Misplaced Pages

Heinrich Krafft

Article snapshot taken from[REDACTED] with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Heinrich Krafft
Nickname(s)"Gaudi"
Born13 August 1914
Bilin, Bohemia
Died14 December 1942(1942-12-14) (aged 28)
Belyi, Russia
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service / branchArmy (1935–36)
Luftwaffe (1936–42)
Years of service1935–42
RankHauptmann
UnitJG 51
CommandsI./JG 51
Battles / warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Heinrich "Gaudi" Krafft (13 August 1914 – 14 December 1942) was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. During his career he was credited with 78 aerial victories, 4 over the Western Front and 74 over the Eastern Front.

On 1 June 1942, Krafft succeeded Hauptmann Josef Fözö as Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe of JG 51.

Summary of career

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Krafft was credited with 78 aerial victories.

Awards

Notes

  1. According to Scherzer as Oberleutnant.

References

Citations

  1. Aders & Held 1993, p. 247.
  2. Zabecki 2014, p. 1615.
  3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 271.
  4. Scherzer 2007, p. 469.

Bibliography

  • Aders, Gebhard; Held, Werner (1993). Jagdgeschwader 51 'Mölders' Eine Chronik – Berichte – Erlebnisse – Dokumente [Fighter Wing 51 'Mölders' A Chronicle – Reports – Experiences – Documents] (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-613-01045-1.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) . Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • 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.
  • Zabecki, David T., ed. (2014). Germany at War: 400 Years of Military History. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. ISBN 978-1-59884-981-3.
Military offices
Preceded byHauptmann Josef Fözö Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 51
1 June 1942 – 14 December 1942 		Succeeded byHauptmann Rudolf Busch
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Moelders"
Oak Leaves with JG 2. Knight's Cross with JG 53. Knight's Cross and Oak Leaves with JG 26. Oak Leaves and Swords with JG 3. Oak Leaves and Swords with JG 26.
Portals: Categories:
Heinrich Krafft Add topic