Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld

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Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld
NJG 5
Battles/warsWorld War II
Awards
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Egmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld[Note 1] (14 July 1918 – 12 March 1944) was a Luftwaffe night fighter flying ace of royal descent during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.[1] Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld was credited with 51 aerial victories, all of them claimed in nocturnal combat missions.[Note 2]

Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld was born on 14 July 1918 in

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 2 August 1943, for 45 aerial victories. He was promoted to Major and tasked with leading Nachtjagdgeschwader 5
(NJG 5) in January 1944, before he and his crew were killed in a flight accident on 12 March 1944.

Personal life

Schloss Alt-Wartenburg

Prince Egmont zur

Lippe-Weißenfeld was born on 14 July 1918 in Salzburg, Austro-Hungarian Empire as a member of a cadet branch of the ruling House of Lippe. His father was Prince Alfred of Lippe-Weissenfeld (1881-1960) and his mother was born Countess Anna von Goëß (1895-1972). Egmont was the only son of four children. His sisters Carola, Sophie and Theodora were all younger than Egmont.[2] They lived in an old castle in Upper Austria called Alt Wartenburg, which the family inherited through his mother.[3] At birth he had a remote chance of succeeding to the throne of the Principality of Lippe, a small state within the German Empire
. However, only months after his birth, Germany became a republic and all the German royal houses were forced to abdicate.

Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld in his younger years was very enthusiastic about the mountains and wildlife. From his fourteenth year he participated in hunting. At the same time he was also very much interested in music and sports and discovered his love for flying at the Gaisberg near Salzburg. Here he attended the glider flying school of the Austrian Aëro Club. He attended a basic flying course with the second air regiment in Graz and Wiener Neustadt even before he joined the military service.[4]

Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld never married or had children. In January 1941 he became acquainted with Hannelore Ide, nicknamed Idelein. She was a secretary for a Luftgau. The two shared a close relationship and spent as much time together as the war permitted, listening to music and sailing on the IJsselmeer until his death in 1944.[5]

Military service

Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld joined the Austrian Bundesheer in 1936 at the age of 18, initially serving in the infantry. In the aftermaths of the 1938 Anschluss, the incorporation of Austria into Greater Germany by Nazi Germany, he transferred to the German Luftwaffe and was promoted to Leutnant in 1939. He had earned his Luftwaffe Pilots Badge on 5 October 1938 and underwent further training at Fürstenfeldbruck, Schleißheim and Vienna-Aspern.[6] His Luftwaffe career started with the II. Gruppe (2nd group) of the Zerstörergeschwader 76 (ZG 76) before he was transferred to the night fighter wing Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1) on 4 August 1940.[Note 3] The unit was based at Gütersloh where he familiarised himself with the methods of the night fighters.[7]

Night fighter career

A map of part of the Kammhuber Line. The 'belt' and night fighter 'boxes' are shown.

Following the 1939 aerial

air defense system dubbed the Kammhuber Line. It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped with radars and searchlights and an associated night fighter. Each sector named a Himmelbett (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 the Lichtenstein radar. This airborne radar did not come into general use until early 1942.[9]

Nightly briefing at the group headquarter

By the summer of 1940, the first night fighters were transferred to

Amstel Hotel in Amsterdam with General Kammhuber, Wolfgang Falck, Werner Streib, Helmut Lent and others attending.[13] On 30 June 1941 while flying Bf 110 C-4 (Werknummer 3273) on a practice intercept mission over North Holland, he collided with Bf 110 C-7 (Werknummer 2075) piloted by Leutnant Rudolf Schoenert of the 4./NJG 1 and crashed near Bergen aan Zee.[14] On 19 June 1941 he earned his first of four references in the daily Wehrmachtbericht, a daily bulletin from the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (High Command of the Armed Forces).[15] By end July 1941, his number of aerial victory claims stood at eleven.[16] Promoted to Oberleutnant he became Staffelkapitän of the 5th Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 (NJG 2—2nd Night Fighter Wing) on 1 November 1941.[17] By the end of 1941, he had claimed a total of 15 aerial victories.[18]

He was awarded the

Rastenburg, present-day Kętrzyn in Poland on 10/11 August. Five other Luftwaffe officers were presented with awards that day by Hitler, Hauptmann Heinrich Ehrler, Oberleutnant Joachim Kirschner, Hauptmann Manfred Meurer, Hauptmann Werner Schröer, Oberleutnant Theodor Weissenberger were also awarded the Oak Leaves, and Major Helmut Lent received the Swords to his Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.[21]

Wing commander and death

German War Cemetery Ysselsteyn - Egmont Prinz zur Lippe Weissenfeld

After a one-month hospital stay, Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld was promoted to Major and made Geschwaderkommodore of Nachtjagdgeschwader 5 (NJG 5—5th Night Fighter Wing) on 20 February 1944.[22] He and his crew, Oberfeldwebel Josef Renette and Unteroffizier Kurt Röber, were killed in a flying accident on 12 March 1944 on a routine flight from Parchim to Athies-sous-Laon. Above Belgium, they seem to have encountered a bad weather zone with low clouds and a dense snowstorm and it was assumed that the aircraft hit the high Ardennes ground after being forced to fly lower because of ice forming on the wings.[23] The exact circumstances of this flight may never be known, the Bf 110 G-4 C9+CD (Werknummer 720 010—factory number) crashed into the Ardennes mountains near St. Hubert where the completely burned-out wreck was found the following day.[24] The funeral service was held in the city church of Linz on 15 March 1944.[25] Prinz Egmont zur Lippe-Weißenfeld and Prinz Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein are buried side by side at Ysselsteyn in the Netherlands.[26]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld was credited with 51 nocturnal aerial victories.[24] Foreman, Mathews and Parry, authors of Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, list 50 nocturnal victory claims, numerically ranging from 1 to 50. His 49th claim is numerically labeled as his 59th victory.[27] Mathews and Foreman also published Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, listing Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld with 47 claims, plus four further unconfirmed claims.[28]

Chronicle of aerial victories[29]
  This and the – (dash) indicates unconfirmed aerial victory claims for which Prinz zur Lippe-Weißenfeld did not receive credit.
  This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed in Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945 and in Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims.
Claim Date Time Type Location Serial No./Squadron No.
– 4. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –
1 17 November 1940 02:05 Wellington[30] 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Medemblik
2 15 January 1941 22:46 Whitley[31] 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Petten Whitley N1521/No. 58 Squadron RAF[32]
3 10 April 1941 00:59 Wellington[33] south of Den Helder Wellington W5375/No. 12 Squadron RAF[34]
4 9 May 1941 02:48 Wellington[35] Anna Paulowna Wellington R1226/No. 214 Squadron RAF[36]
5 11 May 1941 00:20 Stirling[35] 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Medemblik Stirling N3654/No. 15 Squadron RAF[37]
6 13 June 1941 01:10 Whitley[38] 2 km (1.2 mi) north of Medemblik
7 19 June 1941 00:53 Wellington[39] west of Enkhuizen
8 23 June 1941 00:15 Wellington[39] Insinghuizen Wellington T2990/
No. 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF[40]
9 14 July 1941 00:28 Wellington[41] south Medemblik Wellington R1502/No. 115 Squadron RAF[42]
10 25 July 1941 02:23 Wellington[16] 3 km (1.9 mi) southwest of Medemblik
11 26 July 1941 03:20 Whitley[16] 11 km (6.8 mi) west of De Kooy
– 5. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 –
12 8 November 1941 00:41 Whitley[43] east of Medemblik
13 8 November 1941 01:20 Wellington[43] west of Alkmaar
14 8 November 1941 23:03 Whitley[43] 18 km (11 mi) north of Alkmaar
15 27 December 1941 23:03 Whitley[18] 1.5 km (0.93 mi) southwest of Petten
16 24 February 1942 21:45 Hampden[44] north of Terschelling Hampden AT194/No. 144 Squadron RAF[45]
17 24 February 1942 22:02 Hampden[44] north of Terschelling
18 26 March 1942 22:27 Wellington[46] near De Kooy
19 26 March 1942 22:40 Manchester[46]
20 26 March 1942 22:55 Wellington[46] north of IJmuiden
21 26 March 1942 23:16 Wellington[46] near Edam
22 4 June 1942 00:50 Wellington[47] southeast of Vlieland
23 7 June 1942 01:47 Stirling[48] west of Terschelling
24 12 June 1942 03:08 Lancaster[49] north of Ameland
25 21 June 1942 01:43 Halifax[50] 25 km (16 mi) northwest of Groningen
26 21 June 1942 01:45 Wellington[50] 20 km (12 mi) northwest of Groningen
27 21 June 1942 01:56 Wellington[50] north of Ameland
28 26 June 1942 01:05 Wellington[51] Terschelling Wellington T2723/No. 20 Operational Training Unit RAF[52][53]
29 26 June 1942 01:52 Wellington[51] 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Vlieland Hudson AM794/No. 1 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF[54]
30 30 June 1942 03:08 Wellington[55] south of Ameland
31 3 July 1942 00:54 Hampden[55] south of Koudum Hampden AT248/No. 420 Squadron RCAF[56]
32 3 July 1942 01:09 Wellington[55] north of Urk
33 3 July 1942 03:05 Stirling[55]
34 20 July 1942 02:52 Halifax[57] north of Terschelling
35?[Note 4] 28 August 1942 01:50 Wellington[58] PQ 446, over sea
36 5 September 1942 03:39 Halifax[59] 5 km (3.1 mi) southwest of Leeuwarden Halifax W1220/No. 103 Squadron RAF[60]
37 23 September 1942 23:36 Wellington[61] 60 km (37 mi) northwest of Vlieland
– Stab I. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 –
38 17 January 1943 22:13 Halifax[62] 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Leer
—?[Note 5] 21/22 January 1943
—
 Halifax north-northwest of Emden
39 14 May 1943 01:11 Halifax[63] 10 km (6.2 mi) north-northwest of Hengelo Lancaster ED543/No. 467 Squadron RAAF[64]
– Stab III. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –
40 13 June 1943 01:22 Lancaster[65] 3 km (1.9 mi) northwest of
Burgsteinfurt
 Halifax JB790/No. 408 (Goose) Squadron RCAF[66]
41 13 June 1943 01:34 Lancaster[65] 6 km (3.7 mi) north of Nienberg Halifax DK177/No. 76 Squadron RAF[67]
42 23 June 1943 02:47 Stirling[68] 2 km (1.2 mi) south of Markelo Stirling EF399/No. 75 Squadron RNZAF[69]
43?[Note 4] 23 June 1943 02:55 Stirling[68]
44 30 July 1943 01:40 Lancaster[70] Hägbluer Holz
45?[Note 4] 3 August 1943 02:26 Halifax[71] 20 km (12 mi) south of Stade
46 6 September 1943 00:36 Stirling[72] 7 km (4.3 mi) southeast of
Hassloch
 Stirling EH931/No. 620 Squadron RAF[73]
47 29 September 1943 21:44 Halifax[74] 7 km (4.3 mi) south of Hengelo
48 29 September 1943 21:55 Halifax[74] 2 km (1.2 mi) northwest of Legden
49 16 December 1943 18:50 Lancaster[75] north of
Ahlhorn
 Lancaster EE188/No. 9 Squadron RAF[76]
50 16 December 1943 19:00 Lancaster[75] northwest of Nordhorn Lancaster JB543/No. 7 Squadron RAF[77]

Awards

Notes

  1. Prinzessin
    .
  2. ^ For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter aces
  3. ^ For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Organization of the Luftwaffe during World War II.
  4. ^ a b c According to Mathews and Foreman, this claim was unconfirmed.[29]
  5. ^ This unconfirmed claim is not listed by Foreman, Parry and Mathews.[62]

References

Citations

  1. ^ Spick 1996, pp. 3–4.
  2. ^ "Egmont, Prinz zur Lippe-Weissenfeld : Genealogics".
  3. ^ Knott 2008, pp. 129, 199.
  4. ^ Knott 2008, p. 133.
  5. ^ Knott 2008, p. 169.
  6. ^ Knott 2008, pp. 134, 149.
  7. ^ a b Knott 2008, p. 168.
  8. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 9.
  9. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 27.
  10. ^ Knott 2008, p. 149.
  11. ^ Knott 2008, pp. 149, 152.
  12. ^ Knott 2008, p. 163.
  13. ^ Knott 2008, p. 152.
  14. ^ Knott 2008, pp. 155, 163.
  15. ^ Bowman 2016, p. 44.
  16. ^ a b c Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 26.
  17. ^ a b Knott 2008, p. 177.
  18. ^ a b Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 33.
  19. ^ a b Knott 2008, p. 179.
  20. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, pp. 65, 80.
  21. ^ Hinchliffe 2003, p. 204.
  22. ^ Aders 1978, p. 229.
  23. ^ Knott 2008, p. 195.
  24. ^ a b Obermaier 1989, p. 57.
  25. ^ Knott 2008, p. 201.
  26. ^ Knott 2008, p. 206.
  27. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, pp. 12–132.
  28. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 762–763.
  29. ^ a b Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 763.
  30. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 12.
  31. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 16.
  32. ^ Bowman 2016, p. 43.
  33. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 18.
  34. ^ Bowman 2016, p. 32.
  35. ^ a b Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 20.
  36. ^ Wellington R1226.
  37. ^ Stirling N3654.
  38. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 21.
  39. ^ a b Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 22.
  40. ^ Wellington T2990.
  41. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 25.
  42. ^ Wellington R1502.
  43. ^ a b c Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 32.
  44. ^ a b Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 34.
  45. ^ Hampden AT194.
  46. ^ a b c d Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 36.
  47. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 43.
  48. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 44.
  49. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 45.
  50. ^ a b c Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 46.
  51. ^ a b Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 47.
  52. ^ Bowman 2012, p. 252.
  53. ^ Bowman 2016, p. 86.
  54. ^ Hudson AM794.
  55. ^ a b c d Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 49.
  56. ^ Hampden AT248.
  57. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 50.
  58. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 56.
  59. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 57.
  60. ^ Halifax W1220.
  61. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 60.
  62. ^ a b Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 65.
  63. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 80.
  64. ^ Lancaster ED543.
  65. ^ a b Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 85.
  66. ^ Halifax JB790.
  67. ^ Halifax DK177.
  68. ^ a b Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 89.
  69. ^ Stirling EF399.
  70. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 99.
  71. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 100.
  72. ^ Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 111.
  73. ^ Stirling EH931.
  74. ^ a b Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 118.
  75. ^ a b Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 132.
  76. ^ Lancaster EE188.
  77. ^ Lancaster JB543.
  78. ^ a b Knott 2008, p. 200.
  79. ^ a b Thomas 1998, p. 31.
  80. ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 281.
  81. ^ a b Scherzer 2007, p. 510.
  82. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 293.
  83. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 70.

Bibliography

Military offices
Preceded by Commander of Nachtjagdgeschwader 5
20 February 1944 – 12 March 1944 		Succeeded by
Oberstleutnant Walter Borchers

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