Hans Döbrich

Hans Friedrich Döbrich (24 March 1916 – 6 April 1984) was a 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. Döbrich was credited with 65 victories. All his victories were recorded over the Eastern Front.

Career Döbrich was born on 24 March 1916 in Sonneberg, at the time in Saxe-Meiningen within the German Empire, present-day in Thuringia. He was the fourth and youngest child of the Austrian sculptor Albin Döbrich and his wife Anna, née Eckl. He had an older brother Albin, and two older sisters, Josephine and Hertha.

Döbrich, as a member of 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 5 (JG 5—5th Fighter Wing), participated in battles on the northern flank of the Eastern Front in the Soviet Arctic. On 19 July 1942, he made a forced landing west of Murmashi Russia in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 trop (Werknummer 10169—factory number) "Yellow 9" following aerial combat. Döbrich, who had been injured, walked back to his unit, returning on 26 July.

Wounded in combat to end of war On 16 July 1943, whilst flying Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 20088), Döbrich was wounded by enemy fighters after downing two aircraft and was forced to bail out west of the Rybachy Peninsula into Petsamo Fjord, Finland. He was rescued by a Kriegsmarine Minenräumboot (minesweeper) and taken ashore and then flown on a Fieseler Fi 156 Storch to a Luftwaffe hospital at Kirkenes. While hospitalized, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 19 September 1943. The presentation was made at the hospital by Generalmajor Ernst-August Roth, at the time Fliegerführer Nord.

In December 1943, Döbrich was released from the Luftwaffe hospital in Kirkenes and spent Christmas with his family. Since he still hadn't fully recovered from his injuries, he spent most of 1944 in the Luftwaffe hospital 4/XVII in Vienna, interrupted by occasional visits to his family. In 1944, Döbrich was promoted to Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel and to Leutnant (second lieutenant) on 1 November 1944.

His total victory tally was at least 65 victories achieved in 248 missions, an additional 19 victories were unconfirmed. All his victories were recorded over the Eastern Front.

Summary of career Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Döbrich was credited with 65 aerial victories. 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 of which claimed on the Eastern Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 36 Ost 39172". 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 – 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 5 –Eastern Front and northern Norway, and Finland — 6 December 1941 – 31 December 1942 1 24 April 1942 09:22 Hurricane west of Murmansk 23 21 August 1942 15:28 I-180 (Yak-7) 2 29 April 1942 12:43 I-153 west of Zapadnaya Litsa bight 24 21 August 1942 15:33 Yak-1 3 18 May 1942 Hurricane southwest of Murmansk 25 25 August 1942 15:27 P-40 4 19 May 1942 09:23 Hurricane Murmashi 26 2 September 1942 11:20 Yak-1 5 19 May 1942 15:59 Hurricane southwest of Murmashi 27 5 September 1942 08:28 P-40 6 28 May 1942 12:18 Hurricane southwest of Kola 28 8 September 1942 11:41 I-153 vicinity of Kola 7 28 May 1942 12:20 Hurricane west of Kola 29 8 September 1942 15:01 Hurricane vicinity of Kola 8 29 May 1942 23:15 Hurricane southeast of Eyna Guba 30 9 September 1942 10:49 Hurricane vicinity of Kola 9 30 May 1942 09:18 Hurricane Kola Bay 31 9 September 1942 11:01 Hurricane vicinity of Kola 10 2 June 1942 Hurricane west of Murmansk 32 15 September 1942 14:20 P-40 11 13 June 1942 16:01 Hurricane west of Murmansk 33 15 September 1942 14:32? Hurricane 12 22 June 1942 22:36 Hurricane west of Kola 34 19 September 1942 14:02 Hurricane 13 23 June 1942 08:15 Hurricane west of Kola 35 19 September 1942 14:05 Hurricane 14 23 June 1942 15:33 Hurricane southwest of Kola 36 22 September 1942 15:01? Hurricane west of Murmashi 15 24 June 1942 07:00+ Hurricane west of Kola 37 27 September 1942 11:44 P-40 16 24 June 1942 07:00+ Hurricane west of Kola 38 27 September 1942 11:51 P-40 17 29 June 1942 10:58 Hurricane east of Shonguy 39 27 September 1942 15:57 Yak-1 18 30 June 1942 21:00+ P-40 southeast of Pechenga airfield 40 30 October 1942 12:15 P-40 19 7 July 1942 17:00+ I-180 (Yak-7) west of Kola 41 30 October 1942 12:23 P-40 20 7 August 1942 17:15 P-40 42 30 October 1942 14:55 P-40 21 7 August 1942 17:21 P-40 43 5 November 1942 11:04 P-39? 22 13 August 1942 17:21 P-40 – 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 5 –Eastern Front and northern Norway, and Finland — 1 January – 16 July 1943 44 5 March 1943 16:30 Yak-1 Lake Tolwand 55 5 June 1943 03:50? Hurricane 45 10 March 1943 09:58? P-39 vicinity of Murmashi 56 5 June 1943 05:10? Hurricane 46 10 March 1943 10:03 P-40 vicinity of Murmashi 57 5 June 1943 05:13? Hurricane 47 12 March 1943 14:22 P-40 vicinity of Murmashi 58 15 June 1943 23:01 P-39 48 12 March 1943 14:30 P-39 vicinity of Murmashi 59 15 June 1943 23:06 P-39 49 23 March 1943 14:18 P-40 Shonguy 60 20 June 1943 16:32 Hurricane Kandalaksha 50 23 March 1943 14:23 P-40 PQ 36 Ost 39172, south of Murmansk 61 21 June 1943 19:37 P-40 PQ 36 Ost 1723, west of Rutschi 25 March 1943 Il-2 62 21 June 1943 19:40 P-40 PQ 36 Ost 2711, west of Rutschi 51 27 March 1943 14:02 P-40 63 9 July 1943 04:42 Il-2 52 28 March 1943 11:42 P-40 64 16 July 1943 P-40 west of Pechenga Bay 53 3 June 1943 17:25? P-39 over sea 65 16 July 1943 P-40 west of Pechenga Bay 54 5 June 1943 03:48? Hurricane

Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (26 April 1942) 1st Class (26 May 1942) Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for Fighter Pilots in Silver (27 June 1942) in Gold (26 October 1942) Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 17 August 1942 as Unteroffizier and pilot German Cross in Gold on 15 October 1942 as Unteroffizier in the 6./Jagdgeschwader 5 Wound Badge in Black (16 July 1943) Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 19 September 1943 as Feldwebel and pilot in the 6./Jagdgeschwader 5

Dates of rank May 1942: Unteroffizier 1 November 1942: Feldwebel 1 August 1944: Leutnant (second lieutenant), war officer, effective as of 1 August 1944 April 1945: Oberleutnant (first lieutenant)