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Heinz Marquardt

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Heinz Marquardt
Nickname(s)"Negus"
Born(1922-12-29)29 December 1922
Braunsberg, East Prussia, (now Poland)
Died19 December 2003(2003-12-19) (aged 80)
Hammersbach
Buried
New cemetery in Marköbel, suburb of Hammersbach
Allegiance Nazi Germany (to 1945)
 West Germany
Service / branchTemplate:Luftwaffe
Template:GAF
Years of service1939–45
1956–73
RankLeutnant (Wehrmacht)
Oberstleutnant (Bundeswehr)
UnitJagdgeschwader 51
Jagdgeschwader 73
Battles / warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Other workCondor

Heinz "Negus" Marquardt (29 December 1922 – 19 December 2003) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. Marquardt was credited with 121 aerial victories—that is, 121 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft—with a further 16 unconfirmed victories in 320 combat missions. All but one of his victories were claimed over the Eastern Front.

World War II

Marquardt was born on 29 December 1922 in Braunsberg, present-day Braniewo in Poland, at the time in East Prussia a province of the Weimar Republic's Free State of Prussia.[1] On 15 September 1941, he was posted to the Jagdfliegerschule 5 (JFS 5—5th fighter pilot school), stationed at the Le Havre – Octeville airfield in France. As of 1 February 1942, he served as a fighter pilot instructor and flew a number of operational sorties on the Channel Front with the operational squadron of JFS 5.[2]

Eastern Front

On 1 August 1943, Marquard was transferred to the 10. Staffel (10th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) operating on the Eastern Front.[3] His transfer to JG 51 occurred during the Soviet Belgorod-Kharkov Offensive Operation where it supported the 8th Army.[4] According to Obermaier, Marquardt claimed his first aerial victory on 2 October, shooting down a Ilyushin Il-2 ground attack aircraft.[2]

On 10 September 1944, Marquard was awarded German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 18 November.[3] On 14 April 1945, Marquardt was credited with his 100th aerial victory. He was the 102nd Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.[5] On a transfer flight of new Focke-Wulf Fw 190 D-9 to his unit, he was credited with four aerial victories over Yakovlev Yak-3 on 25 April 1945.[6]

On 1 May 1945 Marquardt became Jagdgeschwader 51's last casualty of the war when he was shot down by Royal Air Force Spitfires north of Berlin.[7] Marquardt had led a flight of six Focke-Wulf Fw 190 D-9 on an escort mission of 12 Fw 190 F-8 ground attack aircraft from Redlin on a mission to Berlin. After completing the mission the aircraft returned to Schwerin. During the landing approach the flight came under attack of 6 Spitfire Mk XIV from No. 41 Squadron. Marquardt ordered his flight to cover the landing of the ground attack fighters while he and his wingman, Feldwebel Radlauer, attacked the Spitfires from below. Marquardt claimed one of the attackers but was shot down as well along with two other Fw 190s. Radlauer saw Marquardt's Fw 190 crash in flames but did not observe any sign of life. Marquardt was initially reported as killed in action but he had bailed out injured and was taken to a hospital in Schwerin, where he was taken prisoner of war shortly after.[6]

Later life

Following World War II, Marquardt served in the newly established German Air Force of West Germany with the rank of Leutnant (Second Lieutenant) on 16 August 1956. He served with Jagdgeschwader 73 (JG 73—73rd Fighter Wing) and Leichtes Kampfgeschwader 42 (LeKG 42—42nd Light Combat Wing). Marquardt retired on 30 September 1973, having risen to the rank of Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel). He died on 19 December 2003.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Matthews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and state that Marquardt was credited with more than 121 aerial victories, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.[8]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 34 Ost 39551". The Luftwaffe grid map (Jägermeldenetz) 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 360 square miles (930 km2). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 × 4 km in size.[9]

Awards

Notes

  1. ^ The "m.H." refers to a Ilyushin Il-2 with rear gunner (mit Heckschütze).
  2. ^ According to Scherzer as Oberfeldwebel in the 13./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders".[1]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Scherzer 2007, p. 527.
  2. ^ a b c Obermaier 1989, p. 164.
  3. ^ a b Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 807.
  4. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 127.
  5. ^ Obermaier 1989, p. 243.
  6. ^ a b Aders & Held 1993, p. 182.
  7. ^ Weal 1996, p. 82.
  8. ^ Matthews & Foreman 2015, pp. 807–809.
  9. ^ Planquadrat.
  10. ^ Matthews & Foreman 2015, pp. 807–808.
  11. ^ a b Prien et al. 2012, p. 155.
  12. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2012, p. 156.
  13. ^ Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 808.
  14. ^ Matthews & Foreman 2015, pp. 808–809.
  15. ^ Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 809.
  16. ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 295.
  17. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 303.

Bibliography

  • Aders, Gebhard; Held, Werner (1993). Jagdgeschwader 51 'Mölders' Eine Chronik – Berichte – Erlebnisse – Dokumente [Fighter Wing 51 'Mölders' A Chronicle - Reports - Experiences - Documents] (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-613-01045-1. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Bergström, Christer. "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Matthews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 3 M–R. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-20-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2012). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 12/II—Einsatz im Osten—4.2. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 12/II—Action in the East—4 February to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN 978-3-942943-05-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (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 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
  • Weal, John (1996). Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Aces of the Russian Front. London, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85532-518-0. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
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