Günther "Hupatz" Seeger
Oberleutnant

Günther Seeger

 
    Günther “Hupatz” Seeger was born on 9 September 1918 at Offenbach in Main. He joined the Luftwaffe in 1937 undergoing his fighter pilot training at Werneuchen. Seeger was posted to JG 2 on 26 February 1940. Gefreiter Seeger was assigned to 3./JG 2. He recorded his first victory on 8 June, when he shot down a French Morane fighter near Soissons. During the Battle of Britain 3./JG 2 was based at Beaumont-le-Roger. Seeger claimed a further three victories, including two RAF Spitfire fighters shot down on 7 September 1940,  to raise his victory total to four. From 27 March to 19 June 1941, Seeger served with Ergänzungsstaffel/JG 2 fulfilling an instructing role. He returned to front line duty with the Geschwaderstab/JG 2, based on the Channel front, as Rottenflieger to Wilhelm Bathasar (47 victories, RK-EL, killed in action 3 July 1941), then Walter Oesau (127 victories, RK-S, killed in action 11 May 1944), Rudolf Pflanz (52 victories, RK, killed in action 31 July 1942) and Erich Leie (118 victories, RK, killed in action 7 March 1945). By the end of 1941, Seeger had 19 victories to his credit, including three victories on 23 July, all RAF fighters, to record his 10th through 12th victories. Seeger was transferred, once again, to Ergänzungsstaffel/JG 2 on 10 November 1941. He returned to front line duty with 3./JG 2 on 10 January 1942. Over the Allied landings at Dieppe on 19 August, Oberfeldwebel Seeger shot down three Spitfires to record his 20th through 22nd victories. However, he was also shot down in the engagement and baled out of his Fw 190 A-3 (W.Nr. 0536) “Yellow 14”. Seeger escaped injury. On 10 September 1942, Seeger again transferred to the Geschwaderstab/JG 2. He then transferred to 11./JG 2 on 4 November. 11./JG 2 was transferred to the Mediterranean theatre to operate from bases in Tunisia subordinated to II./JG 53. Seeger had 24 victories to his credit at this time and had been promoted to the rank of Leutnant. On 3 January 1943, he shot down three enemy aircraft (27-29). In all, Seeger recorded nine victories over Tunisia before the unit retired to Sicily. In February, 11./JG 2 was disbanded and absorbed into II./JG 53. Seeger was assigned to 7./JG 53. Operating over Sicily and southern Italy, Seeger added 14 further victories, including his first four-engine bomber shot down on 22 March 1943 (31). On 12 July, he shot down three Spitfire fighters (37-39). At the fall of Italy, Seeger was sent back to Germany to recuperate from a bout of malaria. In October, during an Allied air raid on Offenbach, his family home was destroyed, his mother killed and his father hospitalised. Seeger was transferred to the Gruppenstab of II./JG 53, based in Germany, on 7 February 1944. Leutnant Seeger was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 26 March 1944 for 46 victories and promoted to the rank of Oberleutnant. He was shot down in aerial combat with USAAF fighters on 13 May. He belly landed his Bf 109 G-6 “White 13” east of Neumünster and was fortunate to escape injury. Seeger was shot down again on 24 May. Again he was the victim of USAAF fighters and made a belly landing near Pritzerbe in Bf 109 G-6 “White 1”. He received minor head injuries in the landing. Following the Allied landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944, II./JG 53 was rushed to France. Seeger claimed four victories before II./JG 53 was withdrawn back to Germany on 12 July. On 13 July 1944, Seeger was appointed Staffelkapitän of 4./JG 53. The unit was redesignated 7./JG 53 on 10 August. Seeger did not participate in Operation Bodenplatte, the attack on Allied airfields in Holland, Belgium and France on 1 January 1945. Rather, he had been granted leave to marry. Seeger was to lead 7./JG 53 until the end of war. He managed to evade capture and made his way on foot to his home town of Offenbach on foot. In 1956, Seeger joined the new Bundesluftwaffe. He reached the rank of Oberstleutnant before retirement in 1974.
    “Hupatz” Seeger was credited with 56 victories in 504 missions. All his victories were recorded over the Western front and include eight four-engine bombers.
 
No
Date
Time
A/c Type
Unit
Location / Comments
1
8.6.1940
21:09
 Morane 3./JG 2 SW Soissons
2
7.9.1940
18:40
 Spitfire 3./JG 2 SW Heyfield
3
7.9.1940
18:57
 Spitfire 3./JG 2 E Heybridge
4
28.11.1940
15:07
 Spitfire 3./JG 2 Isle of Wight
5
25.6.1941
12:57
 Spitfire Stab/JG 2 SE Calais
6
2.7.1941
12:45
 Blenheim Stab/JG 2 SE Merville
7
6.7.1941
14:45
 Spitfire Stab/JG 2 10km E Dover
8
10.7.1941
12:15
 Spitfire Stab/JG 2 SE Cassel
9
21.7.1941
20:45
 Spitfire Stab/JG 2 5km SE Boulogne
10
23.7.1941
13:25
 Spitfire Stab/JG 2 15km N Calais
11
23.7.1941
20:40
 Spitfire Stab/JG 2 W Hesdin
12
23.7.1941
20:48
 Hurricane Stab/JG 2 20km W Berck
13
12.8.1941
11:45
 Spitfire Stab/JG 2 10km NNW Calais
14
16.8.1941
19:42
 Hurricane Stab/JG 2 10km NW Calais
15
21.8.1941
10:24
 Spitfire Stab/JG 2 W Calais
16
31.8.1941
20:08
 Spitfire Stab/JG 2 Le Trait
17
20.9.1941
16:41
 Spitfire Stab/JG 2 Somme Estuary
18
21.9.1941
16:42
 Spitfire Stab/JG 2 10km ESE Dover
19
13.10.1941
15:40
 Spitfire Stab/JG 2 10km W Etaples
20
19.8.1942
7:15
 Spitfire 3./JG 2 5km N Dieppe
21
19.8.1942
11:33
 Spitfire 3./JG 2 4km N Dieppe
22
19.8.1942
11:39
 Spitfire 3./JG 2 7km N Dieppe
23
24.8.1942
12:20
 Spitfire 3./JG 2 18km N Boulogne
24
31.10.1942
18:08
 Spitfire 3./JG 2 1276/05 Ost
25
28.11.1942
-
 P-38 6./JG 53 Off Bizerte
26
2.12.1942
8:31
 Spitfire 6./JG 53 -
27
3.1.1943
12:21
 Spitfire 6./JG 53 30km S Kairouan / P-40 of USAAF
28
3.1.1943
12:26
 Boston 6./JG 53 30km S Kairouan / A-20 of USAAF
29
3.1.1943
12:26
 Boston 6./JG 53 30km S Kairouan / A-20 of USAAF
30
5.1.1943
12:02
 Spitfire 6./JG 53 8km W. Jafna
31
22.3.1943
16:03
 B-17 7./JG 53 Cap Vito
32
31.3.1943
13:27
 B-25 7./JG 53 35km NW Gabes
33
10.5.1943
13:57
 P-38 7./JG 53 2km S Haranzeh
34
21.5.1943
12:15
 P-38 7./JG 53 55km SW Marsala
35
5.7.1943
11:37
 B-17 7./JG 53 17km S Gerbini
36
6.7.1943
15:05
 Spitfire 7./JG 53 8km NE Ragusa
37
12.7.1943
19:32
 Spitfire 7./JG 53 4km W Avola
38
12.7.1943
19:35
 Spitfire 7./JG 53 4km W Avola
39
12.7.1943
19:42
 Spitfire 7./JG 53 1km S Syracuse
40
16.8.1943
12:50
 B-24 7./JG 53 Forenza
41
19.8.1943
12:15
 B-17 7./JG 53 25km SW Foggia
42
20.8.1943
12:35
 P-38 7./JG 53 5km NE Marsa
43
22.8.1943
12:22
 B-26 7./JG 53 60km SW Insel Capri
44
10.11.1943
11:55
 B-17 7./JG 53 15km N Firenze
45
16.12.1943
12:30
 P-38 7./JG 53 30km SE Padua
46
29.1.1944
14:21
 B-26 7./JG 53 -
47
29.4.1944
11:10
 B-17 4./JG 53 SW Königslutter
48
11.5.1944
18:46
 B-17 4./JG 53 Trier area
49
12.6.1944
10:21
 B-24 4./JG 53 30km NE Rennes
50
2.7.1944
15:16
 Spitfire 4./JG 53 10km SSE Caen
51
9.7.1944
13:30
 P-47 4./JG 53 10km SW Caen
52
9.7.1944
13:31
 P-47 4./JG 53 10km SW Caen
53
22.8.1944
19:27
 P-38 7./JG 53 15km NW Fere-en-Tardenois
54
13.10.1944
15:44
 P-47 7./JG 53 N Ramstein
55
7.4.1945
16:09
 Auster 7./JG 53 Bad Mergentheim area
56
13.4.1945
18:35
 P-47 7./JG 53 Baden-Baden area

Victories : 56
Awards : Ehrenpokal (9 August 1941)
                Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (29 October 1942)
                Ritterkreuz (26 March 1944)
Units : JG 2, JG 53

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