Hubert Zemke
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Hubert Zemke | |
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Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Silver Star (2) Distinguished Flying Cross (8) Purple Heart Air Medal (4) |
Biography
Born March 14, 1914, to German immigrant parents, Anna (1889–1972) and Benno Zemke (1882–1967), in Missoula, Montana, Zemke had no desire to fly; he intended to pursue a degree in forestry at the University of Montana in Missoula on football and boxing scholarships. While at the University of Montana, he was a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity. He left school in February 1936 to enter Army Flight Training.(Ref [1])
In 1936 Zemke's friends convinced him to try out for pilot training in the
In 1940, Zemke was sent to England as a combat observer with the
World War II
56th Fighter Group
In February 1942, after the United States' entry into World War II, Zemke desired to join a
Once established in England, the 56th began escorting bombers over Europe. Zemke made progress by stressing flight discipline and teamwork, often implementing ideas of even the lowest ranking man. Despite obvious problems with the P-47 as an aerial opponent to Luftwaffe fighters—primarily its poor rate of climb, very slow rate of acceleration, and radio problems—Zemke stressed the strengths of the Thunderbolt (its excellent dive performance and superior rate of roll) and conceived tactics to match them. Rather than encouraging discontent with the P-47, as was the case in the other groups but particularly in the 4th, he turned the aircraft into a positive weapon. Zemke's subordinates saw him as being stern but fair, and the 56th Fighter Group's proficiency with the P-47 and "dive, fire, and recover" tactics turned it into the leading air superiority group of VIII Fighter Command by August 1943. On May 8, 1943, Zemke was promoted to colonel. On June 13, 1943, while leading the 56th FG Zemke encountered and claimed two German Fw 190s flown by pilots of Jagdgeschwader 54.[2]
On October 4, 1943, Zemke scored his fifth kill, making him an
His success had what might have been a negative impact on his unit; he was relieved of command to go to Washington, D.C., as part of a team led by Brigadier General
After his return to the 56th, Zemke was important in helping turn the tide of the air war in Europe by espousing tactics that allowed U.S. fighters to break from close escort and attack enemy planes before they could get to the bombers, known as the "Zemke Fan", in which fighters rendezvoused at a prominent landmark in their escort zone while flying ahead of the bomber formations, then with the elements of fighters scattering and fanning out by flights in a 180° arc.[3] The Eighth Air Force as a whole adopted a modified "Zemke Fan" in early 1945 for all its groups. He also pushed other tactical innovations in aircraft markings and weapons employment that developed the P-47 into a superior aerial weapon.
While under Zemke's command, the 56th FG claimed over 500 of the eventual 665.5 German aircraft the group was credited with destroying in World War II, and he himself claimed shot down 15.25 of those. He was twice awarded the Distinguished Service Cross while commanding the 56th in 1944, for the missions of February 11 (bomber escort to Frankfurt) and March 6 (Berlin escort).
On 12 May 1944 Zemke was trying out the "Zemke Fan" tactic while on a bomber escort mission, when the P-47s found themselves isolated and bounced by
479th Fighter Group
On August 12, 1944, Zemke transferred to the
Shortly after its transition to P-51's, Zemke made one of the first probable shoot–downs of a German jet fighter. Zemke achieved 2.5 kills while leading the 479th and was slated to become chief of staff of the 66th Fighter Wing. Unfortunately on a mission on October 30, 1944, while flying in unforecasted turbulence, the wing of Zemke's P-51 was torn off. Zemke was forced to bail out over enemy territory and was captured. (In another twist, he was replaced in command by Colonel Riddle, who had evaded capture and returned in mid-September to be Zemke's deputy commander.) Zemke's combat service ended after 154 missions and 17.75 confirmed aerial victories.
Prisoner of war
Captured after several days of evasion, Zemke became a
Zemke established his leadership of the POWs, who numbered 9,000 by the end of the war. Gradually he developed working relations with the German camp commandant and staff and achieved some improvements in living conditions. Toward the end of the war, Zemke suspected the Germans might try to kill the POWs rather than allow them to be liberated by the advancing Soviet armies. In preparation, Zemke prepared a force of commandos and stockpiled weapons (mostly homemade grenades), in order to resist any such attempt.
As it became apparent that war was lost, the Germans became more cooperative, especially as Soviet armies approached from the east. When the prisoners of Stalag Luft I were ordered to leave the camp by the camp commandant, Zemke refused the order. Zemke and his staff negotiated an arrangement for the Germans to depart quietly at night, bearing only small arms, and turn the camp over to the Allied POW wing.
To avoid conflict between POWs and guards who had been particularly brutal, Zemke's staff kept the arrangement secret until the morning after the German departure. Zemke then cultivated friendly relations with the arriving Soviets, using his fluent German and some Russian language picked up during his time with the
Post-war Air Force career
Following the war, he was Tactics Division Chief at the Air Tactical School,
Next, he commanded the
After 3 years as Air Section Chief, U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group, Madrid, Spain, in October 1962 Zemke commanded the Reno Air Defense Sector at
Following retirement, he pursued a second career in agriculture. Colonel Hubert Zemke died August 30, 1994, in Oroville, California. In 2002 he was posthumously enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame. In 2006 the United States Air Force Academy Class of 2009 elected him as their class exemplar.[6]
Awards and decorations
Zemke's decorations include:
Command pilot
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Distinguished Service Cross | |
Silver Star with bronze oak leaf cluster | |
Distinguished Flying Cross with one silver and two bronze oak leaf clusters | |
Purple Heart | |
Air Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters | |
Army Commendation Medal | |
Air Force Presidential Unit Citation | |
Prisoner of War Medal[7] | |
American Defence Service Medal
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American Campaign Medal | |
campaign stars
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World War II Victory Medal | |
Army of Occupation Medal | |
National Defense Service Medal with one bronze service star | |
Air Force Longevity Service Award with silver oak leaf cluster
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Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
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Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) | |
Croix de Guerre with Palm (France)
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Croix de Guerre , with Palm (Belgium)
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Distinguished Service Cross citation
- Zemke, Hubert
- Colonel, U.S Army Air Corps
- 56th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force
- Date of Action: February 11, 1944
- Headquarters, U.S. Strategic Forces in Europe, General Orders No. 18 (March 20, 1944)
- Citation:
The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Colonel (Air Corps) Hubert Zemke, United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-47 Fighter Airplane in the
Zemke was named as the
References
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (February 2008) |
- ^ 1936 Forestry Kaimin Yearbook
- ^ "Focke Wulf 190 A-4 Wn. 6795".
- ^ Caldwell & Muller 2007, p. 196.
- ^ Caldwell & Muller 2007, p. 197.
- ^ Toliver, Raymond F. Nazi Interrogator: Kensington Publishing Corp.
- ^ Jackson, Daniel. "Colonel Hubert Zemke". USAFA.edu. [1]. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
- ^ Colonel Zemke is eligible for the Prisoner of War Medal when it was created in 1986.
- ^ "Valor awards for Hubert Zemke". Retrieved 8 January 2020.
Works cited
- Caldwell, Donald L.; Muller, Richard (2007). The Luftwaffe Over Germany: Defense of the Reich. Greenhill. ISBN 978-1-85367-712-0.
General references
- Zemke, Hub, and Freeman, Roger. (1989) Zemke's Wolf Pack: The Story of Hub Zemke and the 56th Fighter Group in the Skies over Europe. Crown. ISBN 978-0-517-07942-3
- Hess, William N. (1992) Zemke's Wolfpack: The 56th Fighter Group in World War II. ISBN 0-87938-622-3
- Zemke, Hubert, and Freeman, Rodger (1991) Zemke's Stalag: The Final Days of World War II, ISBN 1-56098-018-4
External links
- Hubert "Hub" Zemke, Air University Eagle biography
- National Aviation Hall of Fame
- Veterans tributes, Hubert Zemke
This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Air Force