Walter Zellot
Leutnant

Walter Zellot

    Walter Zellot was born on 6 October 1920 at Spittal an der Drau in the Kärnten region of Austria. Zellot was serving with JG 53, based on the Channel front, in November 1940. Fähnrich Zellot was assigned to 1./JG 53. However, he had to wait until 22 June 1941 to claim his first victory, a Russian I-16 fighter, shot down over the Eastern front. By early August, he had increased his victory total to 12, including three victories on 11 July to record his fourth through six victories. In autumn 1941, I./JG 53 was relocated to the Mediterranean theatre. Operating from bases in Sicily, Zellot claimed two RAF Spitfire fighters shot down over Malta in April 1942, including RAF ace Squadron Leader John Bisdee (9 destroyed, 4 probable and 3.5 damaged victories) of 601 Sqn, RAF on 21 April. Bisdee successfully baled out of his shot up Spitfire landing in the sea to be rescued later. Zellot accompanied I./JG 51 back to Russia in May 1942. In just over three months, he would claim 69 victories operating with other I./JG 53 luminaries Wilhelm Crinius (114 victories, RK-EL), Wolfgang Tonne (122 victories, RK-EL, killed in action 20 April 1943), Heinz Golinski (47 victories, RK, killed in action 16 October 1942) and Alfred Franke (59 victories, RK, killed in action 9 September 1942). He recorded 13 victories in July, including his 20th victory shot down on 9 July.

Leutnant Walter Zellot after returning from a sortie in his Black 12
Leutnant Walter Zellot after returning from a sortie in his "Black 12"

    On 19 August 1942, Zellot was appointed Staffelkapitän of 2./JG 53 replacing Hauptmann Klaus Quaet-Faslem (49 victories, RK, killed in action 30 January 1944) who had been appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 3. In August, Zellot claimed 44 Russian aircraft shot down, including three victories on 1 August (30-32), three on 2 August (33-36), three on 7 August (39-41), four, including three Russian Il-2 Sturmovik ground-attack aircraft, on 9 August (43-46), five on 13 August (51-55), four on 23 August (62-65) and three on 28 August (69-71). Leutnant Zellot was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 3 September for 75 victories. On 10 September 1942, Zellot’s Bf 109 G-2 (W.Nr. 13 487) “Black 1, White 0” was hit by flak over Stalingrad. The shell, which blew off the aircraft’s tail, was probably German. Zellot baled out at too low an altitude for his parachute to deploy properly and was killed.
    Walter Zellot was credited with 86 victories in 296 missions. He recorded 83 victories over the Eastern front, including 17 Il-2 Sturmoviks.
 
No
Date
Time
A/c Type
Unit
Location / Comments
1
22.6.1941
9:45
 I-16 1./JG 53 -
2
6.7.1941
15:25
 Pe-2 1./JG 53 -
3
10.7.1941
15:30
 SB-3 1./JG 53 -
4
11.7.1941
11:10
 SB-3 1./JG 53 -
5
11.7.1941
11:20
 DB-3 1./JG 53 -
6
11.7.1941
19:37
 I-16 1./JG 53 -
7
18.7.1941
4:50
 Pe-2 1./JG 53 -
8
26.7.1941
11:00
 Il-2 1./JG 53 -
9
27.7.1941
15:00
 I-16 1./JG 53 -
10
31.7.1941
19:20
 I-16 1./JG 53 N Novo-Mirgorod
11
2.8.1941
5:10
 I-16 1./JG 53 -
12
5.8.1941
18:15
 Pe-2 1./JG 53 SE Baryshevka
13
27.12.1941
12:07
 Hurricane 1./JG 53 30km E Insel Malta
14
20.4.1942
18:05
 Spitfire 1./JG 53 Malta / Spitfire V of 126 Sqn, RAF flown by Sgt GAJ Ryckman, killed
15
21.4.1942
12:45
 Spitfire 1./JG 53 Malta / Spitfire V (BP954) “D” of 601 Sqn, RAF flown by S/L J Bisdee (9/4/3.5 victories), baled out
16
4.6.1942
14:37
 I-61 1./JG 53 -
17
2.7.1942
7:10
 MiG-1 1./JG 53 -
18
3.7.1942
18:20
 LaGG-3 1./JG 53 4km E airfield Sossue-Obaja
19
6.7.1942
7:50
 LaGG-3 1./JG 53 30km E Limony Preizkoye
20
9.7.1942
11:15
 Il-2 1./JG 53 -
21
11.7.1942
13:50
 R-5 1./JG 53 -
22
12.7.1942
6:03
 Pe-2 1./JG 53 -
23
25.7.1942
9:00
 Il-2 1./JG 53 -
24
25.7.1942
9:12
 Il-2 1./JG 53 -
25
26.7.1942
8:56
 MiG-1 1./JG 53 -
26
27.7.1942
18:30
 I-16 1./JG 53 8km SW Budennovskaya
27
27.7.1942
18:36
 I-16 1./JG 53 3km N Budennovskaya
28
31.7.1942
13:00
 I-15 1./JG 53 3km N Kalatsch
29
31.7.1942
15:35
 Il-2 1./JG 53 39 473
30
1.8.1942
7:00
 LaGG-3 1./JG 53 N Kalatsch
31
1.8.1942
7:05
 LaGG-3 1./JG 53 39 332
32
1.8.1942
7:16
 LaGG-3 1./JG 53 NE Kalatsch
33
2.8.1942
5:35
 Il-2 1./JG 53 39 223
34
2.8.1942
5:50
 MiG-1 1./JG 53 SE Mertjatschinj
35
2.8.1942
5:55
 MiG-1 1./JG 53 39 234
36
4.8.1942
16:35
 MiG-1 1./JG 53 38 259
37
6.8.1942
7:05
 Il-2 1./JG 53 49 721
38
6.8.1942
7:10
 MiG-1 1./JG 53 49 721
39
7.8.1942
5:45
 Pe-2 1./JG 53 49 590
40
7.8.1942
5:47
 Il-2 1./JG 53 49 590
41
7.8.1942
5:50
 Il-2 1./JG 53 W Zarsa
42
8.8.1942
12:50
 LaGG-3 1./JG 53 49 53
43
9.8.1942
5:30
 Er-2 1./JG 53 49 42
44
9.8.1942
13:32
 Il-2 1./JG 53 SW Kalatsch
45
9.8.1942
13:32
 Il-2 1./JG 53 SW Kalatsch
46
9.8.1942
13:36
 Il-2 1./JG 53 39 44
47
10.8.1942
17:14
 MiG-3 1./JG 53 NE Bereska
48
10.8.1942
18:00
 MiG-3 1./JG 53 49 840
49
12.8.1942
4:14
 LaGG-3 1./JG 53 E Bereska
50
12.8.1942
4:30
 Il-2 1./JG 53 39 770
51
13.8.1942
6:15
 I-153 1./JG 53 49 110
52
13.8.1942
6:17
 I-153 1./JG 53 49 110
53
13.8.1942
17:48
 Il-2 1./JG 53 39 410
54
13.8.1942
18:05
 LaGG-3 1./JG 53 39 330
55
13.8.1942
18:10
 LaGG-3 1./JG 53 39 410
56
14.8.1942
17:40
 MiG-3 1./JG 53 49 220
57
17.8.1942
15:16
 Yak-1 1./JG 53 NE Kotluban
58
19.8.1942
8:35
 LaGG-3 1./JG 53 30 853
59
20.8.1942
17:30
 MiG-3 1./JG 53 49 533
60
21.8.1942
4:55
 LaGG-3 2./JG 53 49 674
61
22.8.1942
10:35
 I-16 2./JG 53 49 473
62
23.8.1942
8:35
 MiG-3 2./JG 53 49 124
63
23.8.1942
8:52
 LaGG-3 2./JG 53 49 131
64
23.8.1942
13:35
 MiG-3 2./JG 53 49 271
65
23.8.1942
13:43
 MiG-3 2./JG 53 49 243
66
24.8.1942
8:25
 Yak-4 2./JG 53 49 261
67
27.8.1942
8:12
 I-180 2./JG 53 49 263
68
27.8.1942
8:43
 I-180 2./JG 53 49 261
69
28.8.1942
5:40
 LaGG-3 2./JG 53 49 432
70
28.8.1942
14:40
 LaGG-3 2./JG 53 50 792
71
28.8.1942
14:46
 MiG-1 2./JG 53 50 753
72
29.8.1942
12:44
 P-40 2./JG 53 49 222
73
30.8.1942
16:14
 I-180 2./JG 53 49 392
74
1.9.1942
8:14
 LaGG-3 2./JG 53 49 394
75
2.9.1942
17:14
 LaGG-3 2./JG 53 59 173
76
3.9.1942
6:45
 Yak-1 2./JG 53 49 293
77
3.9.1942
9:25
 Il-2 2./JG 53 49 361
78
3.9.1942
12:00
 LaGG-3 2./JG 53 49 134
79
4.9.1942
13:18
 LaGG-3 2./JG 53 49 292
80
4.9.1942
13:23
 LaGG-3 2./JG 53 49 244
81
6.9.1942
14:36
 Il-2 2./JG 53 49 282
82
8.9.1942
11:30
 Il-2 2./JG 53 49 124
83
8.9.1942
15:20
 La-5 2./JG 53 49 334
84
8.9.1942
15:34
 La-5 2./JG 53 49 421
85
9.9.1942
14:34
 Yak-1 2./JG 53 40 882
86
10.9.1942
6:03
 La-5 2./JG 53 49 184

Victories : 86
Awards : Ehrenpokal (24 August 1942)
                Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (15 October 1942)
                Ritterkreuz (2 November 1942)
Units : JG 53

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