Wolf-Dietrich “Fürst” Wilcke was born on 11 March
1913 at Schrimm in Posen. He enrolled in the Wehrmacht in 1934 and initially
served in a Cavalry Regiment. In 1935, Oberfärnrich Wilcke transferred
to the newly formed Luftwaffe. He completed his flying training at Perleberg
and joined JG 132. In autumn of 1937 he became an instructor at the Jagdfliegerschule
Werneuchen. In early 1939, Oberleutnant Wilcke was sent to Spain to serve
with the Condor Legion. His time spent there was short and he was soon
back in Germany serving with III./JG 53 under the command of Werner Mölders.
On 18 September 1939, Hauptmann Wilcke was appointed Staffelkapitän and
ordered to form 7./JG 53 within the newly constituted III./JG 53. He gained
his first victory on 7 November when he shot down a French Potez 637 twin-engined
fighter over the Saar valley. On 18 May 1940, Wilcke became separated from
his Staffel during combat with French Hawk 75 fighters. He was shot down
but managed to bale out. He was captured but was soon released at the fall
of France. Wilcke returned to JG 53 and participated in the Battle
of Britain. He was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 53 on 13
August 1940, following the death of Hauptmann Harro Harder (17 victories)
in aerial combat. He nearly did not have the opportunity to take up the
new position. During a late afternoon mission on 12 August, Wilcke’s Bf
109 E-4 suffered engine failure. He baled out into the sea and was very
fortunate to be found in bright moonlight and rescued by a Do 18 twin-engine
flying boat of the German air-sea rescue services. By early summer he had
recorded 13 victories. Wilcke led III./JG 53 during Operation Barbarossa,
the invasion of Russia. On 22 June 1941, the opening day of the invasion,
III./JG 53 were returning from its first mission against Russian airfields
in Lithuania when it encountered a formation of I-15bis biplane fighters.
In the ensuing combat Wilcke downed three of the fighters. He recorded
two further victories later that day to take his victory total to 18. On
25 June, Wilcke was involved in a collision on take-off from Vilna in Bf
109 F-2 (W.Nr. 8104). Both aircraft involved in the incident were destroyed
by fire. He was lucky to escape with minor injuries. Hauptmann Wilcke was
awarded the Ritterkreuz on 6 August 1940 for 25 victories. In December
1941, III./JG 53 were transferred to Sicily. Wilcke’s victory tally had
reached 32. Operating over Malta, he added four RAF Spitfire
fighters to his score. In early May 1942, III./JG 53 was ordered to North
Africa. On 18 May 1942, Wilcke was transferred to JG 3 operating on the
Eastern front. On 12 August, Major Wilcke was appointed Kommodore of JG
3. He recorded his 100th victory on 6 September for which he was awarded
the Eichenlaub (Nr 122) on 9 September. Wilcke participated in the Battle
of Stalingrad, based at Pitomnik, where he directed day fighter operations
over the city. During the summer offensive of 1942, under the command of
Wilcke, the Geschwaderstab/JG 3 recorded 137 victories of which Wilcke
claimed 97 (39-135). During this time the unit reported only one pilot
lost. In September alone, Wilcke claimed 32 victories, including four enemy
aircraft shot down on 18 September (103-106), six on 24 September (111-116)
and another four shot down on 24 September (117-120). When Russian forces
encircled Stalingrad, the Geschwaderstab/JG 3 was transferred to Morozovskaya-Öst,
outside the pocket. Wilcke directed fighter escort missions for the transport
aircraft attempting to supply the surrounded 6th German Army. He claimed
five victories on 17 December (147-151). Wilcke was the fourth German fighter
pilot to reach 150 victories. On 23 December, he was awarded the Schwerten
(Nr 23) for 155 victories. On the same day, he led the unit to Morozovskaya-Süd
to escape the advance of the Russian armoured spearhead. A further move
followed to Tazinskaya on 3 January 1943 where the unit remained until
after the end of the fighting in the Stalingrad pocket. During this time
the unit claimed a further 25 victories for the loss in action of two pilots.
Wilcke claimed 21 to raise his victory total to 156. From March 1943, he
led JG 3 over the Kuban bridgehead. However, he had been forbidden to fly
operationally and had to lead the unit from the ground. In May 1943, JG
3 was withdrawn to Germany. On its return to Germany, the Geschwaderstab/JG
3 was based at Mönchenglagbach. Oberst Wilcke was still under instructions
not to fly combat missions. However, he began ignoring the orders in February
1944 and was able to record four victories over USAAF B-17 four-engined
bombers and a single P-51 fighter. On 6 March,
his machine Bf 109G-6 was damaged in aerial combat and Wilcke had to make
an emergency landing at Neuruppin. Although his aircraft was destroyed,
Wilcke escaped injury. On 23 March 1944, Wilcke led JG 3 in an attack on
a USAAF bomber formation near Braunschweig. During the ensuing combat,
Wilcke shot down his 162nd, and last, victory, an escorting P-51 fighter,
but was shot down near Schöppenstedt. He died in the wreckage of his Bf
109 G-6 (W.Nr. 160 613) “Black << + -“. It is thought he had become
the victim of American aces Major Don Gentile (21.833 confirmed and 3 damaged
victories) and Major John Godfrey (16.333 confirmed, 2 probale and 5 damaged
victories) of the 336th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, USAAF.
“Fürst” Wilcke was credited with 162 victories in
732 missions. He recorded 137 victories over the Eastern
front. Of his 25 victories recorded over the Western front, four were
four-engine
bombers.
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7.11.1939
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Potez 63 | 7./JG 53 | Völklingen / Potez 637 of GR I/33 of Armée de l’Air |
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2.3.1940
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Hurricane | 7./JG 53 | S Bitsch / not confirmed |
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11.3.1940
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Potez | 7./JG 53 | 6km NNE Sierck / Potez 63-11 of GR I/22 of Armée de l”Air flown by Lt Maitret |
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25.3.1940
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Morane | 7./JG 53 | SW Saarbrücken / Morane 406 of GC III/3 of Armée de l’Air |
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31.8.1940
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Spitfire | III./JG 53 | Dover area |
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1.9.1940
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Spitfire | III./JG 53 | - |
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11.9.1940
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Biplane | III./JG 53 | Dover-Calais / Probably Swordfish of RN FAA |
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15.9.1940
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Hurricane | III./JG 53 | SW London |
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15.9.1940
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Spitfire | III./JG 53 | Tonbridge |
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17.9.1940
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Hurricane | III./JG 53 | - |
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20.9.1940
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Hurricane | III./JG 53 | - |
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27.9.1940
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Spitfire | III./JG 53 | SW London / not confirmed |
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30.9.1940
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Spitfire | III./JG 53 | Dungeness-Hastings-London |
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30.9.1940
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Spitfire | III./JG 53 | Dungeness-Hastings-London |
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10.10.1940
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Spitfire | III./JG 53 | - |
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1.11.1940
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Blenheim | III./JG 53 | Thames Estuary / not confirmed |
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22.6.1941
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I-15bis | III./JG 53 | - |
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22.6.1941
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I-15bis | III./JG 53 | - |
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22.6.1941
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I-15bis | III./JG 53 | - |
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22.6.1941
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I-16 | III./JG 53 | - |
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22.6.1941
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I-17 | III./JG 53 | - |
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30.6.1941
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I-15 | III./JG 53 | - |
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9.7.1941
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Pe-2 | III./JG 53 | - |
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14.7.1941
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R-5 | III./JG 53 | - |
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25.7.1941
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I-16 | III./JG 53 | - |
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26.7.1941
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I-17 | III./JG 53 | - |
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29.7.1941
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I-15 | III./JG 53 | Dukovshchina area |
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30.7.1941
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I-18 | III./JG 53 | Yartsevo-Bely area |
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8.8.1941
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I-16 | III./JG 53 | - |
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23.8.1941
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Pe-2 | III./JG 53 | Velikiye-Luki area |
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23.8.1941
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Pe-2 | III./JG 53 | Velikiye-Luki area |
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27.8.1941
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DB-3 | III./JG 53 | Toropets area |
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7.9.1941
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Il-2 | III./JG 53 | - |
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8.9.1941
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I-61 | III./JG 53 | - |
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8.9.1941
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DB-3 | III./JG 53 | - |
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25.9.1941
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Pe-2 | III./JG 53 | - |
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11.12.1941
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Hurricane | III./JG 53 | - |
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2.4.1942
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Spitfire | III./JG 53 | Malta |
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22.4.1942
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Hurricane | III./JG 53 | off Valetta, Malta / Hurricane (Z4011) “B” of 185 Sqn, RAF flown by P/O OO Ormrod, killed |
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25.4.1942
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Hurricane | III./JG 53 | St Paul’s Bay, Malta / Hurricane of 229 Sqn, RAF |
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12.5.1942
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Spitfire | III./JG 53 | Malta |
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13.6.1942
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LaGG-3 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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22.6.1942
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LaGG-3 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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24.6.1942
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LaGG-3 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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24.6.1942
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R-5 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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30.6.1942
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Hurricane | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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3.7.1942
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Boston | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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3.7.1942
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Boston | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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3.7.1942
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Boston | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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4.7.1942
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LaGG-3 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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4.7.1942
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LaGG-3 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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4.7.1942
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Boston | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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6.7.1942
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P-39 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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6.7.1942
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LaGG-3 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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6.7.1942
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R-5 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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6.7.1942
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Hurricane | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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6.7.1942
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Hurricane | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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6.7.1942
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Hurricane | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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9.7.1942
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Il-2 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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9.7.1942
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Il-2 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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10.7.1942
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Boston | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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10.7.1942
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Boston | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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10.7.1942
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Boston | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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10.7.1942
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Boston | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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11.7.1942
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MiG-1 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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11.7.1942
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MiG-1 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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11.7.1942
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R-5 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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12.7.1942
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R-5 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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12.7.1942
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LaGG-3 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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12.7.1942
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LaGG-3 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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18.7.1942
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LaGG-3 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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24.7.1942
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I-153 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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26.7.1942
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Hurricane | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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26.7.1942
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Hurricane | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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26.7.1942
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Pe-2 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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26.7.1942
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Pe-2 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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27.7.1942
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LaGG-3 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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28.7.1942
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LaGG-3 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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4.8.1942
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Su-2 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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5.8.1942
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LaGG-3 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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6.8.1942
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LaGG-3 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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9.8.1942
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MiG-1 | Stab/JG 3 | ENE Kalatsch |
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12.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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13.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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13.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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17.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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20.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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20.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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20.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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23.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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23.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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26.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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26.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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28.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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30.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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31.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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31.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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31.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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31.8.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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3.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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3.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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6.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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6.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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10.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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12.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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18.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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18.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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18.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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18.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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19.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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19.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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20.9.1942
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LaGG-3 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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20.9.1942
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LaGG-3 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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22.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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22.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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22.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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22.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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22.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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22.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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24.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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24.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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24.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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24.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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25.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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28.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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28.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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28.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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29.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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29.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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29.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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29.9.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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3.10.1942
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Yak-4 | Stab/JG 3 | 20km NE Kalatsch |
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24.10.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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24.10.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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25.10.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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26.10.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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1.11.1942
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Yak-1 | Stab/JG 3 | N Stalingrad |
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1.11.1942
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Yak-1 | Stab/JG 3 | N Stalingrad |
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24.11.1942
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Il-2 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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24.11.1942
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Yak-1 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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30.11.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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30.11.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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30.11.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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2.12.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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8.12.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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8.12.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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8.12.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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12.12.1942
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La-5 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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12.12.1942
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Yak-1 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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12.12.1942
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Yak-1 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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12.12.1942
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Yak-1 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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17.12.1942
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Yak-1 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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17.12.1942
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Yak-1 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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17.12.1942
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Yak-1 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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18.12.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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18.12.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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18.12.1942
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E/a | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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28.12.1942
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Yak-1 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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5.1.1943
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Il-2 | Stab/JG 3 | 10km SE Skrimskaya |
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10.2.1944
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P-38 | Stab/JG 3 | Hannover-Braunschweig |
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24.2.1944
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B-24 HSS | Stab/JG 3 | Bad Nauheim-Koblenz |
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4.3.1944
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B-17 | Stab/JG 3 | Wittenberg-Neuruppin-Stendal |
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4.3.1944
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B-17 | Stab/JG 3 | Wittenberg-Neuruppin-Stendal |
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23.3.1944
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B-17 | Stab/JG 3 | - |
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23.3.1944
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P-51 | Stab/JG 3 | Near Schöppenstedt |
Victories : 162
Awards : Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (3 November 1942)
Ritterkreuz (6 August 1941)
Eichenlaub (8 September 1942)
Schwertern (23 December 1942)
Units : JG 53, JG 3