Bernhard Vechtel

Bernhard Vechtel (31 July 1920 – 21 August 1975) was a fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 14. Staffel (14th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). Vechtel was credited with 108 aerial victories in a total of 860 combat missions, all on the Eastern Front. Vechtel died on 21 August 1975 in Speyer.

Early life and career Vechtel was born on 31 July 1920 in Vohren, present-day part of Warendorf, at the time in the Province of Westphalia in the Weimar Republic. Following flight training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) on 2 May 1942. There, he was assigned to the 10. Staffel (10th squadron) which was subordinated to the IV. Gruppe (4th group) of JG 51. At the time, 10. Staffel was headed by Leutnant Horst Haase while IV. Gruppe was commanded by Hauptmann Johann Knauth and based at an airfield in Vyazma on the Eastern Front.

World War II World War II in Europe had begun on Friday, 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. In June 1941, German forces had launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. In May 1942, IV. Gruppe was briefly withdrawn from combat for a period of maintenance and equipment overhaul at Smolensk. They were then sent to Dugino where it was tasked with providing fighter cover over the left flank of Army Group Center in vicinity of the 9th Army.

On 30 July 1942, the Soviet Kalinin Front launched the First Rzhev–Sychyovka Offensive Operation with the objective to crush the Rzhev salient held by the 9th Army. Vechtel claimed his first aerial victory on 2 August 1942 over an Ilyushin Il-2 ground attack aircraft northeast of Rzhev. By the end of 1942, he had claimed five further aerial victories and had been awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class . In March 1943, the Gruppe had just completed conversion from the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 to the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-4 and was based at Smolensk. In that combat area, Army Group Centre had launched Operation Büffel, a series of retreats eliminating the Rzhev salient. On 21 March, IV. Gruppe was ordered to Bryansk where it was deployed over the left wing of Army Group Centre. In August 1943, JG 51 fought in the Soviet Belgorod-Kharkov Offensive Operation where his Gruppe supported the 8th Army.

On 3 January 1944, Vechtel was awarded the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe and the German Cross in Gold on 28 January 1944. In May 1944, IV. Gruppe of JG 51 was based at Lysiatychi. Here on 1 May, Vechtel claimed JG 51s 8000th aerial victory of the war, this was his 66th claim. On 22 June, Soviet forces launched Operation Bagration, the strategic offensive operation against Army Group Centre. In consequence, IV. Gruppe was moved to Mogilev that day and to an airfield named Bayary located northeast of Minsk and east of Barysaw. Following the German retreat, the Gruppe moved to an airfield at Lida, which is west of Minsk, on 3 July.

Vechtel was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 July 1944 after 79 aerial victories. Following his return from home leave, Vechtel had been promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant) and served with 11. Staffel, also a squadron of IV. Gruppe. On 28 August, IV. Gruppe moved to Modlin Airfield located approximately northwest of Warsaw. Here, the Gruppe predominately flew combat missions to the area north and northeast of Warsaw. On 15 August, as part of the group expansion from three Staffeln per Gruppe to four Staffeln per Gruppe, 10. Staffel was re-designated and became the 13. Staffel while Vechtel's 11. Staffel became the 14. Staffel of JG 51. On 1 September, Vechtel was shot down and wounded by anti-aircraft artillery in his Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 163631—factory number) northwest of Wyszków.

Squadron leader and end of war On 11 December 1944, Vechtel was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of the 14. Staffel of JG 51, also a squadron of IV. Gruppe. He replaced Oberleutnant Horst Walther who was transferred. At the time, the Gruppe was commanded by Major Heinz Lange and was based at Modlin. Soviet forces launched the Vistula–Oder Offensive on 12 January 1945. Two days later, Soviet forces reached Modlin, forcing VI. Gruppe to move to Danzig-Langfuhr, present-day Wrzeszcz, Poland. On 25 March 1945, Vechtel was credited with his 100th aerial victory. He was the 99th Luftwaffe pilot to have shot down 100 aircraft. On 1 May, JG 51 received the order to relocate to Flensburg in northern Germany. Some of the pilots decided for themselves that the war was lost and deserted, including Vechtel. On 2 May, he refused to fly to Flensburg and led a Schwarm close to his hometown Warendorf near Münster. There, he arrived with two other pilots, a fourth pilot was shot down and captured by British forces.

Later life Vechtel died on 21 August 1975 at the age of in Speyer, West Germany. He was buried at the .

Summary of career Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Vechtel was credited with 108 aerial victories. Spick and Weal also list him with 108 aerial victories claimed in 860 combat missions, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and also state that he claimed 108 aerial victories, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front. However, not all of his claims can be verified through the archives.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 47682". 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 – 10. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Eastern Front — 1 May 1942 – 3 February 1943 1 2 August 1942 09:52 Il-2 PQ 47682 northeast of Rzhev 4 6 December 1942 09:22 Il-2 PQ 07732 2 3 September 1942 14:36 MiG-3 east of Sychyovka 5 16 December 1942 08:15 MiG-3 southeast of Velikiye Luki 3 3 December 1942 13:05 MiG-3 west of Tuleblja west of Velikiye Luki 6 17 December 1942 11:45 Il-2 east of Ischewosew – 10. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Eastern Front — 4 February – 28 October 1943 7 18 March 1943 15:45 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 45522 northeast of Utrikowo 25 21 September 1943 09:01 Yak-9 northeast of Nowo Stepjanka 8 7 May 1943 04:25 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 63279 south of Zalegoshch 26 24 September 1943 13:28 Yak-9 northwest of Kremenchuk 9 7 May 1943 04:29 MiG-3 PQ 35 Ost 63281 south-southeast of Zalegoshch 27 24 September 1943 13:30 Yak-9 west of Khmilnyk 10 8 June 1943 19:16 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 64843 south of Mtsensk 28 26 September 1943 13:25 Yak-1 south of Wassilijewka 11 8 June 1943 19:19 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 64853 southeast of Mtsensk 29 27 September 1943 10:32 Il-2 m.H. south of Gorodajewka 12 2 August 1943 08:32 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 53453 southwest of Kromy 30 27 September 1943 10:33 Il-2 m.H. northeast of Ssusslowka 13 2 August 1943 08:39 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost 53474 southwest of Kromy 31 27 September 1943 14:30 Pe-2 west of Schulgowka 14 2 August 1943 12:00 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 53654 southwest of Kromy 32 29 September 1943 11:55 Yak-1 west of Sloschenkowo 15 7 August 1943 11:40 P-40 west of Peschkowa 33 29 September 1943 12:10 Il-2 m.H. north of Waldorf 16 15 August 1943 05:05 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 60152 south of Kharkiv 34 4 October 1943 06:55 Yak-1 east of Tarassowka 17 16 August 1943 18:25 La-5 east of Kulakovka 35 6 October 1943 12:46 Yak-9 southwest of Schulgowka 18 17 August 1943 05:06 Yak-1 east of Gurinowka 36 7 October 1943 15:03 P-39 west of Orlik 19 19 August 1943 15:00 La-5 southeast of Dergatschevka 37 12 October 1943 08:15 Yak-9 north of Lake Sennitza 20 19 August 1943 15:05 La-5 southwest of Ulitschewka 38 21 October 1943 08:55 Yak-9 northeast of Sselenoye 21 21 August 1943 16:25 Il-2 south of Guty 39 22 October 1943 08:55 Il-2 m.H. southwest of Sybkoye 22 1 September 1943 12:10 Yak-9 north of Borodino 40 26 October 1943 14:38 P-39 northwest of Chervonaya Znamenka 23 1 September 1943 18:11 Il-2 m.H. northeast of Berniki 41 28 October 1943 06:23 P-39 southwest of Michailovka 24 20 September 1943 06:39 Il-2 m.H. southeast of Igun – 12. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Eastern Front — 29 October 1943 – 22 November 1943 42 29 October 1943 11:06 Pe-2 northeast of Pogelnastoje 46 20 November 1943 11:34 Il-2 m.H. west of Salbachowka 43 30 October 1943 12:28 Il-2 m.H. west of Annowka 47 20 November 1943 13:05 Yak-9 southwest of Huliaipole 44 5 November 1943 13:51 La-5 Rameropol 48 22 November 1943 12:30 P-39 northwest of Sybkoje 45 20 November 1943 11:30 Yak-1 southeast of Mirnaja 49 22 November 1943 12:40 P-39 east of Trudowka – 10. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Eastern Front — 28 November 1943 – 31 May 1944 50 28 November 1943 11:12 Il-2 m.H. Petrowka 65 30 April 1944 08:56 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 50543 southeast of Berezhany 51 30 November 1943 08:25 Il-2 m.H. PQ 34 Ost 49796 north of Nikopol 66 1 May 1944 10:02 Il-2 m.H. PQ 24 Ost 59315 north of Kolomea 52 30 November 1943 08:27 Il-2 m.H. PQ 34 Ost 49815 south-southwest of Dnepropetrovsk 67 1 May 1944 10:06 Yak-9 PQ 24 Ost 59318 north of Kolomea 53 27 February 1944 09:38 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 14567vicinity of Krasnopillia 68 3 May 1944 09:07 Yak-9 PQ 24 Ost 59358 northeast of Kolomea 54 27 March 1944 10:55 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 05693vicinity of Gorki 69 3 May 1944 18:35? La-5 PQ 24 Ost 59378vicinity of Kolomea 55 9 April 1944 18:22 Yak-9 PQ 35 Ost 50763 south-southwest of Ternopil 70 4 May 1944 18:54? Yak-9? PQ 25 Ost 50474vicinity of Ternopil 56 10 April 1944 11:48 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 50734 south-southwest of Ternopil 71 5 May 1944 11:18? Yak-1 PQ 25 Ost 50563 south-southwest of Ternopil 57 15 April 1944 16:24 Yak-9 PQ 35 Ost 50522 east of Berezhany 72 5 May 1944 18:31? Yak-1 PQ 25 Ost 50562 south-southwest of Ternopil 58 18 April 1944 11:55 La-5 PQ 24 Ost 59151 north-northeast of Kolomea 73 15 May 1944 18:47 La-5 PQ 25 Ost 50431 59 19 April 1944 16:42 Yak-9 PQ 24 Ost 59122 east of Stanislau 74 24 May 1944 05:44 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 50616 south of Ternopil 60 22 April 1944 16:42? Yak-1? PQ 25 Ost 50871 south of Ternopil 75 28 May 1944 06:34 La-5 PQ 25 Ost 50534 southwest of Ternopil 61 23 April 1944 10:57 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 50582 southeast of Berezhany 76 29 May 1944 06:47 La-5 PQ 24 Ost 59376vicinity of Kolomea 62 27 April 1944 15:52 Il-2 m.H. PQ 24 Ost 59311 north of Kolomea 77 31 May 1944 11:16? La-5 PQ 24 Ost 59375vicinity of Kolomea 63 27 April 1944 18:22 Il-2 m.H. PQ 24 Ost 59314 north of Kolomea 78 31 May 1944 14:32 La-5 PQ 24 Ost 49498 west of Kolomea 64 30 April 1944 08:54 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 40661 south of Berezhany 79 31 May 1944 14:43 Yak-9 PQ 24 Ost 59375 south of Kolomea – 11. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Eastern Front — August 1944 80 13 August 1944 16:32 Yak-9 PQ 24 Ost 25644 northeast of Łomża 82 13 August 1944 18:01 Yak-9 PQ 24 Ost 24625 north-northwest of Białystok 81 13 August 1944 16:33 La-5 PQ 24 Ost 24627 north-northwest of Białystok – 14. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Eastern Front — August 1944 – May 1945 83 15 August 1944 18:13 La-5 PQ 25 Ost 25491 east of Trakehnen 88 22 August 1944 10:37 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 36215 east of Schaulen 84 15 August 1944 18:25 La-5 west-northwest of Marijampolė 89 24 August 1944 08:53 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 37543 north-northwest of Schaulen 85 17 August 1944 11:12 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 36374 northeast of Nemakščiai 90 24 August 1944 11:22 P-39 PQ 25 Ost 37385 southwest of Mitau 86 17 August 1944 11:13 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 36375 east-southeast of Nemakščiai 91 24 August 1944 15:22 La-5 PQ 25 Ost 27665 northeast of Telsche 87 17 August 1944 16:35 Yak-9 south of Nemakščiai According to Mathews and Foreman, aerial victories 92 to 99 were not documented. The author Prien, Stemmer, Balke and Bock state that the aerial victory records of IV. Gruppe dated later than November 1944 are incomplete. 100 25 March 1945 unknown According to Mathews and Foreman, aerial victories 101 to 108 were not documented.

Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 3 April 1944 as Feldwebel and pilot German Cross in Gold on 28 January 1944 as Feldwebel in the 10./Jagdgeschwader 51 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 July 1944 as pilot and Fahnenjunker-Oberfeldwebel in the 10./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"