Werner Lucas
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Werner Georg Emil Lucas (27 December 1917 – 24 October 1943) 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 ...
military aviator 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 ...
, a
fighter ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...
credited with 106 enemy aircraft shot down. The majority of his victories were claimed over the Eastern Front, with one claim over the Western Front. Born in Berlin, Lucas volunteered for military service in the Luftwaffe of
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
in 1938. Following flight training, he was posted to ''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) in 1941. He claimed his first aerial victories in July 1941 during
Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...
, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Following his 57th aerial victory, he was awarded 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 ...
on 19 September 1942. He was then 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 ...
'' (squadron leader) of the 4. '' Staffel'' (4th squadron) of JG 3 which he continued to lead on the Eastern Front. He claimed his 100th aerial victory on 21 July 1943. In October 1943, Lucas and his unit were transferred to the Western Front fighting in
Defense of the Reich The Defence of the Reich () is the name given to the strategic defensive aerial campaign fought by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany over German-occupied Europe and Germany during World War II against the Allied strategic bombing campaign. Its aim ...
. In this theatre, Lucas claimed his 106th and last aerial victory before he 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 aerial combat with
Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...
s on 24 October 1943.


Military career

Lucas was born on 27 December 1917 in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
of the
German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
. Following
flight training Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a str ...
, he was posted to the 4. '' Staffel'' (4th squadron) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) on 8 February 1941. World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces
invaded Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet ...
. At the time of his posting, II. '' Gruppe'' of JG 3 was based in Arques in northern France and fighting against the
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 ...
. On 10 February 1941, II. ''Gruppe'' was ordered to return to Germany for a period of rest and reequipment. The unit arrived at Darmstadt-Griesheim on 16 February where they received a complement of the new
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 ...
 F-2 fighter aircraft. On 25 April 1941, II. ''Gruppe'' began relocating back to the English Channel Front at
Monchy-Breton Monchy-Breton () is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France northwest of Arras. Population See also *Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department The following is a list of the 887 communes of the ...
. The ''Gruppe'' completed relocation on 4 May and flew its first mission on 7 May 1941. On 1 June 1941, II. ''Gruppe'' began its relocation to the Eastern Front. The ground elements moved immediately while the air elements followed on 8 June. On that day, they flew to
Saint-Dizier Saint-Dizier () is a subprefecture of the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France. It has a population of 23,382 (2018 figure) and is a subprefecture of the department. Although Saint-Dizier is marginally the most populous commune in Hau ...
and then to
Böblingen Böblingen (; ) is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, seat of Böblingen (district), Böblingen District. Sindelfingen and Böblingen are Geographic contiguity, contiguous. History Böblingen was founded by Count Wilhelm von Tübingen-Bö ...
. On the following day, they continued to Breslau-Gandau, now Wrocław Airport in Poland, via
Straubing Straubing (; Central Bavarian: ''Strauwing'') is an independent city in Lower Bavaria, southern Germany. It is seat of the Districts of Germany, district of Straubing-Bogen. Annually in August the Gäubodenvolksfest, the second largest fair in Ba ...
.


Operation Barbarossa

In preparation for
Operation Barbarossa Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along ...
, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, II. ''Gruppe'' headed further east on 18 June. Following a stopover at
Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...
, the unit was moved to
Hostynne Hostynne is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Werbkowice, within Hrubieszów County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It lies approximately west of Werbkowice, south-west of Hrubieszów, and south-east of the regional capi ...
. At the start of the campaign, JG 3 under the command of ''
Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
'' (Major)
Günther Lützow Günther Lützow (4 September 1912 – 24 April 1945) was a German Luftwaffe aviator and fighter ace credited with 110 enemy aircraft shot down in over 300 combat missions. Apart from five victories during the Spanish Civil War, most of his cl ...
was subordinated to the V. ''Fliegerkorps'' (5th Air Corps), under the command of ''
General der Flieger () was a General of the branch rank of the Luftwaffe (air force) in Nazi Germany. Until the end of World War II in 1945, this particular general officer rank was on three-star level ( OF-8), equivalent to a US Lieutenant general. The "Genera ...
'' (General of the Aviators)
Robert Ritter von Greim Robert Ritter von Greim (born Robert Greim; 22 June 1892 – 24 May 1945) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field marshal) and First World War flying ace. In April 1945, in the last days of World War II in Europe, Adolf Hitler appointed Gre ...
, itself part of ''Luftflotte'' 4 (4th Air Fleet), under the command of ''
Generaloberst A ("colonel general") was the second-highest general officer rank in the German '' Reichswehr'' and ''Wehrmacht'', the Austro-Hungarian Common Army, the East German National People's Army and in their respective police services. The rank w ...
'' (Colonel General)
Alexander Löhr Alexander Löhr (20 May 1885 – 26 February 1947) was an Austrian Air Force (1927–1938), Austrian Air Force commander during the 1930s and, after the Anschluss, annexation of Austria, he was a Luftwaffe commander. Löhr served in the Luftwaff ...
. These air elements supported ''
Generalfeldmarschall ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (; from Old High German ''marahscalc'', "marshal, stable master, groom"; ; often abbreviated to ''Feldmarschall'') was a rank in the armies of several German states and the Holy Roman Empire, (''Reichsgeneralfeldmarsch ...
'' (Field Marshal)
Gerd von Rundstedt Karl Rudolf Gerd von Rundstedt (12 December 1875 – 24 February 1953) was a German ''Generalfeldmarschall'' (Field Marshal) in the ''German Army (1935–1945), Heer'' (Army) of Nazi Germany and OB West, ''Oberbefehlshaber West'' (Commande ...
's
Army Group South Army Group South () was the name of one of three German Army Groups during World War II. It was first used in the 1939 September Campaign, along with Army Group North to invade Poland. In the invasion of Poland, Army Group South was led by Ge ...
, with the objective of capturing Ukraine and its capital
Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
. At 17:00 on 21 June 1941, the 5th Air Corps, based at
Lipsko Lipsko is a town in eastern Poland, in northern Lesser Poland, Masovian Voivodeship. It is the capital of Lipsko County. The population is 5,895 (2004). Lipsko’s coat of arms is the Dębno, which was used by previous owners of the town. Geogr ...
, briefed the various unit commanders of the upcoming attack.All times used in this section are
Central European Time Central European Time (CET) is a standard time of Central, and parts of Western Europe, which is one hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The UTC offset, time offset from UTC can be written as UTC+01:00. It is used in most parts of Eur ...
unless otherwise noted.
That evening, ''
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''
Lothar Keller Lothar or Lothair is a Danish, Finnish, German, Norwegian, and Swedish masculine given name, while Lotár is a Hungarian masculine given name. Both names are modern forms of the Germanic Chlothar (which is a blended form of ''Hlūdaz'', mean ...
informed his subordinates of the attack. The invasion of the Soviet Union began on 22 June 1941. II. ''Gruppe'' flew its first missions on the Eastern Front shortly before 04:00, flying low attacks against Soviet airfields in the vicinity of
Lvov Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
in Ukraine. At 06:30 the ''Gruppe'' fought its first aerial battles. 4. ''Staffel'' claimed three victories and the ''Gruppenstab'' four. In the beginning of July 1941, the front in the vicinity of the northern sector of Army Group South became increasingly fluid. This necessitated the relocation of II. ''Gruppe'' to
Volodymyr-Volynskyi Volodymyr (, ), previously known as Volodymyr-Volynskyi () from 1944 to 2021, is a small city in Volyn Oblast, northwestern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative centre of Volodymyr Raion and the center of Volodymyr urban hromada. It is one ...
. On 2 July, II. ''Gruppe'' claimed 23 aerial victories in the combat area west of
Berdichev Berdychiv (, ) is a historic city in Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Berdychiv Raion within the oblast. It is south of the administrative center of the oblast, Zhytomyr. Its population is approximat ...
and
Zhitomir Zhytomyr ( ; see #Names, below for other names) is a city in the north of the western half of Ukraine. It is the Capital city, administrative center of Zhytomyr Oblast (Oblast, province), as well as the administrative center of the surrounding ...
, including the first aerial victory by Lucas. The rapid advance of German ground forces required II. ''Gruppe'' to move to
Lutsk Lutsk (, ; see #Names and etymology, below for other names) is a city on the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of Lutsk Raion within the oblast. Lutsk has a populati ...
on 5 July, then to
Dubno Dubno (, ) is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality located on the Ikva River in Rivne Oblast (oblast, province) of western Ukraine. It serves as the capital city, administrative center of Dubno Raion ...
that evening and to Miropol on 10 July. That day, Lucas claimed three
Tupolev TB-3 The Tupolev TB-3, OKB designation ANT-6, was a monoplane heavy bomber deployed by the Soviet Air Force in the 1930s and used during the early years of World War II. It was one of the world's first cantilever wing four-engine heavy bombers. Des ...
bombers shot down. He and his wingman, ''
Oberleutnant (English: First Lieutenant) is a senior lieutenant Officer (armed forces), officer rank in the German (language), German-speaking armed forces of Germany (Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the Swiss Armed Forces. In Austria, ''Oberle ...
'' (First Lieutenant) Franz Beyer, had encountered twelve TB-3s from 14 ''Tyazhyolyy Bombardirovochnyy Aviatsionnyy'' (14 TBAP—14th Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment). The two pilots claimed five of the bombers destroyed while Soviet records indicate that seven were lost. On 8 August 1941, Lucas became an " ace-in-a-day" for the first time, shooting down five Soviet bombers in combat near the
Dnieper The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...
river. On 31 October 1941, II. ''Gruppe'' flew its last combat mission over the northern Crimean combat zone and was ordered to retreat to Germany for a period of rest and refurbishment. On 1 December 1941, JG 3 was given the honorary name "Udet" following the suicide of World War I fighter pilot and Luftwaffe ''
Generalleutnant () is the German-language variant of lieutenant general, used in some German speaking countries. Austria Generalleutnant is the second highest general officer rank in the Austrian Armed Forces (''Bundesheer''), roughly equivalent to the NATO ...
''
Ernst Udet Ernst Udet (26 April 1896 – 17 November 1941) was a German pilot during World War I and a ''Luftwaffe'' Colonel-General (''Generaloberst'') during World War II. Udet joined the Imperial German Air Service in April 1915 at the age of 19 ...
.


Mediterranean Theatre

At
Wiesbaden-Erbenheim Erbenheim is a borough of Wiesbaden, capital of the federal state of Hesse, Germany. It has about 10,000 inhabitants. Formerly an independent municipality, the settlement was incorporated into Wiesbaden on April 10, 1928. ''Militärflugplatz-Er ...
airfield, II. ''Gruppe'' was equipped with Bf 109 F-4 trop as the unit was to be deployed in the Mediterranean Theatre. After almost two months of rest, II. ''Gruppe'' was ordered to transfer to Sicily in early January 1942. Lucas was awarded the
German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...
in Gold () on 27 March 1942. II. ''Gruppe'' flew its last combat mission over Malta on 25 April 1942. On 27 April, II. ''Gruppe'' arrived at
Plzeň Plzeň (), also known in English and German as Pilsen (), is a city in the Czech Republic. It is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 188,000 inhabitants. It is located about west of P ...
where it was placed under the command of ''
Hauptmann () is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''. Background While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...
'' (Captain) Kurt Brändle.


Eastern Front

After three weeks of rest, II. ''Gruppe'' was moved to the southern sector of the Eastern Front and placed under control of VIII. ''Fliegerkorps'' (8th Air Corps) on the left wing of Army Group South. On 15 July, II. ''Gruppe'' was moved to an airfield at
Millerovo Millerovo () is the name of several inhabited localities in Rostov Oblast, Russia. ;Urban localities *Millerovo, Millerovsky District, Rostov Oblast Millerovo (, Ukrainian: Міллерово) is a town and the administrative center of Millero ...
. Flying from this airfield, Lucas claimed his 33rd and 34th aerial victory. On 27 July 1942, Lucas flew on a fighter escort mission for nine
Junkers Ju 87 The Junkers Ju 87, popularly known as the "Stuka", is a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the ...
dive bombers A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...
and claimed his 39th and 40th aerial victory. The flight was intercepted by
Yakovlev Yak-7 The Yakovlev Yak-7 (; NATO reporting name: Mark)Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1955-56 p. 188 was developed from the earlier Yak-1 fighter, initially as a trainer but converted into a fighter. As both a fighter and later reverting to its ori ...
fighters from 434 ''Istrebitelny Aviatsionny Polk'' (434 IAP—434rd Fighter Aviation Regiment). In this encounter, Lucas claimed two Yakovlev fighters shot down. It is possible that his opponents were '' Mládshiy Leytenánt'' Kukushin and ''Serzhánt'' Smirnov, who both were shot down that day. On 20 August 1942, for the second time in his combat career, Lucas became an "ace-in-a-day". On his first combat mission of the day, he claimed an
Ilyushin Il-2 The Ilyushin Il-2 ( Russian: Илью́шин Ил-2) is a ground-attack plane that was produced by the Soviet Union in large numbers during the Second World War. The word ''shturmovík'' (Cyrillic: штурмовик), the generic Russian term ...
dive bomber destroyed, followed by four
Petlyakov Pe-2 The Petlyakov Pe-2 ( — nickname «Пешка» (Pawn); NATO reporting name: Buck) was a Soviet Union, Soviet twin-engine dive bomber used during World War II. One of the outstanding tactical attack aircraft of the war,Ethell 1996, p. 152. it ...
bombers within six minutes, taking his total to 52 aerial victories. On 19 September 1942, Lucas received 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 ...
() for 57 air victories. In November 1942, Lucas 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 the 4. ''Staffel'' of JG 3. He thus succeeded ''Hauptmann'' Gerhard Wendt who was posted to a staff position with ''Luftflotte'' 4. In December, Lucas volunteered for the ''Platzschutzstaffel'' (airfield defence squadron) of the
Pitomnik Airfield The Pitomnik airfield (, lit. plant nursery) was an airfield in Russia. During the Second World War, it was the primary of seven airfields used by the Nazi Germany, German Wehrmacht during the Battle of Stalingrad. Flights originating from Pito ...
. The ''Staffel'', largely made up from volunteers from I. and II. ''Gruppe'' of JG 3, was responsible for providing fighter escort to
Junkers Ju 52 The Junkers Ju 52/3m (nicknamed ''Tante Ju'' ("Aunt Ju") and ''Iron Annie'') is a transport aircraft that was designed and manufactured by German aviation company Junkers. First introduced during 1930 as a civilian airliner, it was adapted int ...
transport aircraft and
Heinkel He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and medium bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a wolf in sheep's clothing. Due to restrictions placed on Germany a ...
bombers shuttling supplies for the encircled German forces fighting in the
Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...
. On 21 July 1943, Lucas was credited with his 100th aerial victory. He was the 47th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. During the Donbass Strategic Offensive, II. ''Gruppe'' supported the 6th Army on the
Mius-Front The Mius-Front was a heavily fortified German Nazi defensive line along the Mius River in the Donbas region of the Soviet Union and Ukraine during World War II. It was created by the Germans in October 1941, under direction of General Paul Ludw ...
. On 31 July 1943, II. ''Gruppe'' claimed 17 aerial victories in this sector, including two by Lucas, his last two claims on the Eastern Front. On 2 August, the ''Gruppe'' was ordered to return to Germany.


Defense of the Reich and death

The increasing daytime attacks of the
United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
(USAAF)
Eighth Air Force The Eighth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) is a numbered air force (NAF) of the United States Air Force's Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The command serves as Air Forces S ...
against targets in western Europe forced the Luftwaffe to transfer more and more fighter units from the Eastern Front back to Germany in
Defense of the Reich The Defence of the Reich () is the name given to the strategic defensive aerial campaign fought by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany over German-occupied Europe and Germany during World War II against the Allied strategic bombing campaign. Its aim ...
. On 3 August 1943, II. ''Gruppe''s air elements arrived at Uetersen Airfield in northern Germany. On 20 October, the USAAF targeted
Düren Düren (; Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: Düre) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between Aachen and Cologne, on the river Rur (river), Rur. History Roman era The area of Düren was part of Gallia Belgica, more specifically the ter ...
. II. ''Gruppe'' intercepted the bombers near Venlo but were fended off by the escorting
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...
fighters. Elements of II. ''Gruppe'' managed to reach the bombers on their return. Two
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...
bombers were shot down, including one by Lucas. Whilst with JG 3 flying from
Schiphol Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport (, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands, and is one of the major hubs for the SkyTeam airline alliance. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipal ...
, he was killed in combat with
Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allies of World War II, Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced conti ...
s, possibly escorting USAAF
B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...
bombers, on 24 October 1943. His Bf 109 G-6 (''Werknummer'' 27080 —factory number) crashed in the city centre of
Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...
, Netherlands. He on purpose, crashed his aircraft in the courtyard of a hospital on the Hooigracht, thus taking no other people with him than his 106 kills.


Summary of career


Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Lucas was credited with 106 aerial victories. 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 105 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim. This figure includes 104 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and a four-engined bomber 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 47844". 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 ...
of
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 *
Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe The ''Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe'' (Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe) was a Luftwaffe award established on 27 February 1940 by ''Reichsmarschall'' Hermann Göring, the ''Reich'' Minister of Aviation and Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe. It was ...
on 2 October 1941 as ''
Unteroffizier () is a junior non-commissioned officer rank used by the . It is also the collective name for all non-commissioned officers in Austria and Germany. It was formerly a rank in the Imperial Russian Army. Austria , also , is the collective name to ...
'' and pilot *
German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...
in Gold on 27 March 1942 ''
Feldwebel '' '' (Fw or F, ) is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in several countries. The rank originated in Germany, and is also used in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. The rank has also been used in Russia, Austria-Hungary, occupied Serbia ...
'' in the 4./''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 *
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 ...
on 19 September 1942 as ''Feldwebel'' and pilot in the 4./''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 "Udet"


Notes


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucas, Werner 1917 births Luftwaffe pilots Military personnel from Berlin German World War II flying aces Luftwaffe personnel killed in World War II Aviators killed by being shot down 1943 deaths Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Burials at Ysselsteyn German war cemetery