Walter Hagenah
Leutnant
Walter Hagenah was born in 1919. Hagenah completed
his fighter pilot training in early 1942 and was posted to JG 3. Obergefreiter
Hagenah was assigned to 2./JG 3, based at Wiesbaden. On 22 April, the unit
was ordered to relocate to Vienna-Aspern in preparation for service on
the Eastern front. Hagenah suffered a take-off accident in Bf 109 F-4 “Yellow
4” at Vienna, fortunately without injury. On 12 August 1942, Hagenah achieved
his first success when he shot down a Russian LaGG-3 fighter. His last
victories on the Eastern Front were gained on 14 October 1942, over the
Stalingrad pocket, when he downed two Russian Il-2 Sturmovik ground-attack
aircraft for his 5th and 6th victories. I./JG 3 was then recalled to Germany
for rest and refit. By December 1943, Hagenah was serving with 10./JG 3.
His 7th victory, a USAAF B-24 four-engine bomber, was claimed on 19 December
1943. On 12 May 1944, he claimed a USAAF B-17 four-engine bomber Herausschuss
but had to force-land near Dornholzhausen in his Bf 109 G-6. In July 1944,
Leutnant Hagenah transferred to IV.(Sturm)/JG 3, under the command of Hauptmann
Wilhelm
Moritz (44 victories, RK), based at Illesheim. The Gruppe was the first
of several being formed to fly the heavily armed and armoured Fw 190 A-8/R8
Sturmbock fighters in an attempt to inflict heavy losses on the American
bomber formations. He was appointed Staffelkapitän of 10./JG 3 when Leutnant
Hans Weik (36 victories, RK) was shot down and
wounded on 19 July 1944. On 30 July, he downed a USAAF P-38 twin-engine
fighter for his 15th victory. In September 1944, Hagenah attended a fighter
leaders’ course. He then went to Erfurt to convert ex-bomber pilots for
fighter operations with the Fw 190A. Later he was sent to Luben to train
new Sturmgruppe pilots. In March 1945, he was transferred to III./JG 7
to fly Me 262 jet fighters from Lärz. On 10 April 1945, he shot down a
USAAF P-51 fighter with R4M rockets. It was his 17th and last victory.
Walter Hagenah was credited with 17 victories
in about 140 combat missions. He recorded six victories over the
Eastern
Front. Of his 11 victories recorded over the Western
Front, nine were four-engine bombers.
|
No
|
Date
|
Time
|
A/c Type
|
Unit
|
Location / Comments
|
|
1
|
12.8.1942
|
4:26
|
LaGG-3 |
2./JG 3 |
49 340 |
|
2
|
28.8.1942
|
5:17
|
I-180 |
2./JG 3 |
2km W Pitschegi |
|
3
|
31.8.1942
|
15:42
|
Pe-2 |
2./JG 3 |
2km S Tschundrejew |
|
4
|
1.9.1942
|
13:48
|
LaGG-3 |
2./JG 3 |
30 243 |
|
5
|
14.10.1942
|
7:07
|
Il-2 |
2./JG 3 |
5km W Stalingrad |
|
6
|
14.10.1942
|
7:10
|
Il-2 |
2./JG 3 |
5km W Stalingrad |
|
7
|
19.12.1943
|
12:03
|
B-24 |
10./JG 3 |
80km S Innsbruck |
|
8
|
11.4.1944
|
11:10
|
B-17 |
10./JG 3 |
- |
|
9
|
18.4.1944
|
14:32
|
B-17 HSS |
10./JG 3 |
Nauen area |
|
10
|
18.4.1944
|
14:35
|
B-17 |
10./JG 3 |
- |
|
11
|
12.5.1944
|
12:37
|
B-17 HSS |
10.(Sturm)/JG
3 |
Bad Nauheim-Fulda
area |
|
12
|
7.7.1944
|
9:42
|
B-24 |
10.(Sturm)/JG
3 |
Oschersleben
area |
|
13
|
18.7.1944
|
10:50
|
B-17 |
10.(Sturm)/JG
3 |
30km SE Memmingen |
|
14
|
20.7.1944
|
11:07
|
B-17 |
10.(Sturm)/JG
3 |
20km W Leipzig |
|
15
|
30.7.1944
|
10:56
|
P-38 |
10.(Sturm)/JG
3 |
NW Plattensee |
|
16
|
3.8.1944
|
11:41
|
B-24 |
10.(Sturm)/JG
3 |
Ehrwald |
|
17
|
10.4.1945
|
-
|
P-51 |
III./JG 7 |
with R4M rockets |
Victories : 17
Awards : Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (1 January 1945)
Units : JG 3, JG 7
