Ernst Süß

Ernst Süß (31 August 1912 – 20 December 1943) was a Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Flying with Jagdgeschwader 52 on the Eastern Front, he claimed 64 aerial victories. In October 1943, Süß was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 9. Staffel (9th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 11, a unit fighting on Western Front in defense of the Reich missions. Süß claimed one further aerial victory with this unit before he was killed in action on 20 December 1943.

Early life and career Süß was born on 31 August 1912 in Possessern, at the time in East Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia within the German Empire, present-day Pozezdrze in northern Poland. On 1 March 1940, III. Gruppe (3rd group) of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) was newly formed at Strausberg near Berlin. Initially, this Gruppe was staffed by personnel from other units, among them Süß who was transferred from 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of JG 52, a squadron of I. Gruppe. The Gruppe was equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-1 and E-3. On 6 April, the Gruppe was moved to Mannheim-Sandhofen Airfield where it was placed under the control of the Stab (headquarter unit) of Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53–53rd Fighter Wing).

World War II The rise of General Ion Antonescu in Romania in 1940 led to a reorganization of his country's armed forces. In this, he was supported by a military mission from Germany, the Luftwaffenmission Rumänien (Luftwaffe Mission Romania) under the command of Generalleutnant (equivalent to major general) . III. Gruppe of JG 52 was transferred to Bucharest in mid-October and temporarily renamed I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 28 (JG 28—28th Fighter Wing) until 4 January 1941. Its primary task was to train Romanian Air Force personnel. Here, Süß joined the trio of Hermann Graf, Alfred Grislawski and Heinrich Füllgrabe. Later, Leopold Steinbatz and Edmund Roßmann joined as well.

Operation Barbarossa

Following its brief deployment in the Balkan Campaign, III. Gruppe was back in Bucharest by mid-June. There, the unit was again subordinated to the Luftwaffenmission Rumänien and reequipped with the new, more powerful Bf 109 F-4 model. On 21 June, the Gruppe was ordered to Mizil in preparation of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Its primary objective was to provide fighter protection for the oil fields and refineries at Ploiești. Prior to the invasion, Major Gotthard Handrick was replaced by Major Albert Blumensaat as commander of III. Gruppe. Blumensaat was then replaced by Hauptmann Hubertus von Bonin on 1 October. At the time, von Bonin was still in convalescence so that Hauptmann Franz Höring, the commander of 9. Staffel, was also made the acting Gruppenkommandeur (group commander).

The Gruppe had moved to Belaya Tserkov on 1 August during the Battle of Kiev and also used an airfield at Yampil from 6 to 8 August. Here on 8 August, Süß claimed his first aerial victory, a Polikarpov I-16 fighter shot down south of Kiev. On 24 September, III. Gruppe moved to the Poltava Air Base, supporting the 17th Army in the First Battle of Kharkov. Three days later, Köppen claimed a Ilyushin DB-3 bomber shot down, his second aerial victory. The Gruppe moved to an airfield at Taganrog on 2 November where they stayed until 1 January 1942. Here by the end of 1941, Süß increased his number of aerial victories to seven claimed. On 1 January 1942, III. Gruppe moved to Kharkov where they fought in the Barvenkovo–Lozovaya offensive and remained there until 29 April. During this period, Süß claimed fourteen further aerial victories, including three on 19 February, taking his total to 21.

War against the Soviet Union On 29 April, III. Gruppe had relocated to Zürichtal, a small village at the Inhul in the former German settlement west of Feodosia in the Crimea during the Crimean campaign. On 1 May, the Gruppe was subordinated to VIII. Fliegerkorps and was supporting the 11th Army in the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula and the Siege of Sevastopol. There the following, Süß claimed his 22nd aerial victory, a Polikarpov I-153 fighter for which he was awarded the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 4 May 1942. On 12 May, German forces launched Operation Fredericus, also referred to as the Second Battle of Kharkov, with the objective to eliminate the Izium bridgehead over Seversky Donets. That day, III. Gruppe was moved to the Kharkov-Rogan airfield, southeast of Kharkov, and subordinated to the Stab of JG 52. On 13 May, III. Gruppe flew combat missions east and southeast of Kharkov. During the day, the Gruppe claimed 42 aerial victories, including three Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 fighters by Süß. On 19 May, the Gruppe moved to Barvinkove where they stayed until 12 June mostly fighting over the encircled Soviet forces in the Izium salient. Here, Süß was credited with seven aerial victories, a Sukhoi Su-2 on 20 May, a Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 on 28 May, a MiG-1 the next day, two further MiG-1s on 2 June, an I-16 on 6 June, and another MiG-1 on 9 June, taking his total to 38.

On 12 June, the Gruppe relocated to an airfield at Belgorod and to Grakowo, located approximately halfway between Kharkov and Kupiansk on 22 June. The main German objectives in that combat area were, breakthrough to the upper Don and capture of Voronezh. In this timeframe, Süß claimed two MiG-1 fighters shot down on 22 June. On 26 June, III. Gruppe then moved to Bely Kolodez where they stayed until 3 July. Here, Süß claimed three MiG-1 fighters shot down on 27 June, taking his total to 43 aerial victories. For these achievements, Süß was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 2 July. On 28 June, German forces had launched Case Blue, the strategic summer offensive in southern Russia. On 7 July, Army Group A began their advance towards the oil fields in the Caucasus during the Battle of the Caucasus. On 19 July, III. Gruppe relocated to Taganrog where they converted from the Bf 109 F-4 variant to the Bf 109 G-2. Here, Süß claimed two aerial victories, an I-16 on 20 July and a LaGG-3 four days later. On 13 August, III. Gruppe had reached Mineralnye Vody in the North Caucasus region. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to him on 4 September 1942 following 50 aerial victories claimed.

On 22 July 1942, the Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of JG 52, Major Herbert Ihlefeld, was severely injured in a flight accident and had to surrender command during his convalescence. In consequence, Major Gordon Gollob, the commander of Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing), temporarily took over command of JG 52 as acting Geschwaderkommodore. On 17 August, Gollob was ordered dispatch one Schwarm, a flight of four aircraft, of every III. Gruppe squadron to the Don-bend. The pilots selected for this mission included Süß, Graf and Füllgrabe.

In the spring of 1943, Süß was transferred to the Ergänzungsgruppe Ost, where he remained a long time as an instructor. Following his tour as an instructor, Süß claimed his 64th and last aerial victory on the Eastern Front on 30 May 1943. Flying from an airfield at Taman on the Kerch Strait, he was credited with the destruction of a North American B-25 Mitchell bomber.

Defense of the Reich and death In response to political humiliation caused by de Havilland Mosquito bombing raids into Germany, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, the commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, ordered the formation of two specialized high-altitude Luftwaffe units. These units were Jagdgeschwader 25, commanded by Major Herbert Ihlefeld, and Jagdgeschwader 50, commanded by his friend Graf. Graf was permitted to choose his personnel and had his friends Süß, Füllgrabe and Grislawski transferred from III. Gruppe of JG 52.

On 9 October 1943, Süß was transferred and appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 11 fighting in defense of the Reich missions. He replaced Oberleutnant Franz Strobl was killed the day before. At the time, III. Gruppe of JG 11, to which his Staffel was subordinated, was based at Oldenburg and commanded by Major Anton Mader. On 11 December, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) attacked the harbor and Nordseewerke at Emden where U-boats were built. III. Gruppe was scrambled at 11:00 and were vectored to a point of intercept near the islands of Norderney and Langeoog. While elements of the Gruppe engaged the bombers, Süß claimed one of the escorting Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters shot down.

On 20 December, the USAAF bombed Bremen. In total 546 bombers, escorted by 491 escort fighters, targeted the port of Bremen. Defending against this attack, Süß shot down a Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter but was himself shot down by USAAF fighters near Wardenburg, south of Oldenburg, in his Bf 109 G-5 (Werknummer 15 709—factory number). Süß managed to bail out but may have been shot in his parachute by a USAAF pilot. In an alternative account given by Flieger Viktor Widmaier, Süß's parachute failed to open and his comrades found him in a field west of Bremen. Posthumously, Süß was promoted to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) on 1 August 1944. Command of 9. Staffel was then passed to Oberleutnant Fritz Kälber.

Summary of career Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Süß was credited with 68 aerial victories. Spick also lists Süß with 68 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number combat missions, 60 of which claimed on the Eastern Front. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 65 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim, all but one on the Eastern Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 0683". 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 – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 –Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 5 December 1941 1 8 August 1941 18:45 I-16 south of Kyiv 4 30 October 1941 09:40 I-16 2 27 September 1941 14:20 DB-3 5 8 November 1941 11:56 I-26 (Yak-1) 3 23 October 1941 13:40 Pe-2 6 9 November 1941 14:32 I-16 – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 –Eastern Front — 6 December 1941 – 28 April 1942 7 6 December 1941 10:58 I-16 15 28 February 1942 11:20 V-11 (Il-2) 8 7 January 1942 08:15 I-16 16 1 March 1942 11:43 I-26 (Yak-1) 9 16 February 1942 11:12 Su-2 (Seversky) Mal-Yablonovo 17 26 March 1942 16:55 I-16 10 19 February 1942 08:27 I-61 (MiG-3) 18 27 March 1942 10:12 I-61 (MiG-3) 11 19 February 1942 08:29 I-61 (MiG-3) 19 28 March 1942 06:20 I-26 (Yak-1) 12 19 February 1942 11:40 Su-2 (Seversky) 20 6 April 1942 06:06 I-16 13 20 February 1942 08:27 I-61 (MiG-3) 21 8 April 1942 11:20 I-61 (MiG-3) 14 23 February 1942 12:03 I-26 (Yak-1) – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 –Eastern Front — 29 April 1942 – 3 February 1943 22 30 April 1942 16:49 I-153 43 27 June 1942 07:45 MiG-1 23 8 May 1942 13:23 I-16 44 20 July 1942 11:40 I-16 24 8 May 1942 13:28 I-61 (MiG-3) 45 24 July 1942 05:05 LaGG-3 25 9 May 1942 12:25 MiG-1 46 6 August 1942 07:00 Il-2 PQ 0683 26 9 May 1942 12:35 I-15 47 12 August 1942 16:56 I-16 PQ 85721vicinity of Svobodny 27 13 May 1942 07:43 MiG-1 48 15 August 1942 16:40 Yak-1 PQ 85335east of Stawropoliskaja 28 13 May 1942 16:18 MiG-1 49 16 August 1942 16:51 I-16 PQ 85321vicinity of Eriwanskaja 29 13 May 1942 16:20 MiG-1 50 18 August 1942 07:05 I-153 PQ 75852east of Natukhayevskaya 30 14 May 1942 07:23 MiG-1 51 24 August 1942 17:20 Yak-1 PQ 59173 31 17 May 1942 03:50 MiG-1 52 25 August 1942 11:45 Yak-1 PQ 49272 east of Stalingrad 20 May 1942 Su-2 (Seversky) 53 31 August 1942 17:06 Yak-1 PQ 59252 32 20 May 1942 17:33 Su-2 (Seversky) 54 31 August 1942 17:12 Yak-1 PQ 59261 33 28 May 1942 14:18 LaGG-3 55 3 September 1942 15:55 Yak-1 PQ 59121 34 29 May 1942 09:13 MiG-1 56 4 September 1942 12:40 Yak-1 PQ 49317vicinity of Stalingrad 35 2 June 1942 08:29 MiG-1 57 8 September 1942 15:15 Yak-1 PQ 49322vicinity of Stalingrad 36 2 June 1942 11:28 MiG-1 58 1 November 1942 15:10 LaGG-3 PQ 44873 37 6 June 1942 04:15 I-16 59 1 November 1942 15:18 LaGG-3 PQ 44562 38 9 June 1942 13:15 MiG-1 60 5 November 1942 13:37 La-5 PQ 44953 39 22 June 1942 06:40 MiG-1 61 27 November 1942 10:15 I-16 PQ 44814 40 22 June 1942 06:45 MiG-1 62 5 December 1942 11:04 La-5 PQ 44732 41 27 June 1942 07:20 MiG-1 63 5 December 1942 13:23 Boston PQ 44724 42 27 June 1942 07:40 MiG-1 – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 –Eastern Front — May 1943 64 30 May 1943 15:48 B-25 PQ 34 Ost 76892vicinity of Kiyevskoye – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 11 –Defense of the Reich — December 1943 65 11 December 1943 12:30 P-47 PQ 05 Ost S/BP-4off Norddeich

Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 4 May 1942 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot German Cross in Gold on 2 July 1942 as Oberfeldwebel in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 52 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 4 September 1942 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in as pilot in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 52