Hans_Döbrich

Hans Döbrich

Hans Döbrich

German flying ace

Hans Friedrich Döbrich (24 March 1916 – 6 April 1984) was a Luftwaffe fighter 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. Hans Döbrich was credited with 65 victories. All his victories were recorded over the Eastern Front.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Career

Döbrich was born on 24 March 1916 in Sonneberg, at the time in Saxe-Meiningen within the German Empire, present-day in Thuringia.[1] He was the fourth and youngest child of the Austrian sculptor Albin Döbrich and his wife Anna, née Eckl. He had an older brother Albin, and two older sisters, Josephine and Hertha.[2]

Döbrich, as a member of 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 5 (JG 5—5th Fighter Wing), participated in battles on the northern flank of the Eastern Front in the Soviet Arctic. On 19 July 1942, he made a forced landing 20 kilometres (12 miles) west of Murmashi Russia in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 trop (Werknummer 10169—factory number) "Yellow 9" following aerial combat. Döbrich, who had been injured, walked back to his unit, returning on 26 July.[3]

Wounded in combat to end of war

On 16 July 1943, whilst flying Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 20088), Döbrich was wounded by enemy fighters after downing two aircraft and was forced to bail out 20 kilometres (12 miles) west of the Rybachy Peninsula into Petsamo Fjord, Finland.[4] He was rescued by a Kriegsmarine Minenräumboot (minesweeper) and taken ashore and then flown on a Fieseler Fi 156 Storch to a Luftwaffe hospital at Kirkenes. While hospitalized, he was awarded awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 19 September 1943. The presentation was made at the hospital by Generalmajor Ernst-August Roth, at the time Fliegerführer Nord.[5][6]

In December 1943, Döbrich was released from the Luftwaffe hospital in Kirkenes and spent Christmas with his family. Since he still hadn't fully recovered from his injuries, he spent most of 1944 in the Luftwaffe hospital 4/XVII in Vienna, interrupted by occasional visits to his family. In 1944, Döbrich was promoted to Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel and to Leutnant (second lieutenant) on 1 November 1944.[7]

His total victory tally was at least 65 victories achieved in 248 missions, an additional 19 victories were unconfirmed. All his victories were recorded over the Eastern Front.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Döbrich was credited with 65 aerial victories.[8] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 65 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.[9]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 36 Ost 39172". 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.[10]

More information Chronicle of aerial victories, Claim ...

Awards

Dates of rank

May 1942:Unteroffizier[37]
1 November 1942:Feldwebel[44]
1 August 1944:Leutnant (second lieutenant), war officer, effective as of 1 August 1944[37]
April 1945:Oberleutnant (first lieutenant)[37]

Notes

  1. [N 1]
    According to Mombeek claimed at 14:33.[21]
  2. [N 2]
    According to Mombeek claimed at 15:00.[21]
  3. [N 3]
    According to Mombeek, Mathews, and Foreman claimed as a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk.[25][27]
  4. [N 4]
    According to Mombeek claimed at 03:51.[30]
  5. [N 5]
    According to Mombeek claimed at 09:59.[29]
  6. [N 6]
    According to Mombeek claimed at 05:18.[30]
  7. [N 7]
    According to Mombeek claimed at 05:19.[30]
  8. [N 8]
    According to Mombeek, Mathews and Foreman claimed at 17:35.[30][27]
  9. [N 9]
    According to Mombeek claimed at 03:46.[30]

References

Citations

  1. [1]
    Obermaier 1989, p. 101.
  2. [2]
    Röll 2014, p. 13.
  3. [3]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 435.
  4. [4]
    Prien et al. 2012, p. 233.
  5. [5]
    Mombeek 2010, pp. 35–36.
  6. [6]
    Röll 2014, pp. 209–210.
  7. [7]
    Röll 2014, p. 211.
  8. [8]
    Zabecki 2014, p. 1617.
  9. [9]
    Mathews & Foreman 2014, pp. 228–229.
  10. [10]
    Planquadrat.
  11. [11]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 422.
  12. [12]
    Mombeek 2011, p. 259.
  13. [13]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 428.
  14. [14]
    Mombeek 2011, p. 265.
  15. [15]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 423.
  16. [16]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 424.
  17. [17]
    Mombeek 2011, p. 261.
  18. [18]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 429.
  19. [19]
    Mombeek 2011, p. 262.
  20. [20]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 425.
  21. [21]
    Mombeek 2011, p. 266.
  22. [22]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 426.
  23. [23]
    Mombeek 2011, p. 263.
  24. [24]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 430.
  25. [25]
    Mombeek 2011, p. 267.
  26. [26]
    Mombeek 2011, p. 264.
  27. [27]
    Mathews & Foreman 2014, p. 229.
  28. [28]
    Prien et al. 2012, p. 224.
  29. [29]
    Mombeek 2011, p. 268.
  30. [30]
    Mombeek 2011, p. 270.
  31. [31]
    Prien et al. 2012, p. 227.
  32. [32]
    Mombeek 2011, p. 271.
  33. [33]
    Mombeek 2011, p. 269.
  34. [34]
    Prien et al. 2012, p. 225.
  35. [35]
    Mombeek 2011, p. 272.
  36. [36]
    Prien et al. 2012, p. 226.
  37. [37]
    Röll 2014, p. 213.
  38. [38]
    Röll 2014, p. 64.
  39. [39]
    Röll 2014, p. 213141.
  40. [40]
    Patzwall 2008, p. 67.
  41. [41]
    Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 88.
  42. [42]
    Scherzer 2007, p. 275.
  43. [43]
    Fellgiebel 2000, p. 162.
  44. [44]
    Röll 2014, p. 142.

Bibliography

  • Bergström, Christer [in Swedish]. "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  • 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.
  • Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2014). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 1 A–F. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-18-9.
  • Mombeek, Eric (2010). Eismeerjäger—Zur Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 5—Band 3 [Fighters in the Arctic Sea—The History of the 5th Fighter Wing—Volume 3]. Linkebeek, Belgium: ASBL, La Porte d'Hoves. ISBN 978-2-930546-02-5.
  • Mombeek, Eric (2011). Eismeerjäger—Zur Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 5—Band 4 [Fighters in the Arctic Sea—The History of the 5th Fighter Wing—Volume 4]. Linkebeek, Belgium: ASBL, La Porte d'Hoves. ISBN 978-2-930546-05-6.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2006). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/III—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/III—From the 1942 Summer Campaign to the Defeat at Stalingrad—1 May 1942 to 3 February 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-78-6.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2012). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 12/I—Einsatz im Osten—4.2. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 12/I—Action in the East—4 February to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN 978-3-942943-02-4.
  • Röll, Hans-Joachim (2014). Ritterkreuzträger Hans Döbrich—Mit dem Jagdgeschwader 4 "Eismeer" auf der Jagd über Tundra und Eismeer [Knight's Cross Recipient Hans Döbrich—With Jagdgeschwader 4 "Eismeer" on the Hunt over Tundra and Arctic Ocean] (in German). Würzburg, Germany: Flechsig. ISBN 978-3-8035-0052-6.
  • 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 (2016). Arctic Bf 109 and Bf 110 Aces. Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 124. London, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78200-798-2.
  • Zabecki, David T., ed. (2014). Germany at War: 400 Years of Military History. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. ISBN 978-1-59884-981-3.
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