Kurt Tanzer

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Kurt Tanzer
JG 51, Jafü 6
Jafü Ostpreußen
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Kurt Tanzer (1 November 1920 – 25 June 1960) was a World War II Luftwaffe military aviator. As a flying ace, he is credited with approximately 128–143 aerial victories.[1] He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. He later joined the German Air Force and was killed in a flying accident on 25 June 1960.

Career

Tanzer was born on 1 November 1920 in

Army Group Center in vicinity of the 9th Army.[4]

Attack on the Rzhev salient in August 1942

On 30 July 1942, the Soviet

ground attack aircraft west of Rzhev.[6][7]

Tanzer achieved his 35th victory on 5 May 1943. On 6 May, Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 attacked the airfield where Tanzer was stationed. He managed to scramble and destroyed two Ilyushin Il-2. Despite being wounded, he continued attacking the raiding Soviet aircraft and shot down two more aircraft. After further intense battle, Tanzer landed his heavily damaged Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-7 (Werknummer 7161—factory number).[8] Tanzer's right hand was seriously injured and he suffered from heavy blood loss.[2][6] For this action, he was mentioned in the Honour Roll of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenblatt der Luftwaffe) and was nominated for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes).[9]

Following a period of convalescence, Tanzer returned to JG 51 and was assigned to the

ground attack missions and increased the number of his aerial victories. In June 1944, Tanzer accompanied Karl-Gottfried Nordmann to the staff of Jagdfliegerführer 6. He achieved his 100th victory in the same month in 1944 while serving with this formation.[2] He was the 81st Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.[11] He was then transferred to the staff of Jagdfliegerführer in East Prussia on 1 September 1944. Tanzer was transferred to 13. Staffel of JG 51 on 10 February 1945 and was appointed Staffelkapitän of the unit on 12 April.[6][12]

Later life and death

Bundeswehr Memorial, the Federal Ministry of Defence in the back

Following World War II, Tanzer joined the post-war

Son Sant Joan Airport. All four pilots were killed in the incident.[13][14] Tanzer and Seseke are listed on the Ehrenmal der Bundeswehr (Bundeswehr Memorial).[15]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Tanzer was credited with 143 aerial victories.[16] Spick also lists him with 143 aerial victories in 723 combat missions, 187 of which were ground attack missions. This figure includes 126 claims on the Eastern Front, and 17 on the Western Front, four of them being four-engined bombers.[1] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and state that he claimed at least 35 aerial victories, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front. The claim that he is attributed with 128 or even 143 aerial victories cannot be verified through the archives.[17]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 47581". 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.[18]

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
– 12. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –[6]
Eastern Front — 1 May 1942 – 3 February 1943
1 2 August 1942 09:00 Il-2 PQ 47581[7]
10 km (6.2 mi) west of Rzhev 		13 5 January 1943 09:18 Il-2 PQ 07792[19]
2 5 August 1942 04:50 Pe-2 PQ 46442[7]
20 km (12 mi) east-southeast of Dugino 		14 6 January 1943 08:30 MiG-3 PQ 07554[19]
3 24 August 1942 07:40 Il-2 PQ 47572[20]
10 km (6.2 mi) west of Rzhev 		15 6 January 1943 11:00 Pe-2 PQ 07813[19]
?[Note 1] 13 September 1942 17:35 Il-2 25 km (16 mi) northeast of Spas-Demensk[6] 16 6 January 1943 11:58 Il-2 PQ 07761[19]
4 3 December 1942 11:50 Il-2 20 km (12 mi) south-southwest of Tuleblja[22]
20 km (12 mi) south-southwest of Velikiye Luki 		17 6 January 1943 12:20 Il-2 PQ 07732[19]
5 8 December 1942 12:55 Il-2 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of Velikiye Luki[19] 18 7 January 1943 12:05 Pe-2 PQ 07584[19]
6 8 December 1942 13:03 Il-2 PQ 07521[19] 19 12 January 1943 13:18 MiG-3 PQ 07564[19]
7 9 December 1942 08:15 Il-2 33 km (21 mi) southwest of Velikiye Luki[19] 20 15 January 1943 11:25 Pe-2 PQ 07663[23]
8 16 December 1942 08:03 MiG-3 25 km (16 mi) south of Velikiye Luki[19] 21 16 January 1943 08:10 MiG-3 PQ 07582[23]
9 16 December 1942 08:10 Il-2 35 km (22 mi) northwest of Velikiye Luki[19] 22 16 January 1943 08:14 Pe-2 PQ 07553[23]
10 16 December 1942 08:12 Il-2 35 km (22 mi) northwest of Velikiye Luki[19] 23 16 January 1943 14:45 Il-2 PQ 07363[23]
11 16 December 1942 11:40 Il-2 PQ 07791[19] 24 26 January 1943 11:20 LaGG-3 PQ 07593[23]
12 5 January 1943 09:15 Il-2 PQ 07762[19]
10 km (6.2 mi) northeast of Bely
– 12. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –[24]
Eastern Front — 4 February – 6 May 1943
25 7 March 1943 14:40 MiG-3 PQ 35 Ost 36142[25] 31 25 April 1943 11:47 Yak-1 PQ 35 Ost 63571[25]
20 km (12 mi) south-southeast of Trosna
26 10 April 1943 12:56 R-Z?[Note 2] PQ 35 Ost 46731[25]
15 km (9.3 mi) east of Vazma 		32 6 May 1943 13:18 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 63143[25]
15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Oryol
27 10 April 1943 12:58 U-2 PQ 35 Ost 45122[25]
25 km (16 mi) south of Vazma 		33 6 May 1943 13:19 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 53264[25]
10 km (6.2 mi) south of Oryol
28 14 April 1943 09:10 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 42184[25]
10 km (6.2 mi) north of Kursk 		34 6 May 1943 13:25 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 53264[25]
15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Oryol
29?[Note 3] 14 April 1943 09:12 Yak-1 PQ 35 Ost 62182[25] 35 6 May 1943 13:27 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 63171[25]
15 km (9.3 mi) west of Zmiyekka
30 19 April 1943 08:52 R-5 PQ 35 Ost 45141[25]
30 km (19 mi) south-southwest of Vazma

Awards

Notes

  1. ^ This claim is not listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock.[21]
  2. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Polikarpov R-5.[24]
  3. ^ This claim is not listed by Mathews and Foreman.[24]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Spick 1996, p. 229.
  2. ^ a b c Obermaier 1989, p. 214.
  3. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 350.
  4. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 340.
  5. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 342.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1304.
  7. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2006, p. 355.
  8. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 157.
  9. ^ Aders & Held 1993, p. 135.
  10. ^ Weal 2006, p. 106.
  11. ^ Obermaier 1989, p. 244.
  12. ^ Aders & Held 1993, p. 251.
  13. Aviation Safety Network
    . Retrieved on 12 February 2020.
  14. Aviation Safety Network
    . Retrieved on 12 February 2020.
  15. ^ Ehrenmal der Bundeswehr.
  16. ^ Zabecki 2014, p. 1612.
  17. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1304–1305.
  18. ^ Planquadrat.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Prien et al. 2006, p. 358.
  20. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 356.
  21. ^ Prien et al. 2006, pp. 356–357.
  22. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 357.
  23. ^ a b c d e Prien et al. 2006, p. 359.
  24. ^ a b c Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1305.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Prien et al. 2012, p. 147.
  26. ^ Dixon 2023, p. 61.
  27. ^ Patzwall 2008, p. 203.
  28. ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 470.
  29. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 419.
  30. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 738.

Bibliography

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kurt_Tanzer&oldid=1206905657"