Alfred Franke

Alfred Franke (20 September 1918 – 9 September 1942) was a German Luftwaffe ace and a posthumous recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. As a fighter pilot, he was credited with 60 aerial victories, four on the Western Front and 56 on the Eastern Front.

Early life and career Frank was born on 20 September 1918 in Jena, then in Thuringia within the German Empire. He joined the military service of Luftwaffe and following flight training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing) where he was assigned to 2. Staffel (1st squadron) in early 1940. At the time, the Staffel was commanded by Hauptmann Rolf Pingel and subordinated to I. Gruppe (1st group) which was headed by Hauptmann Lothar von Janson and based at Darmstadt-Griesheim Airfield.

World War II World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. On 10 May 1940, the first day of the Battle of France, I. Gruppe moved to Kirchberg. Flying from Kirchberg on 14 May, I. Gruppe flew missions in support of German forces fighting in the Battle of Sedan. That day, the Gruppe claimed 35 aerial victories, including the first two claims filed by Franke. On two separate missions, he claimed a Bloch MB.151 fighter and a Fairey Battle light bomber shot down south of Sedan.

On 6 June, I. Gruppe moved to Mannheim-Sandhofen Airfield. Following a maintenance overhaul of the aircraft, I. Gruppe moved to an airfield named Krzewicza located near Międzyrzec Podlaski, approximately west of Brest, from 12 to 14 June.

Operation Barbarossa and Malta On 22 June, the Geschwader crossed into Soviet airspace in support of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, which opened the Eastern Front. I. Gruppe took off on its first mission at 3:40 am, escorting Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers. On 1 July, Franke was shot down in aerial combat behind enemy lines, resulting in a forced landing in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 12621—factory number). Initially reported as missing in action, he later returned to his unit unhurt. On 16 July, he was shot down in his Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 5412) near Zhytomyr and was again reported as missing in action before returning unhurt.

Eastern Front and death In early May 1942, I. Gruppe was transferred back to the Eastern Front. Prior to the relocation, the Gruppe received a full complement of 41 factory new Bf 109 F-4 aircraft at Schwäbisch Hall before heading for Prague Ruzyne Airfield on 28 May. The following day, I. Gruppe flew to Kursk. There, the Gruppe supported the German 4th Panzer Army in its advance towards Voronezh during Case Blue, the 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia between 28 June and 24 November 1942.

On 9 September 1942, Franke was shot down in aerial combat with Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft and anti-aircraft artillery. His Bf 109 G-2 (Werknummer 13442) north of Stalingrad. His victor may have been Kapitan Pavel S. Vinogradov of the 694 IAP, 228 ShAD. Posthumously, Franke was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 October 1942 for 59 aerial victories claimed. He was also posthumously promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant).

Summary of career Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Franke was credited with 60 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 58 aerial victory claims. This figure includes 54 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and four over the Western Allies.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 40773". The Luftwaffe grid map 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 . These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area in size.

Chronicle of aerial victories Claim Date Time Type Location Claim Date Time Type Location – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940 1 14 May 1940 11:20 MB.151 south of Sedan 3 31 May 1940 20:12 DB-7 vicinity of Saint-Quentin 2 14 May 1940 16:20 Battle south of Sedan – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –At the Channel and over England — 26 June 1940 – 6 June 1941 4 18 August 1940 15:32 Hurricane – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 7 August 1941 5? 22 June 1941 17:37 Douglas west-southwest of Brest-Litovsk 9 10 July 1941 12:17 DB-3 6 24 June 1941 09:32 SB-3 10 24 July 1941? 14:16? DB-3 7 24 June 1941 09:34 SB-3 11 26 July 1941 10:45 DB-3 east of Bila Tserkva 8 6 July 1941 06:37 DB-3 12 26 July 1941 11:00 (Il-2) – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –Eastern Front — 28 May 1942 – 9 September 1942 13 10 June 1942 15:37 I-61 (MiG-3) 37 20 August 1942 10:59 Il-2 PQ 40773 northwest of Gumrak 14 24 June 1942 03:41 R-10 38 21 August 1942 12:39 U-2 PQ 49881 15 27 June 1942 09:16 MiG-1 north-northeast of Schtschigry 39 22 August 1942 09:40 Il-2 PQ 30894 16 28 June 1942 04:06 MiG-1 40 23 August 1942 05:43 I-180 PQ 49153 17 1 July 1942 12:01 P-39 41 24 August 1942 13:02 U-2 PQ 49244 northeast of Stalingrad 18 1 July 1942 12:08 P-39 42 28 August 1942 14:35? MiG-1 PQ 40891 northeast of Stalingrad 19 26 July 1942 13:43 LaGG-3 43 28 August 1942 14:44 LaGG-3 PQ 50781 east-northeast of Stalingrad 20 31 July 1942 13:59 MiG-1 PQ 39194 west-northwest of Kalach 44 29 August 1942 12:49 P-40 PQ 49251 21 2 August 1942 12:29 Il-2 PQ 39163 south-southwest of Kalach 45 29 August 1942 12:56 MiG-1 PQ 49243 22 2 August 1942 12:38 MiG-1 PQ 39281 east-northeast of Kalach 46 30 August 1942 16:10 I-180 PQ 49562 23 4 August 1942 11:30 MiG-1 PQ 49753 47 1 September 1942 10:45 Il-2 PQ 49253 24 12 August 1942 04:27 Il-2 PQ 29894 48 1 September 1942 10:46 Il-2 PQ 49324 25 12 August 1942 04:33 Il-2 PQ 39773 49 1 September 1942 15:43 Pe-2 PQ 49132 26 12 August 1942 04:39 LaGG-3 PQ 39772 50 3 September 1942 13:46 Yak-1 PQ 40873 27 12 August 1942 10:48 MiG-3 PQ 49882 51 4 September 1942 11:19 I-16 PQ 49361 28 13 August 1942 17:41 Il-2 PQ 39333 52 5 September 1942 05:35 MiG-1 PQ 49431 29 13 August 1942 17:44 MiG-1 PQ 39194 53 7 September 1942 13:30 Il-2 PQ 49283 30 13 August 1942 17:51 Il-2 northeast of Kalach 54 7 September 1942 17:16 I-153 PQ 49272 31 14 August 1942 10:44 Il-2 55 8 September 1942 06:44 Il-2 PQ 49391 32 18 August 1942 05:33 MiG-3 PQ 49164 56 8 September 1942 06:46 Il-2 PQ 49412 33 18 August 1942 12:48 Il-2 PQ 40771 northwest of Gumrak 57 8 September 1942 06:49 Il-2 PQ 49332 34 18 August 1942 12:53 MiG-3 PQ 40772 northwest of Gumrak 58 9 September 1942 13:48 Il-2 PQ 49182 35 19 August 1942 15:42 Er-2 PQ 40774 northwest of Gumrak 59 9 September 1942 13:57 Il-2 PQ 49161 36 20 August 1942 10:56 Il-2 PQ 30894

Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class and 1st Class Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 13 September 1942 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot German Cross in Gold on 25 September 1942 as Oberfeldwebel in the I./Jagdgeschwader 53 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 October 1942 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 2./Jagdgeschwader 53