Gerhard-Alfred Bärsdorf was born on 18 July 1920 at Leubus. Bärsdorf volunteered to join the newly formed JG Herrmann, operating single-engine fighters by night to counter the British night bombing offensive, in early July 1943. The unit was the brainchild of Major Hajo Herrmann (7 victories, RK-S). Leutnant Bärsdorf was assigned to Stabsstaffel of II./JG Hermann based at Rheine flying Fw 190 A fighters. He recorded his first victory on the night of 29/30 July, when he intercepted a RAF Lancaster four-engine bomber, one of 777 heavy and medium bombers targetting Hamburg, and shot it down near Hamburg. Bärsdorf repeated the feat the following night downing another Lancaster, one of 228 raiding Remscheid, to record his second victory. By September 1943, II./JG Herrmann had assumed the designation II./JG 300. On the night of 3/4 September, Bärsdorf claimed two Lancasters shot down although it would appear he failed to receive confirmation for these victories from Berlin. He claimed another RAF four-engine bomber shot down around Frankfurt but again was denied confirmation by Berlin. During December 1943, II./JG 300 was committed to combatting daylight bombing raids. Bärsdorf gained his first daylight victory on 22 February 1944, when he claimed a USAAF B-17 shot down near Göttingen to record his third victory. By Late July 1944, Bärsdorf had transferred to the Geschwaderstab of JG 300 based at Bad Wörishofen. On 25 July, he participated in a scramble to intercept 475 four-engine bombers escorted by 174 fighters of the 15th USAAF attacking Linz in Austria. In the ensuing aerial combat, Bärsdorf claimed a B-24 shot down southeast of Linz to record his fifth victory. The next day, he participated in another scramble to intercept 425 bombers and 366 fighters of 15th USAAF raiding targets in the Wien area. Bärsdorf claimed two B-17s shot down but only received confirmation for one to record his sixth victory. By 28 July 1944, Bärsdorf was again serving with II./JG 300 fulfilling a Gruppenadjutant’s role. On this day, he took-off from Bad Wörishofen to intercept a formation of USAAF four-engine bombers targetting the Merseburg-Leuna industrial complex. In the ensuing aerial combat Bärsdorf shot down a B-17 but then collided with the Bf 109 of Oberfähnrich Friedrich-Wilhelm Schenk of 2./JG 300. Bärsdorf was killed in the resulting crash of his Fw 190 A-8 (W.Nr. 172 997) “Yellow 7” two kilometres from Gehren near Erfurt.
    Gerhard Bärsdorf was credited with seven victories. In addition, he claimed five victories for which confirmation was not received. All Bärsdorf’s victories were four-engine bombers of which two confirmed and three unconfirmed were recorded at night. All his success was gained in Reichsverteidigung.
 

No	Date	Time	A/c Type	Unit	Location / Comments
1	30.7.1943	1:04	Lancaster	II./JG Herrmann	Hamburg
2	31.7.1943	1:09	Lancaster	II./JG Herrmann	Remscheid
-	4.9.1943	-	Lancaster	II./JG 300	not confirmed
-	4.9.1943	-	Lancaster	II./JG 300	not confirmed
-	4.10.1943	22:25	Viermot	II./JG 300	Frankfurt area / not confirmed
3	22.2.1944	14:25	B-17	II./JG 300	3km S Göttingen
-	26.6.1944	-	B-24 e.V.	II./JG 300	-
-	29.6.1944	-	B-17	II./JG 300	not confirmed
4	7.7.1944	9:48	B-24	II./JG 300	Vienenburg
5	25.7.1944	11:08	B-24	Stab/JG 300	SE Linz
6	26.7.1944	11:05	B-17 HSS	Stab/JG 300	Wien area
-	26.7.1944	11:15	B-17	Stab/JG 300	NE Graz / not confirmed
7	28.7.1944	-	B-17	II./JG 300	Gerring area

Victories : 7
Awards :
Units : JG Hermann, JG 300