Wilhelm Beier

Wilhelm Beier (18 November 1913 – 12 July 1977) was a Luftwaffe night fighter 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. Depending on source, Beier claimed 38 nocturnal aerial victories, including 14 of which flying intruder missions, intercepting bombers on their return flight to England.

Career Beier was born on 18 November 1913 in Homberg, present-day part of Duisburg, at the time in the Rhine Province within the German Empire.

Night fighter career A map of part of the Kammhuber Line. The 'belt' and night fighter 'boxes' are shown. Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, Royal Air Force (RAF) attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defense of the Reich campaign. By mid-1940, Generalmajor (Brigadier General) Josef Kammhuber had established a night air defense system dubbed the Kammhuber Line. It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped with radars and searchlights and an associated night fighter. Each sector named a Himmelbett (canopy bed) would direct the night fighter into visual range with target bombers. In 1941, the Luftwaffe started equipping night fighters with airborne radar such as the Lichtenstein radar. This airborne radar did not come into general use until early 1942.

On 10 April 1941, Beier claimed his second aerial victory, a Armstrong Whitworth Whitley bomber shot down near Chelmsford on an intruder mission over England.

Beier was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 10 October 1941 for 14 nocturnal aerial victories. The presentation was made by Kammhuber, at the time commanding general of XII. Fliegerkorps (12th Air Corps), at Gilze-Rijen Airfield. On the night of 29/30 May 1943, the RAF attacked Wuppertal with 719 bombers. Defending against this attack, Beier claimed the Handley Page Halifax bomber HR793 from No. XXXV (Madras Presidency) Squadron shot down which crashed near Limbricht.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims According to Aders, Beier was credited with 36 nocturnal aerial victories. Spick also lists him with 36 aerial victories while Obermaier lists him with 38 aerial victories. Both Obermaier and Spick state that Beier flew about 250 combat missions. Foreman, Parry and Mathews, authors of Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 37 nocturnal victory claims, numerically ranging from 1 to 31, and 33 to 38. Mathews and Foreman also published Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, also listing Beier with 37 claims.

Chronicle of aerial victories Claim Date Time Type Location Serial No./Squadron No. – 3. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 – 1 7 December 1940 06:36 Hurricane east of Spilsby 2 10 April 1941 02:35 Whitley Chelmsford 3 8 May 1941 02:50 Wellington Wells-next-the-Sea 4 11 May 1941 03:46 Blenheim east of Scarborough 5 4 June 1941 01:35 Blenheim southeast of Lowestoft 6 13 June 1941 00:44 Defiant vicinity of Thornby 7 6 July 1941 03:08 Wellington north-northwest of Texel 8 6 July 1941 03:36 Blenheim west of Texel 9 6 July 1941 23:54 Whitley northeast of Bacton 10 6 July 1941 23:58 Whitley northeast of Bacton 11 18 July 1941 03:02 Blenheim northeast of Great Yarmouth 12 8 August 1941 03:20 Blenheim East Dereham 13 8 August 1941 03:44 Halifax east of Withernsea 14 8 August 1941 03:48 Wellington east of Flamborough Head – Ergänzungsgruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 – 15 23 April 1942 01:15 Boston 16 31 May 1942 02:07 Wellington 17 31 May 1942 02:25 Wellington 18 23 June 1942 03:01 Stirling – 9. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 – 19 27 July 1942 01:32 Havoc northeast of Eindhoven 20 29 July 1942 03:20 Wellington north of Enschede Wellington X3710/No. 156 Squadron RAF 21 28 August 1942 00:25 Boston west of IJmuiden 22 29 August 1942 03:16 Manchester northeast of Moerbeke 23 3 September 1942 03:08 Stirling west of Den Haag 24 7 September 1942 04:49 Manchester 25 7 September 1942 05:03 Halifax 26 7 September 1942 05:11 Wellington 27 11 September 1942 01:19 Wellington west of Katwijk-an-See 28 17 September 1942 01:12 Boston 29 17 September 1942 01:13 Boston 30 17 September 1942 01:37 Stirling – 8. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 – 31 30 September 1942 00:19 Beaufighter – 10. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 – 32? 15 October 1942 22:13 B-24 west of Den Haag 33 15 October 1942 22:16 Stirling west of Den Haag 34 15 October 1942 22:19 Stirling west of Den Haag 35 15 October 1942 22:52 Manchester west of Leiden Lancaster W4130/No. 57 Squadron RAF 36 13 May 1943 02:30 Halifax north-northwest of Amsterdam 37 30 May 1943 00:27 Halifax north-northwest of Maastricht Halifax HR793/No. XXXV (Madras Presidency) Squadron

Awards Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 10 October 1941 as Oberfeldwebel and Flugzeugführer (pilot) in the 3./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 German Cross in Gold on 19 September 1942 as Oberfeldwebel in the 3./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 23 April 1942