Georg-Peter Eder

Georg-Peter ''"Schorsch"'' Eder (8 March 1921 – 11 March 1986) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 78 aerial victories achieved in 572 combat missions, including 150 combat missions with the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. This figure includes 10 aerial victories on the Eastern Front, and further 68 victories over the Western Allies, including 36 four-engined bombers.

Born in Oberdachstetten, Eder grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. He joined the military service in the Luftwaffe in 1939. Following flight training, he was posted to ''Jagdgeschwader'' 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) in late 1940. Flying with this wing, Eder claimed his first aerial victory on 22 June 1941, the first day of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Following a ground accident in August 1941, he was assigned to a fighter pilot. In November 1942, Eder was posted to ''Jagdgeschwader'' 2 "Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing) fighting on the Western Front. He was made ''Staffelkapitän'' (squadron leader) of 12. '' Staffel'' (12th squadron) of JG 26 in September 1941 and in February 1943. In November 1943, he was transferred to ''Jagdgeschwader'' 1 (JG 1—1st Fighter Wing) where he was given command of 6. ''Staffel'', a position he held briefly until he was appointed '' Gruppenkommandeur'' (group commander) of II. '' Gruppe'' of JG 2 on 11 November. On 24 June 1944, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. In October, Eder was transferred to '' Kommando Nowotny'', a Me 262 jet fighter unit tasked with testing its operational readiness. Following further aerial victories, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 25 November 1944. He ended the war flying with ''Jagdgeschwader'' 7 (JG 7—7th Fighter Wing), the first operational jet fighter wing. After the war, Eder became a businessman and died on 11 March 1986 in Wiesbaden.

Early life and career

Eder was born on 8 March 1921 in Oberdachstetten in Bavaria. After he attended the ''Grundschule'', an elementary school, and '' Oberrealschule'', a secondary school, he joined the military service of the Luftwaffe on 15 November 1939. Posted to the 4. ''Kompanie'' (4th company) of ''Fliegerausbildungsregiment'' 62 (62nd Flight Training Regiment) in Quedlinburg in the Harz region, he then attended the ''Luftkriegsschule'' 2 (LKS 2—2nd air war school) at Berlin- Gatow. On 1 April 1940, he was accepted as a ''Fahnenjunker'' (candidate). During his flight training, he was promoted to ''Fähnrich'' (officer cadet) on 1 September 1940.

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. Eder was posted to 4. '' Staffel'' (4th squadron) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing), a squadron of II. ''Gruppe'', on 1 December 1940. At the time, II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 51 was undergoing a period of rest and replenishment at Mannheim-Sandhofen Airfield following the Battle of Britain. There, the ''Gruppe'' received the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-7. The ''Gruppe'' returned to France on 14 February 1941 and was commanded by ''Hauptmann'' Josef Fözö while Eder's 4. ''Staffel'' was headed by ''Oberleutnant'' Erich Hohagen.

Operation Barbarossa

II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 51 was withdrawn from the Channel Front in early June 1941 and ordered to Dortmund where the unit was reequipped with the Bf 109 F series. On 10 June, II. ''Gruppe'' began transferring east and was located at Siedlce. On 22 June, German forces launched Operation Barbarossa, 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.

On the first day of the invasion, Eder claimed his first two aerial victories, a Polikarpov I-16 fighter and a Tupolev SB bomber shot down 09:23 and 09:35 respectively. For this feat, Eder received the Iron Cross 2nd Class () on 26 June. Eight days later, he shot down an Ilyushin DB-3 bomber for his third aerial victory in combat in the area of Babruysk. The German Army crossed the Berezina River on 4 July, and II. ''Gruppe'' was moved forward to an airfield at Babruysk, fighting on the Stalin Line in the area of Vitebsk-Orsha-Mogilev. On 11 July, Eder was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class (). German forces breached the Stalin Line and II. ''Gruppe'' was moved to an airfield at Stara Bychow, approximately south of Mogilev on the Dnieper on 12 July. That day, the ''Gruppe'' flew multiple combat air patrols in support of the German beachhead on the eastern bank of the Dnieper in the area between Mogilev and Smolensk. That day, Eder claimed a Petlyakov Pe-2 bomber shot down. On 13 July, he claimed two aerial victories, a DB-3 bomber shot down at 10:07 and an I-16 fighter at 10:23, followed by another DB-3 bomber on 14 July. Eder was credited with another Pe-2 bomber shot down on 26 July and an I-16 fighter destroyed on 31 July.

On 5 August, II. ''Gruppe'' was moved to an airfield at Schatalowka, present-day Shatalovo air base, southeast of Smolensk. On 9 August, Eder was credited with his tenth and last aerial victory on the Eastern Front when he claimed an I-18 shot down at 16:50. The German designation I-18 refers to the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 fighter. On 10 August, Eder's Bf 109 F-2 (''Werknummer'' 9184—factory number) collided with a Junkers Ju 52 on the ground at Ponjatowka. Eder suffered a skull fracture and following convalescence, he was posted to the '' Jagdfliegerschule'' 2 (fighter pilot school) at Zerbst on 1 November 1941.

Western Front

On 1 November 1942, Eder was posted to 7. ''Staffel'' (7th squadron) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 2 "Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing), a squadron of III. ''Gruppe'' of JG 2 named after the World War I fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen. That day, ''Oberleutnant'' Egon Mayer was appointed '' Gruppenkommandeur'' (group commander) of III. ''Gruppe'' while command of 7. ''Staffel'' was given to Hohagen who also joined the ''Geschwader'' that day. JG 2 was based in northern France and fought against the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) under the leadership of ''Geschwaderkommodore'' (wing commander) ''Major'' Walter Oesau. At the time, III. ''Gruppe'' was equipped with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-4 and some older A-3s. The ''Gruppe'' operated from various airfields in Brittany, France, providing fighter protection for the German U-boat bases along the Atlantic coast. Eder claimed his first aerial victory on the Western Front on 30 December when he shot down a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber on a mission to bomb Lorient.

Together with Mayer, Eder developed the head-on attack as the most effective tactic against the Allied daylight heavy combat box formations of B-17s and Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers. The concept was based on a ''Kette'' (chain), three aircraft flying in a "V" formation, attacking from ahead and to the left. When in range, the attackers opened fire with a deflection burst, aiming in front of the enemy aircraft. Following the attack, the pilots would pull up sharply to the left or right. This gave the attacking fighters the best chance of avoiding the massed firepower of the bombers' guns.

On 3 January 1943, the USAAF VIII Bomber Command attacked the U-boat base at Saint-Nazaire. III. ''Gruppe'' managed to fend off some of the bombers, claiming sixteen B-17 bombers shot down over sea, including one by Eder. The USAAF reported the loss of seven bombers during the attack. The U-boat base at Lorient was the target of the VIII Bomber Command on 23 January. III. ''Gruppe'', supported by 9. ''Staffel'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing), claimed seven aerial victories, of which one B-17 was claimed shot down by Eder. On 9 February, the '' Gruppenstab'' (headquarters unit) of III. ''Gruppe'', 7. ''Staffel'' and 9. ''Staffel'' were ordered to Berck-sur-Mer where they were placed under the command of JG 26. On 13 February, the Royal Air Force (RAF) Fighter Command targeted the west coast of Pas-de-Calais with three "Rodeos" and one "Circus". In defense of this attack, Eder claimed a RAF Supermarine Spitfire fighter shot down northwest of Boulogne.

Squadron leader

In February, a new 12. ''Staffel'' of JG 2 was created at the airfield at Beaumont-le-Roger. On 15 February, Eder was appointed its ''Staffelkapitän'' (squadron leader) of this newly created ''Staffel'' and tasked with bringing it to operational readiness. The plan was to equip this ''Staffel'' with a full complement of 16 pilots and Bf 109 Gs. Initially, Eder was given eight Fw 190 A-2 and A-3s, as well as two Bf 109 G-1 aircraft, and subordinated and accountable to the ''Stab'' of JG 2. On 8 March, Eder claimed the first aerial victory credited to the 12. ''Staffel'' when he shot down a Spitfire near Le Petit-Quevilly. That day, VIII Bomber Command sent 54 B-17 bombers to Rennes and 16 B-24 bombers to the Rouen railroad yards. The attack on Rouen was protected by 16 RAF Spitfire squadrons, supported by a Spitfire sweep of the 4th Fighter Group. On 12 March, he shot down another Spitfire northwest of Fécamp.

On 28 March, VIII Bomber Command dispatched 70 B-17 bombers on a mission to bomb the Rouen railroad yards again. The escorting Spitfire fighters missed their rendezvous point with the bombers, leaving the bombers unprotected. II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 26 and Eder's 12. ''Staffel'' of JG 2 intercepted the bombers, damaging nine and one was shot down by Eder. Following combat with a B-17, he was injured by the return fire but managed to make a forced landing of his Bf 109 G-4 (''Werknummer'' 14988) at Beaumont-le-Roger airfield. By end of April, 12. ''Staffel'' had received their full complement of 16 Bf 109 G-6 fighters. Recovered from his injuries, Eder led his ''Staffel'' against a USAAF attack on the Potez aircraft plant at Albert. 12. ''Staffel'' operated autonomously from other Luftwaffe units and claimed a B-17 bomber and a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter shot down for the loss of three aircraft and two pilots killed in action. Eder was credited with the destruction of the P-47, shot down west of Étaples.

On 29 May, the USAAF targeted Rennes, Saint-Nazaire and La Pallice. Defending against this attack, 12. ''Staffel'' claimed three B-17 bombers shot down in combat over sea off Paimpol, including one claim by Eder. He was awarded the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe () on 25 June. The next day, he was credited with the destruction of a Spitfire north of Fécamp. On 29 June, Eder led his ''Staffel'' against USAAF bombers, losing two aircraft, one pilot killed in action and two further were wounded, while Eder claimed a B-17 shot down north of Saint-Valery.

Eder shot down a Hawker Typhoon west of Hesdin on 29 August. Two days later, he was awarded the German Cross in Gold (). On 5 September 1943, he was transferred to 5. ''Staffel'' of JG 2, taking command of the ''Staffel'' after its former commander ''Leutnant'' Kurt Goltzsch was wounded the day before. On 5 November, Eder was forced to bail out of his Bf 109 G-6 (''Werknummer'' 20733) after engine failure near Mons, Belgium and was again injured.

Defense of the Reich

Following his recovery from injuries sustained on 5 November 1943, Eder was posted to the II. ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 1 (JG 1—1st Fighter Wing) under the command of ''Hauptmann'' Hermann Segatz in February 1944. The ''Gruppe'', which was fighting in Defense of the Reich, was based in Wunstorf in northern Germany. Following the death of Segatz, ''Major'' Heinrich Bär was given command of the ''Gruppe'' on 9 March. Bär, who had previously commanded 6. ''Staffel'', was then in consequence succeeded by Eder. Eder claimed his first aerial victory with JG 1 on 8 April when the USAAF Eighth Air Force, formerly known as VIII Bomber Command, attacked German airfields in northwestern Germany as well as the German aircraft industry in Braunschweig. II. ''Gruppe'' attacked the bombers in the vicinity of Salzwedel where Eder shot down one of the B-24 bombers.

He bailed out of his Fw 190 A-7 (''Werknummer'' 430645) during combat with P-47 fighters over Göttingen on 19 April. On 8 May, he claimed a B-24 shot down but made a forced landing at Vechta in his Fw 190 A-8 (''Werknummer'' 170071).

Group commander

On 11 May 1944, the ''Geschwaderkommodore'' of JG 1, ''Oberst'' Oesau, who had commanded JG 1 since November 1943, was killed in action. The following day, Bär was temporarily appointed as his successor. In consequence, Eder was given the position ''Gruppenkommandeur'' of II. ''Gruppe''. In preparation of the Normandy landings, Eighth Air Force targeted the German fuel industry on 12 May. That day, 886 heavy-bombers escorted by 980 fighter aircraft, targeted the hydrogenation factories at Leuna, Merseburg, Böhlen, Zeitz and Brüx, present-day Most in the Czech Republic. Eder vectored his ''Gruppe'' in a consolidated attack on the bombers. The ''Gruppe'' claimed five bombers shot down plus a further P-47 destroyed, for the price of five pilots killed in action. Eder accounted for one of the bombers destroyed when he shot down a B-24 in the area of the Eifel. Following the attack, his Fw 190 had engine problems resulting in an emergency landing at Mannheim-Sandhofen Airfield. The USAAF targeted the German aircraft industry on 29 May. The Eighth Air Force sent 993 heavy bombers, escorted by 1,265 fighters, to factories in Leipzig, Sorau, and Posen, to the airfield at Tutow, as well as the hydrogenation factory at Pölitz. At the same time, the Fifteenth Air Force attacked similar targets in southern Germany and Austria. JG 1 was scrambled shortly after 11:00 and met up near Dessau. In frontal attack, pilots of I. and II. ''Gruppe'' claimed nine B-17 bombers shot down. While I. ''Gruppe'' came away unscathed, II. ''Gruppe'' lost one pilot killed in action and two further were wounded. Eder, who had shot down a B-17 in the vicinity of Görlitz, crashed his Fw 190 A-8 (''Werknummer'' 730386) during the landing at Cottbus. The airfield was under attack at the time of the landing and Eder collided with a parked Siebel aircraft.

The Western Allies of World War II launched the invasion of Normandy in the early morning o 6 June 1944. At 16:25, II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 1, with a strength of 32 Fw 190 fighters under the leadership of Eder, relocated from Störmede to an airfield at Montdidier, France. That evening, II. ''Gruppe'' was then ordered to Le Mans Airfield. The following day, the ''Gruppe'' flew its first combat missions during the Normandy campaign, losing two aircraft without claiming any aerial victories. On 8 June, Eder headed II. ''Gruppe'' in an anti shipping mission against the Allied landing fleet near Deauville and Trouville on southern bank of the Baie de la Seine. On 24 June, Eder received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ().

On 11 August 1944, Eder temporarily took command of 6. ''Staffel'' of JG 26, replacing ''Leutnant'' Adolf Glunz who was off operations at the time. Attacking Allied armour near Dreux on 17 August Eder shot down a Spitfire at low level; it crashed between two M4 Sherman tanks, destroying them. Shortly after that he shot down another Spitfire, which crashed on another tank, setting it on fire.

On 4 September, Eder was appointed ''Gruppenkommandeur'' II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 26 after the unit's former ''Gruppenkommandeur'' ''Hauptmann'' Emil Lang was killed in action against USAAF Thunderbolts over St Trond. On 8 October, Eder was transferred to '' Kommando Nowotny'', the first operational Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter unit named after its commander ''Major'' Walter Nowotny. He was replaced by ''Major'' Anton Hackl as commander of II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 26.

Flying the Messerschmitt Me 262

''Kommando Nowotny'' was made up of three ''Staffeln'' and based at Achmer Airfield. 1. ''Staffel'' was headed by ''Oberleutnant'' Paul Bley, 2. ''Staffel'' by ''Oberleutnant'' Alfred Teumer, and Eder was given command of 3. ''Staffel''. By late September 1944, ''Kommando Nowotny'' had approximately 30 Me 262s. As a unit, the ''Kommando'' flew three combat missions between 3 October and 24 October.

It is difficult to establish the exact number of aerial victories claimed by Eder while flying the Me 262 as various sources provide contradicting information. Heaton and Lewis list him with two B-17 bombers shot down on 4 October, B-17 (serial number 44-8586) from the 97th Bombardment Group and B-17 (serial number 44-8043) from the 2nd Bombardment Group - however these claims are highly doubtful as 44-8586 returned to base after a partial crew-bail out over Munich, with 44-8043 was a clear flak kill. According to Harvey, Eder claimed his first aerial victory on the Me 262 on 6 October when he shot down a Lockheed P-38 Lightning F-5 reconnaissance aircraft from the 7th Photographic Group. Authors Morgan and Weal, credit Eder with his first victory on the Me 262 on 13 November 1944. In this account, Eder flew a mission from Achmer Airfield and encountered a P-38. Misjudging the closing speed, he collided with the P-38. The damage to his Me 262 was minimal while the P-38 crashed near Schleißheim. Without an exact date, Boehme indicates that Eder was credited with eleven aerial victories flying the Me 262 in the timeframe 1 October 1944 until 1 January 1945, including the claim over a P-38, bringing his total to 64 claims. Bley was killed in a flying accident on 28 October when his Me 262 A-1 (''Werknummer'' 110481) suffered engine failure following a bird strike during takeoff. In consequence, Eder was given command of 1. ''Staffel'' of ''Kommando Nowotny''.

Nowotny was killed in action on 8 November which marked the end of ''Kommando Nowotny''. Following Nowotny's death, Eder then briefly led the ''Kommando'' until it was renamed to III. ''Gruppe'' of ''Ergänzungs-Jagdgeschwader'' 2 and withdrawn from combat. Harvey states that on 11 November, leading five Me 262s, Eder claimed two B-17 bombers and a North American P-51 Mustang escort fighter in combat near Frankfurt. On 19 November, the pilots of ''Kommando Nowotny'' formed the nucleus of III. ''Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 7 (JG 7—7th Fighter Wing), the first operational jet fighter wing. Now based at Lechfeld Airfield, III. ''Gruppe'' was placed on the command of ''Major'' Hohagen, Eder's former ''Staffelkapitän'' with JG 51. The three ''Staffeln'' of ''Kommando Nowotny'' were redesignated to 9., 10., and 11. ''Staffel'' of JG 7, with Eder in command of the 9. ''Staffel''.

Eder was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves () on 25 November 1944 for some 60 victories. He was the 663rd member of the German armed forces to be so honored. On 17 January 1945, Eder claimed a B-17 shot down. This B-17 may have been from the 351st Bombardment Group on mission to Paderborn. Eder may have shot down two P-47 fighters on 3 February. On 9 February, during an attack of the Eighth Air Force on synthetic oil plants and transportation, Eder shot down a B-17 bomber.

On 17 February, Eder, together with ''Oberfeldwebel'' Helmut Zander and ''Oberfeldwebel'' Hermann Buchner took off from Parchim to intercept a bomber formation. They intercepted the bomber formation south of Bremen when his Me 262 was hit by the defensive gunfire in the left engine, setting the engine and wing on fire. Forced to bail out, Eder struck his head and leg on the aircraft. He was picked up and taken to a hospital with a broken leg and head injuries. Following convalescence, Eder was back with III. ''Gruppe'' of JG 7 and claimed a B-17 shot down near Berlin on 17 April 1945. The B-17 was named ''The Towering Titan'' and belonged to the 305th Bombardment Group. According to Harvey, this was his 25th claim flying the Me 262.

Later life

After World War II, Eder became a businessman in Wiesbaden. Eder befriended and confirmed two aerial victories claimed by First Lieutenant Urban L. Drew of the USAAF 375th Fighter Squadron. Drew had claimed two Me 262 fighters shot down on 7 October 1944. These two aerial victories were not confirmed at the time. Eder, who had observed the combat from the ground, confirmed these two claims after the war, resulting in the presentation of the Air Force Cross in May 1983. Eder died on 11 March 1986 in Wiesbaden.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Eder was credited with 78 aerial victories. Obermaier states that he flew 572 combat missions of which 150 were with the Messerschmitt Me 262. On the Eastern Front, he claimed 10 victories and on the Western Front 68, of which 36 were four-engined bombers. Mathews and Foreman, authors of ''Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims'', researched the German Federal Archives and state that he claimed 75 aerial victories. The authors list 48 aerial victories plus further ten unconfirmed claims. This figure includes ten claims on the Eastern Front, more than 41 claims on the Western Front, including more than 23 four-engined bombers. It is possible that Eder claimed more than 21 victories flying the Me 262. According to Boehme, Eder was credited with eleven aerial victories flying the Me 262 in the timeframe 1 October 1944 until 1 January 1945, bringing his total to 64 claims.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = ''Planquadrat''), for example "PQ 14 West 4857". 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 (26 June 1941)
** 1st Class (11 July 1941)
* Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 25 June 1943 as ''Leutnant'' and pilot
* German Cross in Gold on 31 August 1943 as ''Oberleutnant'' in the 12./''Jagdgeschwader'' 2
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
** Knight's Cross on 24 June 1944 as ''Oberleutnant'' and ''Staffelkapitän'' of the 6./''Jagdgeschwader'' 1
** 663rd Oak Leaves on 25 November 1944 as ''Hauptmann'' and ''Staffelkapitän'' of the 6./''Jagdgeschwader'' 1

Promotions

Notes

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Eder, Georg-Peter
1921 births
1986 deaths
People from Ansbach (district)
Luftwaffe pilots
German World War II flying aces
Recipients of the Gold German Cross
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Military personnel from Bavaria