Anton Resch

Anton Resch (26 November 1921 – 16 July 1975) was a former Luftwaffe fighter ace and 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. Resch was credited with 91 victories, becoming an "ace-in-a-day" on three separate occasions.

Early life and career Resch was born 26 November 1921 in Stolberg, at the time in the Rhine Province the westernmost province of the Free State of Prussia, which at the time was in the British occupied territory of the Rhineland. In mid-1943, Resch who had previously served as transport aviator, was posted to 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing). This Staffel was part of I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 52 headed by Hauptmann Helmut Bennemann and then by Major Johannes Wiese.

World War II World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. Germany had launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. On 11 October 1943, I. Gruppe of JG 52 moved to an airfield at Nove Zaporizhzhya located approximately west of Zaporizhzhia on the western bank of the Dnieper of the Eastern Front. The Gruppe supported the 1st Panzer Army fighting in the Battle of the Dnieper on the Eastern Front. Resch claimed his first aerial victory on 21 October over an Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft. That day the Gruppe operated over the left wing of the 1st Panzer Army up to Dnipropetrovsk and on the right wing to Bolschoj Tokmak. While based at Nove Zaporizhzhya, Resch claimed four further aerial victories, making him a flying ace. On 23 October, he claimed two Yakovlev Yak-1 fighters, the next day an Il-2 ground-attack aircraft and a Douglas A-20 Havoc, also referred to as a Boston, on 27 October.

On 27 January 1944, Resch and his wingman Leutnant Franz Schall flew a combat air patrol in the area of Kerch. On this mission, they engaged in aerial combat with six Bell P-39 Airacobra fighters and Resch was shot down in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 20581—factory number). Severely wounded, he did not return until May 1944. At the time of his return to combat, I. Gruppe at the time was based at Leipzig, present-day Serpneve. Resch claimed two P-39s from 16th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (16 GvIAP—Gvardeyskiy Istrebitelny Aviatsionny Polk) on 31 May. On 22 June, Soviet forces launched Operation Bagration, attacking Army Group Centre in Byelorussia, with the objective of encircling and destroying its main component armies. On 24 June, the Gruppe transferred to Galați and again to Poloniczna, a makeshift airfield located approximately northeast of Lemberg, now Lviv.

The Gruppe reached Grabowiec in eastern Poland on 27 July and Kraków on 1 August. On 12 August they were again relocated and moved to Mzurowa. Here on 26 August, Resch became an "ace-in-a-day" for the second time when he claimed seven aerial victories, taking his total to 44. On 31 August, he again claimed seven aerial victories, his third "ace-in-a-day" achievement. On 10 September 1944, he was again wounded when he was shot down in his Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 166490) by anti-aircraft artillery west of Altsohl, present-day Zvolen. At the time, Resch was credited with 63 aerial victories, making him the fourth most successful active fighter pilot of I. Gruppe.

With the headquarters unit of JG 52 In late 1944, Resch and Oberleutnant Heinrich Füllgrabe were transferred to the Geschwaderstab (headquarters unit) of JG 52. The request was made by Oberst Hermann Graf who had been appointed Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of JG 52 in September 1944. At the time, the Geschwaderstab was based at Krakau, present-day Kraków. Here on 1 January 1945, Resch was awarded the German Cross in Gold . On 6 February 1945, the Geschwaderstab moved to an airfield at Weidengut, present-day Wierzbie. Here Resch claimed four aircraft of unknown type taking his total to 72. On 7 April, Resch was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 91 aerial victories.

On 1 May, the Geschwaderstab deployed to Deutsch Brod, present-day Havlíčkův Brod, approximately halfway between Brno and Prague, where they were united with I. and III. Gruppe. Resch and other soldiers of JG 52 surrendered to the 90th US Infantry Division near Písek on 8 May 1945 and became a prisoner of war (POW). The soldiers were initially interned at a POW camp at Strakonice. On 16 May, Resch and most of the JG 52 personnel were handed over by the American forces to the Soviet Union.

Later life Resch was released from Soviet captivity in the mid-1950s. Returning to West Germany, Resch died on 16 July 1975 at the age of in his hometown Stolberg.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Resch was credited with 91 aerial victories. Spick also lists him with 91 aerial victories claimed in 210 combat missions and a mission-to-claim ratio of 2.31. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and also state that he was credited with 91 aerial victories, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 34 Ost 58739". 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 – 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 –Eastern Front — October – 31 December 1943 1 21 October 1943 12:08 Il-2 m.H. PQ 34 Ost 58739 west of Bolschoj Tokmak 6 28 October 1943 07:43 P-39 PQ 34 Ost 47161 north-northwest of Ivanovka 2 23 October 1943 07:19 Yak-1 PQ 34 Ost 58382 south of Zaporozhye 7 9 November 1943 11:15 U-2 PQ 34 Ost 47771south of Gromovka 3 23 October 1943 07:24 Yak-1 PQ 34 Ost 58564, south of Kalinowkavicinity of Kaltinowka 8 9 November 1943 11:17 U-2 PQ 34 Ost 47771south of Gromovka 4 24 October 1943 10:25 Il-2 m.H. PQ 34 Ost 57182 southwest of Melitopol 9 29 November 1943 12:17 Il-2 m.H. PQ 34 Ost 2929 5 27 October 1943 10:35 Boston PQ 34 Ost 57346 southwest of Melitopol 10 29 November 1943 12:45 P-39 PQ 34 Ost 39181 northeast of Alexandrija – 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 –Eastern Front — 1 January – 10 September 1944 11 26 January 1944 07:54? Il-2 m.H. PQ 34 Ost 66563vicinity of Grammatikowo 38♠ 26 August 1944 11:05 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 11285 north of Sandomierz 12 31 May 1944 11:25 P-39 PQ 24 Ost 78642 south of Tudora 39♠ 26 August 1944 11:14 Pe-2 PQ 25 Ost 11418 west of Sandomierz 13 31 May 1944 11:36 P-39 PQ 24 Ost 78474 north of Tudora 40♠ 26 August 1944 13:05 P-39 PQ 25 Ost 11276 east-southeast of Opatów 14 1 June 1944 11:40 Il-2 m.H. PQ 24 Ost 78543 west-northwest of Iași 41♠ 26 August 1944 13:10 P-39 PQ 25 Ost 11285 north of Sandomierz 15 4 June 1944 15:55 P-39 PQ 24 Ost 78568 southwest of Tudora 42♠ 26 August 1944 13:25 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 11196vicinity of Opatów 16 26 June 1944 15:15 La-5 PQ 25 Ost 50733 south of Borystow 43♠ 26 August 1944 17:13 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 11323 south-southwest of Opatów 17 14 July 1944 10:27 P-39 PQ 25 Ost 41626 southwest of Lutsk 44♠ 26 August 1944 17:16 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 11356 south-southwest of Opatów 18 16 July 1944 15:36 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 41683 northwest of Brody 45 27 August 1944 12:17 P-39 PQ 25 Ost 11249 northeast of Opatów 19 20 July 1944 13:19 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 40113 north of Lviv 46 27 August 1944 12:23 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11367 south of Opatów 20 22 July 1944 17:30 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 40392 west-northwest of Berezhany 47 27 August 1944 12:24 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11367 south of Opatów 21 22 July 1944 17:35? Pe-2 PQ 25 Ost 40444 southwest of Zolochiv 48 27 August 1944 15:23 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11321 south-southwest of Opatów 22 23 July 1944 18:15 Pe-2 PQ 25 Ost 40351 southeast of Lviv 49 28 August 1944 12:29 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11323 south-southwest of Opatów 23 24 July 1944 18:36 Pe-2 PQ 25 Ost 30637 north of Stryi 50 28 August 1944 12:31 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11332 south of Opatów 24 4 August 1944 14:54 P-39 PQ 25 Ost 11594vicinity of Mielec 51 28 August 1944 12:35 P-39 PQ 25 Ost 11321 south-southwest of Opatów 25 4 August 1944 14:55 P-39 PQ 25 Ost 11594vicinity of Mielec 52♠ 31 August 1944 12:55 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 11184 west of Opatów 26 12 August 1944 13:53 Yak-11 PQ 25 Ost 11385 north-northwest of Mielic 53♠ 31 August 1944 14:13 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11158 northwest of Opatów 27 12 August 1944 14:02 Yak-11 PQ 25 Ost 01463 54♠ 31 August 1944 14:14 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11181 west of Opatów 28 12 August 1944 17:00 La-5 PQ 25 Ost 11442 southwest of Opatów 55♠ 31 August 1944 14:21 P-39 PQ 25 Ost 11148 west-northwest of Opatów 29 23 August 1944 18:51 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 11423vicinity of Sandomierz 56♠ 31 August 1944 16:04 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11185 west of Opatów 30 24 August 1944 11:10 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11442 southwest of Sandomierz 57♠ 31 August 1944 Il-2 m.H. Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 11197vicinity of Opatów 31 24 August 1944 14:26 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11753 south-southwest of Mielec 58♠ 31 August 1944 16:08 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11323 west of Opatów 32 24 August 1944 14:28 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11723 southwest of Mielec 59 1 September 1944 10:02 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11413 west of Sandomierz 33♠ 25 August 1944 09:11 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11335 south of Opatów 60 1 September 1944 10:05 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11416 west of Sandomierz 34♠ 25 August 1944 09:11 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 11335 south of Opatów 61 2 September 1944 09:59 P-39 PQ 25 Ost 11182 west of Opatów 35♠ 25 August 1944 16:08 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 11388 north-northwest of Mielec 62 2 September 1944 10:01 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11185 west of Opatów 36♠ 25 August 1944 16:10 U-2 PQ 25 Ost 11521 north-northwest of Mielec 63 2 September 1944 10:04 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11322 south-southwest of Opatów 37♠ 25 August 1944 16:18 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 11514 northwest of Mielec – Stab of Jagdgeschwader 52 –Eastern Front — 1 January – 8 May 1945 69 20 February 1945 unknown 71 20 February 1945 unknown 70 20 February 1945 unknown 72 20 February 1945 unknown According to Barbas, his aerial victories 73 through 75 were not documented. Mathews and Foreman list the four aerial victories claimed on 20 February 1945 without a specific number. 76? 5 March 1945 Yak-9 79 6 March 1945 Yak-9 PQ 71192 77 6 March 1945 Yak-9 PQ 71193 80 11 March 1945 12:02 Il-2 east of Jauer 78 6 March 1945 Pe-2 PQ 71198 81 11 March 1945 12:06 Il-2 east of Jauer According to Barbas, Mathews and Foreman, his aerial victories 82 through 84 were not documented. 85 23 March 1945 Yak-9 PQ 71614 89 25 March 1945 unknown 86 24 March 1945 Il-2 PQ 71166 90 25 March 1945 unknown 87 24 March 1945 La-5 PQ 71172 91? 25 March 1945 unknown 88 25 March 1945 unknown

Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class German Cross in Gold on 1 January 1945 as Leutnant in the 3./Jagdgeschwader 52 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 7 April 1945 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 3./Jagdgeschwader 52