Lothar Keller
Hauptmann
Lothar Keller was born on 7 April 1914 at Dresden.
Keller served in the Spanish Civil War with the Condor Legion. Leutnant
Keller was assigned to 1. Staffel of J 88 from spring until the end of
1938. He claimed three victories during the conflict. Keller was awarded
the Spanienkreuz in Gold mit Schwertern. At the outbreak of World War 2,
Keller was serving with 1./JG 3. On 1 February 1940, Oberleutnant Keller
was appointed Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 3. He claimed ten victories during
the French campaign, including his 10th on 23 May,
when he shot down a RAF Spitfire fighter near Béthune. Keller participated
in the Battle of Britain. He claimed a further seven
victories over England during 1940. However, on 5 September, he participated
in the escort of a bomber formation which RAF fighters intercepted after
the bombers had dropped their bombs on oil tanks in the Thames Estuary
area. Oberleutnant Keller’s Bf 109 E-1 (W.Nr. 3882) was hit in the radiators
in the subsequent aerial combat. He managed to nurse his damaged aircraft
across the Channel to a point near Calais airfield where made a forced-landing,
fortunately without injury. On 11 September, Keller participated in the
escort of Ju 88 twin-engine bombers tasked with bombing London. However,
anti-aircraft fire near Dover forced the bombers to jettison their bombs
and turn back. In the process, Keller collided with a colleague. He managed
to bale out of his spinning Bf 109 E-4 (W.Nr. 5276) landing in the Channel.
Keller’s colleague succeeded in bringing his damaged machine back to base
and alerted the air-sea rescue service. An inflatable raft was dropped
to Keller and a boat rescued him 90 minutes later. On 24 November 1940,
Keller was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 3, based at Arques in
France. He led the Gruppe during the invasion of Russia. On 22 June, he
claimed four Russian fighters shot down to record his 17th through 20th
victories. Keller collided with a Fi 156 observation aircraft near Stojanow
and was killed in the resulting crash on 26 June 1941. He was posthumously
awarded the Ritterkreuz on 9 July.
Lothar Keller was credited with 23 victories. He
recorded three victories during the Spanish Civil
War and 16 victories over the Western front.
|
No
|
Date
|
Time
|
A/c Type
|
Unit
|
Location / Comments
|
|
1
|
13.6.1938
|
-
|
I-15 |
1./J 88 |
Spain |
|
2
|
15.7.1938
|
-
|
I-15 |
1./J 88 |
Spain |
|
3
|
19.8.1938
|
-
|
I-16 |
1./J 88 |
Spain |
|
4
|
14.5.1940
|
-
|
Morane
406 |
1./JG
3 |
NW
Dinant |
|
5
|
17.5.1940
|
12:30
|
Curtiss |
1./JG
3 |
S
St Quentin |
|
6
|
17.5.1940
|
12:30
|
Curtiss |
1./JG
3 |
S
St Quentin |
|
7
|
19.5.1940
|
16:40
|
Spitfire |
1./JG
3 |
Philippeville |
|
8
|
21.5.1940
|
-
|
Morane
406 |
1./JG
3 |
Cambrai |
|
9
|
21.5.1940
|
-
|
Morane
406 |
1./JG
3 |
Cambrai |
|
10
|
23.5.1940
|
14:10
|
Spitfire |
1./JG
3 |
Béthune |
|
11
|
31.5.1940
|
19:35
|
Morane
406 |
1./JG
3 |
S
Amiens |
|
12
|
10.6.1940
|
9:35
|
Caudron
710 |
1./JG
3 |
Dreux |
|
13
|
10.6.1940
|
9:37
|
Caudron
710 |
1./JG
3 |
Dreux |
|
14
|
18.8.1940
|
-
|
Hurricane |
1./JG
3 |
- |
|
15
|
26.8.1940
|
-
|
Hurricane |
1./JG
3 |
Thames
Estuary |
|
16
|
31.8.1940
|
-
|
Spitfire |
1./JG
3 |
E
London |
|
17
|
7.9.1940
|
-
|
Morane |
1./JG
3 |
Rochester |
|
18
|
15.9.1940
|
-
|
Spitfire |
1./JG
3 |
London
area |
|
19
|
10.2.1941
|
17:42
|
Hurricane |
II./JG
3 |
E
Dover |
|
20
|
22.6.1941
|
7:28
|
I-16 |
II./JG
3 |
Dubno
area |
|
21
|
22.6.1941
|
7:44
|
I-153 |
II./JG 3 |
Dubno area |
|
22
|
22.6.1941
|
18:42
|
I-153 |
II./JG 3 |
Dubno area |
|
23
|
22.6.1941
|
18:50
|
I-16 |
II./JG 3 |
Dubno area |
Victories : 23
Awards : Ritterkreuz (9 July 1941)
Units : JG 3
