Emil Babenz was born on 1 January 1919 at Bolschwitz in Schlesien. He joined the Luftwaffe on 1 November 1937. Babenz underwent flying training with the Flugzeugführerschule A/B at Görlitz from 25 September 1939. On completion of his flying training, Babenz was transferred to JG 26 on 1 June 1940. Unteroffizier Babenz was assigned to 3./JG 26. He recorded his first victory on 17 April 1941, when he shot down a RAF Blenheim twin-engine bomber, although Babenz incorrectly identified his victim as a Beaufort. By the end of 1941 his victory total had risen to eight. Babenz was an original member of 11./JG 26, formed in 1942 and based at Norrent-Fontes in France. Oberfeldwebel Babenz was particularly successful over the Allied landings at Dieppe on 19 August 1942, when he shot down three RAF Spitfire fighters. He was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 15 October 1942. He had claimed 21 victories at this time. In November 1942, Babenz accompanied 11./JG 26 to Tunisia, where the Staffel was subordinated to II./JG 51. On 3 December, six pilots were killed on the ground in a bombing raid of 11./JG 26’s airfield outside of Tunis. The Staffel was disbanded and its survivors were incorporated within II./JG 51. On 10 March 1943, Babenz transferred to JG 53 along with Hauptmann Hans-Jürgen Westphal (22 victories) and five other pilots formerly with 11./JG 26. Feldwebel Babenz was assigned to 1./JG 53. He claimed two victories over Tunisia to raise his victory total to 24. Babenz rejoined I./JG 26 in September 1943. He had been injured during his spell with JG 53, reason unknown, and had been assigned to a ferry unit to regain his flying confidence. He was assigned to 2./JG 26 under the command of Oberleutnant Karl Willius (50 victories, RK, killed in action 8 April 1944). On 8 April 1944, Babenz was shot down and killed in aerial combat with P-47 fighters of the 361st Fighter Group, USAAF over the Zuider Zee in Holland. His Fw 190 A-6 (W.Nr. 470 046) “Black 1” crashed vertically into the ground near Bentheim.
    Emil Babenz was credited with 24 victories in 335 missions. All his victories were recorded over the Western front.
 

No	Date	Time	A/c Type	Unit	Location	Comments
1.	17.4.1941	18:00	Beaufort	3./JG 26	N of Brest	Blenheim of 105 Sqn, RAF
2.	28.6.1941	8:25	Spitfire	3./JG 26	W Lille	Spitfire of 303 Sqn, RAF
3.	11.7.1941	16:30	Spitfire	3./JG 26	10km NW Gravelines	-
4.	12.8.1941	13:20	Spitfire	3./JG 26	S Goeree Is	Spitfire of 19 or 152 Sqn, RAF
5.	21.8.1941	15:10	Spitfire	3./JG 26	SE Dunkirk	-
6.	27.8.1941	8:10	Spitfire	3./JG 26	W Gravelines	-
7.	13.10.1941	14:43	Spitfire	3./JG 26	10km E Dungeness	-
8.	8.11.1941	12:29	Spitfire	3./JG 26	Near Montreuil	Spitfire of 401 Sqn, RAF
9.	12.2.1942	15:35	Spitfire	3./JG 26	30km N Dunkirk	-
10.	8.3.1942	17:21	Spitfire	3./JG 26	SE Bergues	Spitfire of 121 Sqn, RAF
11.	28.3.1942	17:05	Spitfire	3./JG 26	10km S Dungeness	Spitfire of 401 Sqn, RAF
12.	28.3.1942	18:58	Spitfire	3./JG 26	Cap Blanc Nez	Spitfire of 457 or 602 Sqn, RAF
13.	30.4.1942	19:38	Spitfire	3./JG 26	2km W Somme Estuary	Spitfire of 129 or 340 Sqn, RAF
14.	25.5.1942	11:40	Spitfire	1./JG 26	Near Nieuport	Spitfire of 222 Sqn, RAF
15.	29.5.1942	8:20	Spitfire	1./JG 26	Channel	Spitfire of 72 Sqn, RAF
16.	1.6.1942	13:50	Spitfire	1./JG 26	Pl Qu 22456	Spitfire of 65 or 111 Sqn, RAF
17.	2.6.1942	11:05	Spitfire	1./JG 26	15km W Somme Estuary	Spitfire of 403 Sqn, RAF
18.	30.7.1942	19:15	Spitfire	3./JG 26	Near Watten	-
19.	19.8.1942	13:35	Spitfire	11./JG 26	NE Dieppe	-
20.	19.8.1942	9:52	Spitfire	11./JG 26	NE Dieppe	Spitfire of 411, 485 or 610 Sqn, RAF
21.	19.8.1942	13:30	Spitfire	11./JG 26	NE Dieppe	-
22.	28.11.1942	15:41	P-38	11./JG 26	20km W Mateur	P-38 of 48 FS, 14 FG, USAAF
23.	22.3.1943	14:02	P-38	1./JG 53	10km NW Bizerta	-
24.	18.4.1943	-	P-40	1./JG 53	-	-

Victories : 24
Awards : Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (15 October 1942)
Units : JG 26, JG 53