Leopold Steinbatz

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Leopold Steinbatz (born October 25, 1918 in Vienna , † June 15, 1942 missing near Woltschansk near Charkow ) was an Austrian military pilot who was taken over into the German Air Force after the so-called Anschluss and shot down 99 enemy aircraft in World War II .

Life

Pre-war period

In 1937, after finishing his apprenticeship as a butcher , Steinbatz joined the army training regiment . In March 1938 Austria was annexed to the German Reich . Steinbatz was accepted into the air force of the German armed forces and trained as a fighter pilot. At the beginning of the war he belonged to the second squadron of the supplementary group of Jagdgeschwader 52 . Well-known fighter pilots of the Second World War emerged from this squadron of the Luftwaffe, such as Erich Hartmann , Günther Rall and Hermann Graf , whose Rottenflieger Steinbatz became.

Second World War

Deployments in Southeast Europe

In August 1940 "Bazi", as he was called by his comrades, finished his flying training. From October 12, 1940, the staff of the III. Group and the 9th squadron of Jagdgeschwader 52 to Romania , where they were supposed to secure the south-eastern flank of the German Reich and the future deployment area there for the attack on the Soviet Union. However, at that time the missions only consisted of protecting the oil areas and training the Romanian pilots on the Bf 109E . Steinbatz experienced his first combat mission at Merkur , the Battle of Crete.

Combat missions on the Eastern Front

Then the squadron was used in Operation Barbarossa , the German attack on the Soviet Union . Steinbatz achieved his first aerial victory on August 4, 1941. After his 42nd victory in the air he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and on June 2, 1942, after his 91st victory in the air, the Oak Leaves. In spring 1942 he flew with the most successful Jagdstaffel 9 / JG 52 at the time and was promoted to sergeant major on February 20, 1942 . At Easter 1942 he was back home for the last time on his wedding vacation. On June 15, 1942 Steinbatz was shot down by Soviet anti-aircraft cartillery. By then he had shot down 99 enemy planes. After his death, he was promoted posthumously to lieutenant on July 23, 1942 with effect from June 1, 1942 , and awarded him the swords to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He was the only member of the Wehrmacht from the team and non-commissioned officers' rank to receive this award.

Orders and decorations

See also

literature

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. 720.
  2. ↑ The High Command of the Wehrmacht announces ... The German Wehrmacht Report, Volume 2 1942–1943 , Biblio Verlag, Osnabrück 1892, ISBN 3-7648-1282-6 .
personal data
SURNAME Steinbatz, Leopold
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Austrian fighter pilot
DATE OF BIRTH October 25, 1918
PLACE OF BIRTH Vienna
DATE OF DEATH June 15, 1942
Place of death Volchansk , Ukraine