Detlev Rohwer (14 November 1917 – 30 March 1944) was a German

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or a club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the ...

and recipient of the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was order of precedence, lower in preceden ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. During his career he was credited with 38 aerial victories, 12 on the Western Front and 26 on the Eastern Front.

Career

Rohwer was born on 14 November 1917 in

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

, at the time in the

Province of Schleswig-Holstein The Province of Schleswig-Holstein ( ) was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia (from 1868 to 1918) and the Free State of Prussia (from 1918 to 1946). History It was created from the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein, which had been conquere ...

, a

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

. Following aerial combat with

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

(RAF)

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

fighters on 2 September 1940, Rohwer made a

forced landing A forced landing is a landing by an aircraft made under factors outside the pilot's control, such as the failure of engines, systems, components, or weather which makes continued flight impossible. However, the term also means a landing that has ...

in his

Messerschmitt Bf 109 The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a monoplane fighter aircraft that was designed and initially produced by the Nazi Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Messerschmitt#History, Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW). Together with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the ...

E in the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

off of

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...

. He was later rescued unhurt by the ''

Seenotdienst The ''Seenotdienst'' (sea rescue service) was a German military organization formed within the ''Luftwaffe'' (German Air Force) to save downed airmen from emergency water landings. The ''Seenotdienst'' operated from 1935 to 1945 and was the first ...

'' (

air-sea rescue Air-sea rescue (ASR or A/SR, also known as sea-air rescue), and aeronautical and maritime search and rescue (AMSAR) by the ICAO and International Maritime Organization, IMO, is the coordinated search and rescue (SAR) of the survivors of emergenc ...

). On 12 May 1942, Rohwer was appointed ''

Staffelkapitän ''Staffelkapitän'' is a command appointment, rather than a military rank, in the air force units of German-speaking countries. The rank normally held by a ''Staffelkapitän'' has changed over time. In the present-day German ''Luftwaffe'' – p ...

'' of 6. ''Staffel'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 1 (JG 1—1st Fighter Wing). He succeeded ''Oberleutnant'' Eberhard Bock who had been transferred. On 20 June, Rohwer was temporarily appointed ''

Gruppenkommandeur ''Gruppenkommandeur'' is a Luftwaffe position (not rank), that is the equivalent of a commander of a group or wing in other air forces. A ''Gruppenkommandeur'' usually has the rank of Major or ''Oberstleutnant'' (Lieutenant Colonel), and comman ...

'' (group commander) of II. Gruppe of JG 1. He replaced ''Hauptmann'' Hans von Hahn who had been relieved of his command on 15 June following the shooting of a sentry. On 4 October, Rohwer was transferred and appointed ''Staffelkapitän'' of 2. ''Staffel'' of JG 3. He succeeded ''Oberleutnant'' Erwin Straznicky who was

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

. In consequence, command of II. Gruppe of JG 1 was passed to ''Major'' Herbert Kijewski. On 29 November, Rohwer was shot down and wounded when his

G-2/R1 (''Werknummer'' 13910—factory number) was hit by ground fire south of the Chir. During his convalescence, he was replaced by ''Leutnant'' Franz Daspelgruber as head of 3. ''Staffel''. In February 1944, Rohwer was appointed ''Gruppenkommandeur'' of II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 3. He replaced ''Hauptmann'' Heinrich Sannemann who had temporarily led the ''Gruppe''. In consequence, command of 2. ''Staffel'' was given to ''Leutnant'' Harro Schlüter. Rohwer was wounded on 29 March 1944 following a

west of

Osnabrück Osnabrück (; ; archaic English: ''Osnaburg'') is a city in Lower Saxony in western Germany. It is situated on the river Hase in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest. With a population of 168 ...

when he was strafed by marauding

Lockheed P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinc ...

fighters. Sustaining wounds to his leg, he was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his wounds the following day. Command of II. ''Gruppe'' was again given to Sannemann.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Rohwer was credited with 38 aerial victories, 26 of which on the Eastern Front, 12 over the Western Front, and further destroying six aircraft on the ground. Mathews and Foreman, authors of ''Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims'', researched the

German Federal Archives The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv (BArch) (, lit. "Federal Archive") are the national archives of Germany. They were established at the current location in Koblenz in 1952. They are subordinated to the Federal Commissioner for Culture ...

and found records for 36 aerial victories, 26 of which on the Eastern Front and ten over the

Western Allies Western Allies was a political and geographic grouping among the Allied Powers of the Second World War. It primarily refers to the leading Anglo-American Allied powers, namely the United States and the United Kingdom, although the term has also be ...

. Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = ''Planquadrat''), for example "PQ 35 Ost 30541". The Luftwaffe grid map () covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15

minutes Minutes, also known as minutes of meeting, protocols or, informally, notes, are the instant written record of a meeting or hearing. They typically describe the events of the meeting and may include a list of attendees, a statement of the activit ...

latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...

by 30 minutes of

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east- west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lett ...

, an area of about . These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area in size.

Awards

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

(1939) 2nd and 1st Class *

on 5 October 1941 as ''

Leutnant () is the lowest junior officer rank in the armed forces of Germany ( Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High German «locum ...

'' and pilot in the I./''Jagdgeschwader'' 3

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

Aces of the Luftwaffe

TracesOfWar.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rohwer, Detlev 1917 births 1944 deaths Military personnel from Kiel German World War II flying aces Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Military personnel from the Province of Schleswig-Holstein Luftwaffe personnel killed in World War II Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Germany Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1944