Erwin Straznicky was born on 16 January 1916 at Wien in
Austria. He joined the Luftwaffe pre-war and received his flying training
at the Jagdfliegerschule Schließheim. At the outbreak of World War 2, Straznicky
was serving with LG 2. Leutnant Straznicky was assigned to 3. (J)/LG
2. He participated in the Battle of Britain recording
his first victory on 23 June 1940, when he shot down a RAF Hurricane fighter
near Calais. At the conclusion of the aerial battles over England, Straznicky
had three victories to his credit. Straznicky participated in Operation
Merkur, the invasion of the Balkans, with 2.(J)/LG 2. He did not add to
his score during this period. By the end of May 1941, I.(J)/LG 2 was based
at Belgrad. The unit moved to Rumania to prepare for the impending operations
in the east on 18 June. On 22 June 1941, Operation Barbarossa, the invasion
of Russia, commenced. Oberleutnant Straznicky, now serving in the Stabsstaffel
of I.(J)/LG 2, claimed a Russian I-16 fighter shot down on this day to
record his fourth victory. Straznicky transferred to JG 77. He was assigned
to 6./JG 77. By the end of 1941, he had raised his victory total to 12.
On 1 March 1942, Oberleutnant Straznicky was appointed Staffelkapitän of
2./JG 3 then forming at Wiesbaden as part of the formation of a new I./JG
3, the previous I./JG 3 having been redesignated II./JG 1. He recorded
his 20th victory on 31 July, when he shot down a Russian Yak-1 fighter.
He recorded 10 victories in August, including his 30th victory on 1 September,
a Russian LaGG-3 fighter. However, Straznicky had been obliged to force-land
his badly shot up Bf 109 F-4 (W.Nr. 13 388) near Gorodischche following
aerial combat on 24 August. He was fortunate to escape injury. By the end
of September, Straznicky had increased his victory total to 35; most them
gained in the bitter fighting over the beleaguered German army at Stalingrad.
Straznicky was shot down in aerial combat with Russian Yak-1 fighters near
Satow, 50km north-northwest of Stalingrad on 3 October 1942. He was listed
as missing when he failed to return in Bf 109 G-2 (W.Nr. 13 663) “Black
16”. He was posthumously awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 29 October.
Erwin Straznicky was credited with 36 victories.
Included in his victory total are seven Il-2 Sturmovik
ground-attack aircraft.
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Location / Comments |
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23.6.1940
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Hurricane | 3.(J)/LG 2 | NW Calais |
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7.9.1940
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Spitfire | 3.(J)/LG 2 | - |
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13.3.1941
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Spitfire | 3.(J)/LG 2 | Kanalmitte |
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22.6.1941
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I-16 | I.(J)/LG 2 | - |
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28.9.1941
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MiG-3 | 6./JG 77 | - |
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13.10.1941
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LaGG-3 | 6./JG 77 | - |
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15.10.1941
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SB-3 | 6./JG 77 | - |
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15.10.1941
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LaGG-3 | 6./JG 77 | - |
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16.10.1941
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I-16 | 6./JG 77 | - |
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17.10.1941
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I-16 | 6./JG 77 | - |
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1941
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E/a | 6./JG 77 | - |
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1941
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E/a | 6./JG 77 | - |
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28.6.1942
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Il-2 | 2./JG 3 | - |
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1.7.1942
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R-5 | 2./JG 3 | - |
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2.7.1942
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MiG-1 | 2./JG 3 | - |
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5.7.1942
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Il-2 | 2./JG 3 | Voronezh |
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6.7.1942
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P-39 | 2./JG 3 | - |
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18.7.1942
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Il-2 | 2./JG 3 | 29 513 |
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29.7.1942
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MiG-1 | 2./JG 3 | 39 593 |
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31.7.1942
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Yak-1 | 2./JG 3 | 39 263 |
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1.8.1942
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Il-2 | 2./JG 3 | 39 194 |
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1.8.1942
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Il-2 | 2./JG 3 | 39 273 |
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1.8.1942
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Il-2 | 2./JG 3 | 39 164 |
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8.8.1942
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Il-2 | 2./JG 3 | 49 612 |
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12.8.1942
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MiG-1 | 2./JG 3 | 39 454 |
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16.8.1942
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MiG-1 | 2./JG 3 | 39 262 |
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16.8.1942
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MiG-1 | 2./JG 3 | 39 261 |
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19.8.1942
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MiG-1 | 2./JG 3 | 40 771 |
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28.8.1942
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Yak-1 | 2./JG 3 | - |
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1.9.1942
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LaGG-3 | 2./JG 3 | - |
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2.9.1942
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MiG-1 | 2./JG 3 | 49 451 |
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2.9.1942
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MiG-1 | 2./JG 3 | 49 453 |
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3.9.1942
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Yak-1 | 2./JG 3 | 40 591 |
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4.9.1942
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Yak-1 | 2./JG 3 | - |
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5.9.1942
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LaGG-3 | 2./JG 3 | 49 361 |
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2.10.1942
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MiG-1 | 2./JG 3 | 40 282 |
Victories : 36
Awards : Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (29 October 1942)
Units : LG 2, JG 77, JG 3