Walter Zellot

Walter Zellot (6 October 1920 – 10 September 1942) was a World War II fighter pilot from Nazi Germany. Zellot is credited with shooting down 86 Allied aircraft in 296 combat missions. Among these 83 were achieved over the Eastern Front.

Career Zellot was born on 6 October 1920 in Spittal an der Drau in Carinthia of the Republic of Austria. In 1941, he was posted Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing) where he was assigned to 1. Staffel (1st Squadron). On 6 June, I. Gruppe moved to Mannheim-Sandhofen Airfield. Following a maintenance overhaul of the aircraft, I. Gruppe moved to an airfield named Krzewicza located near Międzyrzec Podlaski, approximately west of Brest, from 12 to 14 June.

Operation Barbarossa and Malta On 22 June, the Geschwader crossed into Soviet airspace in support of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, which opened the Eastern Front. I. Gruppe took off on its first mission at 3:40 am, escorting Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers. On the second mission of the day which took off at 9:10 am, again escorting Ju 87 dive bombers, Zellot claimed his first aerial victory when he shot down a Polikarpov I-16 fighter. Supporting the German attack, the Gruppe moved to Pruzhany on 25 June, to Baranavichy on 29 June, to Hostynne the next day, reaching Dubno on 5 July. Here, Zellot claimed his second aerial victory on 6 July.

In December 1941, I. Gruppe was moved to Mediterranean air bases at Gela in Sicily where they fought in the aerial battles of the Siege of Malta. On 20 April 1941 during Operation Calendar, Zellot claimed a Supermarine Spitfire fighter shot down near Malta. His victim may have been Flight Sergeant George Ryckman, a Canadian from the Royal Canadian Air Force 402 Squadron, who flew with the No. 126 Squadron and was killed in action. The following day, Zellot shot down Squadron Leader John Bisdee, the commanding officer of the No. 601 Squadron.

Eastern Front In early May 1942, I. Gruppe was transferred back to the Eastern Front. Prior to the relocation, the Gruppe received a full complement of 41 factory new Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 aircraft at Schwäbisch Hall before heading for Prague Ruzyne Airfield on 28 May. The following day, I. Gruppe flew to Kursk. There, the Gruppe supported the German 4th Panzer Army in its advance towards Voronezh during Case Blue, the 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia between 28 June and 24 November 1942.

Squadron leader and death On 19 August 1942, Zellot was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel of JG 53, replacing Hauptmann Klaus Quaet-Faslem who was transferred. On 23 August, German forces launched the Battle of Stalingrad with the 16th Panzer Division, and elements of the 3rd Motorized Infantry Division and 60th Motorized Infantry Division crossing the Don near Vertyachy. That day, Zellot claimed four aerial victories in support of the German attack.

However, earlier on the same day of his appointment on 19 August 1942, his Bf 109 G-2 (Werknummer 14189—factory number) was shot-up by a Soviet fighter, probably the Yakovlev Yak-1 flown by future ace Boris M. Vasilyev (929 IAP). Zellot was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 3 September 1942 following his 75th aerial victory.

On 10 September 1942, Zellot was killed in action while engaged in a low-level attack on Soviet troops northwest of Stalingrad, shot down by anti-aircraft fire. He bailed out at low altitude, insufficient for his parachute to open, and was killed. According to Prien, Zellot may have been shot down by friendly fire. His Bf 109 G-2 (Werknummer 13487) had its tail blown off and crashed east of Vertyachy. At the time oh his death, he was the most successful fighter pilot of I. Gruppe of JG 53. Zellot was temporarily succeeded by Oberleutnant Friedrich-Karl Müller as commander of 2. Staffel. In parallel, Müller who was officially heading 1. Staffel of JG 53.

Summary of military career

Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Zellot was credited with 85 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 84 aerial victory claims, including 81 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and three on the Western Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 49721". 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. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 7 August 1941 1 22 June 1941 09:45 I-16 7 18 July 1941 04:50 Pe-2 south of Vasylkiv 2 6 July 1941 15:25 Pe-2 southwest of Proskuriv 8 26 July 1941 11:00 V-11 (Il-2) 3 10 July 1941 15:30? SB-3 9 27 July 1941 15:00 I-16 north of Bila Tserkva 4 11 July 1941 11:10 SB-2? 10 31 July 1941 19:20 I-16 north of Novomyrhorod 5 11 July 1941 11:20 DB-3? 11? 2 August 1941 05:10 I-16 southeast of Novomyrhorod 6? 11 July 1941 19:37 I-16 12 5 August 1941 18:15 Pe-2 southeast of Kyiv – 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –Mediterranean Theater — 15 December 1941 – 30 April 1942 13 27 December 1941 12:07 Hurricane east of Malta 15 21 April 1942 12:45 Spitfire near Malta 14 20 April 1942 18:05 Spitfire near Malta – 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –Eastern Front — 28 May 1942 – 18 August 1942 16 4 June 1942 14:37 I-61 (MiG-3) 37 6 August 1942 07:05 Il-2 PQ 49721 northeast of Aksay 17 2 July 1942 07:10 MiG-1 38 6 August 1942 07:10 MiG-1 PQ 49721 northeast of Aksay 18 3 July 1942 18:20 LaGG-3 east of Sossne-Olynn 39 7 August 1942 05:45 Pe-2 PQ 4959 east-northeast of Aksay 19 6 July 1942 07:50 LaGG-3 east of Livny 40 7 August 1942 05:47 Il-2 PQ 4959 east-northeast of Aksay 20 9 July 1942 11:15 Il-2 41 7 August 1942 05:50 Il-2 west of Zarza 21 11 July 1942 13:50 R-5 42 8 August 1942 12:53? LaGG-3 PQ 4953 south of Stalingrad 22 12 July 1942 06:03 Pe-2 43 9 August 1942 05:30 Er-2 PQ 4942 east-southeast of Stalingrad 23 25 July 1942 09:00 Il-2 44 9 August 1942 13:32 Il-2 southwest of Kalach-na-Donu 24 25 July 1942 09:12 Il-2 45 9 August 1942 13:32 Il-2 southwest of Kalach-na-Donu 25 26 July 1942 08:56 MiG-1 46 9 August 1942 13:36 Il-2 PQ 3944 southeast of Kalach-na-Donu 26 27 July 1942 18:30 I-16 southwest of Budennovskaya 47 10 August 1942 17:14 MiG-3 northeast of Bereska 27 27 July 1942 18:36 I-16 southwest of Budennovskaya 48 10 August 1942 18:00 MiG-3 PQ 4984 east of Aksay 28 31 July 1942 13:00 I-15? north of Kalach-na-Donu 49 12 August 1942 04:15 LaGG-3 southwest of Bereska 29 31 July 1942 15:35 Il-2 west of Katschalinskaja 50 12 August 1942 04:30 Il-2 PQ 3977 north-northwest of Kotelnikovo 30 1 August 1942 07:00 LaGG-3 north of Kalach-na-Donu 51♠ 13 August 1942 06:15 I-153 PQ 4911 north-northeast of Pitomnik Airfield 31 1 August 1942 07:05 LaGG-3 PQ 39332 southwest of Kalach-na-Donu 52♠ 13 August 1942 06:17 I-153 PQ 4911 north-northeast of Pitomnik Airfield 32 1 August 1942 07:16 LaGG-3 northeast of Kalach-na-Donu 53♠ 13 August 1942 17:48 Il-2 PQ 3941 southeast of Kalach-na-Donu 33 2 August 1942 05:35 Il-2 PQ 39223 northwest of Pitomnik Airfield 54♠ 13 August 1942 18:05 LaGG-3 PQ 3933 southwest of Kalach-na-Donu 34 2 August 1942 05:50 MiG-1 southeast of Wertjatschij 55♠ 13 August 1942 18:10 LaGG-3 PQ 3941 southeast of Kalach-na-Donu 35 2 August 1942 05:55 MiG-1 PQ 39234 north of Pitomnik Airfield 56 14 August 1942 17:40 LaGG-3 PQ 4922 36 4 August 1942 16:35 MiG-1 PQ 38259 south of Shutow 57 17 August 1942 15:16 Yak-1 northeast of Kotluban railway station – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –Eastern Front — 19 August – 10 September 1942 58 19 August 1942 08:35 LaGG-3 PQ 30853 northwest of Pitomnik Airfield 73 30 August 1942 16:14 I-180 (Yak-7) PQ 49392 south of Stalingrad 59 20 August 1942 17:30 MiG-3 PQ 49533 south of Stalingrad 74 1 September 1942 08:15? LaGG-3 PQ 49394 south of Stalingrad 60 21 August 1942 04:55 LaGG-3 PQ 49674 south-southeast of Stalingrad 75 2 September 1942 17:14 LaGG-3 PQ 49173 east of Stalingrad 61 22 August 1942 10:30? I-16 PQ 49473 south-southeast of Stalingrad 76 3 September 1942 06:45 Yak-1 PQ 49293 east of Stalingrad 62 23 August 1942 08:25? MiG-3 PQ 49124 north of Gumrak 77 3 September 1942 09:15? Il-2 PQ 49361 south of Stalingrad 63 23 August 1942 08:52 LaGG-3 PQ 49131 north of Grebenka 78 3 September 1942 12:10? LaGG-3 PQ 49174 north of Grebenka 64 23 August 1942 13:35 MiG-3 PQ 49271 east of Stalingrad 79 4 September 1942 13:11? LaGG-3 PQ 49282 east of Stalingrad 65 23 August 1942 13:43 MiG-3 PQ 49243 northeast of Stalingrad 80 4 September 1942 13:33? LaGG-3 PQ 49254 northeast of Stalingrad 66 24 August 1942 08:25 Yak-4 PQ 49261 east of Stalingrad 81 6 September 1942 15:35? Pe-2? PQ 49252 east of Stalingrad 67 27 August 1942 08:37 I-180 (Yak-7) PQ 49211 east of Stalingrad 82 8 September 1942 11:30 Il-2 PQ 49124 north of Gumrak 68 27 August 1942 08:42? I-180 (Yak-7) PQ 49263 east of Stalingrad 83 8 September 1942 15:30? La-5 PQ 49334 south of Stalingrad 69 28 August 1942 05:40 LaGG-3 PQ 49432 southeast of Stalingrad 84 8 September 1942 15:34? La-5 PQ 49321 east of Stalingrad 70 28 August 1942 14:40 LaGG-3 PQ 50792 east-northeast of Stalingrad 85 9 September 1942 14:34 Yak-1 PQ 40882 north of Gumrak 71 28 August 1942 14:48? MiG-1 PQ 50783 northeast of Stalingrad 86 10 September 1942 06:03? La-5 PQ 49254 north of Bassargino 72 29 August 1942 12:44 P-40 PQ 49222 northeast of Stalingrad

Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 31 August 1942 as Leutnant and pilot German Cross in Gold on 15 October 1942 as Leutnant in the I./Jagdgeschwader 53 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 3 September 1942 as Leutnant and pilot in the I./Jagdgeschwader 53