Hansgeorg Bätcher
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Hansgeorg Bätcher (13 January 1914 – 23 April 2003) was a highly decorated pilot in the
Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
and with more than 658 combat missions the leading bomber ace during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. He was a recipients of the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...
.


Military Training and Second World War

Hansgeorg Bätcher began his training as a Pilot with Fliegergruppe Tutow between November 1935 and March 1936. Holding the rank of Leutnant, he became a Pilot in Kampfgeschwader 157 in December 1938. He participated in the invasion of Poland in 1939, and in the invasion of France in 1940. During one mission, he was shot down and captured in Rouen on 5 June 1940. He was released following France's surrender, and for a short time acted as a flying instructor. He continued active service in May 1941 with Kampfgruppe 100 "Wiking," fitted with Heinkel He 111 Bombers. In July 1941 he was made Staffelkapitän of Kampfgruppe 100, and deployed on the Eastern Front. His unit was flying missions over Moscow in late summer and fall of 1941. During these missions he earned the Bomber Clasp in Bronze in August, Silver in September, and Gold in November. In early 1942, Kampfgeschwader 100 was conducting maritime attacks against Soviet naval targets in the Black Sea. Bätcher had the distinction of being the most successful Pilot during this operation, sinking several Soviet vessels. In March of the same year he was promoted to Hauptmann. In the summer of 1942 he was engaged in the aerial assault of Sevastopol, and on July 2 he successfully carried out his 300th mission. In August 1942 his unit participated in the Battle of Stalingrad. He began flying supply missions to the 6th Army which was desperately besieged by the Red Army. Bätcher was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 21 December 1942. In the summer of 1943, his unit was involved in the Battle of Kursk. They later flew mission over the Kuban Bridgehead. He completed his 500th Combat Mission on 30 July 1943. In November 1943, Bätcher was promoted to Major, and made Gruppenkommandeur of the newly designated Kampfgeschwader 4. He completed his 600th mission on November 21, 1943, and his 650th on 9 February 1944. After having completed his 658th combat mission, Bätcher was assigned to the staff of Luftflottekommando 4 in May 1944. The following December he was given the command of Kampfgeschwader 76, which was equipped with the first Jet Bombers, the Arado Ar 234. His last Bomber missions were carried out with the Ar-234 against Allied troops in the West in February 1945. In February 1945 he was given the command of KG(J) 54 equipped with the Jet powered Messerschmitt Me-262; he held this post until the end of the War. Bätcher was captured by American troops in May 1945. Bätcher was known for his skill and success at
Maritime interdiction Maritime Interception (or naval interdiction) operations (MIOs) are naval operations, that aim to delay, disrupt, or destroy enemy forces or supplies en route to the battle area before they do any harm against friendly forces, similar to air interd ...
. He was responsible for most of the German successes against shipping the
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
in 1942.Bergström 2007b, p. 27. In one occasion the command of ''Luftflotte'' 4 demanded all supply ships be destroyed near the Crimean coast. When a 7,500-ton ship was spotted bringing in fuel,
Alexander Löhr Alexander Löhr (20 May 1885 – 26 February 1947) was an Austrian Air Force commander during the 1930s and, after the annexation of Austria, he was a Luftwaffe commander. Löhr served in the Luftwaffe during World War II, rising to commander of ...
ordered its destruction and selected him for this mission personally. Bätcher attempted an attack but was driven off by heavy
anti-aircraft artillery Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
. Flying out-to-sea, he returned, throttled back the engines in order not to alert the Soviets by their sound, and made an attack, releasing his bombs without the use of his
bomb aimer A bombardier or bomb aimer is the crew member of a bomber aircraft responsible for the targeting of aerial bombs. "Bomb aimer" was the preferred term in the military forces of the Commonwealth, while "bombardier" (from the French word for "bom ...
. A SC500 bomb struck amidships and destroyed the tanker without experiencing return fire. The ship was likely ''Emba'', destroyed at Kamysh-Burun, seven miles south of Kerch. An exact date and place of the mission is not known as the pages of Bätcher's logbook are missing. On 20 February the ship ''Kommunist'' was also sunk by Batcher, on route from
Novorossiysk Novorossiysk ( rus, Новоросси́йск, p=nəvərɐˈsʲijsk; ady, ЦIэмэз, translit=Chəməz, p=t͡sʼɜmɜz) is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is one of the largest ports on the Black Sea. It is one of the few cities hono ...
to
Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...
.


Awards and decorations

*
Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia est ...
(1939) 2nd Class (27 September 1939) & 1st Class (15 July 1940)Thomas 1997, p. 19. *
Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe The ''Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe'' (Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe) was a Luftwaffe award established on 27 February 1940 by ''Reichsmarschall'' Hermann Göring, the ''Reich'' Minister of Aviation and Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe. It was of ...
on 24 November 1941 as ''
Oberleutnant () is the highest lieutenant officer rank in the German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. Austria Germany In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Trans ...
'' and ''
Staffelkapitän ''Staffelkapitän'' is a position (not a rank) in flying units ( ''Staffel'') of the German Luftwaffe that is the equivalent of RAF/USAF Squadron Commander. Usually today a ''Staffelkapitän'' is of ''Oberstleutnant'' or ''Major'' rank. In the '' ...
'' *
German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (german: Der Kriegsorden Deutsches Kreuz), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repe ...
in Gold on 2 July 1942 as ''
Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian, and Swiss armies. While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has and originally had the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literally ...
'' in the I./Kampfgeschwader 100Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 26. *
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...
** Knight's Cross on 21 December 1942 as ''Hauptmann'' and ''Staffelkapitän'' of the 1./Kampfgeschwader 100 "Wiking"Scherzer 2007, p. 199. ** 434th Oak Leaves on 24 March 1944 as ''
Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
'' and ''
Gruppenkommandeur ''Gruppenkommandeur'' is a Luftwaffe position (not rank), that is the equivalent of a commander of a group or wing in other air forces. A ''Gruppenkommandeur'' usually has the rank of Major or ''Oberstleutnant'' (Lieutenant Colonel), and commands ...
'' of the I./Kampfgeschwader 4 "General Wever"


References


Citations


Bibliography

* Bergström, Christer (2007b). ''Stalingrad – The Air Battle: 1942 through January 1943''. Chevron Publishing Limited. . * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Batcher, Hansgeorg 1914 births 2003 deaths People from Finsterwalde People from the Province of Brandenburg German World War II flying aces Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States German prisoners of war in World War II held by France Luftwaffe pilots Military personnel from Brandenburg