Hans-Dieter Frank
Frank as aHauptmann
Born	8 July 1919 Kiel
Died	28 September 1943(1943-09-28) (aged 24) Hannover
Cause of death	Killed in action
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/ branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1937–1943
Rank	Major (Posthumously)
Unit	ZG 1 NJG 1
Commands	2./NJG 1, I./NJG 1
Battles / wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Defence of the Reich †
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Hans-Dieter Frank (8 July 1919 – 28 September 1943) was a GermanLuftwaffemilitary aviator during World War II, anight fighterace credited with 55 aerial victories claimed in approximately 150 combat missions making himthe seventeenth most successful night fighter pilot in the history of aerial warfare.^[1][2] All of his victories were claimed over theWestern Front inDefense of the Reich missions against theRoyal Air Force's (RAF)Bomber Command.

Born inKiel, Frank grew up in theWeimar Republic andNazi Germany. Following graduation from school, he joined the military service in 1937 and was trained as a pilot. Frank then served withZerstörergeschwader 1 (ZG 1—1st Destroyer Wing), flying aMesserschmitt Bf 110heavy fighter during theInvasion of Poland andBattle of France. In mid-1941, he transferred toNachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1—1st Night Fighter Wing) where he became a night fighter pilot and claimed his first aerial victory on the night of 10/11 April 1941. Frank was appointed squadron leader of 2.Staffel (2nd squadron) of NJG 1 in August 1942. Following his 33rd aerial victory, he was awarded theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 20 June 1943. On 1 July 1943, he was appointed group commander of I.Gruppe of NJG 1. Frank and his crew werekilled in action in amid-air collision with another German night fighter on the night of 27/28 September 1943. He wasposthumously bestowed with theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and promoted toMajor (major).

Frank was born on 8 July 1919 inKiel, which was then part of theProvince of Schleswig-Holstein during theWeimar Republic. He was the son of a sales agent. After graduation from school and receipt of hisAbitur (university entry qualification), Frank joined theLuftwaffe in 1937 as aFahnenjunker (cadet). Following flight training,^{[Note 1]} he was posted toZerstörergeschwader 1 (ZG 1—1st Destroyer Wing).^[4]

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forcesinvaded Poland. Now aLeutnant (second lieutenant) with I.Gruppe (1st group) of ZG 1, Frank flew his first combat missions over Poland and during theBattle of France.^[4] On 22 June 1940,Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1—1st Night Fighter Wing) was created from I.Gruppe of ZG 1 and placed under the command ofHauptmannWolfgang Falck. In consequence, Frank became a member of thenight-fighter force.^[5]

Following the 1939 aerialBattle of the Heligoland Bight,Royal Air Force (RAF) attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating theDefence of the Reich campaign.^[6] By mid-1940,Generalmajor (Brigadier General)Josef Kammhuber had established a nightair defense system dubbed theKammhuber Line. It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped withradars andsearchlights and an associated night fighter. Each sector named aHimmelbett (canopy bed) would direct the night fighter into visual range with target bombers. In 1941, the Luftwaffe started equipping night fighters with airborne radar such as theLichtenstein radar. This airborne radar did not come into general use until early 1942.^[7] On 25 August 1941, Frank became an ace after downing his 5th victim,Armstrong Whitworth Whitley,Z6505, MH-F,No. 51 Squadron RAF. Sergeant J. C. W. King and his crew were captured.^[8] He was appointedStaffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2.Staffel of NJG 1 on 8 August 1942.^[9] On 27 November 1942, Frank was awarded theGerman Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold).^[10]

Frank was decorated with theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 20 June 1943, the nomination had been submitted for 33 aerial victories claimed. The presentation was made byGeneralmajor Kammhuber.^[4] On the night of 21/22 June, RAFBomber Command sent 705 aircraft on a mission to bombKrefeld, losing 44 aircraft in the attack.^[11] That night, Frank claimed six victories in the early hours, making him an "ace-in-a-day". One of the bombers he shot down wasHandley Page HalifaxHR848, which was one of 19No. 35 Squadron RAF aircraft detailed to attack Krefeld on the night of the 21/22 June.Flight Sergeant R. J. Quigley and two of his crew were captured and the remaining four perished.^[12] Another wasHR735 operated byNo. 158 Squadron RAF. Pilot Officer C. H. RobinsonDFCRNZAF and his six crew were killed.^[13] A third,BB375, flown byGerman-Canadian Sergeant C. C. Reichert RCAF,No. 408 Squadron RAF, crashed with all but one crewman killed.^[14] Further victories included anAvro Lancaster bomber fromNo. 100 Squadron RAF nearDinther, and two Halifax bombers from408 (Goose) Squadron nearZeist andLopik.^[11]

On 24/25 June Sergeant Robert Whitfield's HalifaxJD258, VR-K borrowed fromNo. 419 Bomber Squadron RCAF, but operated by aNo. 428 Squadron RAF crew, became Frank's 41st aerial victory. All of the crew died.^[15] The aircraft was on a mission to bombElberfeld, a municipal ofWuppertal.^[16] Frank's last victory in June 1943 occurred on day twenty-nine when he shot down his 44th victim; Lancaster bomberED362, HW-E, flown byPilot Officer J. P. PascoeRCAF, No. 100 Squadron RAF. Pascoe and all but one of his crew were killed (Sergeant R. G Storr was taken prisoner).^[17] That night, RAF Bomber Command was targetingCologne.^[18]

On 1 July 1943, Frank was appointedGruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I.Gruppe of NJG 1, succeedingMajorWerner Streib.^[19] Operating fromVenlo Airfield, Frank claimed his first aerial victory asGruppenkommandeur on the night of 9/10 July when he attacked Lancaster bomberW4763 fromNo. 61 Squadron RAF which crashed nearOverdinkel in the Netherlands.^[20] Four nights later, he shot down a Halifax bomber fromNo. 401 Squadron RCAF and another Halifax bomber fromNo. XXXV (Madras Presidency) Squadron.^[21][22] Frank claimed his first aerial victories flying theHeinkel He 219 night fighter of the night of 25/26 July when claimed two aerial victories, a Lancaster bomber fromNo. 50 Squadron RAF and a Wellington bomber from 429 (Bomber) Squadron RCAF.^[23][24] When on the night 30/31 August 660 bombers targeted bothMönchengladbach andRheydt, Frank was credited with the destruction of three bombers. His aerial victories included aShort Stirling bomber over Mönchengladbach, theVickers Wellington bomberJA118 from theRoyal Canadian Air ForceNo. 432 Squadron RCAF, and a Lancaster bomber which crashed nearBrüggen.^[25]

Frank and his radio operatorOberfeldwebel Erich Gotter were killed following amid-air collision with another German night fighter northwest ofCelle in the night of 28/29 September 1943.^[26] Their He 219 A-0 (Werknummer 190055—factory number) "G9+CB" had collided with a Bf 110 G-4 of theGeschwaderstab (headquarters unit) of NJG 1 during the landing approach. Frank had escaped the aircraft using theejection seat but forgot to release his radio-cable. He landed safely but was strangled by the radio-cable.^[27] The three man crew of the Bf 110 G-4, pilotHauptmann Günther Friedrich, radio operatorOberleutnant Werner Gerber andflight engineerObergefreiter Kurt Weißke, were also killed in the accident.^[28] This collision was likely caused by an attack made on his fighter by RAF night fighter aceBob Braham.^[29] On 2 March 1944, Frank was posthumously awarded theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub), the 417th officer or soldier of the Wehrmacht so honored. Posthumously, he was also promoted toMajor (major).^[4] He was succeeded byHauptmannManfred Meurer as commander of I.Gruppe of NJG 1.^[19]

Frank was credited with 55 nocturnal aerial victories claimed in 328 combat missions.^[9] Foreman, Parry and Mathews, authors ofLuftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, researched theGerman Federal Archives and found records for 54 nocturnal victory claims^[30] Mathews and Foreman also publishedLuftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, listing Frank with 51 claims.^[31]

• Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 19 October 1942 asOberleutnant and pilot^[100]
• German Cross in Gold on 27 November 1942 asOberleutnant in the 2./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1^[101]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 20 June 1943 asHauptmann andStaffelkapitän of the 2./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1^[102][103]
  • 417th Oak Leaves on 2 March 1944 asHauptmann andGruppenkommandeur of the I./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1^[102][104]

• 1919 births
• 1943 deaths
• Military personnel from Kiel
• German World War II flying aces
• Recipients of the Gold German Cross
• Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
• Luftwaffe personnel killed in World War II
• Military personnel from the Province of Schleswig-Holstein
• Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1943
• Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Germany

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