Klaus Quaet-Faslem

Klaus Quaet-Faslem (5 September 1913 – 30 January 1944) was a Luftwaffe 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. On 30 January 1944 he was killed in a flying accident due to bad weather. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross on 9 June 1944. During his career he was credited with 49 aerial victories.

Early life and career Quaet-Faslem was born on 5 September 1913 in Kiel, at the time in the Province of Schleswig-Holstein, a province of the Kingdom of Prussia. Following flight training, Quaet-Faslem was posted to 3. Staffel (3rd Squadron) of Küstenfliegergruppe 106, a naval aerial reconnaissance unit, in 1936. In 1939, he was transferred to 1. Staffel of Lehrgeschwader 2 (LG 2—2nd Demonstration Wing).

World War II In preparation for the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, I.(Jagd)/LG 2 (1st Fighter Group of the 2nd Demonstration Wing) under command of Hauptmann Hanns Trübenbach had been ordered to airfields at Lottin (now Lotyń), where the Gruppenstab (headquarters unit), 2. and 3. Staffel where based, and to Malzkow (now Malczkowo) near Stolp (now Słupsk), where 1. Staffel had been sent. On 4 September, I.(Jagd)/LG 2 flew two combat missions over the combat area of the German 4. Armee (4th Army), the first from 12:02 to 13:05 and the second from 17:35 to 18:37 with 1. Staffel for the first time encountering Polish Air Force fighter aircraft. Depending on source, Quaet-Faslem claimed his first aerial victory that day, it may have been a PZL P.11 or a PZL P.24. Irrespectively of type, the claim was not confirmed. Following the German advance, I.(Jagd)/LG 2 relocated to Lauenburg (now Lębork), near Bromberg on 9 September in support the 4. Armee.

On 20 October 1940, Quaet-Faslem was transferred from Jagdfliegerschule 1 (1st fighter pilot school) at Werneuchen to III. Gruppe (3rd group) of Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing) where he assumed the position of adjutant. At the time, III. Gruppe was commanded by Hauptmann Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke.

Operation Barbarossa In preparation of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, JG 53 arrived in Mannheim-Sandhofen on 8 June 1941 where the aircraft were given a maintenance overhaul. On 12 June, the Geschwader began its relocation east, with III. Gruppe moving to Suwałki in northeastern Poland. Two days later, III. Gruppe transferred to a forward airfield at Sobolewo.

On 21 November 1941, Quaet-Faslem was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel of JG 53, succeeding Oberleutnant Ignaz Prestele who was transferred.

On 19 August 1942, Quaet-Faslem was transferred and was succeeded by Leutant Walter Zellot as commander of 2. Staffel of JG 53. On 31 August, he took command of I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing), succeeding Hauptmann Georg Michalek.

Defense of the Reich and death In March 1943, I. Gruppe had assembled at Döberitz, located approximately west of Staaken, for a period of rest, replenishment and preparation for defense of the Reich missions. In early April, the Gruppe was ordered to Mönchengladbach after it had received 37 factory new Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-4 fighter aircraft equipped with a pair of 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons installed in conformal gun pods under the wings. There, the pilots trained formation flying, operating in Staffel and Gruppen strength, required to combat the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) heavy bomber formations. A few of the more experienced fighter pilots were sent to Brandenburg-Briest for additional training on Y-Control for fighters, a system to control groups of fighters intercepting USAAF bomber formations. In early May, the Gruppe had completed its training period and was subordinated to Stab of JG 3 which was under control of 3. Jagd-Division (3rd Fighter Division).

On 17 August 1943 during the Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission, Quaet-Faslem claimed his 48th aerial victory when he shot down a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. Following aerial combat on 24 October, Quaet-Faslem made a forced landing in his Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 27149—factory number) at Lille.

Graves of honor in the Mönchengladbach-Holt cemetery. Klaus Quaet-Faslem's gravestone is on the left. On 30 January 1944, Quaet-Faslem was killed in a flying accident when his Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 15243) crashed in bad weather at Langeleben near Helmstedt. Following his death, Hauptmann Joachim von Wehren temporarily assumed command of the Gruppe before Hauptmann Josef Haiböck officially took command on 8 February. His grave is located on the cemetery Mönchengladbach-Holt, next to the grave of Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke.

Summary of military career

Aerial victory claims According to Obermaier, Quaet-Faslem was credited with 49 aerial victories, of which 41 were claimed on the Eastern Front, one over Poland and seven over the Western Allies, including two four-engine heavy bombers. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 49 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim. This figure includes 42 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and seven on the Western Front, including two four-engine heavy bombers and one de Havilland Mosquito fighter bomber.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 4939". 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.(Jagd) Staffel of Lehrgeschwader 2 –Invasion of Poland — 1–30 September 1939 4 September 1939 PZL P.24 vicinity of Poczałkowo 1 9 September 1939 17:02 PZL P.24 vicinity of Lubień – Stab III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 53 –Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – July 1941 2 22 June 1941 16:45 I-17 (MiG-1) 5 5 July 1941 16:06 R-5 3 22 June 1941 16:47 I-17 (MiG-1) 6 14 July 1941 14:22 R-5 4 26 June 1941 10:01 DB-3 – Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 53 –Operation Barbarossa — July – 7 August 1941 25 July 1941 DB-3 4 August 1941 I-16 – Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 53 –Action over the Netherlands — 7 August – 15 December 1941 7 24 October 1941 15:40 Spitfire west of Zandvoort – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –Mediterranean Theater — 15 December 1941 – 30 April 1942 8 22 December 1941 14:36 Hurricane Malta 10 14 April 1942 16:45 Beaufort 9 15 February 1942 09:17? Beaufort – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –Eastern Front — 28 May – 18 August 1942 11 1 June 1942 08:25 I-61 (MiG-3) 24 7 August 1942 10:47 MiG-1 PQ 4939 south of Stalingrad 12 1 July 1942 12:20 P-39 southwest of Voronezh 25 8 August 1942 07:06 Il-2 PQ 49612 south-southeast of Stalingrad 13 3 July 1942 13:15 Il-2 northeast of Semljansk 26 8 August 1942 17:30 Er-2 PQ 49351 southwest of Stalingrad 14 3 July 1942 13:25 Il-2 south-southwest of Zadonsk 27 10 August 1942 08:27 LaGG-3 PQ 39364 south of Stalingrad 15 5 July 1942 13:17 Boston east of Nishnij Kaluchowka 28 12 August 1942 04:38 LaGG-3 PQ 49351 southwest of Stalingrad 16 5 July 1942 13:40 Boston east of Bojewo railway station 29 13 August 1942 17:40 LaGG-3 PQ 39422 southwest of Pitomnik Airfield 17 8 July 1942 11:22 Il-2 30 13 August 1942 17:45 MiG-3? PQ 39432 south of Pitomnik Airfield 18 11 July 1942 09:54 I-61 (MiG-3) 31 13 August 1942 18:12 Il-2 PQ 49182 north of Bassargino 19 1 August 1942 07:04 LaGG-3 PQ 39251 northwest of Pitomnik Airfield 32 16 August 1942 13:30 LaGG-3 PQ 40752 north of Gumrak 20 5 August 1942 15:23 R-Z? PQ 49653 south-southeast of Stalingrad 33 17 August 1942 12:20? Il-2 PQ 39433 south of Pitomnik Airfield 21 6 August 1942 10:33 MiG-1 PQ 49534 south of Stalingrad 34 17 August 1942 17:03 LaGG-3 PQ 40774 north-northeast of Pitomnik Airfield 22 6 August 1942 10:43 R-Z? PQ 49382 south of Bassargino 35 17 August 1942 17:07? LaGG-3 PQ 30893 north of Pitomnik Airfield 23 6 August 1942 15:00 MiG-1 PQ 4955 south-southwest of Stalingrad – Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –Eastern Front — 19 August 1942 – 20 January 1943 36 19 August 1942 17:30 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 40794 42 3 September 1942 06:00 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 49434 37 19 August 1942 17:47 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 40841 43 3 September 1942 06:30 P-40 southeast of Srednyaya Akhtuba east of Stalingrad 38 22 August 1942 17:50 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 49131 north of Grebenka 44 3 September 1942 17:30 Yak-1 PQ 35 Ost 59142 39 23 August 1942 06:05 I-180 (Yak-7) PQ 35 Ost 49253, northeast of Stalingrad east-northeast of Stalingrad 45 12 December 1942 09:30 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 3987 40 2 September 1942 06:24 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 50823 46 20 December 1942 11:00 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 3963 41 2 September 1942 06:25 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 50823 – Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –Defense of the Reich — 1 May – 22 October 1943 47 17 July 1943 10:45 B-17 PQ 05 Ost S/GJover sea, off Haarlem 48 17 August 1943 15:58 B-17 PQ 05 Ost S/QR-7Geisenheim, west of Mainz – Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –Action in the West — 1–8 January 1944 49 4 January 1944 15:55 Mosquito west of Amiens

Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 21 September 1942 as Oberleutnant and pilot German Cross in Gold on 29 October 1942 as Oberleutnant in the I./Jagdgeschwader 53 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 June 1944 (posthumously) as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"