Berthold Graßmuck

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Berthold Graßmuck
Born13 January 1917
Rodach, German Empire
Died28 October 1942(1942-10-28) (aged 25)
Pitomnik Airfield, Stalingrad, Soviet Union
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branchBalkenkreuz (Iron Cross) Luftwaffe
RankOberfeldwebel (staff sergeant)
UnitJG 52
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Berthold Graßmuck[Note 1] (13 January 1917 – 28 October 1942) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 65 aerial victories, one over the Royal Air Force and 64 over the Eastern Front, claimed in 236 combat missions.

Born in Rodach, Graßmuck was trained as a fighter pilot and posted to Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) in 1940. He claimed his first aerial victory on 9 May 1941 on the Western Front. His unit was transferred to the Eastern Front in late September 1941. There, Graßmuck claimed his first aerial victory in this theater on 5 October during the Battle of Vyazma. On 19 September 1942, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 56 aerial victories. One month later on 28 October, Graßmuck was killed in an aircraft crash near the Pitomnik Airfield during the Battle of Stalingrad.

Career[edit]

Graßmuck was born on 13 January 1917 in Rodach, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha within the German Empire.[1] Following flight and fighter pilot training,[Note 2] he was transferred to 1. Staffel (1st squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) in 1940.[3] On 27 April 1941, the Gruppenstab (headquarters unit) and 1. Staffel moved to Westerland Airfield on Sylt. The other two Staffeln of I. Gruppe (1st group) were based at Eelde Airfield in the Netherlands and Esbjerg Airfield in Denmark. Here, Graßmuck claimed his first aerial victory on 9 May when he shot down a Royal Air Force (RAF) Vickers Wellington bomber west of Heligoland.[4]

Until 21 February 1941, the entire I. Gruppe was based at an airfield at Katwijk in the Netherlands where it was tasked with patrolling the Dutch coast area and German Bight, the three Staffeln were then deployed at various airfields on the Dutch, German and Danish North Sea coast.[5] On 25 May, I. Gruppe was placed under the command of Hauptmann Karl-Heinz Leesmann.[6] On 23 September, I. Gruppe was withdrawn from the Western Front and was sent to the Eastern Front. With stopovers at Dortmund, Magdeburg, and Warsaw, the Gruppe arrived in Orsha on 29 September.[7][8]

War against the Soviet Union[edit]

On 22 June 1941, German forces had launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. Prior to its deployment on the Eastern Front, I. Gruppe was fully equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2. Following relocation to Orsha, the Gruppe moved to Ponyatovka, located approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) southwest of Roslavl, on 2 October. There, the Gruppe was initially subordinated to the Stab of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) and supported German forces fighting in the Battle of Vyazma as part of Operation Typhoon, the code name of the German offensive on Moscow.[9][10] Here, Graßmuck claimed his first aerial victory on the Eastern Front, and his second in total, when he shot down a Polikarpov I-16 fighter on 5 October.[11]

I./JG 52 insignia

On 1 February 1942. I Gruppe was withdrawn from combat operations and was moved to Smolensk and then further west to Orsha.[12] That day, Graßmuck's Bf 109 F-2 suffered engine failure during the relocation flight, resulting in an emergency landing at Minsk.[13] From 8 to 12 February the Gruppe took a train to Jesau near Königsberg, present-day Kaliningrad in Russia, for a period of recuperation and replenishment where they received new Bf 109 F-4 aircraft. The Gruppe was ordered to Olmütz, present-day Olomouc in Czech Republic, on 11 April. On 17 May, I. Gruppe relocated to Artyomovsk, present-day Bakhmut.[14]

On 26 June, the Gruppe moved to an airfield at Bilyi Kolodyaz, approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) southeast of Vovchansk.[15] Two days later, German forces had launched Case Blue, the strategic summer offensive in southern Russia.[16] On 3 July, the Gruppe moved to a forward airfield near the village Novy Grinev located approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) south-southwest from Novy Oskol and to Artyomovsk on 9 July.[17] During this period, Graßmuck claimed his 40th aerial victory on 29 when he shot down three Lend-Lease Hawker Hurricane fighters.[18]

On 2 August 1942, I. Gruppe was ordered to Kerch on the Kerch Peninsula. At the time, the Gruppe was moved around as a kind of fire brigade, deployed in areas where the Soviet Air Forces was particularly active.[19] Here on 6 August, Graßmuck claimed his 50th aerial victory, an Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft, and a Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighter shot down five days later.[20] For this, he was awarded the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 13 August.[21] The Gruppe then moved to Oryol on 15 August.[22] Following his 56th aerial victory, Graßmuck was nominated for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) which was awarded on 19 September.[23]

On 22 September during the Battle of Stalingrad, I. Gruppe moved to Pitomnik Airfield where they were subordinated to Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing). Here, Graßmuck claimed an Il-2 ground-attack aircraft, his 65th and last aerial victory.[24] Two days later, Graßmuck conducted a maintenance flight and was killed in a crash 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) east of Pitomnik Airfield.[23] Investigation revealed that the engine of his Bf 109 G-2 (Werknummer 13522—factory number) had failed.[25][Note 3] At the time of his death, Graßmuck was the leading fighter pilot of I. Gruppe. He was buried on the German war cemetery near the Pitomnik Airfield.[27]

Summary of career[edit]

Aerial victory claims[edit]

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Graßmuck was credited with 65 aerial victories.[28] Both Obermaier and Spick also list him with 65 aerial victories claimed in 236 combat missions.[1][29] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 64 aerial victory claims. With the exception of one aerial victory claimed over the RAF, all other aerial victories were claimed on the Eastern Front.[30]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 0519". 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.[31]

Chronicle of aerial victories
  This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Balke, Bock, Mathews and Foreman.
Claim Date Time Type Location Claim Date Time Type Location
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 –[32]
On the Western Front — 27 December 1940 – 23 September 1941
1 9 May 1941 05:35 Wellington 20 km (12 mi) west of Heligoland[33]
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 –[32]
Operation Barbarossa — 2 October – 5 December 1941
2 5 October 1941 14:53 I-16[34] 5 28 November 1941 12:48 Il-2[35]
3 12 October 1941 10:35 Il-2[34] 6 30 November 1941 12:36 Pe-2[35]
4 4 November 1941 15:30 I-153[34] 7 2 December 1941 14:03 MiG-3[35]
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 –[32]
On the Eastern Front — 6 December 1941 – 5 February 1942
8 9 January 1942 09:05 I-61 (MiG-3)[36] 9 22 January 1942 12:54 I-61 (MiG-3)[36]
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 –[30]
On the Eastern Front — 6 February 1941 – 28 October 1942
10 21 May 1942 13:30 I-61 (MiG-3)[37] 38 29 June 1942 16:40 Hurricane[38]
11 21 May 1942 13:38 I-61 (MiG-3)[37] 39 29 June 1942 19:20 Hurricane[38]
12 25 May 1942 05:35 I-61 (MiG-3)[37] 40 29 June 1942 19:25 Hurricane[38]
13 25 May 1942 05:40 Il-2[37] 41 3 July 1942 06:40 LaGG-3[38]
14 25 May 1942 07:25 Il-2[37] 42 3 July 1942 16:35 LaGG-3[38]
15 26 May 1942 07:25 I-61 (MiG-3)[39] 43 3 July 1942 16:39 LaGG-3[38]
16 26 May 1942 17:30 I-16[39] 44 4 July 1942 18:50 P-40[40]
17 28 May 1942 07:55 Il-2 4 km (2.5 mi) east of Izyum[39] 45 5 July 1942 10:15 Boston[40]
18 2 June 1942 04:20 MiG-1[41] 46 6 July 1942 14:45 R-5[40]
19 2 June 1942 04:22 MiG-1[41] 47 10 July 1942 10:15 Pe-2[40]
20 2 June 1942 04:25 MiG-1[41] 48 10 July 1942 10:17 LaGG-3[40]
21 3 June 1942 05:00 R-10 (Seversky)[41] 49 10 July 1942 14:26 I-153[40]
22 3 June 1942 14:23 LaGG-3[41] 50 6 August 1942 09:15 Il-2 PQ 0519[42]
23 4 June 1942 18:44 Il-2[41] 51 11 August 1942 10:20 LaGG-3 PQ 75427[42]
northeast of Novorossiysk
24 4 June 1942 18:45 MiG-1[41] 52 18 August 1942 16:55 I-180 (Yak-7) PQ 55884[42]
Black Sea
25 4 June 1942 18:47 MiG-1[41] 53 21 August 1942 11:00 LaGG-3 PQ 64184[42]
26 6 June 1942 11:25 Il-2[41] 54 21 August 1942 11:05 LaGG-3 PQ 64183[42]
27 11 June 1942 09:40 MiG-1[41] 55 21 August 1942 14:35 Il-2 PQ 64872[42]
vicinity of Zherdevo
28 21 June 1942 18:00 LaGG-3[41] 56 22 August 1942 10:02 LaGG-3 PQ 54254[43]
vicinity of Uljanowo
29 21 June 1942 18:02 LaGG-3[41] 57 22 August 1942 10:07 LaGG-3 PQ 55894[43]
Black Sea
30 21 June 1942 18:06 Pe-2[41] 58 23 August 1942 10:15 I-180 (Yak-7) PQ 64141[43]
31 22 June 1942 08:26 MiG-1[41] 59 23 August 1942 10:25 LaGG-3 PQ 55874[43]
Black Sea
32 24 June 1942 11:35 MiG-1[38] 60 23 August 1942 13:05 LaGG-3 PQ 54263[43]
vicinity of Uljanowo
33 24 June 1942 16:45 LaGG-3[38] 61 27 August 1942 14:30 LaGG-3 PQ 46424[43]
34 24 June 1942 16:55 Boston[38] 62 28 August 1942 06:00 I-16 PQ 47572[43]
35 25 June 1942 13:00 LaGG-3[38] 63 1 September 1942 09:15 LaGG-3 PQ 56454[43]
vicinity of Gattetowo
36 25 June 1942 18:50 Yak-1[38] 64?[Note 4] 5 September 1942 15:58 Il-2 PQ 46823[45]
37 25 June 1942 18:53 LaGG-3[38] 65 26 October 1942 15:50 Il-2 PQ 49241[46]
10 km (6.2 mi) northeast of Stalingrad

Awards[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ His name, in German, is spelled with a "sharp S"; see ß.
  2. ^ 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]
  3. ^ According to Weal, Graßmuck was shot down by Soviet anti-aircraft artillery.[26]
  4. ^ This claim is not listed by Mathews and Foreman.[44]
  5. ^ According to Scherzer as pilot in the 1./Jagdgeschwader 52.[50]

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ a b Obermaier 1989, p. 121.
  2. ^ Bergström, Antipov & Sundin 2003, p. 17.
  3. ^ a b Dixon 2023, p. 253.
  4. ^ Barbas 2006, pp. 141, 388.
  5. ^ Prien et al. 2003a, p. 60.
  6. ^ Schreier 1990, p. 186.
  7. ^ Prien et al. 2003a, p. 61.
  8. ^ Barbas 2006, pp. 143–144.
  9. ^ Prien et al. 2003b, p. 12.
  10. ^ Schreier 1990, p. 59.
  11. ^ Barbas 2006, pp. 144, 390.
  12. ^ Barbas 2006, p. 149.
  13. ^ Prien et al. 2005, p. 134.
  14. ^ Schreier 1990, pp. 70, 75.
  15. ^ Schreier 1990, p. 79.
  16. ^ Schreier 1990, p. 80.
  17. ^ Schreier 1990, pp. 82–83.
  18. ^ Barbas 2006, pp. 175, 394.
  19. ^ Schreier 1990, p. 84.
  20. ^ Barbas 2006, pp. 177, 396.
  21. ^ Barbas 2006, p. 350.
  22. ^ Schreier 1990, p. 85.
  23. ^ a b Schreier 1990, p. 180.
  24. ^ Barbas 2006, pp. 181, 399.
  25. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 441.
  26. ^ Weal 2007, p. 29.
  27. ^ Barbas 2006, p. 181.
  28. ^ Zabecki 2014, p. 1617.
  29. ^ Spick 1996, p. 240.
  30. ^ a b Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 417–418.
  31. ^ Planquadrat.
  32. ^ a b c Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 417.
  33. ^ Prien et al. 2003a, p. 68.
  34. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2003b, p. 20.
  35. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2003b, p. 21.
  36. ^ a b Prien et al. 2005, p. 133.
  37. ^ a b c d e Prien et al. 2006, p. 427.
  38. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Prien et al. 2006, p. 430.
  39. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2006, p. 428.
  40. ^ a b c d e f Prien et al. 2006, p. 431.
  41. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Prien et al. 2006, p. 429.
  42. ^ a b c d e f Prien et al. 2006, p. 433.
  43. ^ a b c d e f g h Prien et al. 2006, p. 434.
  44. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 418.
  45. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 435.
  46. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 437.
  47. ^ Patzwall 2008, p. 88.
  48. ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 146.
  49. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 202.
  50. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 346.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Barbas, Bernd (2006). Die Geschichte der I. Gruppe des Jagdgeschwaders 52 [The History of 1st Group of Fighter Wing 52] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-79-3.
  • 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 2 May 2024.
  • Dixon, Jeremy (2023). Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe: Knight's Cross Holders 1939–1942. Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-52677-864-2.
  • 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 2 G–L. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-19-6.
  • 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 (2003a). 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 (2003b). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/II—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/II—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-70-0.
  • 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/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.
  • 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.
  • Schreier, Hans (1990). JG 52 Das erfolgreichste Jagdgeschwader des 2. Weltkriegs [JG 52 The Most Successful Fighter Wing of World War II] (in German). Berg am See: K. Vowinckel. ISBN 978-3-921655-66-5.
  • Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1.
  • Weal, John (2007). More Bf 109 Aces of the Russian Front. Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 76. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-177-9.
  • 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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