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Hermann Neuhoff

Hermann Neuhoff (11 April 1918 – 17 January 2006) was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highes...

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Hermann Neuhoff (11 April 1918 – 17 January 2006) was a Luftwaffeace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. On 10 April 1942, he was shot down during combat over Malta and was taken prisoner by British troops. During his career, he was credited with 40 aerial victories claimed in 452 missions. Neuhoff died on 17 January 2006 in his hometown Rheinhausen.

Early life and career

Neuhoff was born on 11 April 1918 at Rheinhausen, now part of Duisburg, at the time in the Rhine Province within the German Empire.[1] He joined the military service of the Luftwaffe and after flight and fighter pilot training,[Note 1] Neuhoff was posted to 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing).[3] The Staffel was commanded by OberleutnantWolfgang Lippert and subordinated to I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 53 headed by Hauptmann Lothar von Janson.[4]

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland. At the time, JG 53 was tasked with patrolling Germany's western border between Trier and Saarbrücken in what would be dubbed the "Phoney War" period of World War II.[5] On 26 September, JG 53 was ordered to form its III. Gruppe at Wiesbaden–Erbenheim Airfield. Leadership of the Gruppe was given to HauptmannWerner Mölders who had previously commanded 1. Staffel. Formation of the 7. Staffel was headed by OberleutnantWolf-Dietrich Wilcke and Neuhoff was assigned to this squadron holding the rank of Unteroffizier (non-commissioned officer). At the time, the Gruppe was equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E.[6]

The Gruppe reached operational readiness on 10 October and flew its first combat missions during the "Phoney War".[7] From 2–16 January 1940, Neuhoff and other pilots from III. Gruppe went on a ski vacation to the Vorarlberg.[8] On 2 March, Neuhoff claimed his first aerial victory. In aerial combat with ten Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 and two Hawker Hurricane fighters near Völklingen, Neuhoff claimed a Hurricane shot down.[9]

Battle of France and Britain

The Battle of France, the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, began on 10 May 1940. On 14 May 1940, Neuhoff claimed a Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) M.S.406 in the area near Sedan.[10][11] Four days later, 7. Staffel engaged in aerial combat with eight French Curtiss P-36 Hawk fighter aircraft. In this encounter, the Staffel lost its Staffelkapitän, Wilcke, who was shot down and taken prisoner of war (POW) while Neuhoff claimed one of three Curtiss fighters shot down.[12] During the French campaign, he had claimed seven aerial victories, eight in total, and had been awarded both classes of the Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz).[3][11]

A Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-1 of JG 53, similar to those flown by Neuhoff

Following the Armistice of 22 June 1940, III. Gruppe moved to Rennes Airfield where they patrolled the costal area of Brittany. On 10 July, the Gruppe relocated to an airfield at Lanvéoc-Poulmic, sometimes referred to as Brest-South airfield. Here, they flew their first combat missions during the Battle of Britain on 11 August, escorting Junkers Ju 87dive bombers attacking British shipping. On 24 August, III. Gruppe began its relocation from Brest to Le Touquet Airfield, near Étaples and Le Touquet in the Pas-de-Calais on the English Channel. The Gruppe stayed here until 19 December.[13]

On 15 September, later dubbed Battle of Britain Day, Neuhoff claimed a Bristol Blenheim bomber shot down over the English Channel between Cap Gris-Nez and Le Touquet. The Royal Air Force (RAF) reported no Blenheim bomber lost that day. However, a newly introduced Bristol Beaufighter from No. 25 Squadron crashed near Biggin Hill.[14] III. Gruppe was withdrawn from the Channel Front on 19 December and moved to Mönchengladbach. There, the Gruppe was replenished while the pilots were sent on a skiing holiday until late January 1941. They then received a full complement of Bf 109 F-2 aircraft. The pilots continued to train and familiarize themselves with this new aircraft before on 18 March, III. Gruppe was again ordered to the English Channel where they were based at Berck-sur-Mer.[15]

Operation Barbarossa

El 8 de junio de 1941, la mayor parte de  los elementos aéreos del JG 53 se trasladaron vía Jever , en el norte de Alemania, a Mannheim-Sandhofen . Allí, los aviones recibieron una revisión de mantenimiento antes de trasladarse al este. [ 16 ] El 12 de junio, el III. Gruppe recibió la orden de trasladarse a un aeródromo avanzado en Sobolewo . El 21 de junio, el Geschwaderkommodore (comandante de ala) del JG  53 y su Gruppenkommandeur fueron convocados a la cercana Suwałki , donde el Generalfeldmarschall (mariscal de campo) Albert Kesselring dio las instrucciones finales para el próximo ataque. Wilcke, quien había sido nombrado Gruppenkommandeur del III. Gruppe el 12 de agosto de 1940, [ 17 ] informó a sus pilotos esa noche. [ 18 ]

El 27 de julio, Neuhoff reclamó su vigésima victoria aérea. [ 19 ] El III. Gruppe comenzó a regresar a Alemania a principios de octubre de 1941. Los elementos aéreos abandonaron la Unión Soviética el 4 de octubre, mientras que las unidades terrestres fueron transportadas de regreso en tren a Mannheim el 13 de octubre. Desde el 22 de junio de 1941, el III. Gruppe había reclamado 769 victorias aéreas con la pérdida de 6 pilotos muertos, 7 desaparecidos en combate, 2 capturados y 12 heridos. [ 20 ]

Norte de África y Malta

Tras su regreso a Alemania, el III. Gruppe fue desplegado en el Teatro del Mediterráneo . Los elementos terrestres del III. Gruppe llegaron a Catania, Sicilia, el 28 de noviembre de 1941, mientras que el resto del grupo llegó el 3 de diciembre. Tres días después, el III. Gruppe recibió la orden de trasladarse a Timimi, Libia . [ 21 ] Durante su despliegue en el norte de África , Neuhoff reclamó cuatro victorias aéreas sobre el desierto. [ 22 ]

III. Gruppe relocated back to Sicily on 17 December for operations in the siege of Malta. The island of Malta had a strategically important position in the Mediterranean Sea. With the opening of a new front in North Africa in mid-1940, British air and sea forces based on the island could attack Axis ships transporting vital supplies and reinforcements from Europe to North Africa. To counter this threat, the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) conducted bombing raids to neutralize the RAF defenses and the ports.[23] On 18 March 1942, Neuhoff claimed a Hurricane fighter shot down. His opponent may have been Pilot Officer Chuck Lester or Sergeant George Mulloy, both pilots from No. 185 Squadron.[24] Two days later, Neuhoff claimed his 39th aerial victory. The victory may have been over Pilot Officer Douglas Cecil Leggo, flying the Supermarine SpitfireAB337 from No. 249 Squadron, who was killed in action.[25]

On 9 April, Neuhoff was transferred and appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 6. Staffel of JG 53. He replaced Oberleutnant Otto Böhner who was transferred. The Staffel was subordinated to II. Gruppe of JG 53 headed by Hauptmann Walter Spies and based at Comiso Airfield, Sicily, and fighting in the siege of Malta.[26] That day, Neuhoff claimed his 40th aerial victory in combat with Hurricane fighters from No. 229 Squadron, which lost one Hurricane with further aircraft sustaining battle damage.[27] The next day, Neuhoff was shot down by a friendly Bf 109 near RAF Hal Far and Luqa over Malta on fighter escort mission for Junkers Ju 88 bombers. He bailed out of his Bf 109 F-4/Z (Werknummer 7375—factory number) and became a POW. In consequence, command of 6. Staffel was passed on to Oberleutnant Günther Hess.[28][29] Initially, Flight Officer G. A. F. Buchanan from No. 249 Squadron was credited with shooting him down. Later, credit was given to Sergeant Garth Horricks from No. 185 Squadron. The returning pilots from JG 53 however believed that Neuhoff was shot down by Leutnant Werner Schow from 1. Staffel.[30] While in captivity, Neuhoff was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 16 June 1942 for his 40 aerial victories claimed.[31] Later on 15 October, he was also awarded the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold).[32]

Later life

Neuhoff died on 17 January 2006 at the age of 87 in Duisburg-Rheinhausen, Germany.[32]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Neuhoff was credited with 40 aerial victories, 23 of which on Eastern Front and 17 on the Western Front, claimed in 452 combat mission on the.[1] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 38 aerial victories, plus one further unconfirmed claim. This figure of confirmed claims includes 22 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 16 on the Western Front.[33]

Awards

Notes

  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. ↑According to Mathews and Foreman this claim is unconfirmed.[34]
  3. ↑According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Polikarpov I-16.[43]
  4. ↑According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 05:50.[43]
  5. ↑According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1.[43]
  6. 12According to Mathews and Foreman claimed on 11 December 1941 after 11:00.[43]
  7. ↑This unconfirmed claim is not listed by Mathews and Foreman.[43]
  8. ↑According to Scherzer on 19 June 1942 as Staffelführer of the 7./Jagdgeschwader 53.[52]

References

Citations

  1. 123Obermaier 1989, p. 173.
  2. ↑Bergström, Antipov & Sundin 2003, p. 17.
  3. 123Dixon 2023, p. 194.
  4. ↑Prien et al. 2001a, p. 363.
  5. ↑Prien 1997, p. 39.
  6. ↑Prien 1997, pp. 50–51.
  7. ↑Prien et al. 2001a, p. 400.
  8. ↑Prien 1997, pp. 70–71.
  9. ↑Prien 1997, p. 72.
  10. ↑Prien 1997, pp. 99, 103–104.
  11. 12Goss 2017, p. 22.
  12. ↑Prien 1997, pp. 104, 127.
  13. ↑Prien et al. 2002, pp. 245, 260.
  14. ↑Weal 2007, p. 33.
  15. ↑Prien et al. 2002, p. 256.
  16. ↑Prien 1997, p. 252.
  17. ↑Prien et al. 2002, p. 260.
  18. ↑Prien 1997, p. 253.
  19. ↑Bergström 2007, p. 50.
  20. ↑Prien 1997, pp. 299, 301.
  21. ↑Prien 1997, p. 327.
  22. ↑Shores, Massimello & Guest 2012, p. 371.
  23. ↑Prien 1997, p. 364.
  24. ↑Shores, Cull & Malizia 1991, p. 127.
  25. ↑Shores, Cull & Malizia 1991, p. 129.
  26. ↑Prien et al. 2004, pp. 134–135.
  27. ↑Shores, Cull & Malizia 1991, p. 176.
  28. ↑Prien et al. 2004, pp. 97–98, 134, 155.
  29. ↑Shores, Cull & Malizia 1991, p. 653.
  30. ↑Shores, Cull & Malizia 1991, pp. 177–178.
  31. ↑Prien 1997, p. 368.
  32. 12Dixon 2023, p. 195.
  33. 12Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 907–908.
  34. 1234Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 907.
  35. ↑Prien et al. 2001a, p. 406.
  36. 12Prien et al. 2001b, p. 353.
  37. ↑Prien et al. 2001b, p. 356.
  38. 12Prien et al. 2001b, p. 357.
  39. 12Prien et al. 2001b, p. 355.
  40. 12Prien et al. 2002, p. 269.
  41. 123456Prien et al. 2003, p. 159.
  42. 12345Prien et al. 2003, p. 165.
  43. 123456Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 908.
  44. 12Prien et al. 2003, p. 166.
  45. 1234Prien et al. 2003, p. 163.
  46. 1234Prien et al. 2003, p. 167.
  47. ↑Prien et al. 2003, p. 164.
  48. 1234Prien et al. 2004, p. 219.
  49. 123Prien et al. 2004, p. 220.
  50. ↑Prien et al. 2004, p. 143.
  51. ↑Fellgiebel 2000, p. 323.
  52. ↑Scherzer 2007, p. 566.
  53. ↑ Patzwall y Scherzer 2001 , pág. 328.

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