Leopold Steinbatz | |
|---|---|
 Steinbatz asOberfeldwebel | |
| Nickname(s) | "Bazi"[1][Note 1] |
| Born | (1918-10-25)25 October 1918 Vienna,Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 23 June 1942(1942-06-23) (aged 23) Vovchansk,Reichskommissariat Ukraine |
| Cause of death | Killed in action |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service |  Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1937–1942 |
| Rank | Leutnant (posthumous) |
| Unit | JG 52 |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords |
Leopold Steinbatz (25 October 1918 – 23 June 1942) was an Austrian-bornfighter pilot of theLuftwaffe inWorld War II. As afighter ace, he was credited with 99 aircraft shot down in over 300 combat missions, all of which claimed over theEastern Front.
Steinbatz volunteered for military service in theAustrian Armed Forces in 1937. In March 1938, following theAnschluss, the annexation of Austria byNazi Germany, Steinbatz was transferred to the Luftwaffe. Following flight training, he was posted toJagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing). Steinbatz fought in the aerial battles ofOperation Barbarossa, the German invasion of theSoviet Union and claimed his first aerial victory on 4 August 1941. Following his 42nd aerial victory, he was awarded theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 February 1942 and theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 2 June 1942 after he claimed his 83rd aerial victory. On 23 June 1942, Steinbatz waskilled in action, shot down by Sovietanti-aircraft artillery, nearVovchansk. Posthumously, he was awarded theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords, the onlynon-commissioned officer to receive this distinction.
Steinbatz was born on 25 October 1918 in Stammersdorf, nowFloridsdorf, one of thedistrict ofVienna, inAustria-Hungary. In his youth, he learned to flygliders and received avocational education as abutcher.[2] Following his vocational education, he joined theAustrian Air Force and received pilot training withFlieger-Ausbildungsregiment (Flight Training Regiment) inWiener Neustadt on 1 October 1937. Following theAnschluss in March 1938, the forced incorporation of Austria into Nazi Germany, Steinbatz was transferred to theLuftwaffe and trained as a fighter pilot at theJagdfliegerschule inWien-Aspern.[2]
World War II in Europe had begun on Friday, 1 September 1939, with the GermanInvasion of Poland. Steinbatz was transferred to 2.Staffel (2nd Squadron) of theErgänzungsgruppe ofJagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing), a supplementary and training fighter group of JG 52.[Note 2] There he first metHermann Graf, his futurewingman on theEastern Front.[2] In August 1940, Steinbatz was transferred to 9.Staffel (9th Squadron) of JG 52, a squadron of III.Gruppe (3rd Group) and was then assigned to theLuftwaffenmission Rumänien (Luftwaffe Mission Romania) under the command ofGeneralleutnantWilhelm Speidel [de]. The military mission from Germany supported GeneralIon Antonescu in the reorganization of the Rumanian armed forces.[2][3] III.Gruppe of JG 52 was transferred toBucharest in mid-October and temporarily renamed I.Gruppe ofJagdgeschwader 28 (JG 28—28th Fighter Wing) until 4 January 1941.[4]
During theInvasion of Yugoslavia of April 1941, III.Gruppe of JG 52 was kept back in reserve to guard thePloiești oil installations.[5] On 27 May, III.Gruppe flew toPlovdiv,Saloniki,Tatoi Airfield north ofAthens and then toMolaoi where he stayed until 10 June.[6] Here, together with other Luftwaffe units, theGruppe its first combat missions in support of theBattle of Crete. During this campaign, Steinbatz flewground support missions againstGreek forces and otherAllied forces.[2]
Following its brief deployment in theBalkan Campaign, III.Gruppe was back in Bucharest by mid-June.[5] There, the unit was again subordinated to theLuftwaffenmission Rumänien and equipped with the new, more powerfulMesserschmitt Bf 109 F-4 model. On 21 June 1941, III.Gruppe was ordered toMizil ready forOperation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Its primary objective was to provide fighter protection for the oil fields and refineries at Ploiești.[7] The invasion of the Soviet Union began on 22 June. The next day, theGruppe moved toMamaia, the northern district ofConstanța on theBlack Sea coast.[8]
TheGruppe moved toBelaya Tserkov on 1 August during theBattle of Kiev and also used an airfield atYampil from 6 to 8 August.[9] Here on the 4 August, Steinbatz claimed his first aerial victory when he shot down aPolikarpov I-16 fighter southeast ofKiev, while escortingJunkers Ju 87dive bombers toBrovary.[10] He claimed his second aerial victory over another I-16 fighter on 26 August.[11] The following day, III.Gruppe had reached an airfield named Stschastliwaja about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east-southeast ofOleksandriia where they stayed until 12 September. Flying from Stschastliwaja, Steinbatz claimed anIlyushin DB-3 bomber on 1 September and an I-16 fighter on 6 September.[12]
On 24 September, III.Gruppe moved to thePoltava Air Base, supporting the17th Army in theFirst Battle of Kharkov.[13] Steinbatz claimed an I-26 fighter on 27 September here. The I-26 was an early war German designator for theYakovlev Yak-1 fighter aircraft. A day later, he shot down an I-16 fighter and aTupolev SB bomber nearPoltava.[14] That day, Steinbatz and his wingmanStabsfeldwebel Johann Klein intercepted seven bombers from 98 DBAP (Dal'nebombardirovochnyy Aviatsionnyy Polk—long-range bomber regiment) escorted by three I-16 fighters which lost one fighter and three bombers.[15] On 9 October, he claimed two I-26 fighters followed by another I-26 fighter on 11 and 14 October respectively.[16] On 23 October, III.Gruppe relocated toChaplynka in theCrimea. Steinbatz claimed an I-61 fighter,[Note 3] a designator for theMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3, on 24 and 27 October, and two I-61 fighters on 28 October.[18]
"Today [8 January 1942] was my lucky day. Early this morning we took off on a free-hunt mission and we actually spotted three Soviets... I flew together with a young comrade who had never been in combat before as the three 'brothers' appeared. Of course I immediately attacked one of the fighters. With a short burst of fire I blew off his left wing and he went down vertically. Pulling up, I saw the second fighter below. He was watching his descending comrade. I dived again and attacked him. I hit his radiator and he made a forced landing. We shot the aircraft on fire. Now the turn had come for the third aircraft, the bomber. My wingman had been attacking him but wasn't able to bring him down. As I approached him, he fired like mad. I came in very close, and then I shot him in flames with a few rounds. Burning, he crashed into a village."[19]
TheGruppe then moved to an airfield atTaganrog on 2 November where they stayed until 1 January 1942. Steinbatz was credited with 34 aerial victories, making him the fifth most successful fighter pilot of III.Gruppe.[20] On 1 January 1942, III.Gruppe moved to Kharkov where they fought in theBarvenkovo–Lozovaya offensive and remained until 29 April.[21] Here Steinbatz claimed his first aerial victory in 1942 on 4 January over an unidentifiedbiplane. A day later, he was credited with shooting down an I-16 followed by another I-16 on 7 January. On 8 January, he was credited with three aerial victories, two I-26s and aVultee V-11ground attack aircraft, probably referring to theIlyushin Il-2 ground attack aircraft.[22]
Steinbatz received theHonor Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 19 January and theGerman Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) three days later.[23] On 14 February, he was awarded theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernes Kreuzes) for reaching 42 aerial victories and sent on extended leave.[24][25] Graf was promoted toStaffelkapitän of 9.Staffel of JG 52 in March, and by the beginning of April, his unit had accumulated over 200 victories in Russia, for the loss of only eight pilots.[26]
On 29 April, III.Gruppe had relocated to Zürichtal, a small village at theInhul in the former German settlement west ofFeodosia in the Crimea during theCrimean campaign. On 1 May, theGruppe was subordinated toVIII.Fliegerkorps and was supporting the11th Army in theBattle of the Kerch Peninsula and theSiege of Sevastopol.[27] On 2 May, Steinbatz became an "ace-in-a-day" for the first time when he claimed five I-61s and aPolikarpov I-153 fighter. Three days later, he claimed another I-61 and an I-16 fighter, including his 50th aerial victory.[1][28] On 8 May, Steinbatz became an "ace-in-a-day" again when he claimed four I-61 fighters, aSukhoi Su-2 light bomber, aPolikarpov I-15 fighter and an I-153 fighter, which took his total to 58 aerial victories.[29]
On 12 May, German forces launched Operation Fredericus, also referred to as theSecond Battle of Kharkov, to eliminate theIzium bridgehead overSeversky Donets. That day, III.Gruppe was moved to the Kharkov-Rogan airfield, southeast of Kharkov and subordinated to theStab (headquarters unit) of JG 52. Two days later, III.Gruppe predominantly flew fighter escort missions for Ju 87 dive bombers from VIII.Fliegerkorps attacking Soviet ground forces on the northern pincer and claimed 52 aerial victories for the loss of one aircraft damaged.[30] TheGruppe claimed 89 victories in its first two days over Kharkov, with Graf becoming the first pilot in JG 52 to reach the century (on 14 May).Ofw Steinbatz got his 75th on 20 May and although the ground offensive was blunted by the next day, the intense aerial combat continued. He claimed four victories apiece on 1 and 2 June and was awarded theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 2 June for his 83 victories.[31][32] He was the thirdnon-commissioned officer in the Luftwaffe to receive this honor. The first wasOberfeldwebelHeinrich Hoffmann, who received the distinction on 19 October 1941, the second wasFeldwebelGerhard Köppen who was honored on 27 February 1942.[33]
"After his return he proved absolutely reckless... He entered upon an unparalleled victory march, scoring one victory after another! As he had achieved his No. 80 and was expected to be awarded with the Oak Leaves, I urged him to take some leave. The combats had put a tremendous strain on his nerves. This was shown on several occasions. I grounded him for a couple of days, but then he requested that I allow him to start flying combat sorties again. As I was called to theFührer's Headquarters (on 24 May 1942), I exhorted him to 'cool down a bit'. But I knew that his goal was to reach his '100'."[24]
On 19 May, theGruppe moved toBarvinkove where they stayed until 12 June mostly fighting over the encircled Soviet forces in the Izium salient.[34] Here, Steinbatz claimed aLavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighter on 20 May, an I-16 on 21 May, aMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 fighter on 22 and 26 May, and three further MiG-1s on 27 May, another LaGG-3 fighter on 28 May and finally three MiG-1s on 29 May, taking his total to 87 aerial victories claimed by end of May 1942.[35] In June, he claimed his first aerial victories of the month on 2 June when he shot down two MiG-1s and two Su-2 light bombers.[36] On 6 June, Steinbatz claimed a LaGG-3 followed by a MiG-1, another LaGG-3 on 9 June, and a Su-2 light bomber on 10 June, his last while flying from Barvinkove.[37]
On 12 June, theGruppe relocated to an airfield atBelgorod.[38] On 15 June, Steinbatz claimed four aerial victories east ofVovchansk, his last.[39] Shortly after, he waskilled in action when his Bf 109 F-4/R1 (Werknummer 13357—factory number) was hit by Sovietanti-aircraft artillery northwest ofShebekino.[40] The commander of III.Gruppe,MajorHubertus von Bonin, orderedFeldwebelEdmund Rossmann and three other men to search for him. German soldiers in a forward infantry position reported a Bf 109 crashing into a forest from low altitude.[41] Steinbetz's body was never found.[42] Eight days later, on 23 June, Steinbatz was awarded theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern). He was the 14th member of theWehrmacht and the only non-commissioned officer to be awarded this honor.[43][44] At the time of his death, he was the 11th-ranking fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe and second of III.Gruppe.[45][46]
On 30 June 1942, his father wrote a letter toAdolf Hitler asking for a promotion of his son to an officers rank. On 23 July 1942, the commander-in-chief of theLuftwaffe-Personalamt (LWA—Air Force Staff Office), on orders ofReichsmarschallHermann Göring, announced the promotion of Steinbatz toLeutnant (Second Lieutenant) of theReserves, effective as of 1 June 1942.[44]
According to US historianDavid T. Zabecki, Steinbatz was credited with 99 aerial victories.[47] Spick also lists him with 99 aerial victories, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front in an unknown number of combat missions.[48] According to Obermaier, he flew approximately 300 combat missions.[49] Berger states that Steinbatz flew 390 combat missions.[33] Mathews and Foreman, authors ofLuftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched theGerman Federal Archives and found records for 98 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.[50]
| Chronicle of aerial victories | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This and the ♠ (Ace of spades) indicates those aerial victories which made Steinbatz an "ace-in-a-day", a term which designates a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day. This and the – (dash) indicates unconfirmed aerial victory claims for which Steinbatz did not receive credit. | |||||||||||
| Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location | Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location | ||
| – 9.Staffel ofJagdgeschwader 52 –[51] Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 5 December 1941 | |||||||||||
| 1 | 4 August 1941 | 06:25 | I-16 | southeast ofKiev[52] | 14 | 28 October 1941 | 09:55 | I-61 (MiG-3)[53] | |||
| 2 | 26 August 1941 | 18:32 | I-16[54] | 15 | 28 October 1941 | 10:00 | I-61 (MiG-3) | southeast of Aibar[53] | |||
| 3 | 1 September 1941 | 11:43 | DB-3[54] | 16 | 9 November 1941 | 14:30 | R-10 (Seversky)[55] | ||||
| 4 | 6 September 1941 | 18:23 | I-16[54] | 17 | 9 November 1941 | 14:37 | I-16[55] | ||||
| 5 | 27 September 1941 | 12:48 | I-26 (Yak-1)[56] | 18 | 17 November 1941 | 14:40 | I-18 (MiG-1)[57] | ||||
| 6 | 28 September 1941 | 08:35 | I-16 | 15 km (9.3 mi) east ofPoltava[56] | 19 | 22 November 1941 | 14:28 | I-26 (Yak-1)[57] | |||
| 7 | 28 September 1941 | 08:37 | SB-3 | east of Poltava[56] | 20 | 29 November 1941 | 10:20 | I-16 | north-northeast ofRostov-on-Don[57] | ||
| 8 | 9 October 1941 | 06:40 | I-26 (Yak-1)[58] | 21 | 29 November 1941 | 10:25 | I-16 | northeast of Rostov-on-Don[57] | |||
| 9 | 9 October 1941 | 06:42 | I-26 (Yak-1)[58] | 22 | 29 November 1941 | 13:05 | I-16 | south ofBataysk[57] | |||
| 10 | 11 October 1941 | 07:05 | I-26 (Yak-1)[58] | 23 | 2 December 1941 | 12:15 | SB-2[57] | ||||
| 11 | 14 October 1941 | 10:20 | I-26 (Yak-1)[58] | 24 | 2 December 1941 | 12:22 | I-16[57] | ||||
| 12 | 24 October 1941 | 12:47 | I-61 (MiG-3)[53] | 25 | 3 December 1941 | 08:03 | I-16[57] | ||||
| 13 | 27 October 1941 | 15:41 | I-61 (MiG-3)[53] | ||||||||
| – 9.Staffel ofJagdgeschwader 52 –[59] Eastern Front — 6 December 1941 – 28 April 1942 | |||||||||||
| 26 | 6 December 1941 | 12:50 | Il-2 | east ofLysogorskaya[60] | 35 | 31 December 1941 | 13:45 | I-16[61] | |||
| 27 | 7 December 1941 | 13:20 | SB-2[60] | 36 | 31 December 1941 | 13:47 | I-16[61] | ||||
| 28 | 25 December 1941 | 09:43 | I-16[60] | 37 | 4 January 1941 | 10:35 | biplane (Seversky)[61] | ||||
| 29 | 27 December 1941 | 12:03 | I-16[60] | 38 | 5 January 1941 | 14:40 | I-16[61] | ||||
| 30 | 27 December 1941 | 12:06 | I-16[60] | 39 | 7 January 1941 | 08:13 | I-16[61] | ||||
| 31 | 27 December 1941 | 14:28 | SB-2 | northeast ofGolodayevka[61] | 40 | 8 January 1942 | 08:42 | I-26 (Yak-1)[61] | |||
| 32 | 27 December 1941 | 14:32 | Il-2 | northeast of Golodayevka[61] | 41 | 8 January 1942 | 08:44 | I-26 (Yak-1)[61] | |||
| 33 | 28 December 1941 | 07:38 | I-16[61] | 42 | 8 January 1942 | 08:45 | V-11 (Il-2)[61] | ||||
| 34 | 28 December 1941 | 13:32 | I-61 (MiG-3) | southwest ofTaganrog[61] | 43 | 26 January 1942 | 12:44 | Pe-2 | east ofTschugujew[62] | ||
| – 9.Staffel ofJagdgeschwader 52 –[63] Eastern Front — 29 April 1942 – 3 February 1943 | |||||||||||
| 44♠ | 2 May 1942 | 04:46 | I-61 (MiG-3)[64] | 72 | 16 May 1942 | 08:00 | MiG-1[65] | ||||
| 45♠ | 2 May 1942 | 04:50 | I-61 (MiG-3)[64] | 73 | 16 May 1942 | 08:03 | MiG-1[65] | ||||
| 46♠ | 2 May 1942 | 11:04 | I-153[64] | 74 | 16 May 1942 | 18:09 | MiG-1[65] | ||||
| 47♠ | 2 May 1942 | 11:06 | I-61 (MiG-3)[64] | 75 | 17 May 1942 | 12:35 | MiG-1[65] | ||||
| 48♠ | 2 May 1942 | 12:40 | I-61 (MiG-3)[64] | 76 | 16 May 1942 | 17:37 | MiG-1[65] | ||||
| 49♠ | 2 May 1942 | 12:43 | I-61 (MiG-3)[64] | 77 | 20 May 1942 | 09:02 | LaGG-3[66] | ||||
| 50 | 5 May 1942 | 12:33 | I-61 (MiG-3) | Semikolodzy[64] | 78 | 21 May 1942 | 08:37 | I-16[66] | |||
| 51 | 5 May 1942 | 12:37 | I-16[64] | 79 | 22 May 1942 | 18:25 | MiG-1[66] | ||||
| 52♠ | 8 May 1942 | 04:35 | Su-2 (Seversky)[64] | 80 | 26 May 1942 | 08:53 | MiG-1[66] | ||||
| 53♠ | 8 May 1942 | 10:48 | I-61 (MiG-3)[64] | 81 | 27 May 1942 | 11:31 | MiG-1[66] | ||||
| 54♠ | 8 May 1942 | 10:48 | I-61 (MiG-3)[64] | 82 | 27 May 1942 | 11:32 | MiG-1[66] | ||||
| 55♠ | 8 May 1942 | 10:59 | I-15[64] | 83 | 27 May 1942 | 11:36 | MiG-1[66] | ||||
| 56♠ | 8 May 1942 | 11:03 | I-153[64] | 84 | 28 May 1942 | 14:17 | LaGG-3[66] | ||||
| 57♠ | 8 May 1942 | 15:40 | I-61 (MiG-3)[64] | 85 | 29 May 1942 | 09:10 | MiG-1[66] | ||||
| 58♠ | 8 May 1942 | 15:44 | I-61 (MiG-3)[64] | 86 | 29 May 1942 | 09:12 | MiG-1[66] | ||||
| 59 | 9 May 1942 | 12:25 | MiG-1 | 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Akmonaj[67] | 87 | 29 May 1942 | 09:18 | MiG-1[66] | |||
| 60 | 9 May 1942 | 12:29 | MiG-1[67] | 88 | 2 June 1942 | 08:26 | MiG-1[68] | ||||
| 61 | 9 May 1942 | 12:31 | MiG-1[67] | 89 | 2 June 1942 | 08:28 | MiG-1[68] | ||||
| 62 | 11 May 1942 | 17:48 | MiG-1[67] | 90 | 2 June 1942 | 11:20 | Su-2 (Seversky)[68] | ||||
| 63 | 12 May 1942 | 19:04 | I-16[67] | 91 | 2 June 1942 | 11:34 | Su-2 (Seversky)[68] | ||||
| 64 | 13 May 1942 | 16:25 | Su-2 (Seversky)[67] | 92 | 6 June 1942 | 04:16 | LaGG-3[68] | ||||
| 65 | 13 May 1942 | 16:27 | Su-2 (Seversky) | 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Bol.-Babka[67] | 93 | 9 June 1942 | 19:10 | MiG-1[68] | |||
| 66 | 13 May 1942 | 16:2 | Su-2 (Seversky) | Warowaja[67] | 94 | 9 June 1942 | 19:12 | LaGG-3[68] | |||
| 67 | 14 May 1942 | 07:21 | MiG-1[65] | 5 km (3.1 mi) southeast of Solhow | 95 | 10 June 1942 | 15:25 | Su-2 (Seversky)[69] | |||
| 68 | 14 May 1942 | 07:27 | MiG-1[65] | — | 15 June 1942 | — | unknown[69] | ||||
| 69 | 14 May 1942 | 07:21 | MiG-1 | 5 km (3.1 mi) southeast ofStary Saltov[65] | 96 | 15 June 1942 | 14:47 | Il-2 | 15 km (9.3 mi) east ofVovchansk[69] | ||
| 70 | 14 May 1942 | 18:25 | I-16[65] | 97 | 15 June 1942 | 14:50 | Il-2 | 15 km (9.3 mi) east of Vovchansk[69] | |||
| 71 | 15 May 1942 | 16:07 | Su-2 (Seversky)[65] | 98 | 15 June 942 | 14:54 | LaGG-3 | 15 km (9.3 mi) east of Vovchansk[69] | |||
