Helmuth Grollmus

Helmut Grollmus (8 January 1918 – 19 June 1944) was a Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Helmuth Grollmus was credited with 75 aerial victories during World War II. In 1944 he was killed in action during a dogfight over Finland.

Career Grollmus was born on 8 January 1918 in Lissa, at the time in the Province of Posen, a province of the Kingdom of Prussia. Today Lissa is Leszno in western Poland. Following flight training, Grollmus was posted to the Ergänzungsjagdgruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing), a supplementary training group, in November 1941. On 9 March 1942, the Ergänzungsgruppe of JG 54 was disbanded and the pilots were transferred to I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 54. In consequence, Grollmus was transferred to 2. Staffel of JG 54.

Summary of career Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Grollmus was credited with 75 aerial victories. Spick also lists him with 75 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number missions on the Eastern Front. Heaton, Lewis, Olds and Schulze also list him with 75 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 68 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 10163". 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 Ergänzungsgruppe/Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 6 December 1941 – 9 March 1942 1 28 January 1942? 09:42 I-18 (MiG-1) southwest of Malaya Vishera 2? 5 February 1942 08:50 I-18 (MiG-1) Malaya Vishera – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 1 May 1942 – 3 February 1943 3 21 July 1942? 19:09 MiG-3 5 15 January 1943 13:50 Il-2 PQ 10163southwest of Vishera 4 23 July 1942? 08:05 MiG-3 – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 1 May – 30 June 1943 6 24 February 1943 11:30 LaGG-3 PQ 36 Ost 10162 7 28 February 1943 15:40 Pe-2 PQ 26 Ost 90164southeast of Shlisselburg – 12. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 1 July – 31 December 1943 8 12 July 1943 14:44 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 64683southeast of Shlisselburg 26 1 September 1943 18:17 Il-2? PQ 35 Ost 35363 northeast of Yelnya 9 13 July 1943 05:27 Yak-7 PQ 35 Ost 64894 southwest of Lomonosov 27 7 October 1943 07:23 La-5 southwest of Oster 10 13 July 1943 10:45 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 63256 28 11 October 1943 12:32 Yak-9 east of the Dnieper 11 13 July 1943 10:48 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 63283 southeast of Mtsensk 29 13 October 1943 05:56 Yak-9 southeast of Kiev 12 1 August 1943 07:16? LaGG-3 PQ 36 Ost 10143south of Shlisselburg 30 13 October 1943 06:07 Yak-9 southeast of Kiev 13 2 August 1943 10:13 LaGG-3 PQ 36 Ost 10322 southeast of Mga 31 21 October 1943 09:48 Il-2 eastern bank of the Dnieper 14 3 August 1943 14:02 Yak-7 PQ 36 Ost 10272 east-southeast of Mga 32 21 October 1943 09:56 Pe-2 eastern bank of the Dnieper 15 8 August 1943 17:10 Yak-7 PQ 35 Ost 5336 33 21 October 1943 15:20 La-5 west-northwest of Rshitschtschew 16 13 August 1943 16:31? Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 44891 southwest of Karachev 34 24 October 1943 14:56 La-5 northeast of Kanev 17 14 August 1943 05:05 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 4575 35 3 November 1943 14:56 Yak-9 south of Ljutesh 18 16 August 1943 13:15? Yak-9 PQ 35 Ost 45553 north-northeast of Kirov 36 5 November 1943 14:29 Il-2 southeastern suburbs of Kiev 19 19 August 1943 12:47 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 43863 east-southeast of Sevsk 37 5 November 1943 14:41 Il-2 southern suburbs of Kiev 20 23 August 1943 13:32 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 53413 northeast of Dmitrowsk 38 22 November 1943 14:19 Il-2 east of Zhytomyr 21 24 August 1943 07:06 DB-3 PQ 35 Ost 44452 39 22 November 1943 14:23 Yak-9 east of Zhytomyr 22 24 August 1943 07:12 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 44532 south of Datrovo 40 29 November 1943 06:54 La-5 west of Kornin 23 26 August 1943 16:05 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 43794 south-southwest of Sevsk 41 29 November 1943 06:55 La-5 west of Kornin 24 26 August 1943 16:10 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 43782 south-southwest of Sevsk 42 29 November 1943 10:38 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 91531 north of Zelenogorsk 25 31 August 1943 10:05 Yak-9 PQ 35 Ost 25463 west of Yelnya 43 13 December 1943 12:34 Il-2 northeast of Hrebinky – 12. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 1 January – 27 February 1944 44 24 January 1944 10:26 La-5 PQ 26 Ost 80694 east-southeast of Narva 47 13 February 1944 13:36 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 00783 south of Siversky 45 24 January 1944 10:32 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 90574 southwest of Lissino 48 16 February 1944 10:28 U-2 PQ 36 Ost 00831 east of Leningrad 46 29 January 1944 10:34 Yak-9 PQ 26 Ost 90584 southwest of Lissino – 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 1 March – 19 June 1944 49 7 March 1944 08:49 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 70321Baltic Sea, northeast of Kunda 60 8 April 1944 09:52 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 88853 southeast of Ostrov 50 19 March 1944 08:57 LaGG-3 PQ 25 Ost 88411 southwest of Pskov 61 15 April 1944 15:06 Yak-1? PQ 25 Ost 88355east of Ostrov 51 19 March 1944 09:10 LaGG-3 PQ 25 Ost 88274 east of Pskov 62 17 June 1944 13:25? Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 91545 northwest of Zelenogorsk 52 19 March 1944 09:10? Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 88122 north-northwest of Pskov 63 17 June 1944 13:40 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 81664 south-southeast of Vyborg 53 26 March 1944 13:00 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 78284 west of Pskov 64♠ 19 June 1944 12:48? P-39 PQ 26 Ost 81462 southeast of Vyborg 54 26 March 1944 15:38 Pe-2 PQ 25 Ost 89722 northwest of Pskov 65♠ 19 June 1944 12:53 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 81467 southeast of Vyborg 55 27 March 1944 06:26 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 78262 66♠ 19 June 1944 12:56 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 81497 southeast of Vyborg 56 1 April 1944 10:24 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 88524 west of Selo 67♠ 19 June 1944 17:07 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 91377 south-southeast of Vyborg 57 3 April 1944 12:33 Yak-9 southwest of Selo 68♠ 19 June 1944 17:42 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 91381 southeast of Vyborg 58 7 April 1944 09:43 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 88355vicinity of Selo 69♠ 19 June 1944 20:25 P-39 PQ 26 Ost 81833 east of Vyborg 59 8 April 1944 09:47 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 88854 southeast of Ostrov

Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 1 November 1943 as Unteroffizier and pilot German Cross in Gold on 12 December 1943 as Feldwebel in the 12./Jagdgeschwader 54 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 October 1944 as Leutnant and pilot in the II./Jagdgeschwader 54