Franz-Josef Beerenbrock

Franz-Josef Beerenbrock
Franz-Josef Beerenbrock
Born	(1920-04-09)9 April 1920 Datteln, Germany
Died	13 December 2004(2004-12-13) (aged 84) Olfen, Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1938–45
Rank	Leutnant
Unit	JG 51
Battles/wars	World War II Eastern Front
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Franz-Josef Beerenbrock (9 April 1920 – 13 December 2004) was a German fighter pilot during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Beerenbrock claimed 117 aerial victories in approximately 400 combat missions, all on the Eastern Front. In November 1942 he became a prisoner of war for the rest of the war.

Beerenbrock joined a flak artillery unit on 1 October 1938 and in 1939 was trained as a pilot. In March 1941, Beerenbrock was transferred to 12./Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51). He achieved his first aerial victory on 24 June 1941. On 1 August 1942 he claimed nine more victories and reached his 100th aerial victory often flying as wingman of Karl-Gottfried Nordmann. He was the 15th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. At that point he was the most successful fighter pilot of JG 51. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.

In air combat on 9 November 1942 with numeralically superior Russian fighters over Welish, he downed three Russian fighters but his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 fighter received a hit in the radiator and he went down over Russian-held territory and was taken prisoner of war. Several years after the war in mid-December 1949 Beerenbrock returned to West Germany. In 1955 he joined the Luftwaffe as an officer of the Bundeswehr. Franz-Josef Beerenbrock was credited with 117 victories in approximately 400 missions, all on the Eastern Front of which at least 12 were Il-2 Sturmoviks.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (3 July 1941) & 1st Class (18 July 1941)
• German Cross in Gold on 17 June 1942 as Feldwebel in the IV./Jagdgeschwader 51
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 6 October 1941 as Unteroffizier and pilot in the 10./Jagdgeschwader 51
  • Oak Leaves on 3 August 1942 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 10./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"

References

Bibliography

• Bergstrom, Christer. Red Star – Black Cross: Russian and German Fighter Pilots in Combat 1941–1945
• Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• 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 Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
• Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)