Franz Barten
Franz Barten | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 January 1912 JG 53 |
| Battles/wars | See battles
|
| Awards | German Cross in Gold (posthumous)Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Franz Barten (26 January 1912 – 4 August 1944) was a
fighter ace from Germany. He was born on 26 January 1912 at Saarbrücken. Barten was credited with having shot down a total of 52 Allied
aircraft.
On 4 August 1944, Barten was shot down in a
P-47 Thunderbolt belonging to the United States Army Air Forces near Reinsehlen
. He bailed out of his aircraft, but was shot while hanging in his parachute.
Career
Barten was born on 26 January 1912 in
Breslau-Schöngarten.[3]
World War II
World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. In preparation for the invasion in end-August 1939, I. Gruppe of JG 77, to which the 2. Staffel was subordinated, had been moved from Breslau-Schöngarten to an airfield at Juliusburg, present-day Dobroszyce. The Gruppe operated over the left flank of Army Group South, supporting the 8th Army advance into Poland. Its main task was flying combat air patrols but had relatively little enemy contact.[4]
On 25 August 1940, I. Gruppe of JG 77 relocated from
Boulogne.[8]
Operation Barbarossa
On 15 June, IV. Gruppe of JG 51 began transferring east and was located at an airfield named Krzewicze, located approximately 70 kilometers (43 miles) west of
On 10 November 1942, Barten was injured when his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 12878—factory number) aircraft suffered engine failure, forcing him to bail out near Surazh.[11]
On 13 July 1943, Barten was transferred and appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of the 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing). He succeeded Oberleutnant Hans Röhrig who was killed in action that day.[12]
Defense of the Reich and death
On 28 June 1944, III. Gruppe arrived by train in
Defense of the Reich.[13] There, the Gruppe was assigned a number of inexperienced pilots directly coming from the Ergänungsgruppe, the supplementary training unit of JG 53. Over the next weeks, Barten and other experienced pilots further trained and prepared these pilots for their first combat missions.[14] The Gruppe received a full complement of Bf 109 G-6 aircraft, most of them equipped with the 20 mm MG 151/20 underwing gun pod. The Gruppenkommandeur Franz Götz ordered these gun pods removed as the additional weight had an adverse effect on the handling qualities, reducing the Bf 109s performance in fighter-versus-fighter combat.[15] The Gruppe flew its first operational mission on 28 July. That day, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force targeted German fuel production in central Germany.[16]
On 4 August 1944, Barten was shot down in aerial combat with USAAF Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters near the Luftwaffe airfield at Reinsehlen. He bailed out of his Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 441575) but was then killed. According to records of the Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt), a German government agency which maintained records of who were killed in action, Barten fell to his death because his parachute failed to fully deploy after a low altitude bail-out.[17] According to Weal, he was shot in his parachute by P-47 fighters. Posthumously, Barten was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 24 October 1944 and also promoted to Hauptmann (captain).[18] He was succeeded by Oberleutnant Martin von Vacano as commander of 9. Staffel.[19]
Summary of career
Aerial victory claims
According to Obermaier, Barten was credited with 52 aerial victories, 39 of which on the Eastern Front, achieved in 895 combat missions.[2] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 52 aerial victory claims. This number includes four claims during the Battle of Britain, 39 on the Eastern Front, and nine in the Mediterranean Theater including three heavy bombers.[20]
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 47612". The Luftwaffe grid map (Jägermeldenetz) covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15
minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about 360 square miles (930 km2). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 km × 4 km (1.9 mi × 2.5 mi) in size.[21]
| 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 | Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location |
| – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 77 –[22] Action at the Channel and over England — 25 August – 21 November 1940 | |||||||||
| 1 | 14 September 1940 | 17:00 | Hurricane[23] | 3 | 17 October 40 | 18:05 | Spitfire | Tunbridge Wells[24] | |
| 2 | 17 October 1940 | 17:56 | Hurricane | south of Tunbridge Wells[24] | |||||
| – 11. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –[22] Action at the Channel and over England — 21 November 1940 – 7 June 1941 | |||||||||
| 4 | 15 April 1941 | 08:55 | Spitfire | southeast of Boulogne[24] | |||||
| – 11. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –[22] Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 5 December 1941 | |||||||||
| 5 | 22 June 1941 | 16:10 | DB-3[25] | 15 | 7 September 1941 | 17:12 | SB-2[26] | ||
| 6 | 24 June 1941 | 09:38 | SB-3[25] | 16 | 8 September 1941 | 05:30 | I-18 (MiG-1)[26] | ||
| 7 | 29 June 1941 | 18:38 | SB-2[25] | 17 | 9 September 1941 | 12:55 | R-3[26] | ||
| 8 | 4 July 41 | 14:50 | SB-2[27] | 18 | 9 September 1941 | 13:00 | R-3[26] | ||
| 9 | 11 July 1941 | 07:40 | ZKB-19[28]?[Note 2] | 19 | 10 September 1941 | 11:56 | R-3[26] | ||
| 10 | 13 July 1941 | 12:24 | Pe-2[28] | 20 | 6 October 1941 | 16:55 | I-18 (MiG-1)[29] | ||
| 11 | 15 July 1941 | 09:45 | I-16[30] | 21 | 23 October 1941 | 15:20 | Yak-1[29]?[Note 3] | ||
| 12 | 15 July 1941 | 16:20 | DB-3[30] | 22 | 27 October 1941 | 14:20 | DB-3[29] | ||
| 13 | 9 August 1941 | 12:05 | Pe-2[31] | 23 | 12 November 1941 | 08:10 | SB-3[32] | ||
| 14 | 27 August 1941 | 16:50 | Pe-2[33] | 24 | 12 November 1941 | 08:11 | SB-3[32] | ||
| – 11. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –[20] Eastern Front — 6 December 1941 – 30 April 1942 | |||||||||
| 25 | 4 February 42 | 12:55 | I-18 (MiG-1)[34] | 30 | 21 March 42 | 07:40 | Pe-2[34] | ||
| 26 | 13 February 42 | 12:45 | I-18 (MiG-1)[34] | 31 | 1 April 42 | 10:55 | MiG-3[35] | ||
| 27 | 18 February 42 | 12:47 | I-18 (MiG-1)[34] | 32 | 6 April 42 | 07:20 | Pe-2[35] | ||
| 28 | 19 February 42 | 14:00 | I-61 (MiG-3)[34] | 33 | 6 April 42 | 14:35 | MiG-3[35] | ||
| 29 | 18 March 42 | 14:12 | I-18 (MiG-1)[34] | ||||||
| – 11. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –[36] Eastern Front — 1 May – August 1942 | |||||||||
| 34 | 30 May 42 | 05:40 | MiG-3[37] | 38 | 3 August 42 | 06:50 | Il-2 | PQ 47612[38] 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Rzhev | |
| 35 | 13 July 42 | 09:35 | LaGG-3[39] | 39 | 4 August 42 | 12:14 | Il-2 | PQ 36291[38] 5 km (3.1 mi) west of Konaja | |
| 36 | 2 August 42 | 11:55 | LaGG-3 | PQ 47551[38] 15 km (9.3 mi) north-northwest of Rzhev |
40 | 5 August 42 | 06:10 | LaGG-3 | PQ 47662[38] 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Staritsa |
| 37 | 2 August 42 | 17:45 | LaGG-3 | PQ 47522[38] 20 km (12 mi) north-northwest of Rzhev |
41 | 5 August 42 | 06:20 | Il-2 | PQ 47852[38] 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Zubtsov |
| – 11. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –[36] Eastern Front — April 1943 | |||||||||
| 42 | 8 April 43 | 15:40 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 45521[40] 15 km (9.3 mi) northeast of Utrikowo |
43 | 8 April 43 | 15:42 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 45342[40] 25 km (16 mi) north of Spas-Demensk |
| – 7. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –[36] Mediterranean Theater — July 1943 | |||||||||
| 44 | 12 July 43 | 18:28 | Spitfire | 5 km (3.1 mi) southeast of Ramacca[41] | |||||
| – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –[36] Mediterranean Theater — 13 July – 31 December 1943 | |||||||||
| 45 | 19 August 43 | 12:33 | B-17 | east of Salerno[41] | 48 | 3 September 43 | 13:53 | B-24 | 5 km (3.1 mi) west of Villa Literno[42] |
| 46 | 20 August 43 | 12:32?[Note 4] | P-38 | 2 km (1.2 mi) east of Castel Volturno[43] | 49 | 1 December 43 | 12:48 | P-38 | 40 km (25 mi) south of La Spezia[44] |
| 47 | 28 August 43 | 15:48?[Note 5] | P-38 | 50 km (31 mi) southeast of Fondi[43] | 50 | 28 December 43 | 11:45 | B-24 | 32 km (20 mi) south-southwest of Padua[44] |
| – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –[36] Mediterranean Theater — 1 January – 27 June 1944 | |||||||||
| 51 | 6 February 44 | 16:37 | Spitfire | 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Nettuno[45] | 52 | 14 April 44 | 10:24 | P-47 | PQ 14 Ost S/FD-5[46] south of Elba |
Awards
- Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class[47]
- Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 20 October 1941 as Oberfeldwebel in a Jagdgeschwader[48]
- German Cross in Gold on 22 May 1942 as Oberfeldwebel in the 11./Jagdgeschwader 51[49]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 24 October 1944 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 53[50][Note 6]
Notes
- ^ Flight training in the Luftwaffe progressed through the levels A1, A2 and B1, B2, referred to as A/B flight training. A training included theoretical and practical training in aerobatics, navigation, long-distance flights and dead-stick landings. The B courses included high-altitude flights, instrument flights, night landings and training to handle the aircraft in difficult situations.[1]
- ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Ilyushin DB-3.[22]
- ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Yakovlev Yak-3.[22]
- ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 12:22.[36]
- ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 15:25.[36]
- ^ According to Scherzer as Staffelkapitän in the III./Jagdgeschwader 53.[51]
References
Citations
- ^ Bergström, Antipov & Sundin 2003, p. 17.
- ^ a b Obermaier 1989, p. 85.
- ^ Prien et al. 2000a, pp. 268–269.
- ^ Prien et al. 2000a, p. 455.
- ^ Prien 1992, p. 329.
- ^ Prien 1992, p. 386.
- ^ Prien 1992, pp. 412–413.
- ^ Prien et al. 2002, pp. 97–98, 100, 106.
- ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 319.
- ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 206.
- ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 361.
- ^ Prien et al. 2011, pp. 260, 278.
- ^ Prien et al. 2019, p. 399.
- ^ Prien 1991, p. 1374.
- ^ Prien 1991, p. 1377.
- ^ Prien et al. 2019, p. 400.
- ^ Prien et al. 2019, p. 410.
- ^ Weal 2012, p. 110.
- ^ Prien et al. 2019, p. 406.
- ^ a b Mathews & Foreman 2014, pp. 49–50.
- ^ Planquadrat.
- ^ a b c d e Mathews & Foreman 2014, p. 49.
- ^ Prien et al. 2002, p. 105.
- ^ a b c Prien et al. 2002, p. 106.
- ^ a b c Prien et al. 2003, p. 334.
- ^ a b c d e Prien et al. 2003, p. 344.
- ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 336.
- ^ a b Prien et al. 2003, p. 337.
- ^ a b c Prien et al. 2003, p. 345.
- ^ a b Prien et al. 2003, p. 338.
- ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 341.
- ^ a b Prien et al. 2003, p. 346.
- ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 343.
- ^ a b c d e f Prien et al. 2005, p. 119.
- ^ a b c Prien et al. 2005, p. 120.
- ^ a b c d e f g Mathews & Foreman 2014, p. 50.
- ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 352.
- ^ a b c d e f Prien et al. 2006, p. 355.
- ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 354.
- ^ a b Prien et al. 2012, p. 147.
- ^ a b Prien et al. 2011, p. 269.
- ^ Prien et al. 2011, p. 271.
- ^ a b Prien et al. 2011, p. 270.
- ^ a b Prien et al. 2011, p. 272.
- ^ Prien et al. 2021, p. 254.
- ^ Prien et al. 2021, p. 255.
- ^ Dixon 2023, p. 161.
- ^ Patzwall 2008, p. 45.
- ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 25.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 122.
- ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 203.
Bibliography
- ISBN 978-0-9721060-4-7.
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- Dixon, Jeremy (2023). Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe: Knight's Cross Holders 1943–1945. Barnsley: ISBN 978-1-39903-073-1.
- ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2014). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 1 A–F. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-18-9.
- Nietrug, Gerd (2004). Die Ritterkreuzträger des Saarlandes 1939–1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Saarland 1939–1945] (in German). Zweibrücken: VDM Nickel. ISBN 978-3-925480-93-5.
- Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
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- Prien, Jochen (1991). Pik-As: Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 53 — 3 — Das Ende in Italien 1944, Rumänien, Ungarn 1944/45, Einsatz zur Verteidigung des Reiches 1943–1945 [Ace of Spades: History of the Fighter Wing 53 — 3 — The End in Italy 1944, Romania, Hungary 1944/45, Defense of the Reich 1943–1945] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-16-8.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2000a). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 1—Vorkriegszeit und Einsatz über Polen—1934 bis 1939 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 1—Pre-War Period and Action over Poland—1934 to 1939] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-54-0.
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- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/I—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/I—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-69-4.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2005). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/I—Winterkampf im Osten—6.12.1941 bis 30.4.1942 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/I—Winter War in the East—6 December 1941 to 30 April 1942] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-76-2.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2006). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/II—Vom Sommerfeldzug 1942 bis zur Niederlage von Stalingrad—1.5.1942 bis 3.2.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/II—From the 1942 Summer Campaign to the Defeat at Stalingrad—1 May 1942 to 3 February 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-77-9.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2011). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 11/II—Einsatz im Mittelmeerraum—1.1 bis 31 December 1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 11/II—Action in the Mediterranean Theater—1 January to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-942943-00-0.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2012). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 12/II—Einsatz im Osten—4.2. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 12/II—Action in the East—4 February to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN 978-3-942943-05-5.
- Prien, Jochen; Balke, Ulf; Stemmer, Gerhard; Bock, Winfried (2019). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 13/V—Einsatz im Reichsverteidigung und im Westen—1.1. bis 31.12.1944 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 13/V—Action in the Defense of the Reich and in the West—1 January to 31 December 1944] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-942943-21-5.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Bock, Winfried; Balke, Ulf (2021). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 14—Einsatz im Mittelmeerraum—1.1. bis 15.9.1944 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 14—Action in the Mediterranean Theater—1 January to 15 September 1944] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-942943-24-6.
- 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 Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
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