Heinz-Edgar Berres was born on 10 January 1920 at Koblenz. On completion of his fighter pilot training, Berres was posted to 3.(J)/LG 2 in the summer of 1941. On 29 November he claimed his first victory when he shot down russian SB-3 bomber. The unit was redesignated 3./JG 77 on 6 January 1942. In March 1942 he was transferred to 1./JG 77. On 12 June 1942, Berres shot down a USAAF B-24 four-engine bomber over the Rumanian oilfields. In early July 1942, I./JG 77 was relocated to the Mediterranean. During the summer, Leutnant Berres was to claim 11 RAF Spitfire fighters shot down over and around Malta to raise his victory total to 18. Berres was transferred to the Stabsstaffel of I./JG 77 based in North Africa in October 1942. He was appointed Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 77 on 13 March 1943. Between November 1942 and March 1943, Oberleutnant Berres claimed 26 Allied aircraft shot down over Libya and Tunisia. In July 1943, he recorded eight victories over the Mediterranean and Sicily, including a four Allied fighters shot down on 2 July for his 45th through 49th victories and a USAAF B-17 four-engine bomber shot down on 5 July for his 51st victory. On 25 July 1943, Berres was escorting a formation of Ju 52 transport aircraft over the Straits of Messina. The formation was attacked, near Milazzo, by RAF Spitfires and Berres has been listed as missing in his BF 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 18 101) “BF + QU” ever since. Berres was posthumously awarded the Ritterkreuz and promoted to the rank of Hauptmann on 19 September 1943.
    Heinz-Edgar Berres was credited with 52 victories in 354 missions. He recorded at least six victories over the Eastern front. Included in his total are two four-engine bombers and 20 Spitfires.
 

No	Date	Time	A/c Type	Unit	Location / Comments
1	29.11.1941	13:57	SB-3	3./LG 2	-
2	29.12.1941	10:20	I-15	3./LG 2	-
3	28.2.1942	12:05	I-16	3./JG 77	-
4	9.3.1942	10:05	R-5	3./JG 77	-
5	24.3.1942	13:45	I-16	1./JG 77	-
6	27.3.1942	6:40	I-61	1./JG 77	-
7	12.6.1942	5:28	B-24	1./JG 77	Ploesti?
8	8.7.1942	6:48	Spitfire	1./JG 77	Marsalforn Bay / Spitfire (BR 108) of 603 Sqn, RAF flown by F/L LV Sanders, ditched
9	9.7.1942	19:20	Spitfire	1./JG 77	Off Malta
10	18.7.1942	14:54	Spitfire	1./JG 77	N Valetta
11	22.7.1942	11:39	Spitfire	1./JG 77	E Valetta / Spitfire of 185 or 249 Sqn, RAF
12	23.7.1942	16:44	P-40	1./JG 77	NE Valetta
13	15.9.1942	18:10	Spitfire	1./JG 77	Malta / Spitfire (BP867) “E” of 249 Sqn, RAF flown by F/Sgt BC Peters, killed
14	25.9.1942	11:42	Spitfire	1./JG 77	50km NE Zonqor / Spitfire of 249 Sqn, RAF
15	6.10.1942	11:11	Spitfire	1./JG 77	Malta / Spitfire of 185 or 249 Sqn, RAF
16	13.10.1942	10:45	Spitfire	1./JG 77	Malta / Spitfire of 126 Sqn, RAF
17	14.10.1942	8:07	Spitfire	1./JG 77	NE Valetta / Spitfire (AB489) flown by F/Sgt CA Long, ditched, rescued
18	17.10.1942	13:33	Spitfire	1./JG 77	near Luqa / Spitfire (BP955) “A” of 229 Sqn, RAF flown by Sgt R Miller, killed
19	1.11.1942	7:17	P-40	Stab I./JG 77	Bir-el-Abd
20	3.11.1942	15:57	P-40	Stab I./JG 77	NW Quotaifiya
21	11.11.1942	9:31	P-40	Stab I./JG 77	Marble Arch
22	7.12.1942	15:40	Baltimore	Stab I./JG 77	W El Haseiat
23	11.12.1942	15:35	P-40	Stab I./JG 77	E Ras Umm el Gavanigh
24	13.12.1942	12:50	Spitfire	Stab I./JG 77	W Marble Arch
25	14.12.1942	11:22	P-40	Stab I./JG 77	W El Agheila
26	8.1.1943	13:07	Spitfire	Stab I./JG 77	Bir Dufan
27	14.1.1943	10:45	B-25	Stab I./JG 77	-
28	4.2.1943	14:42	P-38	Stab I./JG 77	-
29	4.2.1943	14:42	P-38	Stab I./JG 77	-
30	8.2.1943	12:50	B-25	Stab I./JG 77	-
31	26.2.1943	14:02	P-40	Stab I./JG 77	-
32	26.2.1943	17:02	P-40	Stab I./JG 77	-
33	7.3.1943	14:44	Spitfire	Stab I./JG 77	-
34	10.3.1943	16:34	P-40	Stab I./JG 77	-
35	17.3.1943	13:23	Spitfire	Stab I./JG 77	-
36	18.3.1943	13:18	Spitfire	Stab I./JG 77	-
37	24.3.1943	9:55	P-40	Stab I./JG 77	-
38	24.3.1943	9:58	B-25	Stab I./JG 77	-
39	24.3.1943	10:06	P-40	Stab I./JG 77	-
40	2.4.1943	11:50	P-40	1./JG 77	-
41	7.4.1943	8:07	Spitfire	1./JG 77	-
42	16.4.1943	15:48	Spitfire	1./JG 77	-
43	22.4.1943	17:38	Spitfire	1./JG 77	-
44	5.5.1943	16:46	P-40	1./JG 77	-
-	1.7.1943	-	Spitfire w.b.	1./JG 77	-
45	2.7.1943	7:58	P-40	1./JG 77	-
46	2.7.1943	8:10	P-40	1./JG 77	-
47	2.7.1943	14:35	Spitfire	1./JG 77	-
48	2.7.1943	14:57	Spitfire	1./JG 77	-
49	3.7.1943	11:02	B-25	1./JG 77	-
50	4.7.1943	10:31	Boston	1./JG 77	-
51	5.7.1943	11:24	B-17	1./JG 77	-
52	24.7.1943	11:30	P-51	1./JG 77	5km S Cerraro

Victories : 52
Awards : Ehrenpokal (18 January 1943)
                Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (16 February 1943)
                Ritterkreuz (19 September 1943)
Units : LG 2, JG 77