Wikipedia

Günter Steinhausen

Günther Steinhausen (15 September 1917 – 6 September 1942) was a World War II Luftwaffe Flying ace with 40 combat victories to his name. He was also a posthumous recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Günther Steinhausen
Born15 September 1917
Lobkevitz on the isle of Rügen
Died6 September 1942(1942-09-06) (aged 24)
near El Alamein
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branchBalkenkreuz (Iron Cross) Luftwaffe
RankLeutnant (second lieutenant)
UnitJG 27
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Biography edit

Steinhausen was born 15 September 1917 at Lobkevitz, present-day part of Breege, on the island of Rügen.[1] After flight training,[Note 1] Steinhausen was posted, as an Unteroffizier, to 1. Staffel (1st squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) in the spring of 1941.[3] The squadron was subordinated to I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 27 headed by Hauptmann Eduard Neumann.[4]

North Africa edit

Following Operation Marita, the German invasion of Greece, the air elements of I. Gruppe briefly moved to Munich-Riem Airfield before they transferred to North Africa, arriving in Ayn al-Ġazāla between 18 and 22 April 1941.[5] Steinhausen claimed his first aerial victory on 9 June, shooting down a Hawker Hurricane north of Tobruk.[6] On 15 June, British forces launched Operation Battleaxe, an offensive to raise the Siege of Tobruk and re-capture eastern Cyrenaica. On 17 June, the offensive ended with reaching its objectives. The next day, the Royal Air Force (RAF) attacked the road from Fort Capuzzo to Al Adm and Tobruk. A flight from 1. Staffel bounced these aircraft and Steinhausen claimed his second aerial victory when he shot down a Brewster F2A Buffalo near Buq Buq.[7][Note 2] On 26 August 1941, Steinhausen claimed his fifth victory: probably a Tomahawk IIb AK374 of No. 250 Squadron flown by British ace Sgt. Maurice Hards (7 victories) who force-landed wounded near Mersa Matruh.[9][10]

 
JG 27 insignia

In August, as the remaining Gruppen of Jagdgeschwader 27 transferred in to North Africa from Russia as reinforcements. In late October, I. Gruppe was reequipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4/trop. To retain operation status, 1. and 3. Staffel left North Africa on 22 October while 2. Staffel stayed. In Italy they handed over their Bf 109 E variants and continued the journey back home by train. The pilots were sent on a short home-leave before returning to Ayn al-Ġazāla on 10 November.[11]

After the British Operation Crusader in November and December had relieved Tobruk and driven the Axis back, in January Rommel had sufficient fuel supplies to launch his next counter-attack, and he took Benghazi on 29 January, as the aircrew retraced their steps to airfields they had abandoned only a month or so previously. On 28 March Steinhausen claimed his 10th victory, when he shot down a Kittyhawk fighter of No. 94 Squadron RAF flown by P/O Crosbie, near Timimi.

On 26 May 1942, Generaloberst Erwin Rommel launched Operation Theseus, also referred to as the Battle of Gazala and the Battle of Bir Hakeim.[12] Two days later, I. Gruppe predominantly flew fighter escort missions for Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers to the combat area near Al Adm. On an early morning mission east of Gambut, Steinhause claimed a Hawker Hurricane fighter shot down.[13] With a rush of multiple victories he advanced his tally: a pair of South African Tomahawks on 31 May, followed by four fighters in the Al Adm area on 16 June (20-23v.) and then a further four Hurricanes (of No. 238 Sqn (RAF)) on 28 June over Sidi Haneish (27-30v.).

On 9 July, Steinhausen shot down a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) B-24 Liberator, ("Eager Beaver"), and only the second four-engine bomber claimed by JG 27. One of six bombers of the Halverston Detachment that had been sent to attack an Axis supply convoy, it was his 34th victory.[14] By now the front had stabilised at the Alamein line and both sides paused to draw breath, and build up supplies for their next offensives. In the interim, he was awarded the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 5 August, and then the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 21 August, for his success to date.

At the end of August, activity picked up again, and Rommel launched his assault on the fortified Alamein line at the beginning of September. On 6 September 1942, on an early-morning patrol, Steinhausen shot down a Hurricane of South African Air Force (SAAF) No. 7 Squadron or the RAF No. 274 Squadron near El Alamein for his 40th victory. However, he was then himself shot down in his Bf 109F-4 "White 5" (Werknummer 13272—factory number) southeast of El Alamein.[15][16] His body was never recovered. One analyst asserts that James Francis Edwards was his victor since his combat report tallies with the action, though he only claimed a "damaged" Bf 109.[17] Another objects, since the time differences do not match. Christopher Shores and his co-authors noted Steinhausen was killed in the morning at 08:00 local time.[18] Francis made a claim between 17:30 and 18:50 in an evening sortie.[19] They assert the more certain candidates are Sergeant W J Malone and Flight Lieutenant R L Mannix from No. 127 Squadron RAF.[20] Both made claim at approximately 08:25 to 09:35.[19] posthumously, Steinhausen was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 3 November 1942,[21] and promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant).[1]

Summary of career edit

Aerial victory claims edit

According to Ring and Girbig, Steinhausen was credited with 40 aerial victories including one four-engined heavy bomber.[22] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces: Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 32 aerial victory claims, plus eight further unconfirmed claims. All of his aerial victories were claimed on the Western Front and includes one four-engined bomber.[23]

Chronicle of aerial victories
  This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Prien, Balke, Stemmer, Rodeike, Bock, Mathews and Foreman.
Claim Date Time Type Location Claim Date Time Type Location
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 27 –
In North Africa — June 1941 – September 1942
1 9 June 1941 05:05 Hurricane[24] north of Tobruk[25] 21 16 June 1942 18:10 P-40[26] east of El Adem[27]
2 18 June 1941 06:05 Brewster[24] Buq Buq[25] 22 16 June 1942 18:14 P-40[26] southwest of El Adem[27]
3 2 August 1941 18:50 Hurricane[24] 40 km (25 mi) northwest of Mersa Matruh[28] 23 16 June 1942 18:20 P-40[26] east of Gambut[27]
4?[Note 3] 2 August 1941 18:50 Hurricane[24] 40 km (25 mi) northwest of Mersa Matruh[28] 24?[Note 3] 27 June 1942 08:58 Martin 167[26] west-southwest of El Dabaa[27]
5?[Note 3] 26 August 1941
—
 P-40[29] north of Sidi Barrani[28] 25 27 June 1942 18:27 Hurricane[26] southwest of Fouka[27]
6 14 September 1941 18:15 P-40[29] southeast of Gasr el Ahrid[30] 26 27 June 1942 18:30 Hurricane[26] southwest of Fouka[27]
7 7 January 1942 13:02 P-40[31] northeast of Ajdabiya[32] 27 28 June 1942 11:25 Hurricane[26] southwest of Fouka[27]
8?[Note 3] 9 January 1942 15:05 P-40[33] east of Ajdabiya[32] 28 28 June 1942 11:30 Hurricane[26] south of Fouka[27]
9 9 January 1942 15:30 P-40[33] east of Ajdabiya[32] 29 28 June 1942 11:31 Hurricane[26] southwest of Fouka[27]
10 28 March 1942 13:40 P-40[33] south of Timimi[34] 30 28 June 1942 11:33 Hurricane[26] southwest of Fouka[27]
11 11 April 1942 10:50 P-40[35] north of Bir Habex[34] 31 3 July 1942 09:15 P-40[36] east-southeast of El Alamein[27]
12 25 April 1942 10:10 P-40[35] east-southeast of Ain el Gazala[34] 32 4 July 1942 17:05 Hurricane[36] 20 km (12 mi) south-southeast of El Alamein[27]
13 22 May 1942 07:50 P-46[35] 20 km (12 mi) south of Martuba[34] 33?[Note 3] 5 July 1942 18:00 P-46[36] 2–3 km (1.2–1.9 mi) south of Borg El Arab[27]
14 28 May 1942 10:00 Hurricane[35] 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Gasr el Ahrid[37] 34 9 July 1942 18:00 B-24[36] 100 km (62 mi) northwest of Bir el Astas[27]
15 31 May 1942 07:25 P-40[35] north of Bir Hakeim[37] 35?[Note 3] 22 August 1942 14:07 Spitfire[36] 7 km (4.3 mi) south of El Hammam[38]
16 31 May 1942 07:35 P-40[35] north of Bir Hakeim[37] 36?[Note 3] 25 August 1942 12:14 Hurricane[36] south of El Alamein[38]
17 9 June 1942 07:53 P-40[35] south of Mteifel Chebir[39] 37 1 September 1942 17:46 Hurricane[40] Alam el Halfa[38]
18 12 June 1942 19:03 Hurricane[26] west of El Adem[39] 38?[Note 3] 3 September 1942 15:43 Hurricane[40] north of Manga el Rahla[41]
19 12 June 1942 19:14 P-40[26] south-southwest of El Adem[39] 39 3 September 1942 15:46 Hurricane[40] north of Manga el Rahla[41]
20 16 June 1942 18:00 Hurricane[26] east of El Adem[27] 40 6 September 1942 07:57 P-40[40] southwest of El Alamein[41]

Awards edit

Notes edit

  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.[2]
  2. ^ Initially, the Luftwaffe referred to the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter as "Brewster" before they started referring to them as "Curtiss".[8]
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h According to Mathews and Foreman, this claim is unconfirmed.[23]
  4. ^ According to Obermaier on 5 August 1942.[1]

References edit

Citations edit

  1. ^ a b c Obermaier 1989, p. 210.
  2. ^ Bergström, Antipov & Sundin 2003, p. 17.
  3. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1255.
  4. ^ Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 139.
  5. ^ Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 138.
  6. ^ Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, pp. 138, 563.
  7. ^ Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, pp. 143, 145, 563.
  8. ^ Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 145.
  9. ^ Molesworth 2011.
  10. ^ Shores 1999, p. 313.
  11. ^ Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, pp. 149–150.
  12. ^ Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 162.
  13. ^ Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, pp. 162, 567.
  14. ^ Weal 2003, p. 83.
  15. ^ Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 544.
  16. ^ Scutts 1994, pp. 31–32.
  17. ^ Heaton & Lewis 2012, p. 155.
  18. ^ Shores, Massimello & Guest 2012, p. 341.
  19. ^ a b Shores, Massimello & Guest 2012, p. 340.
  20. ^ Shores, Massimello & Guest 2012, p. 339.
  21. ^ Ring & Girbig 1994, p. 334.
  22. ^ Ring & Girbig 1994, p. 331.
  23. ^ a b Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1255–1256.
  24. ^ a b c d Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 563.
  25. ^ a b Prien et al. 2003, p. 370.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 568.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Prien et al. 2004, p. 182.
  28. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2003, p. 371.
  29. ^ a b Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 564.
  30. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 372.
  31. ^ Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 565.
  32. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2004, p. 177.
  33. ^ a b c Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 566.
  34. ^ a b c d Prien et al. 2004, p. 179.
  35. ^ a b c d e f g Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 567.
  36. ^ a b c d e f Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 569.
  37. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2004, p. 180.
  38. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2004, p. 184.
  39. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2004, p. 181.
  40. ^ a b c d Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 570.
  41. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2004, p. 185.
  42. ^ Patzwall 2008, p. 199.
  43. ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 458.
  44. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 409.
  45. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 721.

Bibliography edit

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Heaton, Colin; Lewis, Anne-Marie (2012). The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille, the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace. London, UK: Zenith Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-4393-7.
  • 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.
  • Molesworth, Carl (2011). P-40 Warhawk vs Bf 109, MTO 1942–44. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84908-469-7.
  • 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; Rodeike, Peter; Stemmer, Gerhard (1998). Messerschmitt Bf 109 im Einsatz bei Stab und I./Jagdgeschwader 27, 1939 – 1945 [Messerschmitt Bf 109 in Action with the Headquarters Unit and I./Jagdgeschwader 27, 1939 – 1945] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-46-5.
  • 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 8/I—Einsatz im Mittelmeerraum—November 1941 bis December 1942 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 8/I—Action in the Mediterranean Theater—November 1941 to December 1942] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-74-8.
  • Ring, Hans; Girbig, Werner (1994) [1971]. Jagdgeschwader 27 Die Dokumentation über den Einsatz an allen Fronten 1939–1945 [Jagdgeschwader 27 The Documentation on the Deployment on all Fronts from 1939 to 1945] (in German) (8th ed.). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-87943-215-8.
  • 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 (1994). Bf 109 Aces of North Africa and the Mediterranean. Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 2. London, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85532-448-0.
  • Shores, Christopher (1999). Aces High – Volume 2: A Further Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Aces of the British and Commonwealth Air Forces in World War II. London: Grub Street. ISBN 1-902304-03-9.
  • Shores, Christopher F.; Massimello, Giovanni; Guest, Russell (2012). A History of the Mediterranean Air War, 1940–1945 Volume 2: North African Desert, February 1942 – March 1943. London, UK: Grub Street. ISBN 978-1-909166-12-7.
  • Weal, John (2003). Jagdgeschwader 27 "Afrika". Aviation Elite Units. Vol. 12. London, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-538-9.
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