Franz-Josef Beerenbrock

Franz-Josef Beerenbrock (9 April 1920 – 13 December 2004) was a German fighter pilot during World War II. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Beerenbrock was credited with 117 aerial victories in approximately 400 combat missions, all on the Eastern Front. In November 1942 he became a prisoner of war for the rest of the war.

Early life and career

Beerenbrock, the son of a Russian mother, joined a flak artillery unit on 1 October 1938 and in 1939 was trained as a pilot. In March 1941, Beerenbrock was transferred to 12. '' Staffel'' (12th squadron) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing), a squadron of IV. '' Gruppe'' (4th group). At the time, IV. ''Gruppe'' of JG 51 was based in Le Touquet, France on the English Channel fighting the Royal Air Force. During this period, the ''Gruppe'' was being reequipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F series. Beerenbock's commanding officers were, ''Major'' Friedrich Beckh as ''Gruppenkommandeur'' (group commander) and the ''Staffelkapitän'' (squadron leader) of 12. ''Staffel'' was ''Oberleutnant'' Karl-Gottfried Nordmann. On 16 April, the ''Gruppe'' moved to an airfield at Marquise.

World War II

World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. IV. ''Gruppe'' of JG 51 was withdrawn from the Channel Front in early June 1941 and ordered to Mönchengladbach where the unit was equipped with a full complement of Bf 109 F-1 and F-2 aircraft. On 15 June, IV. ''Gruppe'' began transferring east and was located at the airfield Krzewicze, approximately west Brest-Litovsk on the western bank of the Bug River, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. JG 51, under the command of ''Oberstleutnant'' Werner Mölders, was subordinated to II. ''Fliegerkorps'' (2nd Air Corps), which as part of ''Luftflotte'' 2 (Air Fleet 2). JG 51 area of operation during Operation Barbarossa was over the right flank of Army Group Center in the combat area of the 2nd Panzer Group as well as the 4th Army.

Beerenbrock claimed his first aerial victory on 24 June 1941 over a Tupolev SB-2 bomber. He frequently flew as wingman of Nordmann and Heinrich Bär. On 6 October 1941, Beerenbrock, together with ''Leutnant'' Georg Seelmann, were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () after 42 and 37 aerial victories respectively.

Eastern Front

On 30 July 1942, during the Battle of Rzhev, the Soviet Kalinin Front launched an attack against the 9th Army on the northern flank of the Rzhev salient. The Soviet 29th and 30th Army breached the German front between the German 87th and 256th Division. The next day, III. and IV. ''Gruppe'' of JG 51 were sent to intercept strong forces of Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft attacking German ground forces. That day, Beerenbrock claimed his 93rd aerial victory over an Il-2 shot down northwest of Rzhev. On 1 August 1942, he became an " ace-in-a-day" claiming nine aerial victories on three combat missions, including his 100th overall. He was the 15th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. At that point, he was the most successful fighter pilot of JG 51 and the first pilot of JG 51 to surpass Werner Mölders. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves () on 3 August 1942. Beerenbrock and together with ''Hauptmann'' Anton Hackl were presented the Oak Leaves by Adolf Hitler at the '' Führerhauptquartier'' at Rastenburg.

In October 1942, Beerenbrock was appointed ''Staffelkapitän'' of 10. ''Staffel'' (3rd squadron) of JG 51. On 9 November, his Bf 109 F-2 (''Werknummer'' 6779—factory number) suffered engine failure after being hit in the radiator approximately north of Velizh resulting in a forced landing behind enemy lines. In consequence, he was taken prisoner of war. While imprisoned, he became a founding member of the (League of German Officers) which later merged with the National Committee for a Free Germany.

Later life

Following World War II, Beerenbrock joined the German Air Force in 1955, at the time referred to as the ''Bundesluftwaffe'' of the ''Bundeswehr''. Beerenbrock died on 13 December 2004 at the age of in Olfen, Germany.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Beerenbrock was credited with 117 aerial victories. Spick also lists Beerenbrock with 117 aerial victories claimed in over 500 combat missions, all but one on the Eastern Front. Mathews and Foreman, authors of ''Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims'', researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 111 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = ''Planquadrat''), for example "PQ 56432". 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.

Awards

* Iron Cross (1939)
** 2nd Class (3 July 1941)
** 1st Class (18 July 1941)
* Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 15 September 1941 as ''Unteroffizier'' in a ''Jagdgeschwader''
* German Cross in Gold on 17 June 1942 as ''Feldwebel'' in the IV./''Jagdgeschwader'' 51
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
** Knight's Cross on 6 October 1941 as ''Unteroffizier'' and pilot in the 10./''Jagdgeschwader'' 51
** 108th Oak Leaves on 3 August 1942 as ''Oberfeldwebel'' and pilot in the 10./''Jagdgeschwader'' 51 "Mölders"

Notes

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Beerenbrock, Franz-Josef
1920 births
2004 deaths
People from Datteln
Luftwaffe pilots
German World War II flying aces
Military personnel from the Province of Westphalia
Recipients of the Gold German Cross
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union
Military personnel from North Rhine-Westphalia