Eberhard Bock
Hauptmann
Eberhard Bock was serving with JG 3 in May 1940.
Leutnant Bock was assigned to 3./JG 3. He recorded his first victory on
15 May, when he shot down a French Morane 406 fighter near Charleroi. By
the French capitulation he had four victories to his credit. During the
Battle
of Britain, Bock would record four further victories making him one
of the most successful pilots of I./JG 3 during this phase of the war.
On 1 September, Oberleutnant Bock was appointed Staffelkapitän of 3./JG
3. However, on 2 December 1940, following a freie Jagd mission over England,
he ran out of fuel. Bock was forced to make a belly-landing in his Bf 109
E-7 (W.Nr. 4131) at Cadzand, fortunately on the European side of the Channel.
By the end of 1940, he had raised his victory total to eight. Bock led
3./JG 3 for the invasion of Russia. On 24 June 1941, Bock participated
in a mission over the Luzk area. His Bf 109 F-2 (W.Nr. 5477) “Yellow 3”
was hit by flak severing an oil line. He was forced to crash-land beyond
the lines but was fortunate to evade capture and return to his unit the
next day with minor injuries. Bock recorded his 10th victory on 29 June,
when he shot down a Russian Pe-2 twin-engine bomber near Wielka. His 20th
victory was recorded on 10 July, when he shot down a Russian Il-4 twin-engine
bomber and a V-11 (probably an Il-2) ground-attack aircraft. On 10 August,
eight aircraft of 1./JG 3 and 3./JG 3 undertook a mission in the Kiev area.
Contact was made with a Russian formation of six I-17 and three I-16 fighters
and five Pe-2 twin-engine bombers. In the ensuing combat, Bock received
damage to his Bf 109 F-2 (W.Nr. 6818) necessitating a forced-landing at
Vassilkov airfield, fortunately without injury. I./JG 3 was withdrawn to
Germany at the beginning of October by which time Bock had 21 victories
to his credit. Relocated to Magdeburg in Germany, I./JG 3 underwent conversion
to the Bf 109 F-4. Bock led 3./JG 3 to Katwijk in Holland on 12 December
1941. Operations along the Dutch coast commenced from 15 December. On 15
January 1942, 3./JG 3 was redesignated 6./JG 1. Bock gained a double victory
over RAF twin-engine bombers while providing fighter cover for Operation
Donnerkeil, the “Channel Dash” of the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau
and the battlecruiser Prinz Eugen on 12 February 1942. Bock was withdrawn
from frontline action following the death of his brother. He served with
2./JG 104, an operational training establishment based at Fürth-Herzogenaurach.
He was able to record three victories during his time with unit, all USAAF
four-engine bombers: a B-17 shot down on 17 August 1943 near Hanau, a B-24
shot down on 22 February 1944 near Obertraubing and another B-24 shot down
on 25 February near Hienheim. On 2 May 1944, Bock was appointed Staffelkapitän
of 5./JG 27. He recorded his 27th and 28th, and final, victories with this
unit on 12 May, when he claimed two USAAF B-17 four-engine bomber Herausschuss.
Bock was shot down and killed on 28 May 1944, in aerial combat with USAAF
P-51 fighters near Helmstedt. He baled out of his BF 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 441
324) “Black 6” but struck the tailplane of his aircraft.
Eberhard Bock was credited with 28 victories, although
some sources credit him with 23 or even 30 victories. He recorded 13 victories
over the Eastern front. Of his 15 victories
recorded over the Western front, at least five were four-engine
bombers.
|
No
|
Date
|
Time
|
A/c
Type
|
Unit
|
Location
|
Comments
|
|
1.
|
15.5.1940
|
13:15
|
Morane
406 |
3./JG
3 |
SE
Charleroi |
|
|
2.
|
26.5.1940
|
9:31
|
Morane
406 |
3./JG
3 |
15km
SE Amiens |
|
|
3.
|
6.6.1940
|
-
|
Blenheim |
3./JG
3 |
St.
Valéry-Abbeville |
|
|
4.
|
7.6.1940
|
-
|
Hurricane |
3./JG
3 |
Abbeville |
|
|
-
|
21.6.1940
|
-
|
1/2
Seaplane |
3./JG
3 |
Loire
Estuary |
On
water. Shared with Lt Walter Binder |
|
5.
|
2.9.1940
|
-
|
Morane |
3./JG
3 |
SE
London |
Spitfire
or Hurricane |
|
6.
|
5.9.1940
|
-
|
Hurricane |
3./JG
3 |
London
area |
|
|
7.
|
9.9.1940
|
-
|
Morane |
3./JG
3 |
|
Spitfire
or Hurricane |
|
8.
|
9.9.1940
|
-
|
Morane |
3./JG
3 |
|
Spitfire
or Hurricane |
|
9.
|
22.6.1941
|
-
|
I-153 |
3./JG
3 |
|
|
|
10.
|
29.6.1941
|
12:05
|
Pe-2 |
3./JG
3 |
E
Wielka |
|
|
11.
|
29.6.1941
|
17:40
|
Pe-2 |
3./JG
3 |
15km
E Rowne |
|
|
12.
|
30.6.1941
|
16:40
|
PZL
P-37 |
3./JG
3 |
SW
Zwiatel |
? |
|
13.
|
6.7.1941
|
15:35
|
Potez-63 |
3./JG
3 |
Shepetowka |
DB-3 |
|
14.
|
6.7.1941
|
-
|
I-153 |
3./JG
3 |
|
|
|
15.
|
6.7.1941
|
-
|
SB-2 |
3./JG
3 |
|
|
|
16.
|
8.7.1941
|
17:20
|
Il-4 |
3./JG
3 |
5km
E Miropol |
DB-3 |
|
17.
|
9.7.1941
|
11:00
|
Il-4 |
3./JG
3 |
12km
NE Gudnow |
DB-3 |
|
18.
|
9.7.1941
|
16:15
|
Il-4 |
3./JG
3 |
4km
SE Miropol |
DB-3 |
|
19.
|
10.7.1941
|
17:05
|
Il-4 |
3./JG
3 |
|
DB-3 |
|
20.
|
10.7.1941
|
-
|
V-11 |
3./JG
3 |
|
Il-2 |
|
21.
|
20.7.1941
|
16:05
|
Il-4 |
3./JG
3 |
1km
E Buzowka |
DB-3 |
|
22.
|
12.2.1942
|
17:37
|
Hampden |
6./JG
1 |
7km
W Katwijk |
|
|
23.
|
12.2.1942
|
17:39
|
Hampden |
6./JG
1 |
10km
W Katwijk |
|
|
24.
|
17.8.1943
|
12:45
|
B-17 |
2./JG
104 |
4km
SE Hanau |
|
|
25.
|
22.2.1944
|
13:07
|
B-24 |
2./JG
104 |
Obertraubling |
|
|
26.
|
25.2.1944
|
12:57
|
B-24 |
2./JG
104 |
3km
W Hienheim |
|
|
27.
|
12.5.1944
|
12:25
|
B-17
HSS |
5./JG
27 |
Merzhausen |
|
|
28.
|
12.5.1944
|
12:28
|
B-17
HSS |
5./JG
27 |
Merzhausen |
|
Victories : 28
Awards : Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (21 August 1942)
Units : JG 3, JG 1, JG 104, JG 27
