Heinrich Sterr

Heinrich Sterr (24 September 1919 – 26 November 1944) was a World War II Luftwaffe military aviator. As a flying ace, he is credited with 130 aerial victories predominantly claimed on the Eastern Front. He was 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. On 26 November 1944, he was shot down and killed in action by USAAF fighters.

Heinrich Sterr
Born(1919-09-24)24 September 1919
Ortenburg, Vilshofen
Died26 November 1944(1944-11-26) (aged 25)
airport of Vörde/Bramsche
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branch Luftwaffe
Years of service1939–1944
RankOberleutnant (first lieutenant)
UnitJG 54
Commands held16./JG 54
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Combat History

Sterr was born on 24 September 1919 in Ortenburg, Lower Bavaria as part of the Free State of Bavaria. Unlike many other flying aces in the Luftwaffe, he was not a member of the pre-war Luftwaffe (he had only just turned 20 when war broke out) and he missed the early warfare over Poland, France and the first year in the East. After completing his pilot-training in 1942, Sterr was sent as an Unteroffizier, to 6. Staffel (6th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing).[1] At the time it was based at Ryelbitzi, west of Lake Ilmen covering the battles around Demyansk Pocket as the Soviets continued to try and break through the German forces in front of Leningrad where he scored his first victory on 6 April when he shot down a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 fighter aircraft.[2] On 7 January 1943, Sterr was shot down and wounded in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 (Werknummer 13609—factory number) by Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighters in the vicinity of Ramuschewo on the Lovat River.[3]

In late 1942, II. Gruppe was scheduled to be reequipped with the Focke Wulf Fw 190 A-4 at Heiligenbeil, present-day Mamonovo.[4] By the end of March 1943, Sterr had over 30 victories, and on 30 April he was awarded the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe). In June, Luftflotte 1 staged a last big effort to blow the railway bridges of the vital supply link to Leningrad. In July, most other fighter Gruppen were assembled around the Kursk salient for the next German offensive - Operation Zitadelle. Although II./JG 54 was kept back guarding Leningrad, it appears several of its pilots, including Oberfeldwebel Sterr, went with I./JG 54 to Orel. In the fortnight or so that it was where he scored a further ten victories to add to his tally of shootdowns. On 23 July, he was awarded the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold).[5]

Eventually the German forces were stretched too thin across the Eastern Front to provide constant air cover and were increasingly being used as "fire brigades", as new Soviet offensives broke out up and down the line. Sterr's victory list is a case in point, on the nomadic existence of II./JG 54 from here on: early August gave 15 victories over Leningrad, then later in the month a clutch of victories south-east of Smolensk. On 8 October 1943, Sterr became an "ace-in-a-day" for the second time, claiming six Lavochkin La-5 fighters shot down north of Kiev.[6][Note 1] That day, Sterr was also shot down in his Fw 190 A-6 (Werknummer 530353) 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) northeast of Dymer. He managed to bail out but was wounded nevertheless.[8]

Oberfeldwebel Sterr was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 5 December 1943 (nominally for 86 victories) and sent home for officer-training. Returning as a Leutnant in January he was back to Ukraine where he shot down more Soviet aircraft. On 29 March 1944, Sterr was credited with his 100th aerial victory, making him the 68th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.[9] In March, he was then briefly posted to 3./JG 54 in Estonia for a couple of months. When he returned to 6./JG 54 at the start of May, II./JG 54 was back on the central sector.

When the next Soviet offensive, Operation Bagration, started at the end of June, its devastating force shattered most of Army Group Centre and forced rapid retreats. Despite inflicting nearly 500 losses on the Soviets, JG 54 was powerless to halt the advance. In August, the Jagdwaffe (Luftwaffe fighter force) had a major unit re-organization. From this 6./JG 54 was renamed 16./JG 54, and transferred to operate as part of IV./JG 54 which was re-equipping near Warsaw at the time. Having recently lost their Staffelkapitän (Squadron leader), Oberleutnant Sterr was appointed the unit's Staffelführer (Flight leader) also in August. His last shootdown on the Eastern front was a Yak-9 fighter, which he shot down on 12 August.

Defense of the Reich

On 17 September 1944, the Allied Forces launched Operation Market Garden to seize the bridges to Arnhem. This forced the urgent transfer of the ill-prepared IV. Gruppe of JG 54 to the west because Luftwaffe aviation regiments were still rebuilding after many were hammered during the Normandy invasion. This was now a different air war - not the low-level dogfighting and pursuits of the Eastern Front, but the high-altitude engagement against the massive American bomber formations, and their hundreds of escort fighters. With such odds stacked against them, it was often just luck if a pilot would survive. In just 3 weeks, IV. Gruppe of JG 54 lost 30 pilots for only 10 victories - and was soon pulled out the line to reform for the second time in a month.[10]

In early November, Sterr was formally appointed as the Staffelkapitän of 16. Staffel of JG 54, the unit he had served with for nearly his entire combat career. Sterr was killed in action on 26 November 1944 while he was an Oberleutnant.[11] He was shot down by a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt piloted by Captain P.L. Larsen from the 78th Fighter Group. He was nominated for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub).[5]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Spick, Sterr claimed 130 aerial victories in an unknown number of combat missions, all but three on the Eastern Front.[12] Matthews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 108 aerial victories, all but two claimed on the Eastern Front.[13]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 28142". 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.[14]

Awards

Notes
  1. The authors place this combat over Lake Ladoga.[7]
  2. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 13:15.[5]
  3. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 12:40.[5]
  4. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 13:52.[5]
  5. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 14:57.[7]
  6. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed as a Yakovlev Yak-9.[7]

References

Citations
  1. Obermaier 1989, p. 210.
  2. Prien et al. 2005, p. 224.
  3. Prien et al. 2006, p. 162.
  4. Prien et al. 2006, p. 137.
  5. Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 1267.
  6. Prien et al. 2012, p. 278.
  7. Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 1268.
  8. Prien et al. 2012, pp. 247–248, 286.
  9. Obermaier 1989, p. 244.
  10. Weal 1996, p. 79.
  11. Weal 2001, p. 95.
  12. Spick 1996, p. 228.
  13. Matthews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1267–1269.
  14. Planquadrat.
  15. Prien et al. 2006, p. 145.
  16. Prien et al. 2006, p. 156.
  17. Prien et al. 2006, p. 146.
  18. Prien et al. 2006, p. 152.
  19. Prien et al. 2006, p. 154.
  20. Prien et al. 2006, p. 155.
  21. Prien et al. 2006, p. 157.
  22. Prien et al. 2006, p. 158.
  23. Matthews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1267–1268.
  24. Prien et al. 2012, p. 268.
  25. Prien et al. 2012, p. 272.
  26. Prien et al. 2012, p. 269.
  27. Prien et al. 2012, p. 273.
  28. Prien et al. 2012, p. 270.
  29. Prien et al. 2012, p. 274.
  30. Prien et al. 2012, p. 271.
  31. Prien et al. 2012, p. 275.
  32. Prien et al. 2012, pp. 275–278.
  33. Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 1268–637.
  34. Matthews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1268–1269.
  35. Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 1269.
  36. Patzwall 2008, p. 199.
  37. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 460.
  38. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 411.
  39. Scherzer 2007, p. 723.

Bibliography
  • Bergström, Christer. "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  • 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 (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 4 S–Z. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-21-9.
  • 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.
  • 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 (2005). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/I—Winterkampf im Osten—6.12.1941 bis 30.4.1942 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/I—Winter War in the East—6 December 1941 to 30 April 1942] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-76-2.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2006). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/III—Vom Sommerfeldzug 1942 bis zur Niederlage von Stalingrad—1.5.1942 bis 3.2.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/III—From the 1942 Summer Campaign to the Defeat at Stalingrad—1 May 1942 to 3 February 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-78-6.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2012). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 12/III—Einsatz im Osten—4.2. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 12/III—Action in the East—4 February to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN 978-3-942943-07-9.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1.
  • Weal, John (1996). Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Aces of the Western Front. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85532-595-1.
  • Weal, John (2001). Jagdgeschwader 54 'Grünherz'. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-286-9.
Military offices
Preceded by
Leutnant Karl Resch		 Squadron Leader of 16./JG 54
November, 1944 – 26 November, 1944		 Succeeded by
Leutnant Paul Brandt

 

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