Jürgen Harder

Jürgen Harder
Buried	Cemetery St. Marien in Strausberg
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1939–1945
Rank	Major
Unit	JG 53
Commands	JG 11
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Relations	Harro Harder

Jürgen Harder (13 June 1918 – 17 February 1945) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Harder claimed 64 aircraft shot down in approximately 500 missions. Among these 64 aerial victories are 47 victories, including 9 four-engine bombers, achieved over western flown aircraft.

Harder was killed in an aircraft crash, flying a Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-14 Werk.Nr. 784 738 (factory number) following engine failure on 17 February 1945. Technical experts that analysed the wreckage came to the conclusion that the piston of cylinder 12 had penetrated the engine block. Escaping toxic fumes thus intoxicated Harder who then lost control of the aircraft.

His older brother Harro with eleven credited aerial victories was one of the most successful German fighter pilots of Spanish Civil War. Flying with the III./Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53), he was killed in action on 12 August 1940 at the channel front. His brother Rolf was killed in 1943 in Russia on the Eastern front.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st class
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (16 November 1942)
• German Cross in Gold (8 February 1943)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 5 December 1943 as Oberleutnant and Staffelführer in the III./JG 53
  • 727th Oak Leaves on 1 February 1945 as Major and Geschwaderkommodore of the JG 11

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. 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.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 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.
• Helden der Wehrmacht III - Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten. München, Germany: FZ-Verlag GmbH, 2007. ISBN 978-3-924309-82-4.

External links

• Jürgen Harder @ Lexikon der Wehrmacht