Wilhelm Batz (21 May 1916 – 11 September 1988) was a German
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 ...
fighter 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 opposing ...
. A flying ace or fighter ace is a
military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engine ...
during aerial combat. Batz flew 445 combat missions and claimed 237 enemy aircraft shot down. 234 of these victories were achieved over the
Eastern Front, including at least 46
Ilyushin Il-2
The Ilyushin Il-2 ( Russian: Илью́шин Ил-2) is a ground-attack plane that was produced by the Soviet Union in large numbers during the Second World War. The word ''shturmovík'' (Cyrillic: штурмовик), the generic Russian term ...
ground-attack aircraft, but he did claim three victories, including one four-engine bomber against the
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
(USAAF) over the
Ploieşti oil fields. Batz was a recipient of the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
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 ...
.
Early life and career
Batz was born on 21 May 1916 in
Bamberg, at the time in the
Kingdom of Bavaria
The Kingdom of Bavaria (german: Königreich Bayern; ; spelled ''Baiern'' until 1825) was a German state that succeeded the former Electorate of Bavaria in 1805 and continued to exist until 1918. With the unification of Germany into the German ...
. He was the son of a
Beamter
The German civil servants called ' (men, singular ', more commonly ') or ' (women, singular ') have a privileged legal status compared to other German public employees (called '), who are generally subject to the same laws and regulations as emp ...
, a
civil servant. After Batz graduated with his ''
Abitur'' (
university-preparatory high school diploma), for four years, he volunteered military service 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 ...
on 1 November 1935. Batz grew up between the World Wars, with the
Red Baron
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–740 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...
as his ideal of a
fighter pilot.
World War II
Batz joined the Luftwaffe in 1935 and trained as a fighter pilot, becoming an instructor in 1937 at the flying school at
Kaufbeuren
Kaufbeuren (; Bavarian: ''Kaufbeiren'') is an independent town in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Swabia, Bavaria. The town is an enclave within the district of Ostallgäu.
Districts
Kaufbeuren consists of nine districts:
* Kaufbeuren (town core i ...
and the fighter pilot school at
Bad Aibling
Bad Aibling () is a spa town and former district seat in Bavaria on the river Mangfall, located some southeast of Munich. It features a luxury health resort with a peat pulp bath and mineral spa.
History
Bad Aibling and its surrounding ...
. Promoted Leutnant in November 1940, his applications for combat assignment were continually rejected. With some 5,000 flying hours, Batz was finally transferred to 2./
Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost in December 1942. Batz was then transferred to II./
''Jagdgeschwader'' 52 (JG 52). On 11 March 1943, Batz claimed his first victory, an
Ilyushin Il-2
The Ilyushin Il-2 ( Russian: Илью́шин Ил-2) is a ground-attack plane that was produced by the Soviet Union in large numbers during the Second World War. The word ''shturmovík'' (Cyrillic: штурмовик), the generic Russian term ...
ground-attack aircraft, while flying a mission over the
Strait of Kerch
The Kerch Strait, uk, Керченська протока, crh, Keriç boğazı, ady, Хы ТӀуалэ is a strait in Eastern Europe. It connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating the Kerch Peninsula of Crimea in the west f ...
. He was appointed ''
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 ...
'' (Squadron Leader) of 5./JG 52 on 9 May 1943. He succeeded ''Leutnant''
Josef Zwernemann who temporarily led the ''Staffel'' after its former commander, ''Leutnant'' Helmut Haberda had been
killed in action. By September, he had claimed 20 victories. Batz claimed his 75th aerial victory on 7 December, after shooting down 25 the previous week, for which he received leave until February 1944. He scored number 76 on 10 February, then went on a spree adding 131 victories in the next 6 and a half months. He got the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () in March, followed by his 100th victory two days later. He was the 67th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.
Group commander and surrender
![III-JG52-ins](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/III-JG52-ins.svg)
Batz was promoted to ''
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 ...
'' (captain) on 1 April 1944. The narrow land bridge to the
Crimean peninsula
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
, held by the German
17th Army, came under attack from Soviet forces on 7 April, leading to the capture of
Odessa on 10 April during the
Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive. In these battles, Batz claimed six aerial victories on 8 April, five on 10 April, reaching his 120th victory on 13 April. One day later, II. ''
Gruppe'' (2nd group) moved to an airfield at Cape Chersonez located at the
Sevastopol Bay
Sevastopol Bay ( uk, Севастопольська бухта; russian: Севастопольская бухта) is a city harbor that includes a series of smaller bays carved out its shores. The bay of Sevastopol splits the city of Sevastopo ...
. That morning, the airfield came under aerial attack and bomb splinters injured Batz. Although his injuries were minor, he was grounded for two weeks and banned by the doctor from flying operationally. During his convalescence, Batz succeeded
Günther Rall
Günther Rall (10 March 1918 – 4 October 2009) was a highly decorated German military aviator, officer and General, whose military career spanned nearly forty years. Rall was the third most successful fighter pilot in aviation history, ...
as ''
Gruppenkommandeur'' (group commander) of III. ''Gruppe'' (3rd group) of JG 52 on 19 April 1944.
In June, his unit was moved to defend Romanian targets against the American
15th Air Force
The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...
. Batz claimed two
P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft and a
B-24 Liberator bomber at this time. Batz was awarded 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' ...
() on 20 July for 188 victories, his 200th was achieved on 17 August 1944. The award was presented by
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
at the ''
Führerhauptquartier'' (Führer Headquarters) at
Rastenburg on 25 August 1944. Two other Luftwaffe officers were presented with the Oak Leaves that day by Hitler, the
night-fighter
A night fighter (also known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor for a period of time after the Second World War) is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility. Night fighters began to be used ...
pilot ''
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 ...
'' (Captain)
Heinz Strüning
Heinz Strüning (13 January 1912 – 24 December 1944) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a night fighter ace credited with 56 nocturnal aerial victories claimed in 280 combat missions.For a list of Luftwaffe night fight ...
and the officer of
anti-aircraft warfare
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 ...
, ''
Major'' (Major)
Herbert Lamprecht.
By the end of 1944, Batz had shot down 224 enemy aircraft. On 1 February 1945, Batz was transferred to take command of II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 52, based in Hungary. He succeeded ''Hauptmann''
Erich Hartmann
Erich Alfred Hartmann (19 April 1922 – 20 September 1993) was a German fighter pilot during World War II and the most successful flying ace, fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare. He flew 1,404 combat missions and participated in ...
who had temporarily led the ''Gruppe'' after its former commander ''Major''
Gerhard Barkhorn
Gerhard "Gerd" Barkhorn (20 March 1919 – 11 January 1983) was a German military aviator and wing commander in the Luftwaffe during World War II. As a fighter ace, he was the second most successful fighter pilot of all time after fellow p ...
had been transferred. Command of III. ''Gruppe'' was then passed on to ''Major''
Adolf Borchers. Batz was awarded the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
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 ...
() on 21 April 1945. The bestowal of the Swords to his Knight's Cross cannot be verified via the records held in the
German Federal Archives. Batz presented evidence of the conferment which was confirmed by the ''Gemeinschaft der Jagdflieger'' (Association of German Armed Forces Airmen).
On 4 May 1945, II. ''Gruppe'' moved to
Zeltweg Air Base
Zeltweg Air Base, now known as Fliegerhorst Hinterstoisser, is a military airfield in Styria, Austria near Zeltweg. It is the main airfield of the Austrian Air Force. It was also used as a motor racing circuit in the 1960s.
History
Since 199 ...
but did not fly combat missions from this airfield. On 8 May, ''
General der Flieger
''General der Flieger'' ( en, General of the aviators) was a General of the branch rank of the Luftwaffe (air force) in Nazi Germany. Until the end of World War II in 1945, this particular general officer rank was on three-star level ( OF-8), e ...
''
Paul Deichmann, the commanding officer of
''Luftwaffenkommando'' 4, ordered the cease-fire by 12:00. To avoid capture by Soviet forces, Batz conferred with Deichmann and was ordered to fly his aircraft to Munich, landing at
Unterbiberg where they surrendered to US forces, becoming
prisoners of war. He and II. ''Gruppe'' personnel were then taken to
Fürstenfeldbruck where most of the men were released in June 1945. Batz was taken to
Bad Aibling
Bad Aibling () is a spa town and former district seat in Bavaria on the river Mangfall, located some southeast of Munich. It features a luxury health resort with a peat pulp bath and mineral spa.
History
Bad Aibling and its surrounding ...
where the ground personnel had surrendered and released shortly after.
Later life
Following World War II, Batz applied for service in the
German Air Force of the ''
Bundeswehr
The ''Bundeswehr'' (, meaning literally: ''Federal Defence'') is the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. The ''Bundeswehr'' is divided into a military part (armed forces or ''Streitkräfte'') and a civil part, the military part con ...
'' in 1955, joining in 1956 holding the rank of ''Major''. Following flight training in the United States, he was commanded to a training squadron of
Flugzeugführerschule "S", a pilot training school, in
Landsberg. He later commanded this training facility for nine months in 1961. Batz was then appointed
Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of
''Lufttransportgeschwader'' 63 (LTG 63–Air Transport Wing 63) stationed at the
Hohn Air Base
Hohn Air Base is a military air base in Germany. It was home to the ''Lufttransportgeschwader'' 63 (LTG 63 for short, Air Transport Wing 63 in English) of the German Air Force (''Luftwaffe'').
Usage
Since May 1968, the Transall C-160
The T ...
in
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
. He commanded this wing from 1961 to 1964, surrendering command to
Horst Rudat. Promoted to ''
Oberstleutnant
() is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, and Norway. The Swedi ...
'' (lieutenant colonel), Batz then served as a staff officer with ''Lufttransportkommando'' (Air Force Transport Command) in
Köln-Wahn and retired on 30 September 1972.
Batz died on 11 September 1988 in a hospital
Ebern
Ebern () is a town in the Haßberge district of Bavaria, Germany. It is situated southwest of Coburg and northwest of Bamberg. Its population is about 8,000. Its mayor is Robert Herrmann.
Ebern is about 1,000 years old and has an intact defen ...
in
Unterfranken
Lower Franconia (german: Unterfranken) is one of seven districts of Bavaria, Germany. The districts of Lower, Middle and Upper Franconia make up the region of Franconia.
History
After the founding of the Kingdom of Bavaria the state was totally ...
. He was buried on the cemetery in Quettingen, a borough of
Leverkusen
Leverkusen () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the eastern bank of the Rhine. To the south, Leverkusen borders the city of Cologne, and to the north the state capital, Düsseldorf.
With about 161,000 inhabitants, Leverkusen is o ...
-
Opladen
Opladen, now a district of Leverkusen, used to be the capital of the Rhein-Wupper-Kreis (Rhine-Wupper-District) until 1975. Opladen station is located northeast from Cologne on the railway to Wuppertal. It is also on the Autobahn A3. Population ...
.
Summary of career
Aerial victory claims
According to US historian
David T. Zabecki, Batz was credited with 237 aerial victories. According to Spick, Batz was credited with 237 aerial victories claimed in 445 combat missions. Of this figure, 232 aerial victories were claimed on the Eastern Front and five over the
Western Allies
The Allies, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during the Second World War (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers, led by Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, and Fascist Italy ...
, including two four-engine bombers. Mathews and Foreman, authors of ''Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims'', researched the
German Federal Archives and found records for 233 confirmed and eight unconfirmed aerial victories, numerically ranging from 1 to 233, omitting the 223rd claim. All these victories were claimed on the Eastern Front.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = ''Planquadrat''), for example "PQ 34 Ost 85131". The Luftwaffe grid map () covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15
minutes of
latitude
In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...
by 30 minutes of
longitude
Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east– west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lette ...
, an area of about . These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 × 4 km in size.
Awards
*
Wound Badge
The Wound Badge (german: Verwundetenabzeichen) was a German military decoration first promulgated by Wilhelm II, German Emperor on 3 March 1918, which was first awarded to soldiers of the German Army who were wounded during World War I. Between ...
in Silver
*
Honor Goblet of the 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 13 December 1943 as ''
Oberleutnant'' and pilot
*
Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
The Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe (german: Frontflugspange) was a World War II German military decoration awarded to aircrew and certain other Luftwaffe personnel in recognition of the number of operational flights flown. It was instituted by ...
in Gold with Pennant "400"
*
Combined Pilots-Observation Badge
The Pilot/Observer Badge (german: Flugzeugführer- und Beobachterabzeichen) was a World War II German military decoration awarded to Luftwaffe service personnel who had already been awarded the Pilot's Badge and Observer Badge. It was instituted o ...
*
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 28 January 1944 as ''Oberleutnant'' in the II./''Jagdgeschwader'' 52.
*
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 es ...
(1939)
** 2nd Class (24 April 1943)
** 1st Class (3 July 1943)
*
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
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 26 March 1944 as ''Oberleutnant'' (war officer) 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 ...
'' of the 5./''Jagdgeschwader'' 52
** 526th Oak Leaves on 20 July 1944 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 ...
'' and ''
Gruppenkommandeur'' of the III./''Jagdgeschwader'' 52
** (145th) Swords on 21 April 1945 as ''
Major'' and ''Gruppenkommandeur'' of the II./''Jagdgeschwader'' 52.
Dates of rank
Notes
References
Citations
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Batz, Wilhelm
1916 births
1988 deaths
People from Bamberg
People from the Kingdom of Bavaria
Luftwaffe pilots
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 and Swords
German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United States
German Air Force pilots
Military personnel from Bavaria