Karl-Wolfgang Redlich | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1914-12-13)13 December 1914 Hamburg,German Empire |
| Died | 29 May 1944(1944-05-29) (aged 29) Sankt Pölten,Nazi Germany |
| Cause of death | Killed in action |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service |  Luftwaffe |
| Rank | Major in thegeneral staff |
| Unit | J/88,JG 27 |
| Commands | 1./JG 27, I./JG 27 |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Karl-Wolfgang Redlich (13 December 1914 – 29 May 1944) was a GermanLuftwaffemilitary aviator in theSpanish Civil War and afighter ace duringWorld War II. He is credited with 41 aerial victories, potentially 43 aerial victories, including four in Spain. All his World War II victories were claimed over theWestern Allies.
Born inHamburg, Redlich volunteered for military service in theReichsmarine (German Navy) in April 1934. He later transferred to the Luftwaffe and was trained as a fighter pilot. In later 1938, Redlich fought in the Spanish Civil War withJagdgruppe 88, under the command of theCondor Legion, and claimed four aerial victories. For his service in Spain, he was awarded theSpanish Cross in Gold with Swords. Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, Redlich was appointedStaffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 1.Staffel (1st squadron) ofJagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing). With this squadron, he fought in theBattle of France andBritain. In April 1941, his unit was sent to North Africa, fighting inNorth African campaign. Following 21 aerial victories claimed, Redlich was awarded theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross in July 1941. In December 1941, he was transferred, serving in various staff positions with theOberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL—Luftwaffe High Command). On 19 May 1944, Redlich was appointedGruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I.Gruppe (1st group) of JG 27 which was fighting indefense of the Reich over Austria. Ten days later on 29 May, Redlich waskilled in action during aerial combat withUnited States Army Air Forces bombers overSankt Pölten.
Redlich was born on 13 December 1914 inHamburg, at the time a sovereign state of theGerman Empire.[1] In April 1934, he volunteered for military service in theReichsmarine (German Navy), later renamed toKriegsmarine, as an officer cadet. He later transferred to theLuftwaffe and following flight and fighter pilot training,[Note 1] was posted to I.Gruppe (1st group) ofJagdgeschwader 134 (JG 134—134th Fighter Wing) in August 1936.[3]
In late 1938, Redlich volunteered for service with theCondor Legion during theSpanish Civil War.[1] Following theBattle of the Ebro, Redlich claimed aTupolev SB-2 bomber shot down on 28 December. On 4 January 1939, he was credited with a second SB-2 shot down. Redlich claimed his fourth and last aerial victory in Spain on 4 February, aPolikarpov I-15 fighter.[4] He was later awarded theSpanish Cross in Gold with Swords (Spanienkreuz in Gold mit Schwertern) on 14 April 1939 for his service in the Spanish Civil War.[5]
World War II in Europe began on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forcesinvaded Poland. On 1 October 1939, the new I.Gruppe (1st group) ofJagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) was created atMünster-Handorf Airfield and placed under command ofHauptmann Helmut Riegel. Redlich was transferred and appointedStaffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 1.Staffel (1st squadron) of JG 27.[6] On 22 January 1940, theGruppe moved toKrefeld Airfield where they were tasked with flying fighter protection during the "Phoney War" along the German – Belgian border. During this period, the pilots had little to no enemy contact. In late March, I.Gruppe moved to an airfield atMönchengladbach.[7]
On 10 May 1940, German forces launched theinvasion of France and the Low Countries (Fall Gelb). At the start of the invasion, I.Gruppe of JG 27 was subordinated to theVIII.Fliegerkorps (8th Air Corps).[8] The next day, Redlich claimed his first victory of World War II, aFairey Battlelight bomber shot down nearTongeren, probably belonging to theBelgian Air Force.[9] For this, he was awarded theIron Cross 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse).[3] On 16 May, 1.Staffel intercepted aRoyal Air Force (RAF)Westland Lysanderaerial reconnaissance aircraft, escorted byHawker Hurricane fighters, in the area ofBrussels andCharleroi. In this encounter, 1.Staffel pilots claimed five aerial victories, including a Hurricane by Redlich.[10]
On 18 May, I.Gruppe moved toCharleville located approximately 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) west-northwest ofSedan. On 22 May, theGruppe moved toGuise. Three days later, they were ordered toSaint-Omer for combat against the encircledAllied forces fighting in theBattle of Dunkirk. On 29 May, Redlich claimed his third aerial victory, a Hurricane fighter shot down overDunkirk.[11] This claim earned him the Iron Cross 1st Class (Eisernes Kreuz erster Klasse) that day.[3] TheGruppe returned to Guise on 31 May. On 2 June, theGruppe flew an early morning mission to Dunkirk. On this mission, Redlich claimed aSupermarine Spitfire shot down.[12] When theArmistice of 22 June 1940 was signed, Redlich was credited with seven aerial victories and was one of the leading fighter pilots of I.Gruppe of JG 27. On 28 June, theGruppe was ordered to Neuenlander Feld inBremen for a brief period of rest and replenishment.[13]
In preparation in what would become theBattle of Britain, I.Gruppe was moved to theEnglish Channel on 2 July where they were based at an airfield nearPlumetot.[14] On 7 September 1940, I.Gruppe participated inOperation "Loge", 350 bombers escorted by 648 fighters, attacked various targets in the greater London area. TheGruppe protected those bombers returning from thedocks in theEast End of London. On this mission, Redlich claimed a Spitfire shot down at 18:55 southeast ofLondon.[15] Two days later, the Luftwaffe flew its second large scale attack of Operation "Loge". That day, Redlich claimed a Hurricane shot down over London.[16] Redlich claimed his last aerial victory during the Battle of Britain on 27 September. Again escorting Luftwaffe bombers to London, Redlich claimed his tenth aerial victory in total when he shot down a Hurricane nearSevenoaks.[17] On 1 October, I.Gruppe was withdrawn from the English Channel and had relocated to an airfield atStade inNorthern Germany. Here theGruppe was subordinated to theGeschwaderstab (headquarters unit) ofJagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1—1st Fighter Wing) and tasked with patrolling theGerman Bight. This assignment ended on 21 October, when theGruppe was ordered to relocate toDinan in northwestern France.[18]
On 3 December 1940, I.Gruppe was again withdrawn from the English Channel and relocated toDöberitz located approximately 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) west ofStaaken. There, the pilots were sent on home leave, returning in January 1941. In February, theGruppe began preparations forOperation Marita, the German invasion of Greece while the ground elements of theGruppe began their relocation toTripoli in North Africa, arriving there on 18 March. There, the ground crew began preparations for the air elements to arrive at the designated airfield atAyn al-Ġazāla. In parallel, the air elements of I.Gruppe relocated toMunich-Riem Airfield in early March.[19] There, theGruppe received refurbishedMesserschmitt Bf 109 E-7 fighter aircraft. The aircraft had been equipped with a sand-filter on the front of the supercharger intake which made the aircraft more suitable for deployment in North Africa. On 4 April, theGruppe was ordered to move to Graz Airfield for Operation Marita. German forces launched the attack on 6 April. The orders for I.Gruppe that day were to attack and destroy the Yugoslavian air defenses in the area ofLaibach, present-day Ljubljana in Slovenia.[20] At the time of his relocation to North Africa, Redlich was credited with ten aerial victories.[21]
Following Operation Marita, the air elements briefly returned to Munich-Riem before they transferred to North Africa, arriving in Ayn al-Ġazāla between 18 and 22 April 1941. On 19 April, 1.Staffel flew its first combat mission in North Africa. On a mid-day mission toTobruk, Redlich claimed two Hurricane fighters shot down.[22] On 23 April, Redlich claimed twoBristol Blenheim bombers shot down near Tobruk. His opponents probably belonged to the RAFNo. 55 Squadron.[23] On 30 April, Redlich claimed a Hurricane fighter shot down near Tobruk. The Hurricane may have belonged to the RAFNo. 274 Squadron which lost two aircraft that day.[24] On 16 May, Redlich shot down the Blenheim IVV5817 ofNo. 45 Squadron.[25] On 9 July, Redlich was awarded theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) for 21 aerial victories claimed.[26] AfterOberleutnantGerhard Homuth from 3.Staffel, he was the second pilot within I.Gruppe of JG 27 to receive this distinction in North Africa.[27][28]
In late October, I.Gruppe was reequipped with the Bf 109 F-4/trop. To retain operation status, 1. and 3.Staffel left North Africa on 22 October while 2.Staffel stayed. In Italy they handed over their Bf 109 E variants and continued the journey back home by train. The pilots were sent on a short home-leave before returning to Ayn al-Ġazāla on 10 November.[29]
On 5 December 1941, Redlich was transferred to theOberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL—Luftwaffe High Command). Command of 1.Staffel of JG 27 was then given toOberleutnantLudwig Franzisket.[30] On 26 January 1942, Redlich was appointed Ia (operations officer) in the staff ofFliegerführer Afrika, an organizational until controlling air operations during theNorth African campaign, under command ofGeneralmajorStefan Fröhlich. On 19 November, Redlich transferred to the staff ofII.Fliegerkorps (2nd Air Corps) headed byGeneral der FliegerBruno Loerzer. In June 1943, he was posted to theXII.Fliegerkorps (12th Air Corps) where he was promoted toMajor in August. This assignment was followed by another posting to the staff of the OKL.[31]
On 19 May 1944, Redlich, who commanded theVerbandsführerschule of theGeneral der Jagdflieger (Training School for Unit Leaders), was transferred and appointedGruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I.Gruppe of JG 27. He succeededHauptmannErnst Börngen who had been severely injured in combat that day. At the time, theGruppe was based atFels am Wagram and fighting indefense of the Reich missions.[32][33]
On 29 May 1944, theUnited States Army Air Forces (USAAF) targeted German aircraft production and Luftwaffe infrastructure. The USAAFEighth Air Force sent 993heavy bombers toLeipzig,Sorau, present-day Żary, andPosen, present-day Poznań, the airfield atTutow, as well as theSynthetic Fuel Factory Pölitz [de] atPölitz. At the same time, the USAAFFifteenth Air Force attacked theWiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke [de], manufacturing at Atzgersdorf, and the airfield at Wollersdorf, with 563 heavy bombers. At 08:55, I.Gruppe wasscrambled at Fels am Wagram. In the area ofSankt Pölten, theGruppe under the leadership of Redlich intercepted a formation ofConsolidated B-24 Liberator bombers. During this encounter, theGruppe claimed five bombers shot down, including one by Redlich.[34] However, Redlich was thenkilled in action when he was shot down in his Bf 109 G-6/U4 (Werknummer 441468—factory number) near Sankt Pölten.[35] Redlich was buried in the war grave section of theMain Cemetery Sankt Pölten [de] (Block 3–Row 7–Grave 202).[36] Following his death, command of I.Gruppe was passed on toHauptmann Walter Blume, who had commanded 3.Staffel.[37]
According to Obermaier, Redlich was credited with 41 aerial victories, four in the Spanish Civil War and another 37 in World War II, claimed in an unknown number of combat missions.[1] Forsyth states that three of his four aerial victories claimed in Spain were unconfirmed.[38] The authors Ring and Girbig list Redlich with 43 aerial victories which includes one four-engined heavy bomber.[39] Mathews and Foreman, authors ofLuftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched theGerman Federal Archives and found documentation for 37 aerial victory claims, plus four further unconfirmed claims. This number includes four claims during the Spanish Civil War and 37 claims during World War II over the Western allies on theWestern Front and North Africa, including one four-engined heavy bomber.[40]
| Chronicle of aerial victories | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Bock, Mathews and Foreman. | |||||||||||
| Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location | Unit | Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location | Unit |
| Spanish Civil War | |||||||||||
| – Claims withJagdgruppe 88 –[5] Spanish Civil War — November 1938 – February 1939 | |||||||||||
| 1 | 5 November 1938 | — | I-16 | 2. J/88 | 3 | 4 January 1939 | — | SB-2 | 2. J/88 | ||
| 2 | 28 December 1938 | — | SB-2 | 2. J/88 | 4 | 5 February 1939 | — | I-15 | 2. J/88 | ||
| World War II | |||||||||||
| – Claims with I.Gruppe ofJagdgeschwader 27 –[5] Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940 | |||||||||||
| 1 | 11 May 1940 | 07:40 | Battle | Tongeren[41] | 1./JG 27 | 5 | 5 June 1940 | 18:20 | M.S.406 | Forest of Compiègne[41] | 1./JG 27 |
| 2?[Note 2] | 16 May 1940 | — | Hurricane | Charleroi[41] Brussels | 1./JG 27 | 6 | 13 June 1940 | 16:30 | Battle | Provins[41] | 1./JG 27 |
| 3?[Note 2] | 29 May 1940 | — | Hurricane | Dunkirk[41] | 1./JG 27 | 7 | 13 June 1940 | 20:05 | Battle | Montmirail[41] | 1./JG 27 |
| 4?[Note 2] | 2 June 1940 | — | Spitfire | west of Dunkirk[41] | 1./JG 27 | ||||||
| – Claims with I.Gruppe ofJagdgeschwader 27 –[5] Action at the Channel and over England — 26 June – 3 December 1940 | |||||||||||
| 8 | 7 September 1940 | 18:55 | Spitfire | southeast ofLondon[42] | 1./JG 27 | 10 | 27 September 1940 | 10:15 | Hurricane | Sevenoaks[43] | 1./JG 27 |
| 9 | 9 September 1940 | 18:35 | Hurricane | London[42] | 1./JG 27 | ||||||
| – Claims with I.Gruppe ofJagdgeschwader 27 –[40] Sicily, Balkans and North Africa — 4 December 1940 – 17 November 1941 | |||||||||||
| 11 | 19 April 1941 | 13:50 | Hurricane | southeast ofTobruk[44] | 1./JG 27 | 18 | 14 June 1941 | 18:45 | Hurricane | southeast ofHalfaya Pass[44] | 1./JG 27 |
| 12 | 19 April 1941 | 14:00 | Hurricane | west of Tobruk[44] | 1./JG 27 | 19 | 15 June 1941 | 11:40 | Hurricane | Sallum[44] | 1./JG 27 |
| 13 | 23 April 1941 | 12:50 | Blenheim | northeast of Tobruk[44] | 1./JG 27 | 20 | 15 June 1941 | 17:35 | Hurricane | southeast ofFort Capuzzo[44] | 1./JG 27 |
| 14 | 23 April 1941 | 12:55 | Blenheim | north of Tobruk[44] | 1./JG 27 | 21 | 18 June 1941 | 06:00 | Brewster | east of Sallum[44] | 1./JG 27 |
| 15 | 30 April 1941 | 06:15 | Hurricane | Tobruk[44] | 1./JG 27 | 22 | 21 August 1941 | 17:55 | Martin 167 | west of Sidi Barrani[45] | 1./JG 27 |
| 16 | 16 May 1941 | 16:55 | Blenheim[44] | vicinity of Tobruk | 1./JG 27 | 23 | 14 September 1941 | 18:15 | P-40 | south-southeast ofSidi Azeiz Airfield[46] | 1./JG 27 |
| 17 | 9 June 1941 | 05:00 | Hurricane | north of Tobruk[44] | 1./JG 27 | 24 | 27 September 1941 | 16:50 | P-40 | southwest ofSidi Barrani[46] | 1./JG 27 |
| – Claims with I.Gruppe ofJagdgeschwader 27 –[47] In North Africa — 18 November – 5 December 1941 | |||||||||||
| 25 | 18 November 1941 | 09:30 | Martin 167 | south ofAyn al-Ġazāla[48] | 1./JG 27 | 31 | 23 November 1941 | 08:35 | Hurricane | southeast ofAl Adm[48] | 1./JG 27 |
| 26 | 20 November 1941 | 12:15 | P-40 | Bir el Gubi[48] | 1./JG 27 | 32?[Note 2] | 23 November 1941 | — | Hurricane | southeast of Al Adm[48] | 1./JG 27 |
| 27 | 22 November 1941 | 10:40 | P-40 | east of Bir el Gubi[48] | 1./JG 27 | 33 | 23 November 1941 | 16:35 | Hurricane | south of Bir el Gubi[48] | 1./JG 27 |
| 28 | 22 November 1941 | 14:00 | Blenheim | southeast of Ayn al-Ġazāla[48] | 1./JG 27 | 34 | 26 November 1941 | 16:15 | P-40 | west of Bu Amud[48] | 1./JG 27 |
| 29 | 22 November 1941 | 14:15 | Blenheim | northeast ofBir Hakeim[48] | 1./JG 27 | 35 | 1 December 1941 | 12:55 | Hurricane | Bir el Gubi[49] | 1./JG 27 |
| 30 | 22 November 1941 | 16:45 | P-40 | southeast of Bir Hakeim[48] | 1./JG 27 | 36 | 5 December 1941 | 12:05 | P-40 | south of Bir el Gubi[49] | 1./JG 27 |
| – Claims with I.Gruppe ofJagdgeschwader 27 –[47] Defense of the Reich – May 1944 | |||||||||||
| 37 | 29 May 1944 | 10:30 | B-24 | Sankt Pölten[50] | Stab I./JG 27 | ||||||
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients ofJagdgeschwader 27 | ||
|---|---|---|
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