Wilhelm Johnen (pilot)
Wilhelm Johnen (born October 9, 1921 in Homberg-Meiersberg ( Düsseldorf district , now the city of Ratingen ), † February 7, 2002 in Überlingen ) was a German air force pilot.
Military operation
Johnen was deployed with night fighter squadrons 1 , 5 and 6 in Holland, the German Empire and Hungary . He achieved 34 confirmed kills in 267 night missions and 39 day missions. At the end of the Second World War , he rose from private to captain and group commander . He received the German Cross in Gold, the Iron Cross and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross . On April 30, 1945, the group of fliers under John's command surrendered to the US land forces after destroying their operational planes, and went into captivity .
Incident in Switzerland
On the night of April 28, 1944, the Messerschmitt Bf 110 G flown by Johnen with the identification C9 + EN got into Swiss airspace and was forced to land on the Dübendorf military airfield . Since the aircraft was equipped with the new, secret Lichtenstein SN-2 on- board radar , the Germans first tried to have the aircraft returned to Germany immediately. In return, the delivery of twelve Messerschmitt Bf 109 Gs was promised. However, since Switzerland did not agree to the return, an agreement was reached in return for the delivery of the twelve machines to destroy the Bf 110 in Dübendorf. On the evening of May 17, the machine was blown up by Swiss pioneers under German supervision . The three-man crew was allowed to return to Germany. The Federal Intelligence Service had previously received information from Berlin according to which Adolf Hitler would have been prepared, if necessary, to order an air raid on Dübendorf or a commando operation so as not to let the Bf 110 fall into enemy hands. This would have meant the outbreak of open war between the German Reich and Switzerland.
post war period
After his release from captivity, Johnen settled in Munich and studied engineering there. After completing his studies, Johnen briefly worked for Willy Messerschmitt before founding his own company.
Works
- Duel under the stars - factual report by a German night fighter 1941–1945 . Flechsig, Würzburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-8035-0003-8 .
See also
literature
- Jerry Scutts: German Night Fighter Aces of World War 2 . In: Osprey Aircraft of the Aces . No. 20 . Osprey Aerospace, Oxford 1998, ISBN 1-85532-696-5 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ J. Scutts, Night Fighter Aces, p.65
- ↑ Janusz Piekałkiewicz : Air War 1939-1945 , Bechtermünz Verlag, ISBN 3-8289-0303-7 , p. 348 ff.
- ↑ Janusz Piekałkiewicz: Air War 1939-1945 , Bechtermünz Verlag, ISBN 3-8289-0303-7 , p. 350
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Johnen, Wilhelm |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German pilot |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 9, 1921 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Homberg-Meiersberg |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 7, 2002 |
| Place of death | Überlingen |