Kurt Plenzat

Kurt Plenzat (born January 17, 1914 in Insterburg ; † November 17, 1998 in Cologne ) was a " Stuka " pilot in the German Air Force in World War II and holder of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross .

Early career

Plenzat occurred on April 1, 1933, the 10th Company of the 2nd (Prussian) Infantry Regiment one, came in 1935 to the 11th Company of the Infantry -Regiments 44 and moved in July 1938 to the Air Force . There he was trained as a Stuka pilot and came to the 2nd squadron of the squadron via the supplementary group of the Stuka squadron 2.

Second World War

As a sergeant , he made his first enemy flight on the Canal in 1940. In the spring of 1941 he flew in the Balkans and took part in the battle for Crete.

From June 1941 he flew over the Soviet Union and on October 14, 1941 he was awarded the Cup of Honor for Special Achievement in Air Warfare. On April 9, 1942 he received the German Cross in Gold. After 652 enemy flights, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on September 19, 1943 as a sergeant major . For Lieutenant promoted, he led from the end of 1943, the second season of the now battle Wing Number 2 . On October 18, 1944, he flew his 1,000th over Hungary. Use and was awarded the 712th oak leaf on January 24, 1945 after 1,100 enemy flights . At the end of the war he had completed 1,234 enemy flights and is therefore ranked third among the Stuka-Aces, was shot down seven times, achieved four aerial victories and destroyed around 80 tanks, making him 12th among the most successful German attack pilots.

armed forces

In 1957 he joined the Bundeswehr and retired as a captain in 1971 .

Awards

Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st class
Trophy of honor for special achievement in the aerial warfare on October 14, 1941
German cross in gold on April 9, 1942
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with oak leaves
- Knight's Cross on September 19, 1943
- Oak leaves on January 24, 1945 (712th award)
Front flight clasp for combat and dive fighter pilots in gold with tag "Einsatzzahl 1200"
Cuff bracelet Crete

literature

Nauroth, Holger: Stukageschwader 2 - "Immelmann" - from the origin to the present , Verlag KW Schütz, 1988, ISBN 3-87725-123-4

Individual evidence

↑ ^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. 597.

personal data
SURNAME	Plenzat, Kurt
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German air force officer
DATE OF BIRTH	January 17, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH	Insterburg
DATE OF DEATH	November 17, 1998
Place of death	Cologne

[RKT-1] 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. 597.