Otto Kittel
Otto Bruno Kittel (* 21st February 1917 in Kronsdorf , Silesia , Austria-Hungary ; † 16th February 1945 southwest Džūkste , Latvia ) was a German officer and fighter pilot of the Air Force of the Armed Forces in World War II . With 267 confirmed victories in 583 missions, he is the fourth most successful fighter pilot in military aviation.
Life
Otto Kittel joined the 2nd squadron of Jagdgeschwader 54 "Grünherz" in February 1941 as a non-commissioned officer . On May 31, 1941, due to technical difficulties, he had to parachute out of his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 over Spiekeroog and was wounded in the process. On June 22, 1941, he achieved his first two aerial victories by shooting down a Soviet bomber and a fighter. In July 1942, Sergeant Otto Kittel was married remotely in Krasnogwardeisk .
On February 19, 1943, Kittel achieved his 39th aerial victory, which was also the 4,000th enemy aircraft of Jagdgeschwader 54 shot down. On March 15, 1943, he achieved his 47th aerial victory and had to make an emergency landing behind enemy lines with his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-4 due to engine failure. In freezing cold and inadequately clothed, he crossed the frozen Ilmensee and after three days reached his own troops again. He was then promoted to Oberfeldwebel and was awarded the German Cross in Gold on February 26, 1943 .
On October 29, 1943, Kittel received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his 123rd victory in the air . He was then from November 1943 to January 1944 an instructor in the supplementary hunting group East in St. Jean in southern France. In March 1944 he returned to Jagdgeschwader 54, which was used in Normandy at the time. For his achievements there, he was awarded the Oak Leaves for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on April 11, 1944. On November 25, 1944, for his 230th confirmed victory in the air, he received the swords with oak leaves for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and his promotion to first lieutenant . Shortly afterwards he took command of the 2nd season.
Oberleutnant Otto Kittel was shot down on February 16, 1945 when attacking a Soviet air force southwest of Džūkste in Latvia and was killed in the process.
literature
- Franz Kurowski : First Lieutenant Otto Kittel . The most successful fighter pilot of the 54th Flechsig squadron, 2007, ISBN 978-3-88189-733-4 .
- Mike Spick: Aces of the Reich . The Making of a Luftwaffe Fighter Pilot. Greenhill, 2006, ISBN 978-1-85367-675-8 . (English)
See also
- List of German fighter pilots in World War II
- List of bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Fighter Pilots
Web links
- Otto Kittel - German fighter pilot. Acepilots.com, accessed July 23, 2020 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Veit Scherzer : Knight's Cross bearers 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. 444.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kittel, Otto |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kittel, Otto Bruno (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German officer and fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe of the Wehrmacht in World War II |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 21, 1917 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kronsdorf , Silesia , Austria-Hungary |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 16, 1945 |
| Place of death | at Džūkste |