Peter Kalden

Peter Kalden (17 August 1923 – 11 June 1996) was a German World War II fighter ace, attached to Jagdgeschwader 51. Depending on source, he was credited with 69 or 84 aerial victories.

Career Kalden was born on 17 August 1923 in Wittenberge in the Province of Brandenburg of the Weimar Republic.

On 2 May 1944, Kalden was wounded in combat when he was shot down in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 140356—factory number) near Kurovichi.

On 1 August, Kalden was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 10. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). He replaced Oberleutnant Heinz Venth who had been reported as missing in action on 16 July. On 15 August, as part of the group expansion from three Staffeln per Gruppe to four Staffeln per Gruppe, 10. Staffel was re-designated and became the 13. Staffel while 11. Staffel became the 14. Staffel of JG 51. Consequently, Kalden then commanded 13. Staffel.

Kalden was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 December 1944. The presentation was 11 days later by Generalmajor Robert Fuchs. On 11 March 1945, Kalden attacked Soviet armor near Neustadt in Westpreußen, present-day Wejherowo. On this mission, he was shot down in his Bf 109 G-14 (Werknummer 511439) by Soviet anti-aircraft artillery resulting in a crash landing near Danzig, present-day Gdańsk, and was taken prisoner of war. Command of 13. Staffel then briefly went to Leutnant Engel before Leutnant Kurt Tanzer was given command on 12 April.

Later life Kalden died on 11 June 1996 at the age of in Friedrichsdorf, Germany.

Summary of career Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Kalden was credited with 69 aerial victories. Spick lists him with 84 aerial victories claimed in 538 combat missions. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 69 aerial victory claims, plus further fifteen unconfirmed and undated claims, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 35 Ost 63251". 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 – 11. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Eastern Front — 4 February – 31 December 1943 1 13 July 1943 13:38 Yak-1 PQ 35 Ost 63251 southeast of Zalegoshch 7 3 October 1943 08:48 La-5 northeast of Orlik 2 14 July 1943 15:52 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost 54412 northeast of Dudorovskiy 8 3 October 1943 08:50 La-5 north of Orlik 3 17 July 1943 04:14 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 63214vicinity of Zalegoshch 9 24 October 1943 11:28 Yak-9 southeast of Petrovo 4 31 July 1943 09:31? LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 54488 west-northwest of Bolkhov 10 30 November 1943 12:04 P-39 north of Malaya-Wolaska 5 14 September 1943 14:32 Yak-1 north of Pologi 11 11 December 1943 11:06 Il-2 m.H. PQ 34 Ost 39511 west of Borovichi 6 20 September 1943 13:30 La-5 northeast of Dnipropetrovsk 12 17 December 1943 11:22 P-39 PQ 34 Ost 29825 – 11. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Eastern Front — 1 January – 31 July 1944 13 5 January 1944 12:09 La-5 PQ 25 Ost 90732 east of Vinnytsia 24 2 May 1944 05:49 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 50126 southeast of Brody 14 10 January 1944 11:18 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 80682 southeast of Vinnytsia 25 2 May 1944 05:50? Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 50131 southeast of Brody 15 10 January 1944 11:22 Yak-1 PQ 25 Ost 80681 southeast of Vinnytsia 26 7 July 1944 10:07 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 55449 southeast of Yukhnov 16 10 January 1944 11:24 Yak-1 PQ 25 Ost 80683 southeast of Vinnytsia 27 7 July 1944 14:53 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 55476 south-southeast of Yukhnov 17 11 January 1944 15:03 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 80662 east-northeast of Vinnytsia 28 16 July 1944 07:53 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 50318 southeast of Zolochiv 18 12 January 1944 09:38 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 90549 south-southeast of Koziatyn 29 18 July 1944 19:28 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 50383 west of Tarnopol 19 24 January 1944 11:13 La-5 PQ 25 Ost 80431vicinity of Koziatyn 30 19 July 1944 13:43 R-5 PQ 25 Ost 40135 northwest of Zolochiv 20 1 February 1944 09:29 Pe-2 PQ 34 Ost 09134 31 20 July 1944 13:03 Pe-2 PQ 25 Ost 40123 northeast of Lviv 21 7 April 1944 17:55 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 50712 south-southeast of Berezhany 32 21 July 1944 16:31 Boston PQ 25 Ost 30233 southwest of Zolochiv 22 16 April 1944 13:43 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 50389 west of Tarnopol 33 21 July 1944 16:38 P-39 PQ 25 Ost 40113 north of Lviv 23 2 May 1944 05:48 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 50122 southeast of Brody 34 23 July 1944 10:08 Pe-2 PQ 25 Ost 30225 southwest of Żółkiew – 10. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Eastern Front — 1–34 August 1944 35 2 August 1944 08:17 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 25433 east-southeast of Blumenfeld 37 8 August 1944 12:31 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 36548 east-southeast of Nemakščiai 36 4 August 1944 07:54 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 36599 west of Kėdainiai 38 13 August 1944 19:36 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 24613 northeast of Łomża – 13. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Eastern Front — 15 August – 31 December 1944 39 16 August 1944 17:23 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 26628vicinity of Nemakščiai 53 13 October 1944 13:14 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 13545, Jabłonna north of Warsaw 40 17 August 1944 15:06 Yak-1 PQ 25 Ost 25283 east of Blumenfeld 54 13 October 1944 15:57 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 13518, Radzymin north of Warsaw 41 17 August 1944 17:23 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 26628vicinity of Nemakščiai 55 14 October 1944 11:14 Boston PQ 25 Ost 13722 east of Warsaw 42 1 September 1944 10:54? Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 13559 northeast of Warsaw 56 14 October 1944 16:07 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 13517 north of Warsaw 43 1 September 1944 10:58 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 13583 east-northeast of Warsaw 57 14 October 1944 16:08 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 03663 northwest of Warsaw 44 1 September 1944 13:40 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 13528 north-northeast of Warsaw 58 14 October 1944 16:09 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 03666 northwest of Warsaw 45 4 September 1944 17:16 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 13221 southeast of Ostrołęka 59 15 October 1944 09:29 Boston PQ 25 Ost 13517 north of Warsaw 46 1 October 1944 16:11 Pe-2 PQ 25 Ost 13595 north-northeast of Warsaw 60 15 October 1944 13:52 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 03499 northwest of Warsaw 47 7 October 1944 12:57 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 13357 east of Nasielsk 61 19 October 1944 08:42 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 13348 east of Nasielsk 48 7 October 1944 13:02 Boston PQ 25 Ost 13651 east of Nasielsk 62 19 October 1944 08:44 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 13379 east of Nasielsk 49 7 October 1944 13:12 Boston PQ 25 Ost 13343 east of Nasielsk 63 19 October 1944 08:45 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 13349 east-southeast of Nasielsk 50 10 October 1944 13:13 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 13517 north of Warsaw 64 21 October 1944 16:11 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 13372 east-southeast of Nasielsk 51? 13 October 1944 09:26 P-39 east of Modlin 65 24 October 1944 08:54 Boston PQ 25 Ost 03457 east-northeast of Modlin 52 13 October 1944 09:29 Boston PQ 25 Ost 13512 north of Warsaw – 13. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Eastern Front — 1 January – 11 March 1945 66 19 January 1945 unknown 68 24 January 1945 unknown 67 24 January 1945 unknown 69 24 January 1945 unknown

Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 8 May 1944 as Leutnant and pilot Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 December 1944 as Leutnant and Staffelführer of the 13./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" German Cross in Gold on 1 January 1945 as Leutnant in the 10./Jagdgeschwader 51