Эрбо Граф фон Кагенек: Немецкий аc Второй мировой войны

German World War II flying ace

Erbo Graf von Kageneck (2 April 1918 – 12 January 1942) was a German fighter pilot during World War II. A flying ace, he was credited with 67 aerial victories and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany.

Kageneck was born on 2 April 1918 in Bonn, at the time in the Rhine Province of the German Empire. He was the fourth of six children of Generalmajor Karl Graf von Kageneck and Freiin Maria von Schorlemer, daughter of Clemens Freiherr von Schorlemer Lieser, an Imperial Secretary of Agriculture. He first name was Arbogast in homage to a distant 10th century Kageneck knight, which was quickly summed up to Erbo. His brothers included Clemens Heinrich Graf von Kageneck (1913–2005), a captain in the army, and August von Kageneck (1922–2004), a lieutenant in the army, later a journalist and writer.

Kageneck joined the German air force, the Luftwaffe, in 1936. At the outbreak of World War II, he served with Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1—1st Fighter Wing). On 5 July 1940, the Jagdwaffe (fighter force) of the Luftwaffe was reorganized and in consequence the I. Gruppe of JG 1 became the III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing), subsequently his 2. Staffel of JG 1 became the 8. Staffel of JG 27. Two weeks later, on 19 July, Kageneck was wounded in aerial combat east of the Isle of Wight while flying a Messerschmitt Bf 109 E 4. It is possible, that his opponent may have been Pilot Officer Frank Reginald Carey who claimed to have scored hits on two and to have shot down one Bf 109 that day. On 18 September 1940, Kageneck was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 9. Staffel of JG 27, replacing Oberleutnant Max Dobislav who was transferred. He was promoted to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) on 1 October 1940. On 10 November, III. Gruppe was withdrawn from Channel operations. The Gruppe was first ordered to Diepholz Airfield and then to Vechta for a period of replenishment and equipment overhaul.

In January 1941, JG 27 was ordered to relocate to Romania. Between 12 and 14 January, the ground personnel of III. Gruppe arrived in Bucharest Băneasa, preparing for the arrival of the air elements which relocated on 2 February. Shortly after, the Gruppe moved to Giulești. Following the Balkans campaign, III. Gruppe was briefly deployed to Sicily for actions against Malta. On 2 May, the Gruppe transferred to Gela and flew its first combat mission to Malta on 6 May, escorting Heinkel He 111 bombers from Kampfgeschwader 26 (KG 26—26th Bomber Wing). That day, Kageneck claimed a Hurricane shot down near Luqa. According to Shores, it is likely that his opponent was Pilot Officer Alan Sydney Dredge from No. 261 Squadron who made a forced landing in his Hurricane Z3057 and sustained severe burns. On 20 May, Kageneck claimed III. Gruppes last aerial victory over Malta when he shot down Pilot Officer Anthony John Reeves from No. 261 Squadron flying Hurricane N2673. On 24 May, III. Gruppe left Sicily and returned to Germany.

In June, the Wehrmacht was preparing for Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet, and consolidating its forces near the border established in the German–Soviet Frontier Treaty. On 4 June, III. Gruppe arrived at Suwałki before being redeployed to Sobolewo on 12 June. At the start of the invasion, JG 27, with the exception of I. Gruppe, was subordinated to VIII. Fliegerkorps (8th Air Corps) and was deployed in the northern sector of Army Group Centre. On 22 June 1941, the opening day of Operation Barbarossa, III. Gruppe flew many ground support missions against Soviet airfields and forces, its first just past 03:00. Later in the day, Kageneck shot down a Tupolev SB bomber south of Vilnius. Following his 37th aerial victory, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 30 July 1941. The following day, III. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Soltsy, located west of Lake Ilmen. From this airfield, the Gruppe fought over the combat areas near Staraya Russa, south of Lake Ilmen, and Veliky Novgorod which is north of Lake Ilmen. On 10 August, Kageneck claimed a SB 3 bomber shot down. He became an "ace in a day" on 14 August, claiming his 39th to 43rd aerial victory. On 20 August, Kageneck made a forced landing in his Bf 109 E 4 (Werknummer 1326—factory number) near Chudovo. Kageneck had logged his 300th combat mission in this aircraft. On 16 October, General der Flieger Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen discharged III. Gruppe at Stabna, located just north of Smolensk, from operations on the Eastern Front. By this date, Kageneck had claimed 48 Soviet victories and — with his total now at 65 — was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 26 October 1941. He was the 39th member of the German armed forces to be so honored.

Following the withdrawal from the Eastern Front, III. Gruppe had been moved to Döberitz on 26 October. There, the Gruppe was equipped with the Bf 109 F 4 trop and began training for deployment to the Mediterranean theatre. On 5 November, Kageneck, together with Hauptmann Gordon Gollob, received the Oak Leaves from Adolf Hitler personally at the Wolf's Lair, Hitler's headquarters in Rastenburg, present day Kętrzyn in Poland. On 6 December, III. Gruppe transferred to North Africa where they were based at Timimi, Libya. Kageneck claimed his last two aerial victories against British Commonwealth fighters on 12 December. That day, he claimed a Hurricane and Curtiss P 40 Warhawk fighter shot down near Timimi. On 24 December, Kageneck was seriously wounded in combat with several Desert Air Force (DAF) P 40 and Hurricane fighters south of Agedabia. Both Sergeant Maxwell of No. 94 Squadron and Pilot Officer Thompson No. 229 Squadron made claims for a fighter shot down in the same action. Many years later, some sources, including Kageneck's brother, August von Kageneck, claimed that the shots which hit Erbo were fired by the pre eminent Australian ace of the war, Clive Caldwell. The main reason for this was that Caldwell favoured attacks from beneath his opponents, which was precisely the fashion in which Kageneck's wounds were sustained. Kageneck sustained severe injuries in combat near Agedabia resulting in a forced landing of his Bf 109 F 4 trop (Werknummer 8554) in the desert near El Magrun where he was recovered by Italian soldiers. He was immediately evacuated, first to a hospital in Athens, and then to another in Naples where, despite intensive care, he died of his wounds to his stomach and abdomen on 12 January 1942. He was posthumously promoted to Hauptmann (captain).

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Kageneck was credited with 67 aerial victories. Spick also lists him with 67 aerial victories, claimed in an unknown number of combat missions, 19 on the Western Front including four over Malta and two in North Africa and 48 on the Eastern Front. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 66 aerial victory claims. This number includes 19 claims over the Western Allies and 47 on the Eastern Front. Chronicle of aerial victories – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1 –Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940 1 12 May 1940 06:00 Blenheim vicinity of Maastricht 3 5 June 1940 — M. S.406 Roye 2 12 May 1940 06:02 Blenheim vicinity of Maastricht 4 6 June 1940 — LeO 451 Noyon – 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 27 –At the Channel and over England — 26 June – 17 September 1940 5 19 July 1940 18:35 Hurricane off the Isle of Wight 7 18 August 1940 15:30 Spitfire Bognor Regis 6 19 July 1940 18:40 Hurricane off the Isle of Wight 8 9 September 1940 19:40 Spitfire Rochford – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 27 –At the Channel and over England — 18 September – 10 November 1940 9 20 September 1940 11:46 Hurricane southeast of London 12 15 October 1940 11:07 Spitfire south of Maidstone 10 29 September 1940 10:41 Hurricane Tunbridge Wells 13 27 October 1940 09:48 Spitfire Ashford 11 13 October 1940 15:20 Hurricane Faversham – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1 –Over Malta — 2 – 24 May 1941 14 6 May 1941 12:08 Hurricane Luqa, Malta 16 14 May 1941 16:36 Hurricane Luqa, Malta 15 13 May 1941 13:52 Hurricane Luqa, Malta 17 20 May 1941 17:40 Hurricane southwest of Ta' Vnezja, Malta – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1 –Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 16 October 1941 18 22 June 1941 18:50 SB 2 south of Vilnius 42♠ 14 August 1941 14:42 DB 3 east of Winy 19 27 June 1941 17:26 SB 2 south of Minsk 43♠ 14 August 1941 14:45 DB 3 east southeast of Winy 20 27 June 1941 17:28 SB 2 south of Minsk 44 15 August 1941 10:27 Il 2 east southeast of Proletariy 21 27 June 1941 17:32 SB 2 south of Minsk 45 16 August 1941 10:36 I 18 (MiG 1) east of Novgorod 22 8 July 1941 06:08 SB 2 west of Vitebsk 46 19 August 1941 11:34 I 18 (MiG 1) east of Chudovo 23 11 July 1941 13:25 U 2 northeast of Gloyniki 47 19 August 1941 15:45 I 18 (MiG 1) southeast of Kreszty 24 12 July 1941 18:48 DB 3 west of Vitebsk 48 21 August 1941 17:58 Il 2 north of Staraya Russa 25 13 July 1941 12:00 DI 6 southwest of Smolensk 49 27 August 1941 12:10 I 18 (MiG 1) east of Manushkino 26 14 July 1941 14:23 I 16 north of Smolensk 50 29 August 1941 12:23 I 18 (MiG 1) south of Mga 27 18 July 1941 13:29 DB 3 east of Demidov 51 29 August 1941 16:12 Il 2 northwest of Schapki 28 19 July 1941 18:20 DB 3 west of Yartsevo 52 29 August 1941 16:26 Il 2 northwest of Tosno 29 20 July 1941 07:15 DB 3 southeast of Yartsevo 53 2 September 1941 07:53 I 16 east of Ivanovskoy 30? 20 July 1941 — DB 3 southeast of Yartsevo 54 3 September 1941 05:28 I 18 (MiG 1) southwest of Wassiklowo 31 22 July 1941 19:26 DB 3 east of Yartsevo 55 3 September 1941 09:57 I 16 southeast of Slutsk 32 26 July 1941 04:17 R 10 (Seversky) northeast of Yartsevo 56 2 October 1941 14:06 I 18 (MiG 1) Pogorjelo 33 26 July 1941 19:23 I 16 east of Yartsevo 57 3 October 1941 12:08 I 18 (MiG 1) north of Vyazma 34 26 July 1941 19:25 I 16 east of Yartsevo 58 4 October 1941 13:55 DB 3 Michjejewa 35 27 July 1941 04:05 DB 3 north of Lake Shiziskoje 59 4 October 1941 14:08 SB 2 Spass 36 27 July 1941 08:20 DB 3 west of Demidov 60 4 October 1941 16:52 Pe 2 south of Chełm 37 27 July 1941 08:22 DB 3 west of Demidov 61 7 October 1941 09:10 Pe 2 east of Chełm 38 10 August 1941 19:51 SB 3 north of Golino 62 11 October 1941 16:14 Il 2 north of Sychyovka 39♠ 14 August 1941 09:57? I 16 north northeast of Novgorod 63 11 October 1941 16:16 Il 2 northwest of Sychyovka 40♠ 14 August 1941 14:33 DB 3 Malyje Lutschno 64 11 October 1941 16:23 Il 2 northwest of Sychyovka 41♠ 14 August 1941 14:35 DB 3 southeast of Malyje Lutschno 65 12 October 1941 08:23 I 18 (MiG 1) east of Zubtsov – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 27 –In North Africa — 6 – 24 December 1941 66 12 December 1941 13:46 P 40 vicinity of Timimi 67 12 December 1941 — Hurricane vicinity of Timimi