Helmut Missner

Helmut Mißner (19 May 1921 – 12 September 1944) was a former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. 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. He was credited with 82 aerial victories all over the Eastern Front. In 1944 he was killed in action over Sagan, Poland.

Career Mißner entered the Luftwaffe 6 January 1941. In 1942 he was transferred to I./JG 54. Based on his experience, he was one of the instructors for the Luftwaffe. He was assigned to the Eastern Front and he had 82 aerial victories. On 17 July 1943, Mißner was credited with claiming JG 54s 5,000th aerial victory.

Instructor and death In mid-July 1944, Mißner was posted to 1. Staffel of Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, renamed Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Nord on 1 September, a fighter pilot training unit. On 12 September 1944, Mißner was killed in flight accident at Sagan, also known as Żagań, Poland. It is thought that lack of oxygen caused him and his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8 (Werknummer 170713—factory number) to plunge from an altitude of and crash. He was buried at Poznan, Poland in a mass grave. Before his death, Mißner was recommended for promotion to Leutnant (second lieutenant). Posthumously, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 10 October 1944 for his 82 aerial victories claimed.

Summary of career Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Mißner was credited with 82 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 83 aerial victories, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 00351". 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.

Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class German Cross on 17 October 1944 as Feldwebel in the I./Jagdgeschwader 54 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 10 October 1944 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the I./Jagdgeschwader 54