Horst Ademeit

Horst Ademeit
Born	(1912-02-08)8 February 1912 Breslau
Died	7 August 1944(1944-08-07) (aged 32) near Dünaburg
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1939 – 1944
Rank	Major
Unit	JG 54
Commands held	I./JG 54
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of Britain Operation Barbarossa Eastern Front †
Awards	Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves

Horst Ademeit (8 February 1912 – 7 August 1944) was a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.

Early life

Horst Ademeit studied at the Königsberg Albertina University. He learned to fly before the war and, as a reservist, was trained as a fighter pilot.

World War II

In the spring of 1940, Unteroffizier Ademeit was transferred to 3./JG 54 and participated in the Battle of Britain. He claimed his first victory on 18 September 1940 shortly afterwards he was shot down over the Channel. He bailed out and was rescued unharmed.

In June 1941, after the attack on the Soviet Union, he accompanied I./JG 54 to the Eastern Front. In quick succession he achieved aerial victories, promotions and awards. In the beginning of August 1944, Ademeit was appointed acting Kommodore of JG 54.

On 7 August 1944, Ademeit, flying a Focke Wulf Fw 190 A-5 (Werksnummer 5960 — factory number) pursued a Russian Il-2 Sturmovik ground-attack aircraft eastwards over Russian lines near Dünaburg, however he failed to return from this mission and is considered Missing in action since.

Horst Ademeit was credited with 166 victories in over 600 missions. He recorded 164 of his victories over the Eastern front. He was posthumously promoted to Major.

Awards

• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (8 December 1941)
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for fighter pilots in Gold and Penant
• German Cross in Gold on 25 February 1942 as Leutnant in the 1./JG 54
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (7 September 1940)
  • 1st Class (5 September 1941)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 16 April 1943 as Leutnant (war officer) and pilot in the I./JG 54
  • 414th Oak Leaves on 2 March 1944 as Hauptmann (war officer) and Gruppenkommandeur of the I./JG 54

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 (in German). Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
• Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 3-87341-065-6.
• Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
• Schaulen, Fritjof (2003). Eichenlaubträger 1940 - 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe I Abraham - Huppertz (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 3-932381-20-3.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 0-8041-1696-2.
• Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 3-7648-2299-6.

External links

• "Aces of the Luftwaffe". Horst Ademeit. Retrieved 12 February 2007. 
• "Ritterkreuzträger 1939-1945". Horst Ademeit. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 22 May 2007. 
• "World War II Awards". Horst Ademeit. Retrieved 23 April 2010.