Heinrich_Sterr

Heinrich Sterr

Heinrich Sterr

German World War II fighter pilot (1919–1944)

Heinrich Sterr (24 September 1919 – 26 November 1944) was a World War II Luftwaffe military aviator. As a flying ace, he is credited with 130 aerial victories predominantly claimed on the Eastern Front. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. On 26 November 1944, he was shot down and killed in action by USAAF fighters.

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Career

Sterr was born on 24 September 1919 in Ortenburg, Lower Bavaria as part of the Free State of Bavaria. Unlike many other flying aces in the Luftwaffe, he was not a member of the pre-war Luftwaffe (he had only just turned 20 when war broke out) and he missed the early warfare over Poland, France and the first year in the East. After completing his pilot-training in 1942,[Note 1] Sterr was sent as an Unteroffizier, to 6. Staffel (6th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing).[2] At the time it was based at Ryelbitzi, west of Lake Ilmen covering the battles around Demyansk Pocket as the Soviets continued to try and break through the German forces in front of Leningrad where he scored his first victory on 6 April when he shot down a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 fighter aircraft.[3]

In late 1942, II. Gruppe was scheduled to be reequipped with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-4 at Heiligenbeil, present-day Mamonovo.[4] On 7 January 1943, Sterr was shot down and wounded in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 (Werknummer 13609—factory number) by Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighters in the vicinity of Ramushevo on the Lovat River.[5] By the end of March 1943, Sterr had over 30 victories, and on 30 April he was awarded the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe). In June, Luftflotte 1 staged a last big effort to blow the railway bridges of the vital supply link to Leningrad. In July, most other fighter Gruppen were assembled around the Kursk salient for the next German offensive - Operation Zitadelle. Although II./JG 54 was kept back guarding Leningrad, it appears several of its pilots, including Oberfeldwebel Sterr, went with I./JG 54 to Orel. In the fortnight or so that it was where he scored a further ten victories to add to his tally of shootdowns. On 23 July, he was awarded the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold).[6]

Eventually the German forces were stretched too thin across the Eastern Front to provide constant air cover and were increasingly being used as "fire brigades", as new Soviet offensives broke out up and down the line. Sterr's victory list is a case in point, on the nomadic existence of II./JG 54 from here on: early August gave 15 victories over Leningrad, then later in the month a clutch of victories south-east of Smolensk. On 8 October 1943, Sterr became an "ace-in-a-day" for the second time, claiming six Lavochkin La-5 fighters shot down north of Kiev.[7][Note 2] That day, Sterr was also shot down in his Fw 190 A-6 (Werknummer 530353) 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) northeast of Dymer. He managed to bail out but was wounded nevertheless.[9]

Oberfeldwebel Sterr was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 5 December 1943 (nominally for 86 victories) and sent home for officer-training. Returning as a Leutnant in January he was back to Ukraine where he shot down more Soviet aircraft. On 31 March 1944, Sterr was credited with his 100th aerial victory,[10] making him the 68th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.[11] In March, he was then briefly posted to 3. Staffel of JG 54 in Estonia for a couple of months. On 3 April, Sterr was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 6. Staffel of JG 54, replacing Leutnant Albin Wolf who had been killed in action the day before.[12] On 29, II. Gruppe received orders to send a fully staffed Staffel for fighting in defense of the Reich. In consequence, 6. Staffel, augmented by pilots from the other Staffeln, was detached and became a fourth Staffel of IV. Gruppe of JG 54.[13]

IV. Gruppe of JG 54 had been withdrawn from the Eastern Front on 25 May and sent to Illesheim Airfield for conversion training to the Fw 190. Here, the Gruppe was placed under command of Major Wolfgang Späte and was joined by the pilots of 6. Staffel led by Sterr.[14] On 22 June, Soviet forces launched Operation Bagration, attacking Army Group Centre in Byelorussia, with the objective of encircling and destroying its main component armies. In consequence, IV. Gruppe was not sent to the Western Front but was ordered to relocate east on 26 June. The following day, the Gruppe arrived at an airfield near Baranavichy located approximately 130 kilometers (81 miles) southwest of Minsk.[15] On 20 August, the Jagdwaffe (Luftwaffe fighter force) had a major unit re-organization. Within IV. Gruppe, the 10. Staffel became the 13., the 11. was renamed to 14., the 12. to 15., and Sterr's 6. Staffel was made the 16. Staffel of JG 54.[16]

Defense of the Reich

On 14 September, IV. Gruppe was withdrawn from the Eastern Front and relocated to Löbnitz. Three days later, the Allied Forces launched Operation Market Garden to seize the bridges to Arnhem. This forced the urgent transfer of IV. Gruppe of JG 54 to Plantlünne where the unit was subordinated to the 3. Jagd Division (3rd Fighter Division).[17] This was now a different air war - not the low-level dogfighting and pursuits of the Eastern Front, but the high-altitude engagement against the massive American bomber formations, and their hundreds of escort fighters. With such odds stacked against them, it was often just luck if a pilot would survive. In just 3 weeks, IV. Gruppe of JG 54 lost 30 pilots for only 10 victories - and was soon pulled out the line to reform for the second time in a month.[18]

Flying Fw 190 A-8 (Werknummer 171684), Sterr was killed in action on 26 November 1944 while during his landing approach at an airfield at Vörden.[19][20] He was shot down by a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt piloted by Captain P.L. Larsen from the 78th Fighter Group. He was nominated for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub).[6] He was succeeded by Leutnant Paul Brandt as commander of 16. Staffel of JG 54.[21]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Sterr was credited with 129 aerial victories.[22] Spick lists Sterr with 130 aerial victories in an unknown number of combat missions, all but three on the Eastern Front.[23] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 108 aerial victories, all but two claimed on the Eastern Front.[24]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 28142". 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.[25]

More information Chronicle of aerial victories, Claim ...

Awards

Notes

  1. [N 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.[1]
  2. [N 2]
    The authors place this combat over Lake Ladoga.[8]
  3. [N 3]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 13:15.[6]
  4. [N 4]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 12:40.[6]
  5. [N 5]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 13:52.[6]
  6. [N 6]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 14:57.[8]
  7. [N 7]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Yakovlev Yak-9.[8]

References

Citations

  1. [1]
    Bergström, Antipov & Sundin 2003, p. 17.
  2. [2]
    Obermaier 1989, p. 210.
  3. [3]
    Prien et al. 2005, p. 224.
  4. [4]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 137.
  5. [5]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 162.
  6. [6]
    Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1267.
  7. [7]
    Prien et al. 2012, p. 278.
  8. [8]
    Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1268.
  9. [9]
    Prien et al. 2012, pp. 247–248, 286.
  10. [10]
    Prien et al. 2022, p. 477.
  11. [11]
    Obermaier 1989, p. 244.
  12. [12]
    Prien et al. 2022, p. 471.
  13. [13]
    Prien et al. 2022, p. 420.
  14. [14]
    Prien et al. 2022, pp. 527, 547.
  15. [15]
    Prien et al. 2022, p. 528.
  16. [16]
    Prien et al. 2022, p. 541.
  17. [17]
    Prien et al. 2019, p. 466.
  18. [18]
    Weal 1996, p. 79.
  19. [19]
    Prien et al. 2019, p. 474.
  20. [20]
    Weal 2001, p. 95.
  21. [21]
    Prien et al. 2019, p. 469.
  22. [22]
    Zabecki 2019, p. 330.
  23. [23]
    Spick 1996, p. 228.
  24. [24]
    Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1267–1269.
  25. [25]
    Planquadrat.
  26. [26]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 145.
  27. [27]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 156.
  28. [28]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 146.
  29. [29]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 152.
  30. [30]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 154.
  31. [31]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 155.
  32. [32]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 157.
  33. [33]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 158.
  34. [34]
    Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1267–1268.
  35. [35]
    Prien et al. 2012, p. 268.
  36. [36]
    Prien et al. 2012, p. 272.
  37. [37]
    Prien et al. 2012, p. 269.
  38. [38]
    Prien et al. 2012, p. 273.
  39. [39]
    Prien et al. 2012, p. 270.
  40. [40]
    Prien et al. 2012, p. 274.
  41. [41]
    Prien et al. 2012, p. 271.
  42. [42]
    Prien et al. 2012, p. 275.
  43. [43]
    Prien et al. 2012, pp. 275–278.
  44. [44]
    Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1268–1269.
  45. [45]
    Prien et al. 2022, p. 475.
  46. [46]
    Prien et al. 2022, p. 476.
  47. [47]
    Prien et al. 2022, p. 478.
  48. [48]
    Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1269.
  49. [49]
    Prien et al. 2022, p. 553.
  50. [50]
    Prien et al. 2022, p. 555.
  51. [51]
    Prien et al. 2022, p. 556.
  52. [52]
    Prien et al. 2019, p. 471.
  53. [53]
    Dixon 2023, p. 60.
  54. [54]
    Patzwall 2008, p. 199.
  55. [55]
    Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 460.
  56. [56]
    Fellgiebel 2000, p. 411.
  57. [57]
    Scherzer 2007, p. 723.

Bibliography

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  • Bergström, Christer [in Swedish]. "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  • 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.
  • Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 4 S–Z. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-21-9.
  • 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 (2005). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/I—Winterkampf im Osten—6.12.1941 bis 30.4.1942 [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/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/III—Einsatz im Osten—4.2. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 12/III—Action in the East—4 February to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN 978-3-942943-07-9.
  • 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.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Balke, Ulf; Bock, Winfried (2022). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 15/II—Einsatz im Osten—1.1. bis 31.12.1944 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 15/II—Action in the East—1 January to 31 December 1944] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN 978-3-942943-28-4.
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