Klaus Mietusch

Klaus Mietusch (5 August 1918 – 17 September 1944) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 72 aerial victories achieved in 452 combat missions. This figure includes 15 aerial victories on the Eastern Front, and further 57 victories over the Western Allies, including 13 four-engined bombers.

Born in Bochum, Mietusch grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. He joined the military service in the Luftwaffe in 1937. Following flight training, he was posted to ''Jagdgeschwader'' 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) in 1939. Flying with this wing, Mietusch claimed his first aerial victory on 31 May 1940 on the Western Front during the Battle of France. In early 1941, he fought in the Mediterranean theater. He was made ''Staffelkapitän'' (squadron leader) of 7. '' Staffel'' (7th squadron) of JG 26 in September 1941 and in January 1943, was posted to the Eastern Front. In July 1943 he was appointed '' Gruppenkommandeur'' (group commander) of III. '' Gruppe'' of JG 26. Following his 60th aerial victory, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 26 March 1944. Mietusch claimed his last aerial victory on 17 September 1944 during the Operation Market Garden. He was killed in action that day, shot down by a North American P-51 Mustang fighter from the 361st Fighter Group. Posthumously, Mietusch was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 18 November 1944.

Early life and career

Mietusch was born on 5 August 1918 in Posen in the Province of Posen, part of the Kingdom of Prussia, present-day Poznań in west-central Poland. At birth, his last-name was Mitusz which was later changed to Mietusch to sound more German. Following graduation from school with his '' Abitur'' ( university-preparatory high school diploma), Mietusch joined the military service in the Luftwaffe in 1937, as a ''Fahnenjunker'' (officer cadet).

''Jagdgeschwader'' 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) was created on 1 May 1939 in Düsseldorf by renaming ''Jagdgeschwader'' 132 (JG 132—132nd Fighter Wing) and was commanded by ''Oberst'' Eduard Ritter von Schleich, a flying ace of World War I. Mietusch, who was promoted to ''Leutnant'' (second lieutenant) in 1939, was among the first pilots assigned to this unit following his training as a fighter pilot.

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. Mietusch, who was serving as a technical officer with the '' Geschwaderstab'' (headquarters unit), was replaced in this capacity by ''Leutnant'' Walter Horten on 14 December. Serving with 7. '' Staffel'' (7th squadron) of JG 26, he crashed his Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3 (''Werknummer'' 1202—factory number) during takeoff at Chièvres Airfield on 27 May. At the time 7. ''Staffel'' was headed by ''Oberleutnant'' Georg Beyer. III. '' Gruppe'' (3rd group), to which his squadron was subordinated, was commanded by ''Major'' Ernst Freiherr von Berg who was replaced by ''Hauptmann'' Adolf Galland on 11 June.

Mietusch claimed his first aerial victory during the Battle of France on 31 May 1940. In combat with the fighters from No. 213 and No. 264 Squadron from the Royal Air Force (RAF), he shot down a Hawker Hurricane fighter near Dunkirk. On 8 June, Mietusch made a forced landing in his Bf 109 E-1 (''Werknummer'' 2746) behind enemy lines. He was shot down in combat with a Hurricane near Neufchâtel. Although uninjured in the landing, he was shot by a French civilian and taken prisoner of war. Following the armistice of 22 June 1940, he was sent to hospital in Germany.

Malta, Balkans and North Africa in 1941

On 22 January 1941, 7. ''Staffel'' received orders to relocate to Sicily in support of X. Fliegerkorps, under the command of ''General der Flieger'' (General of the Flyers) Hans Geisler, for actions against the strategically important island of Malta. With the opening of a new front in North Africa in mid-1940, British air and sea forces based on the island could attack Axis ships transporting vital supplies and reinforcements from Europe to North Africa. To counter this threat the Luftwaffe and the '' Regia Aeronautica'' (Italian Royal Air Force) were tasked with bombing raids in an effort to neutralise the RAF defences and the ports. That day the unit and a 40-strong detachment of ground crews departed Wevelgem. Following a brief stopover in Rome, 7. ''Staffel'' arrived in Gela on Sicily on 9 February 1941. There, the unit received factory new Bf 109 E-7 aircraft.

Mietusch claimed his first victory in the Siege of Malta on 26 February over a No. 261 Squadron Hurricane south of Malta. He became a fighter ace on 22 March, taking his total to five aerial victories. In combat north of Malta, Mietusch had shot down two No. 261 Squadron Hurricanes. On 5 April, 7. ''Staffel'' moved to Grottaglie airfield near Taranto in Apulia to support the Invasion of Yugoslavia by the Wehrmacht. On the first day of the campaign, Mietusch claimed a Yugoslav Hawker Fury, which in fact was an Avia BH-33, in combat northeast of Podgorica. On 8 April, 7. ''Staffel'' returned to Gela and resumed operations over Malta. On 13 April, Mietusch was credited with shooting down two Hurricanes from No. 261 Squadron, one of which was piloted by Flight Officer Ernest "Imshi" Mason who was wounded in the encounter.

On 18 June, 7. ''Staffel'' flew together with I. ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) and intercepted Hurricane fighters belonging to No. 1 Squadron of the South African Air Force (SAAF) covering the British retreat after Operation Battleaxe. In this encounter, No. 1 Squadron lost three Hurricanes, two were claimed by JG 27 and a third was shot down by Mietusch in combat southeast of Sidi Omar. On 21 August, twelve Martin Maryland bombers from the SAAF No. 12 and No. 24 Squadron attacked the Luftwaffe airfields at Kambut. The bombers were escorted by RAF Hurricane fighters from No. 229 Squadron. Bf 109s from JG 27 and 7. ''Staffel'' of JG 26 intercepted the flight, some attacking the bombers while others engaged the escort fighters. Mietusch claimed the probable destruction of a Maryland bomber which was not confirmed. This was his last claim on the North African Theater. 7. ''Staffel'' was then withdrawn from North Africa and returned France. During its six-month tenure in the Mediterranean Theater, 7. ''Staffel'' claimed 52 aerial victories without losing a single pilot nor aircraft in combat.

7. ''Staffel'' was reunited with III. ''Gruppe'' of JG 26 at Ligescourt. The ''Gruppe'' had just been equipped with the Bf 109 F-4. Mietusch, who had been on vacation before rejoining his unit, flew his next combat mission on 16 September. On 18 September, the RAF flew "Circus" No. 99 targeting the Rouen. Defending against this "Circus", Mietusch shot down a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) No. 452 Squadron Spitfire fighter.

Squadron leader

Mietusch was appointed ''Staffelkapitän'' (squadron leader) of 7. ''Staffel'' on 19 September 1941. He succeeded ''Hauptmann'' Joachim Müncheberg in this command position. Müncheberg had led the ''Staffel'' since 22 August 1940 and had been given command of II. ''Gruppe'' after its former commander, ''Hauptmann'' Walter Adolph was killed in action. On 20 September, 7. ''Staffel'' began conversion training to the then new Focke Wulf Fw 190 fighter aircraft at their airfield in Ligescourt. Full transition from the Bf 109 F-4 to the Fw 190 was not completed until mid-November.

The RAF ordered "Circus" No. 102 to their targets at Béthune and Gosnay on 21 September. The "Circus", consisting of twelve Bristol Blenheim bombers and escorted by fourteen squadrons of Hurricanes and Spitfires, was intercepted by Luftwaffe fighters from ''Jagdgeschwader'' 2 (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing) and JG 26. Mietusch was credited with the destruction of his 12th and 13th aerial victory that day. He shot down two Spitfire fighters from either the New Zealand No. 485 (NZ) Squadron or No. 602 Squadron. The first Spitfire was claimed at 16:23 near Berck-sur-Mer while the second Spitfire was shot down at 16:30 northwest of the Baie de Somme. Following combat with a Spitfire near Boulogne-sur-Mer on 13 October, Mietusch made an emergency landing in his Bf 109 F-4 (''Werknummer'' 7220) at Saint-Omer. Command of III. ''Gruppe'' was passed on from ''Hauptmann'' Gerhard Schöpfel to ''Hauptmann'' Josef Priller on 6 December. Two days later, Mietusch claimed a Spitfire fighter in combat near Berck-sur-Mer but lost his wingman, ''Leutnant'' Walter Thorn who was shot down and killed by two Spitfires from No. 603 Squadron south of Montreuil.

On 14 April 1942, Mietusch flew Fw 190 A-2 (''Werknummer'' 5215) in combat. His aircraft sustained minor damage, resulting in an emergency landing at Wevelgem. At the time, Mietusch dated Lieselotte Hays, a ''Luftwaffenhelferin'' (female air force helper). During the Dieppe Raid on 19 August, Mietusch claimed two aerial victories in the vicinity of Dieppe. He shot down two Spitfires at 10:34 and 10:35 from either No. 19 Squadron or No. 121 (Eagle) Squadron. Mietusch claimed his first two aerial victories over the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) on 9 October, both claims were not confirmed by the Luftwaffe. The VIII Bomber Command flew a mission to Lille, targeting the locomotive works and steel factory. That day, Mietusch attacked a Short Stirling bomber which in fact was a misidentified Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber from the 301st Bombardment Group which made it back to England. He attacked another B-17 bomber from the 301st Bombardment Group which later made a forced landing in the English Channel. Credited with 23 aerial victories, Mietusch was presented the German Cross in Gold () on 16 October 1942.

Eastern Front

In January 1943, the Luftwaffe planned to move JG 26 to the Eastern Front. The idea was to exchange JG 26 with ''Jagdgeschwader'' 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) which supported Army Group North. In order to keep up operations, the exchange was planned by rotating each ''Gruppe'' by ''Gruppe'' and every ''Staffel'' by ''Staffel''. In this context, Mietusch's 7. ''Staffel'' was attached to I. ''Gruppe'' of JG 54 which was commanded by ''Hauptmann'' Hans Philipp and was based outside of Leningrad. On 17 February, 7. ''Staffel'' left Courtrai, heading east by train. Following a stop at Heiligenbeil, the unit was based at the airbase at Krasnogvardeysk, present day Gatschina, which is located approximately southwest of Leningrad. At Heiligenbeil, 7. ''Staffel'' received 13 new Fw 190 A-4 and A-5 fighters. The combat area of I. ''Gruppe'' of JG 54 was predominantly over the front of 18th Army, on the left flank of Army Group North, and on the Volkhov River.

In early May, 7. ''Staffel'' moved to an airfield at Siverskaya. Mietusch claimed his first aerial victories on the Eastern Front on 21 May. The ''Staffel'' was scrambled at 05:25 and ordered to intercept a flight of Petlyakov Pe-2 bombers, escorted by Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighters, on a mission to bomb a railway bridge at Narva. 7. ''Staffel'' claimed five aerial victories on this mission, two Pe-2 bombers and three LaGG-3 fighters shot down, including a Pe-2 and two LaGG-3s by Mietusch.

On 13 June on the Western Front, the '' Gruppenkommandeur'' (group commander) of III. ''Gruppe'', ''Hauptmann'' Kurt Ruppert was killed in action. Command of the ''Gruppe'' was temporarily given to ''Hauptmann'' Rolf Hermichen. On 29 June, ''Geschwaderkommodore'' Priller informed Mietusch that he had been chosen as new commander of III. ''Gruppe''. Mietusch passed command of 7. ''Staffel'' to ''Hauptmann'' Günther Kelch and returned to Germany.

Group commander and death

On 5 July, Mietusch arrived at Cuxhaven-Nordholz Airfield where III. ''Gruppe'' was based and took over command from Hermichen. In July, the ''Gruppe'' received the Bf 109 G-4 and G-6 variants and the pilots began familiarizing themselves with this aircraft type while flying in Defense of the Reich. On the night of 24/25 July, the RAF and USAAF launched Operation Gomorrah, the attack on Hamburg during the last week of July 1943. The RAF initiated the attack at night which created a firestorm in the city. The following day, the USAAF attacked Hamburg with 100 B-17 bombers, spreading the destruction. Further 118 B-17 bombers bombed Kiel that day. Defending against these attacks, Mietusch claimed his first aerial victory as ''Gruppenkommandeur'' when he shot down a B-17 north of Hamburg. The USAAF targeted the German aircraft industry on 17 August in the Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission. Mietusch led his ''Gruppe'' against the bombers and shot down two B-17 bombers, the first southeast of Schleiden in the Eifel hills, and the second south of Laacher See. On 29 November, VIII Bomber Command attacked Bremen. III. ''Gruppe'' intercepted the bombers prior to their bomb run and Mietusch shot a B-17 from its combat box west of Oldenburg. This was referred to as a ''Herausschuss'' (separation shot) and denoted a severely damaged heavy bomber which was forced to separate from its combat box and was counted as an aerial victory.

On 8 March 1944, Mietusch claimed his 60th aerial victory. That day, the Eighth Air Force, formerly known as VIII Bomber Command, targeted the ball bearings works at Erkner near Berlin. Mietusch led his III. ''Gruppe'' in the attack which intercepted the bombers on their target approach between Steinhuder Meer and Braunschweig. Due to the defending escort fighters, Mietusch attacked the bombers from the rear with only a few of his Bf 109 fighters. He was credited with a ''Herausschuss'' of a B-17 bomber from the 381st Bombardment Group south of Braunschweig before coming under attack by P-47 fighter from the 352nd Fighter Group. His Bf 109 G-6 (''Werknummer '' 162032) was hit at close range, forcing him to bail out. Although injured, he landed safely near Steinhuder Meer. His victor may have been Captain Virgil Meroney who claimed his eighth aerial victory that day. Mietusch, who was hospitalized for next weeks, was awarded the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross () on 26 March for 60 aerial victories claimed.

On 12 April, Mietusch was injured in a landing accident and was again hospitalized, this time for three weeks. His Bf 109 G-6 (''Werknummer'' 162345) ran into a bomb crater during landing at the Étain-Rouvres Airfield. On 1 May, he was promoted to '' Major'' (major). On 12 May, the USAAF flew a mission against the German fuel industry, 886 bombers, escorted by 735 fighters, attacked six oil refineries. Mietusch intercepted the bombers on their return to England and claimed a ''Herausschuss'' of a B-17 bomber from the 452d Bombardment Group near Bastogne.

After the Allies launched Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy on 6 June, Luftflotte Reich sent additional units to the invasion front. By 8 June, ''Jagdgeschwader'' 1, ''Jagdgeschwader'' 3, ''Jagdgeschwader'' 11 and III. ''Gruppe'' of JG 54 had arrived in France and were subordinated to ''Fliegerkorps'' II. III. ''Gruppe'' of JG 26 was based at Villacoublay Airfield and flew missions to Le Havre that day. In the early morning hours, Mietusch claimed the destruction of two Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters from the USAAF 371st Fighter Group. The P-47s had been attacking ground targets east of Le Havre. On 17 July, Mietusch shot down a No. 602 Squadron Spitfire southwest of Caen. Shortly after, he ignored the warning of his wingman ''Unteroffizier'' Heinz Gehrke and was shot down in his Bf 109 G-6/U4 (''Werknummer'' 440640) near Argentan- Alençon by another Spitfire from the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) No. 411 Squadron. Mietusch bailed out and was wounded, returning to his unit the next day.

Mietusch was killed in action on 17 September 1944 during the first day of Operation Market Garden, the operation to secure a bridgehead over the River Rhine. In an attempt to defend against Allied airborne landings in the Netherlands, Mietusch led a flight of 15 Bf 109s to the Allied landing zones. Near the German border to the Netherlands, Mietusch flight intercepted a squadron of North American P-51 Mustang fighters. In the resulting aerial combat, Mietusch shot down one of the P-51 fighters north of Mönchengladbach before he came under attack by another P-51, piloted by Lieutenant William Beyer from the 376th Fighter Squadron, assigned to the 361st Fighter Group. Mietusch was shot down in his Bf 109 G-6/U4 (''Werknummer'' 441646) by Beyer, crashing near Aldekerk.

Posthumously, Mietusch was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves () on 18 November 1944. He was the 653rd member of the German armed forces to be so honored. Mietusch was buried in the honor section of the Düsseldorf Northern Cemetery (Field 112-Section 0-Grave 117). Caldwell characterized Mietusch as a very nervous man with limited social skills. According to Caldwell's account, Mietusch never interacted with non-commissioned officers, overcoming his lack of self-confidence by an act of will.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Heaton, Lewis, Olds and Schulze, Mietusch was credited with 76 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of ''Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims'', researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 72 aerial victory claims, plus six further unconfirmed claims. This figure includes 15 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 57 over the Western Allies, including 13 four-engined bombers.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = ''Planquadrat''), for example "PQ 26 Ost 80364". The Luftwaffe grid map () covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about . These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 × 4 km in size.

Awards

* Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (26 April 1941)
* German Cross in Gold on 15 October 1942 as '' Oberleutnant'' in the 7./''Jagdgeschwader'' 26 "Schlageter"
* Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for Fighter Pilots in Gold with Pennant "400" (10 July 1944)
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
** Knight's Cross on 26 March 1944 as ''Hauptmann'' and '' Gruppenkommandeur'' of the III./''Jagdgeschwader'' 26 "Schlageter"
** 653rd Oak Leaves on 18 November 1944 as '' Major'' and ''Gruppenkommandeur'' of the III./''Jagdgeschwader'' 26 "Schlageter"

Notes

References

Citations

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mietusch, Klaus
1918 births
1944 deaths
German World War II flying aces
German prisoners of war in World War II held by France
Recipients of the Gold German Cross
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Luftwaffe personnel killed in World War II
Aviators killed by being shot down
Military personnel from Poznań
People from the Province of Posen