Bernhard Vöchtel ( German: Bernhard Vechtel ; July 31, 1920 , Voren (near Warendorf ), North Rhine-Westphalia - August 21, 1975 , Speyer , Rhineland-Palatinate ) - World War II German Luftwaffe . He made 108 air victories (all on the Eastern Front) on more than 860 sorties [1] . Awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross .
| Bernard Vechtel | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of Birth | July 31, 1920 | ||||
| Place of Birth | Voren (near Warendorf ), North Rhine-Westphalia | ||||
| Date of death | August 21, 1975 (55 years) | ||||
| Place of death | Speyer , Rhineland-Palatinate | ||||
| Affiliation |  Germany (until 1945) Germany | ||||
| Type of army |  Luftwaffe | ||||
| Rank | ober lieutenant | ||||
| Part | Jg 51 | ||||
| Commanded | 14./ JG 51 | ||||
| Battles / Wars | The Second World War | ||||
| Awards and prizes |
| ||||
Biography
Held the entire war in the composition of the JG 51 "Mölders". He served in various squadrons - the 10th, 11th and 14th. On January 3, 1944, Vechtel was awarded the Honorary Cup of the Luftwaffe and the German Cross in Gold . Six months later, on July 27 of that year, Vechtel was awarded the Knight's Cross for his 93 aerial victories on the Eastern Front. On May 1, 1944, Bernhard won the 8,000th aerial victory of JG 51 squadron.
From December 11, 1944, Vechtel commanded the 14th Squadron of his native JG 51 .
Awards
- Honorary Luftwaffe Cup (April 3, 1944) [2]
- German Cross in Gold (January 28, 1944)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (July 27, 1944) - Fan-Junker , Oberfeldwebel , Pilot of the 10th Squadron JG 51 Mölders [3]
Notes
- Quotes
- ↑ Spick 1996, p. 232.
- ↑ Obermaier 1989, p. 217.
- ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 756.
- Bibliography
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945 . Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5 .
- Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939-1945 (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 3-87341-065-6 .
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939—1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 .
- Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces . New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 0-8041-1696-2 .