Klaus Bretschneider

Klaus Bretschneider (4 May 1920 – 24 December 1944) was a German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Career

Bretschneider was born on 4 May 1920 in Berlin-Steglitz, at the capital of the Weimar Republic. He was posted into the newly raised ''Jagdgeschwader'' 300 (JG 300—300th Fighter Wing) in July 1943. There he was posted to 6. ''Staffel'', flying " Wilde Sau" single-seat night fighter missions. Bretschneider claimed his first aerial victory on the night of 27/28 August 1943. That night, the Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command attacked Nürnberg. At 01:55, Bretschneider shot down a Short Stirling bomber east of Nürnberg. The destruction of the bomber was also claimed by anti-aircraft artillery unit but the destruction was later credited to Bretschneider. On the night of 5/6 September, Bomber Command sent 605 heavy bombers on a mission to bomb Mannheim. In total, 512 bombers hit Mannheim for the loss of 36 bombers destroyed. Defending against this attack, Bretschneider claimed a Avro Lancaster destroyed which was shared with an anti-aircraft artillery unit. He then attacked a second bomber, setting the wing on fire.

By April 1944 he had 14 night victories.

Defense of the Reich

On 28 May 1944, ''Reichsmarschall'' Hermann Göring ordered JG 300 to convert from its night fighter role to the day flying, flying missions in defense of the Reich. At the time, the ''Sturmgruppe'' was based at Dortmund Airfield. On 7 June, they relocated to Merzhausen and before reaching Frankfurt Airfield on 12 June. Three days later, the ''Sturmgruppe'' moved again, this time to Unterschlauersbach, present-day part of Großhabersdorf.

On 7 July, a force of 1,129 B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force set out from England to bomb aircraft factories in the Leipzig area and the synthetic oil plants at Boehlen, Leuna-Merseburg and Lützkendorf. This formation was intercepted by a German ''Gefechtsverband'' (combat formation) consisting of IV. ''Sturmgruppe'' of JG 3, led by ''Hauptmann'' Wilhelm Moritz, escorted by two ''Gruppen'' of Messerschmitt Bf 109s from JG 300 led by ''Major'' Walther Dahl. Dahl and Moritz drove the attack to point-blank range behind the Liberators of the 492d Bombardment Group before opening fire. 492d Bombardment Group was temporarily without fighter cover. Within about a minute the entire squadron of twelve B-24s had been annihilated. The Germans claimed 28 USAAF 2nd Air Division B-24s that day and were credited with at least 21. The majority to the ''Sturmgruppe'' attack. In this encounter, also known as the ''Luftschlacht bei Oschersleben'' (aerial battle at Oschersleben), Bretschneider claimed a B-24 bombers shot down near Calbe.

Squadron leader and death

On 19 July 1944, Bretschneider was appointed ''Staffelkapitän'' (squadron leader) of 5. ''Staffel'' of JG 300. He succeeded ''Hauptmann'' Rudolf Scharfenberg who had been killed in action the day before. By this time JG 300 were employed in a more conventional day fighter role, intercepting USAAF four-engined bombers.

On 7 October 1944 he downed two bombers in one attack and then rammed a third. He bailed out safely. On 18 November 1944 he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 31 victories.

On 24 December 1944, Bretschneider was killed in action whilst leading II.''(Sturm)''/JG 300 in attacking four-engined bombers over Kassel. His Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8/R2 (''Werknummer'' 682204—factory number) crashed near Hausen, part of Oberaula. He was probably shot down by a North American P-51 Mustang of the 357th Fighter Group. Command of 5. ''Staffel'' was then passed on to ''Leutnant'' Norbert Graziadei.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Spick, Bretschneider was credited with at least 31 aerial victories. This figure includes 17 by day, among them three four-engined heavy bombers, and 14 nocturnal claims flying 20 "Wilde Sau" night fighter missions. Obermaier lists him with 34 enemy aircraft shot down, 14 RAF bombers at night, and 20 day-victories including 17 USAAF four-engined heavy bombers by day. Forsyth also states that Bretschneider claimed 17 four-engined heavy bombers by day. Mathews and Foreman, authors of ''Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims'', researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 22 aerial victory claims, including four at night, plus 18 further unconfirmed claims. This figure of confirmed claims includes 15 four-engine heavy bombers by day.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = ''Planquadrat''), for example "PQ 15 Ost S/JD". 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 and 1st Class
* German Cross in Gold in 1944 as ''Oberleutnant'' in the 5./''Jagdgeschwader'' 300
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 18 November 1944 as ''Leutnant'' and pilot in 5./''Jagdgeschwader'' 300

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bretschneider, Klaus
1920 births
1944 deaths
Luftwaffe pilots
German World War II flying aces
Recipients of the Gold German Cross
Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
German military personnel killed in World War II
Aviators killed by being shot down
Military personnel from Berlin