Ulrich Wöhnert

Ulrich Wöhnert (24 October 1914 – 14 August 1947) 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. During his career he was credited with 86 aerial victories, all over the Eastern Front.

Career Wöhnert was born on 24 October 1914 in Wolfshagen in the Province of Brandenburg within the German Empire, present-day part of Uckerland in Brandenburg.

On 7 April 1944 at 21:25 in the evening, Wöhnert was injured during an aerial bombing attack on Wesenberg, present-day Rakvere, keeping him out of combat for some time. Following his convalescence, he was assigned to 1. Staffel.

Squadron leader In August 1944, Wöhnert was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 5. Staffel of Jgadgeschwader 54, replacing Oberleutnant Wilhelm Schilling in this capacity. The Staffel was subordinated to II. Gruppe of JG 54 under command of Major Erich Rudorffer. On 6 December, Wöhnert was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 86 aerial victories claimed.

In May 1945, he was taken prisoner of war (POW) by Soviet forces. Imprisoned in a Soviet POW camp at Kutaisi, he died on 14 August 1947. Official reports state that he died of pneumonia while fellow inmates claim that he committed suicide.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims According to Spick, Wöhnert was credited with 86 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number of missions, all of which on the Eastern Front. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for at least 83 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 47622". 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 – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 1 May 1942 – 3 February 1943 1 21 July 1942 19:40 Il-2 3 29 September 1942 09:15 Yak-1 west of Ostrowskij north of Dubrovka 2 15 August 1942 12:35 MiG-3 PQ 47622 west-southwest of Staritsa – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 4 February – 31 December 1943 4 16 March 1943 16:32? LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 18211 southeast of Staraya Russa 25 31 August 1943 13:59 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 25464 west of Yelnya ? 16 April 1943 19:04 La-5 south of Lomonosov 26 31 August 1943 14:01 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 35371 southwest of Yelnya 5 8 June 1943 16:14 P-40 PQ 36 Ost 10282 west-southwest of Volkhov 27 2 September 1943 13:11 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 45413 northwest of Mosalsk 6 21 June 1943 10:45 LaGG-3 PQ 36 Ost 0188 northwest of Shlisselburg 28 4 September 1943 16:32 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 35532 southeast of Yelnya 7 6 July 1943 14:34 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 63582 southwest of Maloarkhangelsk 29 5 September 1943 11:15 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 35371 southwest of Yelnya 8 17 July 1943 19:01 Yak-4 PQ 35 Ost 63831 southeast of Maloarkhangelsk 30 7 September 1943 15:16 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 44134 south-southeast of Kirov 9 20 July 1943 12:37 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 64875 south of Mtsensk 31 7 September 1943 15:17 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 44122 south of Kirov 10 20 July 1943 13:08 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 63241 southeast of Oryol 32 7 September 1943 15:20 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 44114 southwest of Kirov 11 21 July 1943 04:34 Yak-7 PQ 35 Ost 53127 east-southeast of Tschaikowka 33 7 September 1943 15:23 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 44144 southwest of Kirov 12 4 August 1943 09:41 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 53433 south-southwest of Oryol 34 9 September 1943 12:31 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 45882 east-southeast of Kirov 13 13 August 1943 17:14 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 51652Grayvoron-Zolochiv 35 10 September 1943 13:21 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 44144 southwest of Kirov 14 14 August 1943 07:04 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 51674 north of Bohodukhiv 36 11 September 1943 14:29 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 34243 northeast of Seshchinskaya 15 14 August 1943 15:01 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 51731 northwest of Bogoduchow 37? 14 September 1943 16:12 Yak-9 PQ 35 Ost 26442 16 19 August 1943 05:46 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 51621 east-southeast of Sevsk 38 24 September 1943 10:53 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 12361 17 19 August 1943 05:47 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 51623, Graiworonvicinity of Grayvoron 39 9 October 1943 08:45 P-39 PQ 35 Ost 06114 northeast of Nevel 18 20 August 1943 05:41 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 51723 southeast of Okhtyrka 40 10 October 1943 08:06 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 06163northwest of Lake Jzenniza 19 20 August 1943 05:47 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 51724 northwest of Bohodukhiv 41 11 October 1943 14:40 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 06272 20 20 August 1943 09:47 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 41621 42 12 October 1943 07:52 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 96232, southeast of Nevel south of Nevel 21 22 August 1943 10:33 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 41691 43 12 October 1943 07:53 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 96232, southeast of Nevel south of Nevel 22 24 August 1943 07:40 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 51553northeast of Bohodukhiv 44 13 October 1943 08:09 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 15531northeast of Gorki 23 25 August 1943 05:22 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 51543northeast of Bohodukhiv 45 15 October 1943 10:04 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 15534, northeast of Gorki 24 26 August 1943 15:19 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 41813 – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 1 January – 7 April 1944 46 3 February 1944 14:16 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 06511 50 21 March 1944 09:18? Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 70443Baltic Sea, northeast of Hungerburg 47 5 March 1944 16:15 Yak-9 PQ 26 Ost 80713 south of Narva 51 30 March 1944 14:13 Pe-2 PQ 26 Ost 70653 southwest of Hungerburg 48 8 March 1944 14:24 La-5 PQ 26 Ost 80552east of Narva 52 3 April 1944 16:58? Pe-2 PQ 26 Ost 60433northeast of Kunda 49 19 March 1944 10:06 LaGG-3 PQ 26 Ost 70354Baltic Sea, northeast of Kunda 53 3 April 1944 17:00 Pe-2 PQ 26 Ost 70343Baltic Sea, northeast of Kunda – 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — July – August 1944 54 3 July 1944 11:46 Il-2 PQ OS-6/5Polotsk 61 28 July 1944 17:18 P-39 PQ KH-9/1 55 21 July 1944 14:41 Yak-9 PQ NM-5/1 62 28 July 1944 17:19 P-39 PQ KH-9/8 56 22 July 1944 16:40 Yak-9 PQ NQ-1/1 63 29 July 1944 16:18 Il-2 PQ MM-8/4south of Subate 57 23 July 1944 08:35 Pe-2 PQ ON-5/6south of Zarasai 64 29 July 1944 16:18 Il-2 PQ MM-8/4south of Subate 58 27 July 1944 15:52 P-39 PQ KH-9/7Mitau 65 6 August 1944 18:35 Yak-9 PQ MK-2/3 59 27 July 1944 17:48 Pe-2 PQ KH-3/5Mitau 66 6 August 1944 18:37 Yak-9 PQ MK-2/3 60 27 July 1944 17:49 Pe-2 PQ KH-3/6Mitau 67 7 August 1944 18:04 Yak-9 PQ LN-3/2 – 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — August – 31 December 1944 68 25 August 1944 13:48 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 57266 north of Kreuzburg 77 19 September 1944 15:42 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 69217east of Weissenstein 69 26 August 1944 11:19 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 69641west of Dorpat 78 19 September 1944 15:45 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 69245 southeast of Fellin 70 26 August 1944 11:35 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 69626north of Dorpat 79 21 September 1944 16:30 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 58413 southwest of Walk 71 28 August 1944 17:00 La-5 PQ 25 Ost 69664 80? 26 September 1944 16:28 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 58575 72 3 September 1944 10:48 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 60499northeast of Kunda 81 28 September 1944 14:34? Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 48822, east of Riganorth of Mālpils 73 3 September 1944 10:50 Yak-9 PQ 26 Ost 60634vicinity of Kotka 82 28 September 1944 14:41 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 48865, east of Riga north-northwest of Mālpils 74 17 September 1944 10:29 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 57224 north-northwest of Kreuzburg 83 9 October 1944 14:15 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 17845 northeast of Polangen 75 17 September 1944 17:02 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 57166 southeast of Mālpils 84? 14 October 1944 14:07 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 17761 76 19 September 1944 15:05 Pe-2 PQ 25 Ost 59828north of Weissenstein 85 22 October 1944 14:20 P-39 PQ 25 Ost 17591 southeast of Pillau

Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 8 November 1943 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot German Cross in Gold on 14 November 1943 as Oberfeldwebel in the 2./Jagdgeschwader 54 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 December 1944 as Leutnant and pilot in the 5./Jagdgeschwader 54