Hans-Heinz Augenstein

Hans-Heinz Augenstein (11 July 1921 – 7 December 1944) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and flying ace during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. Operating as a night fighter pilot, he was credited with 46 aerial victories, of which 45 were four-engine bombers, all of which claimed in Defense of the Reich.

Born in Pforzheim-Brötzingen, Augenstein grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. He joined the military service in the Luftwaffe and was trained as a night fighter pilot. Following flight training, he was posted to Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1—1st Fighter Wing) in 1942. Flying with this wing, Augenstein claimed his first aerial victory on 13/14 May 1943 over a Royal Air Force (RAF) bomber aircraft. In March 1944, he was appointed squadron leader of 12. Staffel (12th squadron) of NJG 1 and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 June 1944 for 35 nocturnal aerial victories claimed. On 7 December 1944, Augenstein was killed in action when he was shot down by an RAF night fighter near Münster.

Early life Augenstein was born on 11 July 1921 in Pforzheim-Brötzingen, at the time in the Republic of Baden of the Weimar Republic.

World War II World War II in Europe began on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland. Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, Royal Air Force (RAF) attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign. By mid-1940, Generalmajor (Brigadier General) Josef Kammhuber had established a night air defense system dubbed the Kammhuber Line. It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped with radars and searchlights and an associated night fighter. Each sector named a Himmelbett (canopy bed) would direct the night fighter into visual range with target bombers. In 1941, the Luftwaffe started equipping night fighters with airborne radar such as the Lichtenstein radar. This airborne radar did not come into general use until early 1942.

Night fighter career A map of part of the Kammhuber Line. The 'belt' and night fighter 'boxes' are shown. Augenstein first served with 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1—1st Fighter Wing) during mid 1942. In late 1942, Augenstein transferred to 7. Staffel. This squadron was part of III. Gruppe (3rd group) of NJG 1 and at the time commanded by Hauptmann Wolfgang Thimmig. Augenstein was credited with his first aerial victory on the night of 13/14 May 1943 when he shot down an Avro Lancaster bomber east of Lingen On the night of 23/24 May, RAF Bomber Command sent 829 heavy bombers to Dortmund of which 38 were lost. Defending against this attack, Augenstein shot down a Handley Page Halifax southwest of Raalte.

Bomber Command sent 518 bombers on a mission to bomb Essen on the night of 27/28 May, 23 bombers did not return to England. Augenstein was credited with four aerial victories that night, including three Halifax and a Vickers Wellington bomber. The Wellington was HE752 from No. 166 Squadron which crashed near Hengelo. On 11/12 June, Bomber Command attacked Düsseldorf with 890 bombers. The RAF lost 43 aircraft that night, including a Lancaster bomber shot down by Augenstein northeast of Deventer. The following night, Bomber Command lost 24 bombers in an attack on Bochum. Augenstein was credited with the destruction of two Halifax bombers that night. Augenstein was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 16 January 1944.

Squadron leader and death On 1 March 1944, Augenstein was made Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 12. Staffel of NJG 1 On the night of 27/28 May, Bomber Command attacked Leopoldsburg. Augenstein claimed three Halifax bombers shot down that night, taking his total to 40 aerial victories. A little less than two weeks later, on 9 June, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross . Augenstein was shot down on the night of 15/16 June near Roubaix, possibly by Flight Lieutenant W. W. Provan from No. 29 Squadron.

On the night of 2/3 November, flying from an airfield at Dortmund, Augenstein claimed his last three aerial victories during an RAF raid on Düsseldorf. On the night of 7 December 1944, Augenstein's Messerschmitt Bf 110 G-4 (Werknummer 140078—factory number) was shot down northwest of Münster-Handorf by a De Havilland Mosquito night fighter of the Fighter Interception Unit, flown by RAF ace Flight Lieutenant Edward Richard Hedgecoe and Flight Sergeant J.R. Whitham. Augenstein and his Bordfunker Feldwebel Günther Steins were killed but his air gunner Unteroffizier Kurt Schmidt bailed out unhurt. Augenstein was credited with 46 victories, all recorded at night and including 45 four-engine bombers.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims Augenstein was credited with 46 victories, of which 45 were four-engine bombers. Foreman, Parry and Mathews, authors of Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 45 nocturnal victory claims. Mathews and Foreman also published Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, listing Augenstein with 41 claims, plus five further unconfirmed claim.

Chronicle of aerial victories Claim Date Time Type Location Serial No./Squadron No. – 7. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 – 1 13 May 1943 23:57 Lancaster east of Lingen 2 24 May 1943 02:39 Halifax southwest of Raalte Halifax DK169/No. 76 Squadron RAF 3 28 May 1943 00:54 Wellington southwest of Hengelo Wellington HE752/No. 166 Squadron RAF 4 28 May 1943 01:05 Halifax northeast of Heek 5 28 May 1943 01:21 Halifax Leer Halifax DK147/No. 76 Squadron RAF 6 28 May 1943 01:37 Halifax east-northeast of Deventer 7 12 June 1943 03:00 Lancaster northeast of Deventer 8 13 June 1943 01:56 Halifax west of Gildehaus Halifax W7909/No. 10 Squadron RAF 9 13 June 1943 02:03 Halifax northeast of Oldenzaal Halifax DT568/No. 51 Squadron RAF – III. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 – 10 27/28 August 1943 Stirling northwest of Nuremberg 11? 28 August 1943 00:03 four-engined bomber Nuremberg-Lohe – 9. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 – 12 6 September 1943 00:45 Stirling Schönborn Stirling EH878/No. 623 Squadron RAF 13 6 September 1943 01:07 Lancaster northwest of Landau 14 22 September 1943 22:45 Lancaster Hüpede Halifax HR776/No. 158 Squadron RAF 15 23 September 1943 22:50 Lancaster north of Speyer 16 23 September 1943 23:00 Lancaster north of Kirchheimbolanden 17 27 September 1943 23:00 Halifax west of Lübbecke 18 3 October 1943 01:42 Halifax east of Kassel 19 9 October 1943 01:42 Lancaster south-southwest of Hanover 20 20 October 1943 22:24 Lancaster Ommen Lancaster JA907/No. 7 Squadron RAF 21 20 October 1943 22:45 Lancaster near Zwolle 22 3 November 1943 20:03 Lancaster southwest of Sundern Lancaster DV265/No. 101 Squadron RAF 23? 26 November 1943 02:55 Halifax Frankfurt (Oder) Halifax LK995/No. 429 Squadron RAF – 7. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 – 24 16 December 1943 19:00 Lancaster south of Osnabrück 25 24 December 1943 03:00 Lancaster Frankfurt (Oder) Lancaster LL671/No. 514 Squadron RAF 26 22 January 1944 03:00 Halifax east-southeast of Oldenzaal 27 January 1944 Lancaster 27 30 January 1944 21:49 Lancaster Lancaster JA702/No. 156 Squadron RAF 28? 30 January 1944 22:00 Lancaster 29 15 February 1944 22:48 Halifax Emmerich 30 20 February 1944 02:30 Lancaster ES-5 31? 25 February 1944 02:50 Halifax south of Augsburg 32 26 February 1944 02:30 Lancaster – 12. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 – 34 2 May 1944 00:32 Lancaster near Ghent 35 2 May 1944 00:25 Halifax north of Mechelen 36 23 May 1944 01:21 Lancaster Eindhoven 37 23 May 1944 01:34 Lancaster Hoogstraten area 38 28 May 1944 02:13 Halifax 39 28 May 1944 02:15 Halifax 40 28 May 1944 02:17 Halifax 41% 13 June 1944 00:33 Lancaster Cambrai 42 29 July 1944 01:52 four-engined bomber west of Stuttgart 43 29 July 1944 02:11 four-engined bomber near Stuttgart – IV. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 – 44 4/5 November 1944 Lancaster 45 4/5 November 1944 Lancaster 46 4/5 November 1944 Lancaster

Awards Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 17 January 1944 as Leutnant and pilot German Cross in Gold on 16 January 1944 as Leutnant in the 7./Nachjagdgeschwader 1 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 June 1944 as Oberleutnant and Staffelführer of the 7./Nachjagdgeschwader 1