Ernst Kühl (pilot)

Ernst Kühl (born March 28, 1888 in Breslau , † February 2, 1972 in Münster ) was a highly decorated German Air Force officer and fighter pilot in the Air Force during World War II . At the end of the war , he was considered a colonel alongside Werner Baumbach , Joachim Helbig , Dietrich Peltz and Hermann Hogeback as the most successful fighter pilot in the Air Force.

Young years

As the son of a professor of New Testament theology, Kühl grew up in Breslau . At the age of seven, his father was transferred to the academy in Königsberg , where young Kühl spent his youth. From 1910 to 1911 he served as a one-year volunteer in the riding department of the 1st Kurhessian Field Artillery Regiment No. 11 in Fritzlar . He studied public law, international law and economics in Königsberg and Berlin . His final legal dissertation was entitled: The husband as guardian of his wife . Kühl himself remained a bachelor throughout his life . Until 1914, Kühl served as a government trainee in the internal administration of Prussia .

First World War and the interwar years

After the outbreak of the First World War , Kühl acted as a lieutenant in the function of an artillery and battery officer in the 2nd Westphalian Field Artillery Regiment No. 22 and with Artillery Commander No. 96 on the Western Front . For his achievements he received both classes of the Iron Cross .

After the war, Kühl went back to his legal work , transferred to Altena . In 1928 he was appointed to the provincial administration in Münster . There he later acquired his private flight license at the Loddenheide sports airport , completed three flights in Germany and took part in various flight competitions. In 1935 he was taken over by the Air Force as a reserve officer due to his flight experience . He then flew his training flights in Kampfgeschwader 27 and Kampfgeschwader 55 . Before the start of the war, he rose to Captain of the Reserve on August 1, 1939 .

Second World War

Wing coat of arms of Kampfgeschwader 55, which Kühl led for a long time.

In the Kampfgeschwader 55, Kühl also flew during the attack on Poland , where he acquired the Iron Cross, 2nd class. In the subsequent campaign in the west he was awarded the Iron Cross First Class clasp. After the French campaign, Kühl, now 53 years old, transferred to the squadron staff of Kampfgeschwader 55 (KG 55) and took part in the Battle of Britain in this capacity . Here he was shot down by British fighters over the Channel in September 1940, but was rescued by a sea rescue aircraft while drifting with his crew in the lifeboat. A little later he flew his 100th enemy flight. On December 20, 1940, he was awarded the Cup of Honor for Special Achievement in Air Warfare . In March 1941, Kühl was promoted to command of Group II of KG 55, which was then transferred to the Eastern Front. After more than 100 enemy flights in the southern section of the front, Kühl was promoted to lieutenant colonel on February 1, 1942 , and in this rank was appointed commodore of KG 55 on August 27, 1942 . After completing 230 enemy flights and at the age of 54, Kühl received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on October 26, 1942 , after having been awarded the German Cross in Gold on August 21, 1942 . His squadron then flew attacks on Moscow and, from November 1942, supply flights to Stalingrad . The latter became the main task of the squadron until January 1943.

In order to ensure the supply of the enclosed German units, Kühl was appointed air transport leader Morozovskaya there (200 km west of Stalingrad). In January 1943 this airfield was lost due to the geological situation, so that the squadron had to be relocated to Novocherkassk (300 km west of Stalingrad) on the Don. The squadron continued to fly supply flights to Stalingrad until January 27, 1943 under catastrophic winter conditions. The squadron lost 165 He 111 between November 24, 1942 and January 31, 1943 . On their last deployment on January 27, 1943, the last 50 operational He 111s flew to the boiler again. After the collapse of the Stalingrad pocket, Kühl's squadron flew numerous attacks on the defensive battles on the Don and Kursk without being refreshed. On August 8, 1943, Kühl handed over the fate of the squadron to Wilhelm Antrup and was appointed Fliegerführer Eismeer .

There he coordinated torpedo attacks and anti-escort operations on northern sea convoys in the Murmansk area . On December 18, 1943, he was awarded the Oak Leaves for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (356th award) and in February 1944 he was appointed commander of the 3rd Air Force Division , which operates in the area of Air Fleet 1 in the northern section of the Eastern Front in the Pleskau area - Lake Peipus was used. From June to July 1944, Kühl was entrusted with the establishment of Flieger-Brigade 4, but its command was disbanded in July 1944. Cool then resumed his position as Pilot Drontheim, where he completed his 315th and last enemy flight. On April 11 and June 21, 1944, Kühl was mentioned in the Wehrmacht report.

In January 1945 he was appointed commander of the 5th Aviation Division of Narvik Fortress . In March 1945 he was appointed commander of the 14th Aviation Division in Westphalia , but he could no longer take up his post due to the interruption of the air connection from Norway. At the end of the war he was taken prisoner by the British.

Post-war years

In September 1947, Kühl returned to Germany and wrote several works and was a member of the expert committee for the reorganization of the federal territory. In addition, he prepared a memorandum for the then Prime Minister Karl Arnold on the restructuring of the federal territory. In 1955 he was delegated to the Luther Committee on this matter . During this time he also built up the Aero-Club Münster, of which he was appointed 1st chairman. Later, the Bundestag delegated Ernst Kühl as a representative of the Air Force to the Personnel Appraisal Committee for the review of former generals and colonels for possible use in the Bundeswehr . For his work in the post-war period, he received the Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany .

literature

• Georg Brütting : That was the German fighter aces 1939–1945 , 4th edition, Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-87943-345-3 , pp. 133–141.
• Wolfgang Dierich : Kampfgeschwader 55 Greif , 2nd edition, Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1994, ISBN 978-3-87943-340-7 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Veit Scherzer : Knight's Cross bearer 1939–1945. The holders of the Iron Cross of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and armed forces allied with Germany according to the documents of the Federal Archives. 2nd Edition. Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, Ranis / Jena 2007, ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 , p. 480.