Wilhelm Lemke

Wilhelm Lemke (27 September 1920 – 4 December 1943) was a Luftwaffe flying ace of World War II. Lemke was credited with 131 aerial victories—that is, 131 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft. All but six of his victories were claimed over the Soviet Air Forces in 617 combat missions.

Born in Arnswalde, Lemke joined the military service in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany in 1939. Following flight training, he was posted to 8. Staffel (squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing). He flew his first combat missions in Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, and claimed his first aerial victory on 26 June 1941. There, after 59 aerial victories, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 12 September 1942. He was given command as Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 9. Staffel in November 1942. On 16 March 1943, he was credited with his 100th aerial victory. Four months later, on 28 July 1943, he claimed his 125th and last victory on the Eastern Front.

Lemke was subsequently relocated to the Western Front, where he flew in the Defense of the Reich and claimed six further victories. In mid-November 1943, he was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of the II. Gruppe (2nd group) of JG 3 "Udet"; he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 25 November. Lemke was killed in action on 4 December 1943 northwest of Nijmegen in combat with United States Army Air Forces fighters.

Early life and career Lemke, the son of a civil servant, was born on 27 September 1920 in Gundelsdorf near Arnswalde within the Province of Brandenburg, in what was then the Free State of Prussia of the Weimar Republic (today Choszczno in Poland). He joined the military service of the Luftwaffe as a Fahnenjunker (cadet) on 15 November 1939. Following fighter pilot training, he was promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant) on 1 April 1941.

World War II

Eastern Front Lemke was posted to a front-line unit in 1941, almost two years after the start of World War II. His unit was 8. Staffel (squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing). In preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, JG 3 under the command of Major (major) Günther Lützow was relocated east. Lemke claimed two Soviet Tupolev SB-2 bombers shot down on 26 June 1941—his first aerial victories. He was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class on 4 July 1941 and Iron Cross 1st Class on 20 July. On 11 July, his wingman and Staffelkapitän (squadron leader), Oberleutnant Winfried Schmidt was severely wounded in combat near Fastiv. Schmidt was hit in the lung by the defensive fire of a Tupolev SB tail gunner. By talking to Schmidt over the radio, Lemke managed to guide him back to the airfield at Polonne. The next day, Schmidt was replaced by Oberleutnant Franz Beyer as commander of 8. Staffel.

By 26 August 1941, Lemke had accumulated 15 aerial victories. On this day, flying Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummner 8245—factory number), he was hit and wounded in the abdomen during combat with Soviet bombers but managed to make an emergency landing. On 3 November 1941, while convalescing, he was awarded the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe . He returned to active service on 17 February 1942 and was posted to 8. Staffel of JG 3 "Udet". On 31 March 1942, Lemke claimed his 20th aerial victory. He claimed three Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighters shot down in combat with 6 UAG (6th Soviet strike aviation group—Udarnaya Aviatsionnaya Gruppa) on 4 April. He was credited with his 30th victory on 24 June 1942, and aerial victories 39 to 42 on 29 July. Subsequently, he was nominated for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by his 8. Staffel. He was given command as Staffelkapitän of 9. Staffel in November 1942. He replaced Oberleutnant Karl-Heinz Langer who was one of the temporary leaders of the Staffel after its former commander Oberleutnant Viktor Bauer had been wounded on 10 August.

Lemke claimed his 57th victory on 7 September 1942, his 58th one day later, and his 59th victory on 11 September. The next day, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. On 27 December, he involuntarily rammed a LaGG-3 in combat. By 31 December 1942 his score had increased to 90 victories. As well as his aerial victories, he was credited with the destruction of aircraft on the ground, as well as three tanks, three fuel trucks, eleven other trucks, three Katyusha rocket launchers, one anti-tank gun, and two mortars. On 16 March 1943, he claimed his 100th aerial victory, a Lavochkin La-5 fighter. Lemke was the 35th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. Following these events, Lemke was sent on home-leave, returning to his unit on 11 May which was then based at Kramatorsk before relocating to an airfield named "" (owl) at Chasiv Yar, located approximately southeast of Kramatorsk, on 19 May. He was promoted to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) on 1 April 1943 and to Hauptmann (captain) on 1 June. He was credited with his last victory on the Eastern Front on 28 July 1943, taking his total to 125.

Western Front and death Combat box of a 12-plane B-17 squadron. Three such boxes completed a 36-plane group box.

On 2 August 1943, JG 3 "Udet" began transferring to Western Front and flew in Defense of the Reich. The Gruppe arrived at Münster-Handorf Airfield the following day where they were placed under its new commander Hauptmann Walther Dahl. On 7 August, the unit for the first time practiced the Y-Control for fighters, a system used to control groups of fighters intercepting United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) bomber formations. Lemke claimed two USAAF Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters shot down on 17 August during the Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission, his first on the Western Front. By 14 October 1943, he was credited with one victory and two Herausschüsse (separation shots)—a severely damaged heavy bomber forced to separate from his combat box, which was counted as an aerial victory—over Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. On that day, he claimed his 129th and 130th victory, one of which was a Herausschuss, over B-17s on their second Raid on Schweinfurt.

In mid-November 1943, Lemke was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of the II. Gruppe (2nd group) of JG 3 "Udet". He succeeded Major Kurt Brändle, who had been killed in action on 3 November. Lemke surrendered command of 9. Staffel to Leutnant Ekkehard Tichy and took command of the Gruppe a few days later at the Schiphol airfield, near Amsterdam in the Netherlands. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 25 November, the 338th officer or soldier of the Wehrmacht so honored. On 30 November 1943 at 11:25, he achieved his 131st and final aerial victory over a P-47.

Lemke was killed in action in his Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummner 410558) on 4 December 1943 near Dodewaard, northwest Nijmegen. His mission was to lead an attack of 55 aircraft on a fighter intercept mission against USAAF fighters escorting Eighth Air Force bombers. He was shot down by P-47 Thunderbolts of the 352nd Fighter Group. His victors may have been Major John C. Meyer or Lieutenant Virgil Kersh Meroney. Lemke was buried at the German war cemetery Ysselsteyn in the Netherlands (Block CW—Row 1—Grave 24).

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Lemke was credited with 131 aerial victories. Obermaier and Stockert also list Lemke with 131 aerial victories claimed in 617 combat missions, 125 of which were on the Eastern Front and included 28 Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found documentation for 131 aerial victory claims, plus five further unconfirmed claims. This number includes six on the Western Front, including four four-engined bombers, and 125 on the Eastern Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 40873". 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 – 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 5 December 1941 1 26 June 1941 06:30 SB-3 northeast of Berestechko 9 15 July 1941 15:07 I-153 2 26 June 1941 06:40 SB-3 northeast of Berestechko 10 16 July 1941 17:35 R-Z Bila Tserkva 3 27 June 1941 15:20 DB-3 Lviv 11 17 July 1941 16:12 DB-3 Rokytne 4 29 June 1941 16:15 ZKB-19? Ostroh 12 25 July 1941 18:20 I-153 5 29 June 1941 19:05 Il-2 Ostroh 13 25 July 1941 18:40 SB-3 6 12 July 1941 11:50 DB-3 9 August 1941 DB-3 7 12 July 1941 12:00 DB-3 14 19 August 1941 09:15 DB-3 Zaporizhia 8 13 July 1941 06:10 ZKB-19? Kiev 15 22 August 1941 16:15 I-17 Ostroh – 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –Eastern Front — 6 December 1941 – 30 April 1942 16 3 March 1942 11:17 R-5 southeast of Staraya Russa 21 4 April 1942 18:05 I-61 (MiG-3) northwest of Bjakowo 17 13 March 1942 16:17 I-61 (MiG-3) north-northwest of Solowjewo 22 4 April 1942 18:10 I-61 (MiG-3) north of Jennakowo 18 16 March 1942 17:15 R-5 Konjuchowo, southeast of Staraya Russa 23 4 April 1942 18:15 I-61 (MiG-3) 19 28 March 1942 16:10 I-61 west of Ramushevo 24 5 April 1942 13:10 I-61 (MiG-3) south of Meshinki 20 31 March 1942 15:10 I-301 (LaGG-3) Tschertowschischina 25 6 April 1942 10:10 I-61 (MiG-3) south of Komorowo – 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –Eastern Front — 19 May 1942 – 3 February 1943 26 19 May 1942 16:45 MiG-1 north of Kosewedemjan south of Vovchansk 50 25 August 1942 11:15 Il-2 PQ 40873 27 27 May 1942 04:15 MiG-1 south of Chuhuiv 51 28 August 1942 06:30 I-180 (Yak-7) east of Stalingrad 28 28 May 1942 08:21 I-153 northeast of Izium 52 30 August 1942 09:22 Il-2 northeast of Radkowo 29 24 June 1942 18:13 Yak-4 northeast of Shchigry 53 30 August 1942 09:28 Il-2 southwest of Samydowo 30 24 June 1942 18:17 MiG-3 southeast of Stary Tschenoissinowo 54 30 August 1942 17:00 MiG-3 southwest of Tundutow 31 24 June 1942 18:19? MiG-3 east-southeast of Stary Tschenoissinowo 55 30 August 1942 17:05 MiG-3 north of Tundutow 32 26 June 1942 08:52 Il-2 56 6 September 1942 16:55 MiG-3 west-southwest of Stalingrad 33 26 June 1942 08:55 Il-2 57 7 September 1942 17:15 I-153 north of Stalingrad 34 2 July 1942 06:50 MiG-3 Gorstschetnoje 58 8 September 1942 05:55 MiG-3 west of Akhtuba 35 8 July 1942 13:27 MiG-1 Lipetsk 59 11 September 1942 10:45 Il-2 north of Stalingrad 36 27 July 1942 18:15 LaGG-3 northeast of Kalach 60 13 September 1942 12:35 MiG-3 northeast of Stalingrad 37 28 July 1942 09:07 LaGG-3 northeast of Kalach 61 16 September 1942 09:30 MiG-3 east of Stalingrad 38 28 July 1942 09:20 LaGG-3 east of Kalach 62 18 September 1942 05:40 Il-2 northwest of Kotluban train station east of Kotluban 39 29 July 1942 04:02 LaGG-3 southwest of Kalach 63 22 September 1942 11:30 MiG-3 south of Kolobowka 40 29 July 1942 17:45 Il-2 Tschirskaja 64 28 September 1942 05:35 MiG-3 north-northwest of Stalingrad 41 29 July 1942 17:50 Il-2 southwest of Loschkij 65 28 September 1942 05:40 Il-2 east of Stalingrad 42 29 July 1942 18:10 LaGG-3 east of Tschir 66 2 October 1942 07:28 MiG-3 northeast of Ssolodetsche 43 31 July 1942 15:55 LaGG-3 north of Kaibowka 67 6 October 1942 15:20 La-5 PQ 58753vicinity of Stalingrad 44 13 August 1942 17:45 Il-2 west of Marionowskij 68 9 October 1942 13:10 MiG-3 southwest of Serafimovichsky 45 13 August 1942 18:05 Il-2 south of Wastjascht 69 17 October 1942 15:50 MiG-3 northeast of Leninsk 46 21 August 1942 17:38 LaGG-3 north of Zaza 70 21 October 1942 08:45 LaGG-3 south of Grjasnaja 47 21 August 1942 17:43 Il-2 east of Zaza 71 27 October 1942 15:05 MiG-3 north-northeast of Leninsk 48 21 August 1942 17:55 LaGG-3 north of Zaza 72 1 November 1942 14:35 MiG-3 southeastern area of the Leninsk airfield 49 23 August 1942 15:10 MiG-1 Srednyaya – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –Eastern Front — 19 May 1942 – 3 February 1943 73? 8 November 1942 07:10 LaGG-3 north of Akhtuba 83 17 December 1942 11:42 Il-2 south of Kapminski 74? 10 November 1942 10:20 Pe-2 southeast of Katschalinskaja 84 17 December 1942 11:45 Il-2 southeast of Abganerowo 75 13 November 1942 11:43 MiG-3 PQ 49261, Leninsk east of Stalingrad 85 26 December 1942 07:15 LaGG-3 Urjupin, southwest of Miljatorskaja 76 30 November 1942 10:40 MiG-3 south of Bokowskaja 86 27 December 1942 10:00 LaGG-3 northeast of Miljatorskaja 77 11 December 1942 13:20 Boston northwest of Kalach 87 27 December 1942 13:32 LaGG-3 north of Zymla 78 12 December 1942 10:30 LaGG-3 east-northeast of Ssurowikino 88 28 December 1942 11:55 Il-2 north of Obliwskaja 79 12 December 1942 10:40 LaGG-3 west-northwest of Kalach 89 31 December 1942 07:12 Il-2 north of Morozovsk 80 13 December 1942 07:15 LaGG-3 northwest of Tschernigow 90 31 December 1942 07:40 Il-2 west of Urjatin 81 13 December 1942 11:35 R-5 east of Sety 91 10 January 1943 09:35 Yak-4 northwest of Porchow 82 17 December 1942 11:40 Il-2 northwest of Kapminski 92 17 January 1943 13:40 LaGG-3 northeast of Kamensk – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –Eastern Front — 4 February – 1 August 1943 93 10 February 1943 14:20 Boston north of Artyomovsk 111 20 June 1943 03:48 Il-2 southeast of Yeysk 94 11 February 1943 10:35 Boston east of Kramatorsk 112 20 June 1943 03:50 Il-2 west of Yeysk 95 27 February 1943 07:40 La-5 west of Losowaja Buchewka west of Juchevka 5 July 1943 LaGG-3 96 28 February 1943 13:43 La-5 south of Izium 5 July 1943 La-5 97 28 February 1943 13:47 La-5 south of Izium 113 5 July 1943 13:55 La-5 south of Oboyan 98 13 March 1943 11:15 Il-2 southeast of Chuhuiv 114 5 July 1943 18:12 Il-2 southwest of Korotscha 99 13 March 1943 11:17 R-5 southeast of Chuhuiv 115 5 July 1943 18:30 Il-2 south of Belgorod 100 16 March 1943 12:25 La-5 south of Olchowatka 5 July 1943 La-5 101 31 May 1943 18:12 Il-2 PQ 34 Ost 79431, east of Kramatorsk north-northwest of Artomovsk 116 6 July 1943 09:35 La-5 northwest of Belgorod 102 31 May 1943 18:14 LaGG-3 PQ 34 Ost 79274, southwest of Sslawjansk south-southeast of Liman 117 7 July 1943 12:07 La-5 southwest of Oboyan 103 31 May 1943 18:19 LaGG-3 PQ 34 Ost 79174, south of Barvinkovo north of Artomovsk 118 7 July 1943 12:15 La-5 southwest of Prochorowka 104 2 June 1943 13:50 La-5 west of Kursknorth of Kursk 119 8 July 1943 12:03 LaGG-3 north of Belgorod 105 10 June 1943 08:20 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 90713, southeast of Starobilsk southeast of Starobilsk 120 9 July 1943 05:10 Il-2 east of Warwarowka 106 14 June 1943 14:40 La-5 east of Kupiansk 121 9 July 1943 11:05 La-5 southwest of Oboyan 107 14 June 1943 14:45 La-5 southwest of Sswatowo 122 14 July 1943 15:35 La-5 north of Prochorowka 108 15 June 1943 17:32 LaGG-3 west of Starobilsknorth of Starobilsk 123 17 July 1943 14:00? La-5 PQ 35 70811, northwest of Izium east of Izium 109 15 June 1943 17:43 LaGG-3 north-northeast of Starobilsk 124 28 July 1943 18:25 Boston PQ 35 70871, southeast of Izium west-northwest of Krasnyi Lyman 110 16 June 1943 18:12 La-5 north of Starobilsk 125 28 July 1943 18:26 LaGG-3 PQ 35 70873, southeast of Izium west-northwest of Krasnyi Lyman 16 June 1943 LaGG-3 – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –Defense of the Reich — 8 August – 31 December 1943 126 17 August 1943 17:15? P-47? north-northeast of Liège 129 14 October 1943 14:39 B-17 west of Schweinfurt 127 17 August 1943 17:26 P-47 northeast of Liège 130* 14 October 1943 14:45 B-17 Schweinfurt 128* 6 September 1943 11:05 B-17 west of Stuttgart – II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –Defense of the Reich — 8 August – 31 December 1943 131 30 November 1943 11:25 P-47 Tilburg

Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (4 July 1941) 1st Class (20 July 1941) Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 3 November 1941 as Leutnant and pilot Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight's Cross on 12 September 1942 as Leutnant and Staffelführer of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" 338th Oak Leaves on 25 November 1943 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"