Otto Weßling
Oberleutnant

Otto Weßling

    Otto Weßling was born on 23 September 1913 at Bad Harzburg in Harz. Weßling was posted to JG 3 in March 1940. Gefreiter Weßling was assigned to 9./JG 3. He claimed his first victory on 30 June when he claimed a RAF Spitfire fighter shot down near St Omer. He had increased his tally to four by the time the unit was withdrawn from France to prepare for the invasion of Russia. By the end of 1941, now operating over the Eastern front, Weßling had eight victories to his credit. He claimed 18 victories in March 1942, including his 10th, a Russian I-61 fighter, on 6 March, three Russian I-301 fighters shot down on 17 March to record his 15th through 17th victories and two more I-61s shot down on 20 March (19-20). On 1 April 1942, Oberfeldwebel Weßling was transferred to 3./JG 3. On 22 June, he shot down four Russian MiG-1 fighters (35-38). On 29 June, Weßling claimed his 40th victory, when he shot down a  Russian Il-2 Sturmovik ground attack aircraft, but was then shot down by Russian ground fire necessitating an emergency landing in Bf 109 F-4 (W.Nr. 10 222) behind enemy lines, south of Belayev. Despite being wounded, Weßling succeeded in evading capture, returning to German lines several days later. On 17 July, he claimed three enemy aircraft shot down (45-47) and repeated the feat on 21 July (48-50). On 28 August, Weßling claimed two Russian fighters shot down (59-60). Oberfeldwebel Weßling was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 4 September for 62 victories. Weßling was transferred to Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost for a spell of instructing. Here, he also received promotion to the rank of Leutnant. On 1 June 1943, Weßling was transferred to 10./JG 3 based in Italy. He shot down two USAAF B-24 four-engine bombers on 2 July (68-69). On 12 July, Weßling claimed three RAF Spitfires shot down over Sicily (65-67). Weßling was appointed Staffelkapitän of 10./JG 3 on 17 July 1943. On 21 July, he was badly wounded by bomb fragments during an air raid on his airfield at Leverano. On his recovery Weßling was appointed Staffelkapitän of 11./JG 3. At the end of September 1943, IV./JG 3 was relocated to Germany to perform Reichsverteidigung duties. Weßling had 70 victories to his credit at this time. During early April 1944, he was particularly successful against USAAF four-engine raids claiming three B-17s shot down on 11 April (78-80) and nine in total up to 18 April. On 19 April 1944, Weßling was shot down and killed in aerial combat near Eschwege in Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 412 052). He was posthumously awarded the Eichenlaub (Nr 530) on 20 July.
    Otto Weßling was credited with 83 victories in approximately 500 missions. He claimed 56 victories over the Eastern front, including eight Il-2 Sturmoviks. Of the 27 victories he recorded over the Western front, 15 were four-engine bombers. In addition he claimed six aircraft destroyed on the ground.
 
No
Date
Time
A/c Type
Unit
Location / Comments
1
30.6.1940
15:45
 Spitfire 9./JG 3 W St Omer
2
10.7.1940
14:33
 Blenheim 9./JG 3 20km W Arras
3
27.9.1940
15:45
 Spitfire 9./JG 3 -
4
1.12.1940
-
 E/a 9./JG 3 -
5
5.2.1941
14:00
 Hurricane 9./JG 3 W Calais
6
21.5.1941
-
 Blenheim 9./JG 3 N St Pol
7
3.10.1941
15:55
 I-17 9./JG 3 -
8
5.10.1941
14:35
 Il-2 9./JG 3 -
9
4.3.1942
10:30
 I-61 9./JG 3 -
10
6.3.1942
11:40
 I-61 9./JG 3 -
11
7.3.1942
15:05
 I-61 9./JG 3 -
12
8.3.1942
16:20
 I-61 9./JG 3 20km SE Staraya Russa
13
8.3.1942
16:20
 I-61 9./JG 3 20km SE Staraya Russa
14
15.3.1942
16:15
 I-301 9./JG 3 -
15
17.3.1942
10:35
 I-301 9./JG 3 -
16
17.3.1942
10:40
 I-301 9./JG 3 -
17
17.3.1942
15:40
 I-301 9./JG 3 -
18
19.3.1942
16:05
 U-2 9./JG 3 -
19
20.3.1942
9:30
 I-61 9./JG 3 -
20
20.3.1942
9:35
 I-61 9./JG 3 -
21
22.3.1942
16:56
 Il-2 9./JG 3 -
22
22.3.1942
17:02
 Il-2 9./JG 3 -
23
28.3.1942
12:40
 I-301 9./JG 3 -
24
28.3.1942
12:50
 I-301 9./JG 3 -
25
30.3.1942
11:40
 I-61 9./JG 3 -
26
31.3.1942
14:40
 I-61 9./JG 3 -
27
1.4.1942
17:00
 P-2 9./JG 3 -
28
1.4.1942
17:10
 P-2 9./JG 3 -
29
4.4.1942
17:20
 I-61 9./JG 3 -
30
5.4.1942
16:15
 I-301 9./JG 3 1km W Borki
31
3.6.1942
17:40
 MiG-1 3./JG 3 -
32
11.6.1942
5:25
 Il-2 3./JG 3 -
33
13.6.1942
12:13
 LaGG-3 3./JG 3 NE Kupjansk
34
13.6.1942
12:17
 MiG-1 3./JG 3 NW Kupjansk
35
22.6.1942
6:45
 MiG-1 3./JG 3 -
36
22.6.1942
12:55
 MiG-1 3./JG 3 -
37
22.6.1942
13:00
 MiG-1 3./JG 3 -
38
22.6.1942
13:10
 MiG-1 3./JG 3 -
39
28.6.1942
3:35
 MiG-1 3./JG 3 -
40
29.6.1942
17:05
 Il-2 3./JG 3 -
41
3.7.1942
10:05
 MiG-1 3./JG 3 -
42
5.7.1942
19:03
 Yak-4 3./JG 3 -
43
9.7.1942
5:06
 MiG-1 3./JG 3 -
44
12.7.1942
10:55
 U-2 3./JG 3 -
45
17.7.1942
5:15
 R-5 3./JG 3 -
46
17.7.1942
5:40
 MiG-1 3./JG 3 -
47
17.7.1942
5:50
 MiG-1 3./JG 3 -
48
21.7.1942
8:35
 MiG-1 3./JG 3 -
49
21.7.1942
8:56
 Il-2 3./JG 3 -
50
21.7.1942
9:01
 Il-2 3./JG 3 Stalino
51
8.8.1942
10:53
 Su-2 3./JG 3 39 364
52
12.8.1942
4:25
 LaGG-3 3./JG 3 39 460
53
12.8.1942
4:28
 LaGG-3 3./JG 3 49 310
54
13.8.1942
17:50
 LaGG-3 2./JG 3 39 423
55
13.8.1942
17:55
 MiG-1 2./JG 3 49 312
56
16.8.1942
13:35
 MiG-1 2./JG 3 40 772
57
21.8.1942
11:05
 MiG-1 2./JG 3 30 822
58
21.8.1942
11:15
 Pe-2 2./JG 3 39 264
59
26.8.1942
8:45
 Yak-7 2./JG 3 49 241
60
28.8.1942
5:15
 MiG-1 2./JG 3 49 251
61
28.8.1942
5:17
 I-180 2./JG 3 49 214
62
31.8.1942
16:10
 Il-2 2./JG 3 -
63
2.7.1943
11:12
 B-24 10./JG 3 30km SE Lecce
64
2.7.1943
11:30
 B-24 10./JG 3 60-70km SW San Cesaria
65
12.7.1943
8:15
 Spitfire 10./JG 3 5km W Syracuse
66
12.7.1943
11:12
 Spitfire 10./JG 3 30km S Licata
67
12.7.1943
17:10
 Spitfire 10./JG 3 10km S Catania
68
16.7.1943
13:10
 B-24 10./JG 3 15km N Bari
69
16.7.1943
13:18
 B-24 10./JG 3 15km SE Palazzo San Pervaria
70
18.7.1943
13:55
 P-38 10./JG 3 70494
71
23.3.1944
11:20
 B-17 11./JG 3 3-5km N Hamm
72
23.3.1944
11:24
 P-38 11./JG 3 5km NW Ahlen
73
29.3.1944
14:12
 B-17 11./JG 3 Steinhüder Meer
74
29.3.1944
14:18
 P-51 11./JG 3 Syke-Bassum
75
8.4.1944
14:15
 B-17 11./JG 3 NW Braunschweig
76
8.4.1944
14:20
 B-24 11./JG 3 N Braunschweig
77
9.4.1944
11:40
 B-24 11./JG 3 N Rügen
78
11.4.1944
11:00
 B-17 11./JG 3 S Oebisfelde
79
11.4.1944
11:04
 B-17 11./JG 3 Near Miesterhorst
80
11.4.1944
13:20
 B-17 11./JG 3 Rostock
81
13.4.1944
14:05
 B-17 11./JG 3 SW Wertheim
82
18.4.1944
14:35
 B-17 11./JG 3 Nauen area
83
18.4.1944
14:38
 B-17 11./JG 3 Nauen area

Victories : 83
Awards : Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (11 May 1942)
                Ritterkreuz (4 September 1942)
                Eichenlaub (20 July 1944)
Units : JG 3

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