No. 165 Squadron Spitfires claimed shot down north of Ghent at 15:04 and 15:09 respectively.[32] The USAAF targeted the German aircraft industry on 17 August 1943 in the Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission. In defense of this attack, Borris, who had returned to his unit, claimed the first of 60 B-17 bombers lost by the USAAF that day.[33] At 11:30, he had shot down a B-17 from the 94th Bombardment Group which came down 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) east of Diest.[34][35]

On 1 April 1944, Borris was promoted to Mojor (major).[36] A little more than a month later on 14 May, Borris briefly left I. Gruppe and transferred command to Hauptmann Hermann Staiger. Borris returned to JG 26 on 14 July,[37] and resumed command of I. Gruppe on 1 August after Staiger had been transferred on 31 July.[38] On 17 September, Allied forces launched Operation Market Garden, the operation to secure a bridgehead over the River Rhine.[39] As part of this operation, the Allies flew resupplies to the combat area around Arnhem on 23 September. The transport aircraft were protected by 519 fighters from the VIII Fighter Command and 40 Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighters from the Ninth Air Force. German fighters dispatched by Luftflotte Reich never reached the transports. Borris led I. Gruppe to the Goch–Wesel area where he shot down a North American P-51 Mustang fighter from the 339th Fighter Group.[40]

Operation Bodenplatte and defeat

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A Fw 190 D-9 of 10./JG 54, piloted by Leutnant Theo Nibel, downed by a partridge which flew into the nose radiator[41]

On 24 November 1944, Priller with his Geschwaderstab of JG 26 and Borris with his I. Gruppe moved to an airfield near Handrup and Fürstenau.[42] The next day, two pilots of JG 26 were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), Borris for 41 aerial victories, and Leutnant Heinz-Gerhard Vogt from 5. Staffel for 46 aerial victories.[43] The presentation of the Knight's Cross was made by Oberst Hannes Trautloft, at the time Inspekteur der Tagjäger (Inspector of Day Fighters), at Fürstenau airfield on 5 December. Following the presentation, Borris led a flight of five Fw 190s against a formation of B-17s bombing Berlin and managed to shoot down a straggler from the 452d Bombardment Group west of Lingen.[44] At Fürstenau airfield, the Gruppe was equipped with the Fw 190 D-9 aircraft and flew twelve combat missions in support of the Ardennes Counteroffensive, also known as the Battle of the Bulge. In these missions, Borris lost eight pilots killed in action, five were wounded and a further four pilots were taken prisoner of war (POW).[45]

On 31 December, 20 Fw 190 aircraft from III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) under the command of Oberleutnant Hans Dortenmann arrived at Fürstenau in preparation for Operation Bodenplatte.[46] Bodenplatte was an attempt at gaining air superiority during the stagnant stage of the Battle of the Bulge. That evening, Borris briefs the pilots of the mission, which is the Grimbergen Airfield. Led by Priller and Borris, 47 aircraft from the Geschwaderstab and I. Gruppe, and further 17 aircraft from III. Gruppe of JG 54 took off at 08:14 on 1 January 1945.[47] Flying at an altitude of approximately 50–150 metres (160–490 feet), the attack force sustained losses during the approach to the target area, largely due to anti-artillery fire. The airfield at Gimbergen was almost completely abandoned, the damage inflicted was minimal, and the losses sustained where significant. III. Gruppe of JG 54 suffered five pilots killed or missing in action, plus four further taken prisoner of war, Borris lost six pilots either killed or missing in action, making the mission a total failure.[48]

Borris claimed his 43rd and last aerial victory on 14 January and German forces were on the retreat in the Ardennes. At 15:25, Borris led a flight of 31 Fw 190 D-9s from Fürstenfeld, three Fw 190 had to abort the mission prematurely, on mission to protect the German jet bomber airfields in the vicinity of Rheine–Hopsten. Borris and his flight of 28 aircraft encountered Spitfires of the Second Tactical Air Force with the two Norwegian squadrons No. 331 and No. 332 Squadron. In this encounter, Borris claimed a Spitife shot down at 15:45 in the vicinity of Ibbenbüren.[49]

Based at Flensburg Airfield, Borris surrendered I. Gruppe to British forces on 6 May 1945. He and his men were taken to a makeshift POW camp nearby.[50]

Summary of career

[edit]

Aerial victory claims

[edit]

Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces: Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 43 aerial victory claims, all of which were claimed on the Western Front.[51]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 05 Ost BE". 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.[52]

Chronicle of aerial victories
  This and the – (dash) indicates unconfirmed aerial victory claims for which Borris did not receive credit.
  This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Caldwell, Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Bock, Mathews and Foreman.
Claim Date Time Type Location Claim Date Time Type Location
– 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" –[6]
Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940
1 1 June 1940 12:42 Spitfire?[Note 1] northwest of Dunkirk[53] 2 2 June 1940 09:10 Hurricane?[Note 2] Dunkirk[53]
– 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" –[6]
Action at the Channel and over England — 26 June – September 1940
3 13 August 1940 17:05 Hurricane Maidstone/Detling[54] 5 6 September 1940 09:55 Hurricane Folkestone[55]
30 km (19 mi) northwest of Folkestone
4 13 August 1940 17:07 Hurricane Maidstone/Detling[54]
Maidstone/Ashford
– 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" –[6]
Action at the Channel and over England — September 1940 – 21 June 1941
6 25 October 1940 11:04 Spitfire Maidstone[56]
– 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" –[6]
On the Western Front — 22 June – 31 December 1941
7 9 August 1941 18:30 Spitfire Campagne[57] 9 21 September 1941 16:30 Spitfire Étaples[58]
8 20 September 1941?[Note 3] 16:57 Spitfire Mardyck[58]
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" –[59]
On the Western Front — 1 January – 31 December 1942
10 13 March 1942 16:09 Spitfire[60] 16 28 April 1942 11:34 Spitfire south of Gravelines[61]
11 4 April 1942 11:40 Spitfire[60] Pas-de-Calais 17 28 April 1942 11:59 Spitfire[61]
12 4 April 1942 11:46 Spitfire 3 km (1.9 mi) north of Sangatte[60] 18 17 May 1942 11:50 Spitfire 6 km (3.7 mi) northwest of Sangatte[61]
13 15 April 1942 19:04 Spitfire east of Cap Gris-Nez[60] 19 1 June 1942 13:58 Spitfire 8 km (5.0 mi) north of De Panne[61]
14 17 April 1942 16:14 Spitfire[60] English Channel 20 30 July 1942 19:20 Spitfire[62]
15 24 April 1942 14:50 Spitfire 75 km (47 mi) west-northwest of Ostend[60] 21 19 August 1942 10:15 Spitfire[62] Dieppe
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" –[6]
On the Western Front — 1 January – 22 June 1943
22 3 February 1943 15:21 Spitfire north of Poperinge[63] 25 4 April 1943 14:40 B-17 Rouen/Dieppe[63]
23 3 February 1943 15:21 Spitfire north of Poperinge[63] 26 13 May 1943 16:45 Spitfire Saint-Pol[63]
24 7 February 1943 14:46 Typhoon PQ 05 Ost BE, Roeselare/Staden[63]
– Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" –[51]
On the Western Front — 22 June 1943 – 8 May 1945
27 25 July 1943 15:04 Spitfire north of Ghent[64]
—
[Note 4] 		6 March 1944 14:35 P-47 southwest of Oldenburg[66]
28 25 July 1943 15:09 Spitfire north of Ghent[64] 36 8 March 1944 16:50 Spitfire east of Utrecht[67]
29 17 August 1943 11:30 B-17 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Diest[34] 37 19 April 1944 19:05 Spitfire east-northeast of Mechelen[68]
30 19 September 1943 12:52 Spitfire east of Ipswich[69] 38 14 July 1944 14:36 P-47 west of Paris[70]
31 7 January 1944 12:30 P-47 vicinity of Cousolre[71] 39 26 August 1944 09:32 Spitfire Rouen[72]
32 11 January 1944 13:00?[Note 5] B-17 Nordhorn-Zuiderzee[73] 40 16 September 1944 17:40 P-38 Bonn[39]
33 29 January 1944 11:05 B-17 east of Bonn[74] 41 23 September 1944 17:09 P-51 Wesel[75]
34 8 February 1944 11:15?[Note 6] P-47 east of Saint-Quentin[76] 42 5 December 1944 13:35 B-17 west of Lingen[44]
35 24 February 1944 13:05 P-47 north of Rheine[77] 43 14 January 1945 15:45 Spitfire Ibbenbüren[78]

Awards

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Notes

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  1. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Hawker Hurricane.[6]
  2. ^ According to Caldwell, Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Supermarine Spitfire.[6][11]
  3. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed on 10 September 1941.[6]
  4. ^ This claim is not listed by Mathews and Foreman.[65]
  5. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 13:25.[65]
  6. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 11:20.[65]
  7. ^ According to Obermaier on 21 September 1942.[2]

References

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Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ Caldwell 1996, pp. 6, 14.
  2. ^ a b Obermaier 1989, p. 93.
  3. ^ Prien et al. 2001a, pp. 166, 191.
  4. ^ Prien et al. 2001a, pp. 189, 194.
  5. ^ Prien et al. 2001b, p. 219.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Mathews & Foreman 2014, p. 132.
  7. ^ Weal 1996b, Chapter 5 — The Blitzkrieg Comes of Age.
  8. ^ Prien et al. 2001b, p. 214.
  9. ^ Prien et al. 2002, p. 307.
  10. ^ Caldwell 1996, pp. 35–36.
  11. ^ a b Caldwell 1996, p. 36.
  12. ^ Caldwell 1996, pp. 55–56.
  13. ^ Caldwell 1996, p. 70.
  14. ^ Caldwell 1996, pp. 83–84.
  15. ^ Caldwell 1996, p. 122.
  16. ^ Scutts 1992, p. 55.
  17. ^ Weal 1996a, p. 9.
  18. ^ Caldwell 1996, p. 159.
  19. ^ Weal 1996a, p. 10.
  20. ^ Prien et al. 2003, pp. 528–529.
  21. ^ Price 1977, p. 31.
  22. ^ Caldwell 1996, pp. 163–164.
  23. ^ Caldwell 1996, pp. 177–179.
  24. ^ Caldwell 1996, pp. 179–180.
  25. ^ Weal 1996a, p. 12.
  26. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 544.
  27. ^ Caldwell 1996, pp. 215–216.
  28. ^ Caldwell 1996, pp. 272, 279.
  29. ^ a b Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 53.
  30. ^ Caldwell 1998, pp. 57–58.
  31. ^ Caldwell 1998, pp. 106–107, 485.
  32. ^ Caldwell 1998, pp. 120–121.
  33. ^ Weal 2011, p. 25.
  34. ^ a b Caldwell 1998, p. 139.
  35. ^ Middlebrook 2019, pp. 107–108.
  36. ^ Caldwell 1998, pp. 235–236.
  37. ^ Caldwell 1998, p. 301.
  38. ^ Prien et al. 2019, pp. 154, 156, 159.
  39. ^ a b Caldwell 1998, p. 349.
  40. ^ Caldwell 1998, pp. 354–355.
  41. ^ Girbig 1997, p. 198.
  42. ^ Girbig 1997, p. 194.
  43. ^ Caldwell 1998, p. 379.
  44. ^ a b Caldwell 1998, p. 384.
  45. ^ Manrho & Pütz 2004, p. 277.
  46. ^ Manrho & Pütz 2004, p. 282.
  47. ^ Girbig 1997, p. 195.
  48. ^ Girbig 1997, pp. 196–198.
  49. ^ Caldwell 1998, pp. 420–421.
  50. ^ Caldwell 1998, p. 478.
  51. ^ a b Mathews & Foreman 2014, pp. 132–133.
  52. ^ Planquadrat.
  53. ^ a b Prien et al. 2001b, p. 218.
  54. ^ a b Prien et al. 2002, p. 310.
  55. ^ Prien et al. 2002, p. 311.
  56. ^ Prien et al. 2002, p. 312.
  57. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 531.
  58. ^ a b Prien et al. 2003, p. 533.
  59. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2014, p. 366.
  60. ^ a b c d e f Prien et al. 2004, p. 396.
  61. ^ a b c d Prien et al. 2004, p. 397.
  62. ^ a b Prien et al. 2004, p. 398.
  63. ^ a b c d e Prien et al. 2010, p. 577.
  64. ^ a b Caldwell 1998, p. 121.
  65. ^ a b c Mathews & Foreman 2014, p. 133.
  66. ^ Caldwell 1998, p. 226.
  67. ^ Caldwell 1998, p. 228.
  68. ^ Caldwell 1998, p. 246.
  69. ^ Caldwell 1998, p. 156.
  70. ^ Caldwell 1998, p. 302.
  71. ^ Caldwell 1998, p. 197.
  72. ^ Caldwell 1998, p. 336.
  73. ^ Caldwell 1998, p. 199.
  74. ^ Caldwell 1998, p. 205.
  75. ^ Caldwell 1998, p. 355.
  76. ^ Caldwell 1998, p. 210.
  77. ^ Caldwell 1998, p. 220.
  78. ^ Caldwell 1998, p. 421.
  79. ^ a b Dixon 2023, p. 182.
  80. ^ Patzwall 2008, p. 55.
  81. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 141.
  82. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 236.

Bibliography

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  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2002). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 4/I—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/I—Action at the Channel and over England—26 June 1940 to 21 June 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-63-2.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 5—Heimatverteidigung—10. Mai 1940 bis 31 Dezember 1941—Einsatz im Mittelmeerraum—Oktober 1940 bis November 1941—Einsatz im Westen—22. Juni bis 31. Dezember 1941—Die Ergänzungsjagdgruppen—Einsatz 1941 bis zur Auflösung Anfang 1942 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 5—Defense of the Reich—10 May 1940 to 31 December 1941—Action in the Mediterranean Theater—October 1940 to November 1941—Action in the West—22 June to 31 December 1941—The Supplementary Fighter Groups—Action from 1941 until their Breakup in Early 1942] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-68-7.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2004). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 7—Heimatverteidigung—1. January bis 31 Dezember 1942—Einsatz im Westen—1. Januar bis 31. Dezember 1942 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 7—Defense of the Reich—1 January to 31 December 1942—Action in the West—1 January to 31 December 1942] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-73-1.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2010). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 10/IV—Einsatz im Westen—1.1. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 10/IV—Action in the West—1 January to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-92-2.
  • Prien, Jochen; Balke, Ulf; Stemmer, Gerhard; Bock, Winfried (2019). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 13/V—Einsatz im Reichsverteidigung und im Westen—1.1. bis 31.12.1944 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 13/V—Action in the Defense of the Reich and in the West—1 January to 31 December 1944] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-942943-21-5.
  • 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.
  • Scutts, Jerry (1992). Fighter Operations: The Tactics and Techniques of Air Combat, from World War I to the Gulf War. Sparkford: Patrick Stephens. ISBN 978-1-85260-127-0.
  • Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1.
  • Weal, John (1996a). Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Aces of the Western Front. Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 9. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85532-595-1.
  • Weal, John (1996b). Bf 109D/E Aces 1939–41. Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 11. London, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85532-487-9.
  • Weal, John (2011). Fw 190 Defence of the Reich Aces. Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 92. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-482-4.
Military offices
Preceded by
Hauptmann Fritz Losigkeit
 Commander of I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 26
23 June 1943 – 14 May 1944 		Succeeded by
Hauptmann Hermann Staiger
Preceded by
Hauptmann Hermann Staiger
 Commander of I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 26
1 August 1944 – 7 May 1945 		Succeeded by
None
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