Johannes Wiese

Johannes Wiese (7 March 1915 – 16 August 1991) was a German Luftwaffe pilot during World War II, a fighter ace credited with 133 enemy aircraft shot down in 480 combat missions. He claimed all of his victories over the Eastern Front, including over 50 Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik ground attack aircraft.

Born in Breslau, Wiese volunteered for military service in the ''Reichswehr'' of Nazi Germany in 1934. Initially serving in the '' Heer'' (Army), he transferred to the Luftwaffe (Air Force) in 1936. Following flight training, he was posted to ''Jagdgeschwader'' 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) in June 1941 just prior to Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. He claimed his first aerial victory on 23 September 1941. On 26 June 1942, Wiese was appointed ''Staffelkapitän'' (squadron leader) of the 2. '' Staffel'' (2nd squadron) of JG 52 and received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 5 January 1943 following his 53rd aerial victory. On 11 May 1943, Wiese was tasked with the leadership of I. '' Gruppe'' (1st group) of JG 52 and was officially appointed its ''Gruppenkommandeur'' (group commander) on 13 November 1943. Following his 133rd aerial victory, he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 2 March 1944.

In October 1944, Wiese was posted to the '' Geschwaderstab'' (headquarters unit) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing) in Defense of the Reich and on 7 November 1944, he was appointed its ''Geschwaderkommodore'' (wing commander). After the war in 1956 he joined the ''Bundeswehr'' and worked for the Military History Research Office. He retired on 10 November 1970 holding the rank of ''Oberstleutnant'' (Lieutenant Colonel). Wiese died on 16 August 1991 in Kirchzarten and was buried in Berlin-Nikolassee.

Early life and career

Wiese was born on 7 March 1915, in Breslau in the Kingdom of Prussia of the German Empire, present-day Wrocław in western Poland, the son of a minister. In 1934, Wiese volunteered for service in the ''Heer'' (German Army) and joined ''Infanterie-Regiment'' 6 (6th Infantry Regiment) under command of ''Oberst'' Kuno-Hans von Both.

In 1936, Wiese transferred to the Luftwaffe as an ''Oberfähnrich'' (Officer candidate). There, he was trained as an aerial observer with the ''Heeresaufklärer'' (Army Reconnaissance). Wiese was promoted to ''Leutnant'' (second lieutenant) on 1 April 1937, and in September 1938 transferred to the ''Fliegerersatzabteilung'' 17 (17th Flier Replacement Unit) in Quedlinburg. He then volunteered for the ''Jagdwaffe'' (fighter force) and holding the rank of ''Oberleutnant'' (first lieutenant) he began fighter pilot training in October 1938.

World War II

Wiese was posted to a front-line unit in June 1941, almost two years after the start of World War II. His unit was the '' Geschwaderstab'' (headquarters unit) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) where he served as an adjutant.For an explanation of Luftwaffe unit designations see Organization of the Luftwaffe during World War II. On 22 June, the ''Geschwader'' crossed into Soviet airspace in support of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, which opened the Eastern Front. He claimed his first aerial victory on 23 September 1941 and was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class () on 27 September 1941 and the Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Silver () on 11 October 1941.

Eastern Front

Wiese received the Iron Cross 1st Class () on 1 May 1942. Following his 7th aerial victory he was appointed ''Staffelkapitän'' (squadron leader) of the 2. '' Staffel'' (2nd squadron) of JG 52 on 26 June 1942. That day, I. '' Gruppe'' (1st group), to which his 2. ''Staffel'' was subordinated, moved to Bilyi Kolodyaz, approximately southeast of Vovchansk, and fighting in support of Case Blue, the strategic summer offensive in southern Russia with the objective to capture the oil fields of Baku, Grozny and Maykop. He received the Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold () on 13 July 1942.

To support German forces fighting in the Battle of the Caucasus, I. ''Gruppe'' relocated to an airfield at Kerch, in the east of Crimea, on 2 August. At the time, the ''Gruppe'' was moved around as a kind of fire brigade, deployed in areas where the Soviet Air Forces was particular active. The ''Gruppe'' then moved to Oryol on 15 August. On 29 September 1942, Wiese he claimed his 25th aerial victory. On 25 October 1942, he became an " ace-in-a-day" for the first time, claiming victories 29 to 33. Wiese was awarded the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe () on 6 November 1942.

On 6 December, the ''Gruppe'' moved to an airfield at Rossosh. Here on 16 December, he became an "ace-in-a-day" again which took his total to 43. On 25 December, Wiese claimed his 50th aerial victory. Together with ''Feldwebel'' Wilhelm Freuwörth, Wiese was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () on 5 January 1943 following their 56th and 51st aerial victories respectively. The presentation was made by ''General der Flieger'' (General of the Flyers) Günther Korten in Rossosh on the Eastern Front. Sources contradict themselves on the exact date of the presentation of the German Cross in Gold (). According to Thomas, Patzwall and Scherzer, the presentation was made on 5 December 1942. According to Obermaier and Stockert, the presentation occurred on 8 February 1943.

Following a lengthy home leave, Wiese was tasked with the leadership of I. ''Gruppe'' of JG 52 on 11 May 1943. The former commander, ''Major'' Helmut Bennemann had been severely injured by an incendiary bomb the day before. Initially, Wiese led both 2. ''Staffel'' and I. ''Gruppe'' in unison until on 1 July ''Oberleutnant'' Paul-Heinrich Dähne was given command of the ''Staffel''. On 13 November 1943, he was officially appointed ''Gruppenkommandeur'' (group commander) of I. ''Gruppe'' and at the end of 1943, Wiese was promoted to ''Major'' (major). His most successful day was 5 July 1943, the first day of the Battle of Kursk, when he shot down twelve enemy aircraft in one mission, a double "ace-in-a-day" achievement. All 12 victories were over Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovikground attack aircraft and took his total to 95 victories. On 17 July 1943, Wiese was credited with his 100th aerial victory. He was the 45th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. In end July, Wiese had fallen sick and had to go to a Bad Wiessee for treatment. During his absence, ''Hauptmann'' Gerhard Barkhorn, the commander of 4. ''Staffel'', temporarily led I. ''Gruppe'' from 4 to 30 August.

Following his 133rd aerial victory and his last, Wiese was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves () on 2 March 1944, the 418th officer or soldier of the Wehrmacht so honored. Wiese and fellow JG 52 pilots Erich Hartmann, Walter Krupinski, for the Oak Leaves presentation, and Gerhard Barkhorn, for the Swords to his Knight's Cross presentation, travelled on an overnight train from the Anhalter Bahnhof in Berlin to the '' Führerhauptquartier'' (Führer Headquarter) at the ''Berghof'' in Berchtesgaden for the award ceremony by Adolf Hitler on 4 April 1944. Also present at the award ceremony were Kurt Bühligen, Horst Ademeit, Reinhard Seiler, Hans-Joachim Jabs, Dr. Maximilian Otte, Bernhard Jope and Hansgeorg Bätcher from the bomber force, and the Flak officer Fritz Petersen, all destined to receive the Oak Leaves. On the train, all of them got drunk on cognac and champagne. Supporting each other and unable to stand, they arrived at Berchtesgaden. Major Nicolaus von Below, Hitler's Luftwaffe adjutant, was shocked. After some sobering up, they were still intoxicated. Hartmann took a German officer's hat from a stand and put it on, but it was too large. Von Below became upset, told Hartmann it was Hitler's and ordered him to put it back.

On 22 February 1944, Wiese was injured in combat when he was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery in his Bf 109 G-6. Command of I. ''Gruppe'' was temporarily assumed by ''Oberleutnant'' Paul-Heinrich Dähne before ''Hauptmann'' Adolf Borchers was given command on 11 June. Following his convalescence, he was posted to the ''Verbandsführerschule'' (Training School for Unit Leaders) of the ''General der Jagdflieger'' (General of Fighters) at Königsberg in der Neumark, present-day Chojna in western Poland, on 11 June 1944. This ended his service on the Eastern Front.

Defense of the Reich and wing commander of JG 77

On 19 June 1944, Wiese participated in comparison test flights at the Luftwaffes main testing ground for new aircraft designs at Rechlin. On that day, the Luftwaffe tested and compared the Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6, a Bf 109 G-6/AS, a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8 against a P-47 Thunderbolt and a P-51 Mustang.

In October 1944, Wiese was posted to the ''Geschwaderstab'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing) in Defense of the Reich on the Western Front. On 7 November 1944, he was appointed ''Geschwaderkommodore'' (wing commander) of JG 77, replacing ''Oberstleutnant'' (Lieutenant Colonel) Johannes Steinhoff, who was given command of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 7 "Nowotny" (JG 7—7th Fighter Wing), the first operational jet fighter wing in the world. Officially, command was handed over on 1 December 1944.

On 16 December 1944, the Wehrmacht launched its last major offensive campaign of the war. The operation codenamed ''Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein'', or Battle of the Bulge (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945), which failed to achieve its objectives, intended to split the British and American Allied line in half, so the Germans could then proceed to encircle and destroy four Allied armies, forcing the Western Allies to negotiate a peace treaty in the Axis Powers' favor.

Wiese led JG 77 in the opening phase of the offensive until 25 December 1944, when he was severely injured in a training exercise. Wiese and his wingman, ''Feldwebel'' (Sergeant) Hansch, took off at 11:20 a.m. on a training flight over German held territory. The plan was to meet up with I. ''Gruppe'' but the two failed to establish contact. Instead, flying at an altitude of , they encountered a flight of Supermarine Spitfires in the vicinity of Bottrop and Essen. In the resulting aerial combat, both Bf 109 G-14s were shot down, Hansch was killed in action while Wiese bailed out. He came down near Essen-Dellwig. His parachute only opened partially, resulting in a harsh landing, and loss of consciousness. Wiese was taken to a field hospital at Bottrop where he was diagnosed with a concussion and minor skull fracture. He spent the rest of the winter in hospital, and was replaced as commander by ''Major'' Siegfried Freytag. Their victors may have been Spitfires from the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) No. 401 Squadron which claimed two Bf 109s from the ''Stab'' of JG 77 shot down over Duisburg that day. One of these victories was credited to Flying Officer John MacKay.

Wiese surrendered to U.S. forces at the end of the war and was handed over by the Americans to the Soviet Red Army on 6 September 1945. Wiese spent over four years in Soviet prisoner of war camps and was released on 28 November 1949. He was officially credited with 133 victories claimed in 480 combat missions. Additionally, he had 25 more unconfirmed claims. Among his claims were over 50 Il-2 Sturomoviks. Soviet fighter pilots therefore greatly respected Wiese, and referred to him as the "Lion of Kuban", a name he earned during combat over the Kuban bridgehead.

Later life

After the war in 1956, Wiese joined the ''Bundeswehr'', the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany, and worked for the Military History Research Office. He retired on 10 November 1970 holding the rank of ''Oberstleutnant''. Wiese died on 16 August 1991 in Kirchzarten and was buried in Berlin-Nikolassee.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Wiese was credited with 133 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of ''Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims'', researched the German Federal Archives and state that Wiese was credited with 118 aerial victories, plus 27 further unconfirmed claims. All of his victories were claimed on the Eastern Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = ''Planquadrat''), for example "PQ 49423". 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 (27 September 1941)
** 1st Class (1 May 1942)
* Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
** in Silver (11 October 1941)
** in Gold (13 July 1942)
* Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (''Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe'') on 16 November 1942 as ''Hauptmann'' and ''Staffelkapitän''
* German Cross in Gold on 5 December 1942 as ''Hauptmann'' in the I./''Jagdgeschwader'' 52
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
** Knight's Cross on 5 January 1943 as ''Hauptmann'' and ''Staffelkapitän'' of the 2./''Jagdgeschwader'' 52
** 418th Oak Leaves on 2 March 1944 as ''Major'' and ''Gruppenkommandeur'' of the I./''Jagdgeschwader'' 52

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiese, Johannes
1915 births
1991 deaths
Military personnel from Wrocław
Military personnel from the Province of Silesia
German World War II flying aces
Shot-down aviators
German Air Force personnel
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