Hans Götz

Hans Götz (2 June 1919 – 4 August 1943) was a former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Hans Götz was credited with 82 victories in 600 combat missions. He claimed three victories over the Western Front.

Career Götz was born on 2 June 1922 in Stuttgart, the capital of the Free People's State of Württemberg of the Weimar Republic.

On 22 February 1943, Götz was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing). He succeeded Oberleutnant Siegfried Graf Matuschka who was transferred. When on 6 July Major Reinhard Seiler was wounded in combat, Götz was temporarily given the position of Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe of JG 54 until the new commander Hauptmann Gerhard Homuth took command on 1 August. The following day, Homuth was killed in action and Götz again assumed command of the Gruppe. Only two days later, on 4 August, Götz was killed in action following combat with Ilyushin Il-2 ground attack aircraft. His Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5 (Werknummer 1119—factory number) crashed and exploded northeast of Karachev.

Summary of career Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Götz was credited with 82 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found documentation for 82 aerial victory claims. This number includes 79 claims on the Eastern Front and three over the Western Allies.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 29323". 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 – 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –At the Channel and over England — 26 June – 23 September 1940 1 15 August 1940 15:15 Hurricane off Maidstone over sea 3 9 September 1940 19:05 Spitfire 2 9 September 1940 19:00 Spitfire – 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 5 December 1941 4 25 June 1941 11:43 I-18 (MiG-1) 11 24 September 1941 10:13 I-153 5 25 June 1941 11:48 I-18 (MiG-1) 12 26 September 1941 05:55 I-18 (MiG-1) 6 7 July 1941 16:00 SB-3 13 26 September 1941 06:50 I-18 (MiG-1) 7 20 July 1941 10:25 SB-3 14 29 September 1941 15:22 SB-3 8 10 August 1941 04:45 Pe-2 15 25 October 1941 11:03 I-26 (Yak-1) 9 13 August 1941 17:40 I-18 (MiG-1) 16 29 October 1941 11:02 I-26 (Yak-1) 10 23 September 1941 11:05 I-18 (MiG-1) – 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 6 December 1941 – 30 April 1942 17 13 December 1941 13:50 I-16 22 15 March 1942 16:35 P-40 18 17 December 1941 13:25 I-16? 23 16 March 1942 10:40 Pe-2 southeast of Nirischi 19 1 January 1942 12:03 I-18 (MiG-1) 24 18 March 1942 13:27 P-40 20 21 February 1942 14:14 I-18 (MiG-1) 25 27 April 1942 08:31 U-2 PQ 29323 southeast of Malaya Vishera 21 14 March 1942 16:16 I-16 – 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 1 May – September 1942 26 10 May 1942 09:45 Yak-1 east of Leningrad 36 24 August 1942 16:04 LaGG-3 PQ 4748 west of Staritsa 27 30 May 1942 18:03 I-16 37 25 August 1942 04:38 Il-2 PQ 47554 northwest of Rzhev 28 30 May 1942 18:35 P-40 38 25 August 1942 04:42 Il-2 PQ 47651 southwest of Staritsa 29 30 May 1942 18:38 P-40 39 26 August 1942 15:29 U-2 PQ 47483 west of Staritsa 30 3 June 1942 14:34 U-2 40 26 August 1942 15:44 LaGG-3 PQ 47153 east-southeast of Torzhok 31 15 June 1942 15:25 LaGG-3 41 27 August 1942 11:44 Yak-1 PQ 46231 southeast of Zubtsov 32 23 June 1942 09:38 Il-2 42 27 August 1942 11:55 Yak-1 PQ 56142 north-northeast of Gagarin 33 23 June 1942 09:41 Il-2 43 29 August 1942 16:12? Il-2 PQ 10182east of Mga 34 22 August 1942 15:28 Hurricane PQ 47872 south of Zubtsov 44 2 September 1942 13:00 Il-2 PQ 10141east of Shlisselburg 35 23 August 1942 14:50 Yak-1 PQ 54261 west-northwest of Belyov – 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — November 1942 45 5 November 1942 09:44 I-153 PQ 11754over Lake Ladoga 47 9 November 1942 14:13 I-153 PQ 11742 north of Shlisselburg 46 7 November 1942 12:25 MiG-3 PQ 11791over Lake Ladoga 48 11 November 1942 14:25 P-40 PQ 11763over Lake Ladoga – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — January – 3 February 1943 49 13 January 1943 07:59 La-5 PQ 10174southeast of Shlisselburg 53 23 January 1943 11:10 Yak-1 PQ 1014 50 14 January 1943 11:10 La-5 PQ 10163southeast of Shlisselburg 54 24 January 1943 10:15 Il-2 PQ 1015 51 14 January 1943 11:12 La-5 PQ 10164southeast of Shlisselburg 55 24 January 1943 14:52 Il-2 PQ 00421Pushkin-Mga 52 15 January 1943 08:44 Su-2 (Seversky) PQ 10192east of Mga 56 27 January 1943 08:37 Il-2 PQ 00292 west of Mga – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 4 February – 4 August 1943 57 11 February 1943 09:33 Il-2 PQ 36 Ost 00482 west of Tosno 70 6 July 1943 14:35 Yak-1? PQ 35 Ost 63671 south of Maloarkhangelsk 58 11 February 1943 09:40 Il-2 PQ 36 Ost 00413 east of Pushkin 71 7 July 1943 13:30 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 6357 59 15 February 1943 07:30 Il-2 PQ 36 Ost 10563 east of Lyuban 72 8 July 1943 13:36 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 63551 west-southwest of Maloarkhangelsk 60 22 February 1943 15:45 LaGG-3 PQ 36 Ost 00432 southwest of Mga 73 9 July 1943 12:00 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 63811 south of Maloarkhangelsk 61 23 February 1943 14:54 Pe-2 PQ 36 Ost 00251 west-southwest of Shlisselburg 74 10 July 1943 08:11 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 63538 west-southwest of Maloarkhangelsk 62 28 February 1943 06:20 U-2 PQ 35 Ost 29164 east of Malaya Vishera 75 12 July 1943 07:39 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 64385 southeast of Bolkhov 63 7 March 1943 12:48 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 90252 southeasr of Lomonosov 76 16 July 1943 13:31 Yak-9 PQ 35 Ost 54539 west of Bolkhov 64 15 March 1943 09:50 P-39 PQ 35 Ost 29831 north of Demyansk 77 17 July 1943 08:49 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 54645 west-southwest of Bolkhov 65 1 April 1943 13:35 Il-2 PQ 36 Ost 10151southeast of Shlisselburg 78 31 July 1943 09:10 Yak-9 PQ 35 Ost 54672 southwest of Bolkhov 66 5 July 1943 03:51 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 63683 near Maloarkhangelsk 79 1 August 1943 17:37 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 64563 south of Bolkhov 67 5 July 1943 07:10 P-39 PQ 35 Ost 63729 southwest of Maloarkhangelsk 80 2 August 1943 04:41 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 54821 southwest of Bolkhov 68 5 July 1943 15:55 Boston PQ 35 Ost 63633 east-northeast of Maloarkhangelsk 81 2 August 1943 14:37 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 53479 southwest of Dmitrovsk 69 6 July 1943 07:35 Yak-1? PQ 35 Ost 63577 west-southwest of Maloarkhangelsk 82 2 August 1943 19:20 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 53631 west-northwest of Maloarkhangelsk

Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 10 November 1941 as Leutnant and pilot German Cross in Gold on 2 July 1942 as Oberleutnant in the I./Jagdgeschwader 54 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 December 1942 as Oberleutnant and pilot in the 2./Jagdgeschwader 54