Albin Wolf

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Albin Wolf

Albin Wolf
Born 28 October 1920(1920-10-28)
Naila
Died 2 April 1944(1944-04-02) (aged 23)
south of Pskov
Allegiance Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
Service/branch Balkenkreuz.svg Luftwaffe
Years of service 1940 – 1944
Rank Oberleutnant
Unit JG 54
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves (posthumous)

Albin Wolf (28 October 1920 – 2 April 1944) was a German World War II Luftwaffe 144 victories Flying ace and a posthumous recipient of the coveted Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub).[1] A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.[2] He was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and killed in action on 2 April 1944.

Contents

Military career

Wolf was transferred to the 6th squadron of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) in May 1942 on the Eastern front.[Notes 1] He achieved his aerial victories 37–40 on 3 August 1943. By 4 September 1943 he had accumulated 78 victories. Wolf received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) for 117 victories on 22 November 1943. Wolf crash landed on a transfer flight on 29 December 1943 and was severely wounded. He was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of the 6./JG 54 on 11 March 1944.[3]

Albin Wolf's 135th aerial victory claimed on 23 March 1944 was also Jagdgeschwader 54's 7000th of the war. Wolf was killed in action south-east of Pskov on 2 April 1944. His Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-6 (Werknummer 551142—factory number) took a direct hit from an anti-aircraft shell. He was posthumously promoted to Oberleutnant and honoured with the 464th Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 27 April 1944.[3][4]

Awards

Notes

  1. ^ For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organization

References

Citations
  1. ^ Spick 1996, p. 229.
  2. ^ Spick 1996, pp. 3–4.
  3. ^ a b c Obermaier 1989, p. 65.
  4. ^ Weal 2001, p. 108.
  5. ^ Patzwall and Scherzer 2001, p. 520.
  6. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 451.
  7. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 82.
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.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
  • 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.
  • Weal, John (2001). Jagdgeschwader 54 'Grünherz'. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-286-5.

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