Otto Würfel

Otto Würfel (3 December 1920 – 22 December 1944) was a former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Würfel was credited with 79 aerial victories all over the Eastern Front (World War II). In 1944 his aircraft had a mid air collision with another Luftwaffe aircraft over the Rogachev–Zhlobin offensive and he was captured by the Russians and died in a POW camp.

Career

On 10 March 1939, Würfel was assigned to 9. Staffel (9th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). In the fall of 1943, Würfel was briefly transferred to Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, a fighter pilot training unit for pilots destined for the Eastern Front, as an instructor.

On 23 February 1944, Würfel was piloting his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5 (Werknummer 2599—factory number) over Rogachev when he Luftwaffe pilot, Oberfeldwebel Heinrich Dittlmann flying Fw 190 A-5 (Werknummer 2555) were involved in a mid-air collision. Following the collision, Dittlmann was reported as missing in action while Würfel bailed out over Soviet held territory. Taken prisoner of war, he contracted Typhus and died on 22 December 1944 at Camp 280/5 near Stalino. On 4 May 1944 while in Soviet captivity, Würfel had been awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for his 79 aerial victories claimed.

Summary of career Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Würfel was credited with 79 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found documentation for 77 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 47731". 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 – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" –Eastern Front — September 1942 – March 1943 1 2 September 1942 08:45 LaGG-3 southwest of Karmanovo 5 9 September 1942 17:07 Il-2 PQ 47731 southeast of Rzhev 2 3 September 1942 06:20 LaGG-3 southwest of Karmanovo 6 10 September 1942 07:13 Il-2 PQ 47734 southeast of Rzhev 3 3 September 1942 10:30 LaGG-3 southeast of Zubtsov 7 28 January 1943 13:48 Pe-2 PQ 46251 northeast of Konaja 4 4 September 1942 17:35 Pe-2 south of Zubtsov 8 18 March 1943 08:12 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 53 64 – 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" –Eastern Front — September – 31 December 1943 9 5 September 1943 15:15 Pe-2 Seredyna-Buda 32 19 October 1943 13:51 Yak-7 Chernihiv 10 10 September 1943 15:07 Il-2 m.H. southeast of Starodub 33 20 October 1943 11:21 Yak-7 over Loyew 11 10 September 1943 15:09 Il-2 m.H. southeast of Starodub 34 21 October 1943 07:38 Yak-7 over Loyew 12? 11 September 1943 14:32 LaGG-3 south of Kirov 35 21 October 1943 07:43 Yak-7 Loyew 13 11 September 1943 14:35 LaGG-3 southeast of Kirov 36 21 October 1943 07:47 Yak-9 south of Loyew 14 12 September 1943 11:32 MiG-3 southwest of Kirov 37 22 October 1943 12:04 Yak-9 Loyew 15 12 September 1943 11:33 Il-2 m.H. southwest of Kirov 38 22 October 1943 12:23 Yak-7 northeast of Loyew 16 15 September 1943 09:52 Il-2 m.H. southeast of Yelnya 39 25 October 1943 15:42 LaGG-3 Loyew 17 15 September 1943 09:56 Il-2 m.H. southeast of Yelnya 40 25 October 1943 15:46 LaGG-3 Gomel 18 15 September 1943 12:20 La-5 north of Yelnya 41 28 October 1943 15:02 P-39 Rechytsa 19 15 September 1943 16:37 Yak-9 northwest of Yelnya 42 28 October 1943 15:05 P-39 Gomel 20 17 September 1943 17:32 La-5 Yelnya 43 30 October 1943 13:22 Yak-7 Radul 21 27 September 1943 16:07 Il-2 m.H. Surazh 44 5 November 1943 14:15 Yak-9 southeast of Nevel 22 7 October 1943 15:21 Yak-7 southeast of Nevel 45 6 November 1943 07:12 Yak-7 Orsha 23 10 October 1943 17:40 LaGG-3 southeast of Nevel 46 6 November 1943 12:31 P-51 Nevel 24 11 October 1943 09:07 Yak-9 northwest of Velizh 47 10 November 1943 11:32 Yak-7 southeast of Nevel 25 13 October 1943 11:05 Yak-7 east of Orsha 48 11 November 1943 11:32 Il-2 m.H. east of Vitebsk 26 13 October 1943 11:06 Yak-7 southeast of Orsha 49 11 November 1943 11:58 La-5 east of Vitebsk 27 14 October 1943 06:50 LaGG-3 east of Orsha 50 11 November 1943 12:02 La-5 east of Vitebsk 28 14 October 1943 07:07 La-5 east of Orsha 51 22 November 1943 08:30 Yak-7 northeast of Gomel 29 14 October 1943 07:08 La-5 east of Orsha 52 22 November 1943 08:34 Yak-7 southeast of Gomel 30 15 October 1943 07:34 Yak-7 Orsha 53 12 December 1943 10:58 La-5 PQ 25 Ost 96655 31 19 October 1943 13:39 Yak-9 Chernihiv – 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" –Eastern Front — 1 January – 23 February 1944 54 13 January 1944 14:34 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 93483 67 9 February 1944 14:53 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 06544 55 16 January 1944 12:31 LaGG-3 PQ 25 Ost 93523 68 12 February 1944 10:13 La-5 PQ 25 Ost 96655 56 24 January 1944 10:17 Yak-7 PQ 25 Ost 93445 69 12 February 1944 13:40 Yak-7 PQ 25 Ost 96698 57 24 January 1944 10:22 Yak-7 PQ 25 Ost 93483 70 12 February 1944 13:44 Yak-7 PQ 25 Ost 96636 58 6 February 1944 07:40 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 96667 71♠ 21 February 1944 11:50 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 04779 59 6 February 1944 07:45 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 96656 72♠ 21 February 1944 11:51 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 04789 60 6 February 1944 12:27 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 96656 73♠ 21 February 1944 15:16 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 04568 61 6 February 1944 14:51 LaGG-3 PQ 25 Ost 96656 74♠ 21 February 1944 15:17 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 04567 62 7 February 1944 07:44 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 06785 75♠ 21 February 1944 15:31 Yak-9 PQ 35 Ost 03176 63 7 February 1944 10:39 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 06881 76♠ 21 February 1944 15:42 Yak-7 PQ 35 Ost 03118 64 7 February 1944 10:46 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 06788 77 22 February 1944 11:20 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 03119 65 7 February 1944 15:15 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 06768 78 22 February 1944 13:31 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 93267 66 9 February 1944 14:47 La-5 PQ 25 Ost 96668

Awards Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe (13 December 1943) German Cross in Gold on 26 December 1943 as Feldwebel in the 8./Jagdgeschwader 51 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 4 May 1944 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"