Klaus Quaet-Faslem
Klaus Quaet-Faslem | |
---|---|
Born | 5 September 1913 Kiel, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
Died | 30 January 1944(1944-01-30) (aged 30) Langeleben/Braunschweig, Nazi Germany |
Buried | Cemetery in Mönchengladbach-Holt |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Service/ | Luftwaffe |
Years of service | ?–1944 |
Rank | Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel) |
Unit | LG 2, JG 53, JG 3 |
Commands | I./JG 3 |
Battles/wars | World War II
|
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Klaus Quaet-Faslem (5 September 1913 – 30 January 1944) 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. On 30 January 1944 he was killed in a flying accident due to bad weather. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross on 9 June 1944. During his career he was credited with 49 aerial victories.
Career
On 20 October 1940, Quaet-Faslem was transferred from Jagdfliegerschule 1 (1st fighter pilot school) at Werneuchen to III. Gruppe (3rd group) of Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing) where he assumed the position of adjutant.[1] At the time, III. Gruppe was commanded by Hauptmann Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke.[2]
Operation Barbarossa
In preparation of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, JG 53 arrived in Mannheim-Sandhofen on 8 June 1941 where the aircraft were given a maintenance overhaul. On 12 June, the Geschwader began its relocation east, with III. Gruppe moving to Suwałki in northeastern Poland.[3] Two days later, III. Gruppe transferred to a forward airfield at Sobolewo.[4]
On 21 November 1941, Quaet-Faslem was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel of JG 53, succeeding Oberleutnant Ignaz Prestele who was transferred.[5]
On 19 August 1942, Quaet-Faslem was transferred and was succeeded by Leutant Walter Zellot as commander of 2. Staffel of JG 53.[6] On 31 August, he took command of I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing), succeeding Hauptmann Georg Michalek.[7]
On 17 August 1943 during the Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission, Quaet-Faslem claimed his 48th aerial victory when he shot down a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber.[8]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/Ehrengr%C3%A4ber_Friedhof_M%C3%B6nchengladbach-Holt.jpg/220px-Ehrengr%C3%A4ber_Friedhof_M%C3%B6nchengladbach-Holt.jpg)
On 30 January 1944, Quaet-Faslem was killed in a flying accident when his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 15243—factory number) crashed in bad weather at Langeleben near Helmstedt.[9] Following his death, Hauptmann Joachim von Wehren temporarily assumed command of the Gruppe before Hauptmann Josef Haiböck officially took command on 8 February.[10] His grave is located on the cemetery Mönchengladbach-Holt, next to the grave of Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke.
Summary of military career
Aerial victory claims
According to Obermaier, Quaet-Faslem was credited with 49 aerial victories, of which 41 were claimed on the Eastern Front, one over Poland and seven over the Western Allies, including two four-engine heavy bombers.[11] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 49 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim. This figure includes 42 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and seven on the Western Front, including two four-engine heavy bombers and one de Havilland Mosquito fighter bomber.[12]
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 4939". 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.[13]
Chronicle of aerial victories | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This and the – (dash) indicates unconfirmed aerial victory claims for which Quaet-Faslem did not receive credit. 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 |
– 1.(Jagd) Staffel of Lehrgeschwader 2 –[14] Invasion of Poland — 1–30 September 1939 | |||||||||
— | 4 September 1939 | — | PZL P.24 | vicinity of Poczałkowo[15] | 1 | 9 September 1939 | 17:02 | PZL P.24 | vicinity of Lubień[15] |
– Stab III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 53 –[14] Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – July 1941 | |||||||||
2 | 22 June 1941 | 16:45 | I-17 (MiG-1)[16] | 5 | 5 July 1941 | 16:06 | R-5[17] | ||
3 | 22 June 1941 | 16:47 | I-17 (MiG-1)[16] | 6 | 14 July 1941 | 14:22 | R-5[17] | ||
4 | 26 June 1941 | 10:01 | DB-3[18] | ||||||
– Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 53 – Operation Barbarossa — July – 7 August 1941 | |||||||||
— [Note 1] | 25 July 1941 | — | DB-3[19] | — [Note 1] | 4 August 1941 | — | I-16[20] | ||
– Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 53 –[14] Action over the Netherlands — 7 August – 15 December 1941 | |||||||||
7 | 24 October 1941 | 15:40 | Spitfire | 80 km (50 mi) west of Zandvoort[21] | |||||
– 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –[14] Mediterranean Theater — 15 December 1941 – 30 April 1942 | |||||||||
8 | 22 December 1941 | 14:36 | Hurricane[22] | Malta | 10 | 14 April 1942 | 16:45 | Beaufort[22] | |
9 | 15 February 1942 | 09:17?[Note 2] | Beaufort[22] | ||||||
– 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –[23] Eastern Front — 28 May – 18 August 1942 | |||||||||
11 | 1 June 1942 | 08:25 | I-61 (MiG-3)[24] | 24 | 7 August 1942 | 10:47 | MiG-1 | PQ 4939[25] 25 km (16 mi) south of Stalingrad | |
12 | 1 July 1942 | 12:20 | P-39 | 6 km (3.7 mi) southwest of Voronezh[26] | 25 | 8 August 1942 | 07:06 | Il-2 | PQ 49612[25] 35 km (22 mi) south-southeast of Stalingrad |
13 | 3 July 1942 | 13:15 | Il-2 | 15 km (9.3 mi) northeast of Semljansk[26] | 26 | 8 August 1942 | 17:30 | Er-2 | PQ 49351[25] 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Stalingrad |
14 | 3 July 1942 | 13:25 | Il-2 | 20 km (12 mi) south-southwest of Zadonsk[26] | 27 | 10 August 1942 | 08:27 | LaGG-3 | PQ 39364[27] 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Stalingrad |
15 | 5 July 1942 | 13:17 | Boston | 6 km (3.7 mi) east of Nishnij Kaluchowka[26] | 28 | 12 August 1942 | 04:38 | LaGG-3 | PQ 49351[27] 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Stalingrad |
16 | 5 July 1942 | 13:40 | Boston | 9 km (5.6 mi) east of Bojewo railway station[26] | 29 | 13 August 1942 | 17:40 | LaGG-3 | PQ 39422[27] 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Pitomnik Airfield |
17 | 8 July 1942 | 11:22 | Il-2[26] | 30 | 13 August 1942 | 17:45 | MiG-3?[Note 3] | PQ 39432[27] 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Pitomnik Airfield | |
18 | 11 July 1942 | 09:54 | I-61 (MiG-3)[26] | 31 | 13 August 1942 | 18:12 | Il-2 | PQ 49182[28] 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Bassargino | |
19 | 1 August 1942 | 07:04 | LaGG-3 | PQ 39251[29] 15 km (9.3 mi) northwest of Pitomnik Airfield | 32 | 16 August 1942 | 13:30 | LaGG-3 | PQ 40752[28] 30 km (19 mi) north of Gumrak |
20 | 5 August 1942 | 15:23 | R-Z[Note 4] | PQ 49653[30] 50 km (31 mi) south-southeast of Stalingrad | 33 | 17 August 1942 | 12:20?[Note 5] | Il-2 | PQ 39433[28] 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Pitomnik Airfield |
21 | 6 August 1942 | 10:33 | MiG-1 | PQ 49534[25] 30 km (19 mi) south of Stalingrad | 34 | 17 August 1942 | 17:03 | LaGG-3 | PQ 40774[28] 75 km (47 mi) north-northeast of Pitomnik Airfield |
22 | 6 August 1942 | 10:43 | R-Z?[Note 4] | PQ 49382[25] 25 km (16 mi) south of Bassargino | 35 | 17 August 1942 | 17:07?[Note 6] | LaGG-3 | PQ 30893[28] 25 km (16 mi) north of Pitomnik Airfield |
23 | 6 August 1942 | 15:00 | MiG-1 | PQ 4955[25] 45 km (28 mi) south-southwest of Stalingrad | |||||
– Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –[31] Eastern Front — 19 August 1942 – 20 January 1943 | |||||||||
36 | 19 August 1942 | 17:30 | LaGG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 40794[32] | 42 | 3 September 1942 | 06:00 | LaGG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 49434[33] |
37 | 19 August 1942 | 17:47 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 40841[32] | 43 | 3 September 1942 | 06:30 | P-40 | 6 km (3.7 mi) southeast of Srednyaya Akhtuba[33] 40 km (25 mi) east of Stalingrad |
38 | 22 August 1942 | 17:50 | Pe-2 | PQ 35 Ost 49131[32] 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Grebenka | 44 | 3 September 1942 | 17:30 | Yak-1 | PQ 35 Ost 59142[33] |
39 | 23 August 1942 | 06:05 | I-180 (Yak-7) | PQ 35 Ost 49253, northeast of Stalingrad[32] 45 km (28 mi) east-northeast of Stalingrad | 45 | 12 December 1942 | 09:30 | Pe-2 | PQ 35 Ost 3987[34] |
40 | 2 September 1942 | 06:24 | Pe-2 | PQ 35 Ost 50823[33] | 46 | 20 December 1942 | 11:00 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 3963[34] |
41 | 2 September 1942 | 06:25 | Pe-2 | PQ 35 Ost 50823[33] | |||||
– Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –[31] Defense of the Reich — 1 May – 22 October 1943 | |||||||||
47 | 17 July 1943 | 10:45 | B-17 | PQ 05 Ost S/GJ[35] over sea, off Haarlem | 48 | 17 August 1943 | 15:58 | B-17 | PQ 05 Ost S/QR-7[35] Geisenheim, west of Mainz |
– Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –[31] Action in the West — 1–8 January 1944 | |||||||||
49 | 4 January 1944 | 15:55 | Mosquito | west of Amiens[36] |
Awards
- Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 21 September 1942 as Oberleutnant and pilot[37]
- German Cross in Gold on 29 October 1942 as Oberleutnant in the I./Jagdgeschwader 53[38]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 June 1944 (posthumously) as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"[39][40]
Citations
- ^ a b This unconfirmed claim is not listed by Mathews and Foreman.[14]
- ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 09:11.[14]
- ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Ilyushin Il-2.[14]
- ^ a b According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Polikarpov R-5.[14]
- ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 12:25.[31]
- ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 17:08.[31]
References
Citations
- ^ Prien 1997, p. 179.
- ^ Prien 1997, p. 140.
- ^ Prien 1997, p. 252.
- ^ Prien 1997, p. 253.
- ^ Prien et al. 2003a, p. 93.
- ^ Prien 1998, p. 420.
- ^ Prien & Stemmer 2002, p. 403.
- ^ Weal 2013, p. 16.
- ^ Prien, Stemmer & Bock 2018, p. 279.
- ^ Prien, Stemmer & Bock 2018, p. 273.
- ^ Obermaier 1989, p. 182.
- ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 989–990.
- ^ Planquadrat.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 989.
- ^ a b Prien et al. 2000, p. 433.
- ^ a b Prien et al. 2003b, p. 159.
- ^ a b Prien et al. 2003b, p. 161.
- ^ Prien et al. 2003b, p. 160.
- ^ Prien et al. 2003b, p. 110.
- ^ Prien et al. 2003b, p. 111.
- ^ Prien et al. 2003a, p. 96.
- ^ a b c Prien et al. 2004, p. 66.
- ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 878–880.
- ^ Prien et al. 2006b, p. 21.
- ^ a b c d e f Prien et al. 2006b, p. 27.
- ^ a b c d e f g Prien et al. 2006b, p. 23.
- ^ a b c d Prien et al. 2006b, p. 28.
- ^ a b c d e Prien et al. 2006b, p. 29.
- ^ Prien et al. 2006b, p. 25.
- ^ Prien et al. 2006b, p. 26.
- ^ a b c d e Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 990.
- ^ a b c d Prien et al. 2006a, p. 102.
- ^ a b c d e Prien et al. 2006a, p. 103.
- ^ a b Prien et al. 2006a, p. 107.
- ^ a b Prien et al. 2008, p. 249.
- ^ Prien, Stemmer & Bock 2018, p. 277.
- ^ Patzwall 2008, p. 165.
- ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 362.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 258.
- ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 608.
Bibliography
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- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer [in German] (2000) [1986]. 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.
- Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 3 M–R. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-20-2.
- 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.
- Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
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- Prien, Jochen (1997). Jagdgeschwader 53 A History of the "Pik As" Geschwader March 1937 – May 1942. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7643-0175-9.
- Prien, Jochen (1998). Jagdgeschwader 53 A History of the "Pik As" Geschwader May 1942 – January 1944. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7643-0292-3.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard (2002). Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" in WWII: Stab and I./JG 3 in Action with the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military History. ISBN 978-0-7643-1681-4.
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- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2006b). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/III—Vom Sommerfeldzug 1942 bis zur Niederlage von Stalingrad—1 May 1942 bis 3 February 1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/III—From the 1942 Summer Campaign to the Defeat at Stalingrad—1 May 1942 to 3 February 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-78-6.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2008). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 10/II—Reichsverteidigung—1.1. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 10/II—Defense of the Reich—1 January to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-85-4.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Bock, Winfried (2018). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 13/IV—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/IV—Action in the Defense of the Reich and in the West—1 January to 31 December 1944] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-942943-19-2.
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