Rudolf Klemm

Rudolf Klemm (10 February 1918 – 5 July 1989) was a German 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. During his career, he was credited with 42 aerial victories in 293 missions. Klemm's plane was shot down 4 times and he saved his life twice by parachuting and twice with an emergency landing.

After the war, Klemm was an instructor in his own flying school for small aircraft based on the airport of Basel-Mulhouse until his plane crashed mysteriously, when he was on training with a trainee pilot.

Early life and career Klemm was born on 10 February 1918 in Haltingen, now part of Weil am Rhein, then in the Grand Duchy of Baden within the German Empire. He joined the military service of the Luftwaffe in 1937. Following completion of flight and fighter pilot training, Klemm served as a flight instructor before he was transferred to 8. Staffel (8th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) in December 1941. His Staffel was subordinated to III. Gruppe (3rd group) headed by Hauptmann Reinhard Seiler.

World War II World War II in Europe had begun on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland. In late 1941, III. Gruppe was based at Siverskaya, located approximately south of Leningrad on the Eastern Front.

On 4 April 1942, Klemm was credited with JG 54s 2,000th aerial victory.

Defense of the Reich In mid-February 1943, III. Gruppe of JG 54 was withdrawn from the Eastern Front and ordered to Vendeville, France where it was subordinated to the Geschwaderstab (headquarters unit) of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing). The Gruppe was equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-4 armed with 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons installed in conformal gun pods under the wings. The original plan was to exchange JG 26 which had been fighting on the Western Front with JG 54. The plan was cancelled in March. Instead of III. Gruppe of JG 54 returning to the Eastern Front, the Gruppe was ordered to Bad Zwischenahn on 25 March and then to Oldenburg Airfield two days later. Here, the Gruppe was subordinated to the 2. Jagd-Division (2nd Fighter Division) which was fighting in defense of the Reich.

On 17 April, III. Gruppe flew its first combat mission in defense of the Reich. That day, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) VIII Bomber Command, later renamed to Eighth Air Force, attacked the Focke-Wulf factory in Bremen. The Gruppe was scrambled at 12:29. At 12:40 approximately 120 to 150 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers were encountered west of Wilhelmshaven. Due to evasive maneuvering of the bombers and the heavy defensive gunfire, the Gruppe initially failed to attack the bombers head-on. At 13:00, III. Gruppe made their first head-on attack while the leading bombers of the 91st and 306th Bombardment Group made their bomb-run. The Gruppe kept pursuing the bombers and claimed four further bombers shot down, one of which was not confirmed and one was credited to Klemm, his first heavy bomber.

On 14 May, the USAAF VIII Bomber Command attacked the harbor and ship building at Kiel. III. Gruppe was scrambled at 11:29 and shortly after 12:00 intercepted 125 Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers of the 44th Bombardment Group after they had dropped their bombs over the target area. In this encounter, III. Gruppe pilots claimed three B-24 bombers shot down, including one by Klemm. He was then shot down and wounded by friendly fire. His Bf 109 G-4 (Werknummer 16144—factory number) was hit by German anti-aircraft artillery in a location approximately west of Kiel. Blinded in one eye, he returned to operations weeks later.

In February 1944, Klemm was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 7. Staffel of JG 54, succeeding Oberleutnant Waldemar Wübke. On 9 April, he was wounded in combat when his Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 15573) was shot down near Kiel, forcing him to bail out.

Klemm was transferred and appointed Staffelkapitän of 12. Staffel of JG 54 on 5 June. The Staffel was redesignated on 20 August and became the 15. Staffel. On 16 October, he was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of IV. Gruppe of JG 54. He succeeded Major Wolfgang Späte who was transferred. Consquently, command of 15. Staffel was passed on to Leutnant Karl Brill. On 18 November, Klemm was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 40 aerial victories claimed.

Summary of career Aerial victory claims According to Obermaier, Klemm was credited with 42 aerial victories claimed in 293 combat missions. He claimed at least 21 aerial victories over the Western Allies, including 16 heavy bombers. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 43 aerial victory claims. This figure includes 29 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 14 over the Western Allies, including ten heavy bombers.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 29773". 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 Unit Claim Date Time Type Location Unit – Claims with III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 6 December 1941 – 30 April 1942 1 7 February 1942 11:35 R-Z? 8./JG 54 2 4 April 1942 10:42 Pe-2 vicinity of Leningrad 8./JG 54 – Claims with III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 1 May 1942 – 3 February 1943 3 11 August 1942 15:40 LaGG-3 PQ 29773 east-northeast of Staraya Russa 8./JG 54 14 7 November 1942 13:52 Il-2? PQ 28263 southwest of Valday 8./JG 54 4 1 September 1942 08:43 LaGG-3 PQ 10112vicinity of Shlisselburg 8./JG 54 15 7 November 1942 14:00 LaGG-3? PQ 38141 southwest of Valday 8./JG 54 5 10 September 1942 13:27 LaGG-3 PQ 00263, north of Dubrowka southwest of Shlisselburg 8./JG 54 16 30 December 1942 12:08 LaGG-3 PQ 07683, Michalk east-southeast of Velikiye Luki 9./JG 54 6 12 September 1942 08:42 LaGG-3 PQ 10134east of Shlisselburg 8./JG 54 17 4 January 1943 13:25 Il-2 PQ 07731 south of Velikiye Luki 9./JG 54 7 21 September 1942 09:43 I-16 PQ 11741 north of Shlisselburg 8./JG 54 18 5 January 1943 08:40 Il-2 PQ 07584 southwest of Velikiye Luki 9./JG 54 8♠ 29 September 1942 14:55 MiG-3 PQ 00261 southwest of Shlisselburg 8./JG 54 19 12 January 1943 13:05 Il-2 PQ 07652 east of Velikiye Luki 9./JG 54 9♠ 29 September 1942 15:04 I-16 PQ 00263, Nowy Poselok southwest of Shlisselburg 8./JG 54 20 12 January 1943 13:09 Il-2 PQ 07572 west of Toropa 9./JG 54 10♠ 29 September 1942 15:09 I-16 PQ 00251, Oserki east-northeast of Shlisselburg 8./JG 54 21 14 January 1943 12:25 MiG-3 PQ 07594 southwest of Velikiye Luki 9./JG 54 11♠ 29 September 1942 15:09 I-16 PQ 00251, Oserki east-northeast of Shlisselburg 8./JG 54 22 15 January 1943 11:30 Pe-2 PQ 17513 southwest of Toropets 9./JG 54 12♠ 29 September 1942 15:10 I-16 PQ 00252 east-northeast of Shlisselburg 8./JG 54 23 18 January 1943 07:55 DB-3 PQ 07772 east of Nevel 9./JG 54 13 30 September 1942 15:34 MiG-3 PQ 00242 southeast of Leningrad 8./JG 54 – Claims with III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Defense of the Reich — 27 March 1943 – January 1944 24 17 April 1943 13:21 B-17 southwest of Ahlhorn 8./JG 54 26 9 October 1943 12:00 B-17 PQ 05 Ost S/BS-7/1, 4Neubrandenburg 7./JG 54 25 14 May 1943 12:10? B-24 Borby, Eckernförde BayRieseby 8./JG 54 27? 5 January 1944 12:05 P-38 8./JG 54 ? 9 October 1943 11:30 B-17 Neubrandenburg 7./JG 54 28? 11 January 1944 12:05 B-17 7./JG 54 – Claims with III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Defense of the Reich — February – 9 April 1944 29 20 February 1944 12:45 B-17 PQ 05 Ost GT 7./JG 54 ? 8 April 1944 13:44 B-24 north Celle 7./JG 54 30 22 February 1944 13:45 B-17* PQ 05 Ost HT 4-2east of Detmold 7./JG 54 ? 8 April 1944 13:53 B-24 southwest of Twistringen 7./JG 54 31 6 March 1944 12:07 B-17* PQ 05 Ost EQ 9-7Loningen 7./JG 54 33? 8 April 1944 13:55 B-24 PQ 15 Ost EA 7 7./JG 54 32 6 March 1944 14:28 B-17 PQ 05 Ost EQSögel-Cloppenburg 7./JG 54 34? 8 April 1944 16:25 P-38 PQ 05 Ost ES 7 7./JG 54 – Claims with IV. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 5 June – 14 September 1944 35 15 July 1944 14:33 P-39 PQ 26 Ost 50177central Gulf of Finland 12./JG 54 38 6 August 1944 14:55 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 12363 west-northwest of Dęblin 12./JG 54 36 20 July 1944 18:58 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 32813 northeast of Chełm 12./JG 54 39 27 August 1944 16:14 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 13235 north of Ostrov 15./JG 54 37 5 August 1944 16:28 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 12188 east-southeast of Grojec 12./JG 54 40 1 September 1944 14:04 Yak-11 PQ 25 Ost 13527 north-northeast of Warsaw 15./JG 54 – Claims with IV. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Defense of the Reich — 15 September – 31 December 1944 41 26 September 1944 14:16 P-47 PQ 05 Ost JN-1/3Doetinchem 15./JG 54 43 18 December 1944 10:42 P-47 PQ S/PO-5west of Adenau Stab IV./JG 54 42 18 December 1944 10:30 P-47 PQ 05 Ost S/PN-5, east-southeast Malmedysouth of Büllingen Stab IV./JG 54 – Claims with IV. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" –Defense of the Reich — 15 September – 31 December 1944 19 March 1945 13:35 P-51 northwest of Nordhorn Stab IV./JG 26

Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 1 March 1943 as Leutnant and pilot German Cross in Gold on 24 February 1944 as Oberleutnant in the III./Jagdgeschwader 54 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 18 November 1944 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän in the 10./Jagdgeschwader 54