Walther Wever

Walther Wever (16 January 1923 – 10 April 1945) was a Luftwaffe flying ace during the Second World War. The son of former Chief of the Luftwaffe General Walther Wever, Wever served during 1943 on the Eastern Front and from 19 June 1943 until 10 April 1945 he claimed 44 aerial victories in 250 combat missions. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Early life and career Wever was born on 16 January 1923 in Munich in the Weimar Republic, the son of Generalleutnant Walther Wever. Joining the Luftwaffe in 1942 and following flight training in mid-1943, he was posted to 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). At the time, 3. Staffel was commanded by Hauptmann Heinz Lange and was subordinated to I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 51 headed by Major Erich Leie and stationed at an airfield named Orel-Slobodka located approximately west-southwest of Oryol on the Eastern Front.

World War II World War II in Europe had begun on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland. In June 1943, Wever fought in the offensive operations leading up to Operation Citadel, which initiated the Battle of Kursk. Here he claimed his first aerial victory on 19 June south of Karachev, approximately west of Oryol. Depending on source, the aircraft shot down was either a Yakovlev Yak-1 fighter, or a Douglas A-20 Havoc bomber.

On 1 August during the Battle of Kursk, I. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Bryansk where they stayed until 9 August. While based at Bryansk, Wever claimed five aerial victories, including four Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft and a single A-20 bomber, also known as "Boston". From 15 to 30 August, Wever was temporarily placed in command of 3. Staffel, stepping in for Lange who had briefly replaced Leie as commander of I. Gruppe. On 29 August, I. Gruppe had moved to an airfield at Shatalovka, staying here until 15 September. Flying from Shatalovka, Wever took his total of aerial victories claimed to 16. For this, he had been awarded both classes of the Iron Cross .

In early February 1944, I. Gruppe was briefly withdrawn from combat operations and moved to an airfield at Dęblin-Irena, located approximately northwest of Lublin, for conversion from the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 to the Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6. Elements of the Gruppe returned to Babruysk in late February. On 29 March, the Gruppe relocated to Orsha. That day, Wever became an "ace-in-a-day" when he claimed five aerial victories. On 20 March, he had been awarded the German Cross in Gold .

Squadron leader On 7 May 1944, Weaver was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 3. Staffel of JG 51, succeeding Lange who was transferred. On 21 June, bombers of the Eighth Air Force on a shuttle bombing mission of Operation Frantic, attacked oil refineries south of Berlin before heading for the Poltava Air Base. The bombers were intercepted by elements of JG 51 led by Major Fritz Losigkeit. In this encounter, two of the escorting North American P-51 Mustang fighters were shot down, including one by Wever. One of the P-51 fighters crashed near the Luftwaffe airfield at Babruysk where III. Gruppe of JG 51 was based. In its cockpit, a map of the Poltava Air Base was found. The Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of III. Gruppe, Hauptmann Diethelm von Eichel-Streiber, sent the map to the headquarters of Luftflotte 6 (6th Air Fleet). This intelligence led to an attack by Luftwaffe bombers which destroyed 44 parked Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers and damaged further 26. On 10 July, Wever was shot down and wounded in his Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 410413—factory number) by Soviet Anti-aircraft artillery. Command of 3. Staffel was then passed to Oberleutnant Günther Josten.

Although he lost a foot, Wever continued to fly and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 28 January 1945 for reaching the final total of 44 victories. He was then transferred to Jagdgeschwader 7 (JG 7—7th Fighter Wing), the first jet fighter wing, where he received further training on the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. On 10 April 1945, having not scored another kill, Wever was shot down and killed in action by Allied fighters near Neuruppin. That day, the Luftwaffe lost a number of Me 262 pilots, including Hauptmann Franz Schall. The Americans dubbed this day the "great jet massacre".

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims According to Obermaier, Wever was credited with 44 aerial victories all but one claimed on the Eastern Front in 250 combat missions. Matthews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 44 aerial victory claims with 43 claimed on the Eastern Front and one on the Western Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 35 Ost 43231". 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 – 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" –Eastern Front — 4 February – 31 December 1943 1 19 June 1943 07:30 Yak-1? PQ 35 Ost 43231 southwest of Tschaikowka 13 5 September 1943 17:55 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost 25462 west-northwest of Mariampol 2 1 August 1943 17:10 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost 54732vicinity of Znamenskoje 14 5 September 1943 17:59 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost 25466 west-northwest of Yelnya 3 2 August 1943 08:08 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost 53472 northeast of Orsha 15 14 September 1943 12:20 Il-2 m.H. northeast of Dukhovshchina 4 2 August 1943 18:32 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost 54751 southwest of Tschaikowka 16 14 September 1943 15:09 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 26393vicinity of Beloi 5 3 August 1943 11:46 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost 54554 south of Dudorovskiy 17 30 September 1943 09:56 Il-2 m.H. east of Tuberizur 6 3 August 1943 12:32 Boston PQ 35 Ost 53292 north-northeast of Kromy 18 30 September 1943 09:57 Il-2 m.H. east of Tuberizur 7 14 August 1943 17:57 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost 51852 east of Bohodukhiv 19 30 October 1943 07:15 Il-2 m.H. southwest of Krijewka 8 20 August 1943 14:20 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 51524vicinity of Kirkowka 20 30 November 1943 12:40 Yak-9 northeast of Zhlobin 9 30 August 1943 17:43 Il-2 m.H. west of Yelnya 21 15 December 1943 12:45 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost 93438 south-southwest of Zhlobin 10 30 August 1943 18:05 Il-2 m.H. north of Yelnya 22 15 December 1943 13:05 Yak-9 PQ 35 Ost 03311 south of Zhlobin 11 1 September 1943 18:08 Il-2 west of Yelnya 23 23 December 1943 13:55 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost 03127 west of Gorodets 12 5 September 1943 17:54 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost 25465 west-northwest of Yelnya – 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" –Eastern Front — 1 January – 10 July 1944 24 4 January 1944 12:40 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost N/96693 northwest of Vitebsk 35♠ 29 March 1944 16:39 Yak-9 PQ 35 Ost N/04462 south of Chavusy 25 6 January 1944 10:39 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost N/06783 southeast of Kamary 36 28 May 1944 07:08 Yak-7 PQ 25 Ost N/96366 northwest of Dretun 26 6 January 1944 10:40 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost N/06786 southeast of Kamary 37 21 June 1944 12:53 P-51 PQ 25 Ost N/23881vicinity of Halászi 27 12 January 1944 11:54 La-5 PQ 25 Ost N/96962 northwest of Vitebsk 38 22 June 1944 07:35 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost N/96599 west of Kėdainiai 28 14 January 1944 09:11 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost N/05132 southeast of Kamary 39 23 June 1944 14:00 Yak-7 PQ 35 Ost N/05896 east-southeast of Ulla 29 14 January 1944 09:12 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost N/05121 west-southwest of Liozna 40 24 June 1944 18:00 Il-2 m.H. PQ 25 Ost N/96585 north of Ulla 30 14 January 1944 13:57 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost N/05133 southeast of Kamary 41 25 June 1944 11:55 Yak-7 PQ 35 Ost N/05375 31♠ 29 March 1944 12:10 La-5 PQ 35 Ost N/04481 east of Stara Bychow 42 25 June 1944 12:04 Il-2 m.H. PQ 35 Ost N/05382 32♠ 29 March 1944 12:24 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost N/04451 southwest of Chavusy 43 29 June 1944 16:25 La-5 PQ 25 Ost N/94134 north-northeast of Byerazino 33♠ 29 March 1944 16:22 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost N/04289 east of Chavusy 44 30 June 1944 13:24 La-5 PQ 25 Ost N/94317 south-southeast of Byerazino 34♠ 29 March 1944 16:30 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost N/04442 northeast of Stara Bychow

Awards and decorations Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 17 April 1944 as Leutnant and pilot German Cross in Gold on 20 March 1944 as Leutnant in the I./Jagdgeschwader 51 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 28 January 1945 as Leutnant and pilot in the 3./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"