Klaus Mietusch
Major

Klaus Mietusch

   Klaus Mietusch was born on 5 August 1918 at Posen. After completing his flying training he was transferred to 2./JG 234, which was later redesignated 2./JG 26 on 1 September 1938. On 23 September 1939, Leutnant Mietusch was transferred to 7./JG 26. He participated in the Battle of France but, on 8 June 1940, was shot down in his Bf 109 E-1 (W.Nr. 2746) by a RAF Hurricane fighter near Neufchatel. He force-landed behind French lines unhurt, but was then shot in the buttocks by a French civilian. He became a prisoner of war of the French. He was released at the fall of France. Reunited with 7./JG 26, Mietusch gained his first victory on 31 May 1940, when he shot down a RAF Hurricane near Dunkirk. By the end of 1940, he had added a second victory and been promoted to Oberleutnant. In January 1941, 7./JG 26, under the leadership of Oberleutnant Joachim Müncheberg (135 victories, RK-S, killed in action 23 March 1943), was relocated to Sicily. Mietusch gained three victories over Malta before 7./JG 26 were briefly deployed to participate in the assault on Yugoslavia. Mietusch gained a single victory over Yugoslavia on 6 April 1941, when he shot down a Fury biplane over Podgorica for his sixth victory. Redeployed over Malta, Mietusch added a further three victories, including a notable RAF ace. On 13 April, Mietusch attacked a Hurricane that had attacked four Bf 109s and shot it down for his eighth victory. The Hurricane was flown by Flying Officer E M “Imshi” Mason (15.4 confirmed and 3.6 damaged victories) of 274 Sqn, RAF who ditched his stricken aircraft in the sea having suffered wounds to his hand in the aerial combat and a broken nose in the ditching. Mietusch also saw combat over North Africa gaining a single victory in the battles around Tobruk. By September, 7./JG 26 was relocated back to the Channel front. On 19 September 1941, Müncheberg took command of II./JG 26 following the death in aerial combat with RAF Spitfire fighters of Hauptmann Walter Adolph (25 victories, RK) the day before. As a result Mietusch became Staffelkapitän of 7./JG 26. On 19 August 1942, he shot down two RAF Spitfire fighters over the Allied landings at Dieppe for his 20th and 21st victories. Hauptmann Mietusch led 7./JG 26 to Russia in February 1943 where it replaced I./JG 54. The Staffel was based at Krasnogvardeisk-Gatschina, west of Leningrad. From the end of February until June 1943, when 7./JG 26 was sent back to the Western Front, the Staffel shot down 63 Russian aircraft. Mietusch himself gained 15 victories during this period. However, on 20 March, Mietusch suffered engine failure on take-off from Gatschina in Fw 190 A-4 (W.Nr. 7147). The aircraft turned over and was destroyed. As a result, Mietusch was out of action for two months. On 18 June, Mietusch downed five Russian fighters (38-42).

Mietusch in Bf 109G-6 Black 20
Gruppenkommandeur of the III./JG 26 Klaus Mietusch in the Stab`s Bf 109G-6 "Black 20". Spring 1944

    On 5 July 1943, Mietusch became Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 26. He recorded a victory over an USAAF B-17 four-engine heavy bomber on 25 July, the first confirmed victory of 16 four-engine bombers he was to shoot down. His 50th victory was a B-17 shot down over Cambrai on 20 October. On 8 March 1944, the 8th Air Force, USAAF raided Berlin. Mietusch claimed a B-17 Herausschuss as the bombers made their way to Berlin for his 60th victory. However, when attempting to attack the withdrawing bombers, Mietusch was shot down in Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 162 032) “Black 21” near Meppen by the USAAF P-47 fighter escort. He baled out and landed safely but had suffered injuries destined to keep him in hospital for the next few weeks. He was awarded the Ritterkreuz for his 60th victory on 26 March 1944. He received promotion to the rank of Major in April. While landing at Rouvres-Étain on 12 April, Mietusch’s Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 162 345) “Black 24” hit a bomb crater and overturned. He suffered injuries that put him back in hospital for three weeks. Mietusch shot down a USAAF P-38 twin-engine fighter near Chartres on 4 July to record his 70th victory. On 17 July, Mietusch was shot down in Bf 109 G-6/U4 (W.Nr. 440 640) “White 20” by an RAF Spitfire. He baled out but did not return to his base until the next day. He was promptly sent to hospital in Germany. Mietusch was engaged in combat with USAAF P-51 fighters on 17 September 1944. After gaining his 75th, and final victory, he was shot down and killed in Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 441 646) “Black 25” in the vicinity of Rath-Aldekerk by the American ace, Lieutenant William Beyer (9 victories) of the 376th Fighter Squadron of the 361st Fighter Group, USAAF. He was posthumously awarded the Eichenlaub (Nr 653) on 18 November.
    In 452 combat missions Klaus Mietusch gained 75 victories. He gained 60 victories over the Western Front including 13 four-engine bombers. He was wounded several times and was shot down ten times.
 
No
Date
Time
A/c Type
Unit
Location
Comments
1.
31.5.1940
15:40
 Hurricane 7./JG 26 Dunkirk Hurricane of 213 or 264 Sqn, RAF
2.
31.8.1940
9:55
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 Chelmsford Spitfire of 19 Sqn, RAF
3.
26.2.1941
14:17
 Hurricane 7./JG 26 10km S Malta Hurricane of 261 Sqn, RAF
4.
22.3.1941
16:24
 Hurricane 7./JG 26 40km N Malta Hurricane of 261 Sqn, RAF
5.
22.3.1941
16:26
 Hurricane 7./JG 26 40km N Malta Hurricane of 261 Sqn, RAF
6.
6.4.1941
12:10
 Fury 7./JG 26 Near Podgorica Avia BH-33E of Ind Fighter Esk, 81 (Bomber) Grupa, JKRV flown by Narednik Djordje Cvetkovic, killed
7.
11.4.1941
11:50
 Hurricane 7./JG 26 20km N Malta Hurricane of 261 Sqn, RAF
8.
13.4.1941
10:34
 Hurricane 7./JG 26 4km NE Kalafrana Hurricane (Z2838) of 261 Sqn RAF flown by F/O EM Mason (15.4/0/3.6 victories), ditched, wounded
9.
13.5.1941
14:00
 Hurricane 7./JG 26 2km SW Ta Venezia Hurricane of 185 Sqn, RAF
10.
17.6.1941
10:30
 Hurricane 7./JG 26 SE Sidi Omar Hurricane of 1 Sqn, SAAF
-
21.8.1941
-
 Maryland 7./JG 26 Gambut Maryland of 12 or 24 Sqn, SAAF – not confirmed
11.
18.9.1941
16:15
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 SE Le Paradis Spitfire of 452 Sqn, RAF
12.
21.9.1941
16:23
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 Berck-sur-Mer - 
13.
21.9.1941
16:30
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 20km WNW Somme Estuary - 
14.
8.12.1941
12:55
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 Berck-sur-Mer - 
15.
12.4.1942
13:34
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 SE St Omer-Arques Spitfire of 71 Sqn, RAF
16.
12.4.1942
13:49
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 12km WNW Dunkirk - 
-
30.4.1942
19:30
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 3km W Somme Estuary Not confirmed
17.
3.5.1942
16:05
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 Calais Spitfire of 174 or 303 Sqn, RAF
18.
5.5.1942
15:35
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 3km NW Popinghe Spitfire of 122 Sqn, RAF
19.
19.8.1942
10:34
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 3km NE Dieppe Spitfire of 19 or 121 Sqn RAF
20.
19.8.1942
10:35
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 10km NW Dieppe Spitfire of 19 or 121 Sqn RAF
21.
27.8.1942
15:10
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 15km SW Calais - 
22.
27.8.1942
15:16
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 20km WNW Cap Gris Nez - 
23.
22.9.1942
13:15
 Boston 7./JG 26 3km E Ostend Boston of 226 Sqn, RAF
-
9.10.1942
10:35
 Stirling HSS 7./JG 26 Lille B-17 of 301 BG, USAAF – not confirmed
-
9.10.1942
10:45
 B-17 7./JG 26 NE Lille B-17 of 301 BG, USAAF – not confirmed
-
13.1.1943
14:35
 B-17 7./JG 26 Lille B-17 of 305 BG, USAAF – not confirmed
27.
20.1.1943
12:42
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 4-5km S Margate Spitfire of 91 Sqn, RAF
28.
20.1.1943
13:12
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 Ardres Spitfire of 91 Sqn, RAF
29.
22.1.1943
15:15
 Spitfire 7./JG 26 10-15km Gravelines - 
30.
21.5.1943
5:47
 LaGG-3 7./JG 26 N Lake Chapolovo - 
31.
21.5.1943
5:35
 LaGG-3 7./JG 26 Near Dolgovo - 
32.
21.5.1943
5:55
 Pe-2 7./JG 26 Cape Ustinski - 
33.
21.5.1943
10:20
 I-153 7./JG 26 3-4km S Lavansaari - 
34.
27.5.1943
13:31
 LaGG-3 7./JG 26 PQ 00264 Yak-7B of 86 GIAP, VVS
35.
30.5.1943
19:55
 LaGG-3 7./JG 26 Lake Ladoga - 
36.
31.5.1943
16:15
 LaGG-3 7./JG 26 PQ 00243 - 
37.
17.6.1943
5:13
 LaGG-3 7./JG 26 5km NE Volkhovstroi LaGG-3 of 29 GIAP, VVS
38.
18.6.1943
6:12
 LaGG-3 7./JG 26 Near Kinderovo - 
39.
18.6.1943
6:19
 LaGG-3 7./JG 26 N Podborovye - 
40.
18.6.1943
17:15
 LaGG-3 7./JG 26 PQ 00264 - 
41.
18.6.1943
17:18
 LaGG-3 7./JG 26 PQ 00292 -
42.
18.6.1943
20:20
 Yak-7 7./JG 26 Lake Ladoga - 
43.
22.6.1943
15:30
 LaGG-3 7./JG 26 PQ 90134 - 
44.
22.6.1943
15:33
 LaGG-3 7./JG 26 PQ 90164 - 
45.
25.7.1943
17:02
 B-17F III./JG26 10km N Hamburg - 
46.
17.8.1943
15:20
 B-17 III./JG 26 SE Schleiden-Eifel - 
47.
17.8.1943
15:25
 B-17 III./JG 26 S Lake Laacher - 
48.
19.8.1943
19:23
 B-17 III./JG 26 NW Breda B-17 of 303 BG, USAAF
49.
19.9.1943
12:46
 Spitfire III./JG 26 Near Popinghe Spitfire of 41 Sqn, RAF
-
27.9.1943
12:46
 Spitfire III./JG 26 10-15km SW Poix Spitfire of 222 Sqn, RAF – damaged
-
3.10.1943
18:25
 Spitfire III./JG 26 NE Beauvais Spitfire of 222 Sqn, RAF – damaged
50.
20.10.1943
14:10
 B-17 III./JG 26 Cambrai B-17 (41-24629) “VK-G” of 303 BG, USAAF flown by 1st Lt JW Hendry, 2 killed, 8 POW
51.
29.11.1943
14:30
 B-17 HSS III./JG 26 W Oldenburg - 
52.
30.11.1943
11:45
 P-38 III./JG 26 North Sea P-38 of 20 FG, USAAF
53.
1.12.1943
11:45
 P-38 III./JG 26 Freilingen-Vorneburg P-38 of 77FS 20 FG, USAAF
54.
20.12.1943
12:25
 B-17 III./JG 26 NW Wilhemshaven - 
55.
14.1.1944
11:50
 Spitfire III./JG 26 SSW St Omer Spitfire of 308 Sqn, RAF
56.
14.1.1944
15:35
 P-47 III./JG 26 St Pol P-47 of 356 FG, USAAF
57.
25.2.1944
12:15
 B-17 III./JG 26 4km SW Charleville B-17 of 306 BG, USAAF
58.
25.2.1944
15:00
 B-17HSS III./JG 26 E Pirmasens - 
59.
6.3.1944
13:05
 Typhoon III./JG 26 5km N Amiens Typhoon of 3 Sqn RAF
60.
8.3.1944
13:25
 B-17HSS III./JG 26 S Zwolle-Braunschweig B-17 of 381 BG, USAAF
61.
12.5.1944
15:42
 B-17 HSS III./JG 26 Bastogne B-17 of 452 BG, USAAF
62.
4.6.1944
20:15
 Typhoon III./JG 26 NW Romilly-sur-Seine P-51 of 361 FG, USAAF
63.
8.6.1944
6:40
 P-47 III./JG 26 NE Le Havre P-47 of 371 FG, USAAF
64.
8.6.1944
6:45
 P-47 III./JG 26 Le Havre-Yvetôt P-47 of 371 BG, USAAF
65.
14.6.1944
7:35
 P-38 III./JG 26 NW Paris P-38 of 55 FG, USAAF
66.
14.6.1944
8:00
 B-17 III./JG 26 E Paris B-17 of 384 or 401 BG, USAAF
67.
15.6.1944
7:00
 B-24 III./JG 26 SW Chartres B-24 of 392 BG, USAAF
68.
23.6.1944
13:58
 P-38 III./JG 26 E Chartres P-38 of 55 FG, USAAF
69.
23.6.1944
14:00
 P-38 III./JG 26 SE Chartres P-38 of 55 FG, USAAF
70.
4.7.1944
14:50
 P-38 III./JG 26 W Évreux P-38 of 370 FG, USAAF
71.
17.7.1944
16:40
 Spitfire III./JG 26 SW Caen Spitfire of 602 Sqn, RAF
72.
18.8.1944
14:06
 P-47 III./JG 26 NW Paris P-47 of 358 FG, USAAF
73.
26.8.1944
14:50
 P-47 III./JG 26 Rouen P-47 of 50 FG, USAAF
74.
26.8.1944
15:00
 P-47 III./JG 26 W Rouen P-47 of 50 FG, USAAF
75.
17.9.1944
14:55
 P-51 III./JG 26 N München-Gladbach P-51 of 361 FG, USAAF

Victories : 75
Awards : Ehrenpokal (26 April 1941)
                Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (15 October 1942)
                Ritterkreuz (26 March 1944)
                Eichenlaub (18 November 1944)
Units : JG 26

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