Hans Dammers

Hans Dammers (8 August 1913 – 17 March 1944) was a German World War II fighter ace and was credited with 113 aerial victories, with 23 unconfirmed claims. During his numerous ground attack missions he destroyed 11 aircraft, 8 locomotives, 39 horse-drawn wagons, 34 trucks, 3 anti-aircraft emplacements and 1 armoured reconnaissance vehicle.[1] He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Hans Dammers
Born(1913-12-08)8 December 1913
Scherpenberg near Moers
Died17 March 1944(1944-03-17) (aged 30)
Stanislau
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branch Luftwaffe
RankLeutnant (posthumous)
UnitJG 52, EJGr Ost
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Career

Dammers was born on 8 December 1913 in Scherpenberg, present-day a borough of Moers, at the time in the Rhine Province of the German Empire. Following flight training as a fighter pilot, he was posted to the 7. Staffel (7th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) in the summer of 1941.[1] At the time, JG 52 was equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 and was fighting on the Eastern Front. German forces had launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, on 22 June 1941.[2] Dammers claimed his first aerial victory on 31 August 1941 over a Polikarpov I-16 fighter aircraft.[3]

His first victory of 1942—a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1—occurred on 13 May followed by a Petlyakov Pe-2 bomber on 28 May. On 17 July 1942, Dammers (flying Bf 109 G-2 Werknummer 13435—factory number) and his wingman Unteroffizier Kurt Keser jumped Soviet Yak-1 pilot (then Starshiy Leytenant) Aleksandr Pokryshkin, but the future second highest scoring Soviet ace managed to shoot both down. Keser was killed and Dammers bailed out.[4]

Karaya-Staffel emblem

On 22 June 1942, Dammers became an "ace-in-a-day" for the first time when shot down five Soviet aircraft.[5] He continued his successes, shooting down two Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3s on 28 July, and on 6 August 1942 he claimed an Polikarpov I-153 biplane fighter and two LaGG-3s. Dammers had 58 victories when he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 23 August 1942. The presentation was made by Hermann Graf.[6] On 5 May 1943, Dammers was credited with his 100th aerial victory. He was the 39th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.[7] Dammers then transferred to Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, specialized training unit for new fighter pilots destined for the Eastern Front, as an instructor. On 23 July, he was severely injured in a ground accident when his Bf 109 overturned at Laleu Airfield. Following his recovery, he was transferred to 9. Staffel, also known as the Karaya-Staffel, of JG 52 in January 1944.[8] At the time, 9. Staffel was under the command of Oberleutnant Erich Hartmann.[9]

Dammers' Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 20162—factory number) "yellow 9" was struck on 13 March 1944 by debris from a shot down Lavochkin La-5. Dammers bailed out but his parachute got caught on his wing. Dammers succumbed to his injuries and died in hospital on 17 March 1944 in Stanislau.[1][10] He was posthumously promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant).[1] Dammers was married to Gertrud Dammers, née Falkenburg. The couple had two sons, Manfred and Hans-Joachim.[6]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Authors Obermaier and Spick list Dammers with 113 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number combat missions, plus further 23 unwitnessed claims.[1][11] Matthews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 103 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.[12]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 06894". The Luftwaffe grid map (Jägermeldenetz) 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 360 square miles (930 km2). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 × 4 km in size.[13]

Awards

Notes
  1. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 12:39.[8]
  2. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 16:12.[23]
  3. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 13:49.[23]
  4. This claim is not listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, and Bock.[35]
  5. According to Obermaier on 20 July 1942.[40]
  6. According to Scherzer as pilot in the 7./Jagdgeschwader 52.[42]

References

Citations
  1. Obermaier 1989, p. 99.
  2. Prien et al. 2003, p. 53.
  3. Prien et al. 2003, p. 71.
  4. Bergström et al. 2006, p. 43.
  5. Prien et al. 2006, p. 549.
  6. Page 2020, p. 90.
  7. Obermaier 1989, p. 243.
  8. Matthews & Foreman 2014, p. 205.
  9. Brown & Reed 1988, p. 13.
  10. Weal 2004, p. 103.
  11. Spick 1996, p. 232.
  12. Matthews & Foreman 2014, pp. 205–207.
  13. Planquadrat.
  14. Prien et al. 2003, p. 74.
  15. Prien et al. 2003, p. 75.
  16. Prien et al. 2005, p. 153.
  17. Matthews & Foreman 2014, pp. 205–206.
  18. Prien et al. 2006, p. 542.
  19. Prien et al. 2006, p. 551.
  20. Prien et al. 2006, p. 544.
  21. Prien et al. 2006, p. 545.
  22. Prien et al. 2006, p. 553.
  23. Matthews & Foreman 2014, p. 206.
  24. Prien et al. 2006, p. 555.
  25. Prien et al. 2006, p. 556.
  26. Prien et al. 2006, p. 546.
  27. Prien et al. 2006, p. 557.
  28. Prien et al. 2006, p. 558.
  29. Prien et al. 2006, p. 547.
  30. Prien et al. 2006, p. 559.
  31. Prien et al. 2006, p. 548.
  32. Prien et al. 2006, p. 564.
  33. Prien et al. 2006, p. 550.
  34. Prien et al. 2012, p. 478.
  35. Prien et al. 2012, p. 479.
  36. Prien et al. 2012, p. 480.
  37. Matthews & Foreman 2014, p. 207.
  38. Patzwall 2008, p. 63.
  39. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 78.
  40. Obermaier 1989, p. 89.
  41. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 157.
  42. Scherzer 2007, p. 265.

Bibliography
  • Bergström, Christer. "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  • Bergström, Christer; Dikov, Andrey; Antipov, Vlad; Sundin, Claes (2006). Black Cross / Red Star Air War Over the Eastern Front, Volume 3, Everything for Stalingrad. Hamilton MT: Eagle Editions. ISBN 978-0-9761034-4-8.
  • Brown, Ashley; Reed, Jonathan (1988). The Air Fighters. Harrisburg: National Historical Society. ISBN 0-918678-39-0.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • Matthews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2014). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 1 A–F. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-18-9.
  • Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
  • Page, Neil (2020). Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe 1943–45. Philadelphia, PA: Casemate. ISBN 978-1-61200-880-6.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/II—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/II—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-70-0.
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