Gerhard Michalski

Gerhard Michalski (25 June 1917 – 22 February 1946) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and wing commander during World War II. As a fighter ace, he is credited with 73 aerial victories in 652 missions, of which 59 victories were achieved over the Western Front including 13 four-engine bombers, and 14 over the Eastern Front. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Gerhard Michalski
Born(1917-06-25)25 June 1917
Augsdorf
Died22 February 1946(1946-02-22) (aged 28)
Kaltenkirchen
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branch Luftwaffe
RankOberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel)
UnitJG 53, JG z.b.V., JG 4, JG 11
Commands heldJG 4
Battles/wars
See battles

World War II

AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Early life and career

Michalski was born on 25 June 1917 in Augsdorf in the Province of Saxony of the German Empire. In 1936, he volunteered for military service in the Luftwaffe and was promoted to Leutnant in 1938.[1]

World War II

Michalski joined 6. Staffel (6th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing) in 1940. His first victory was on 31 March 1940, when he downed a French Morane Saulnier MS 406 fighter over the French border. Flying through the Battle of Britain, he gained eight more victories. In October 1940, Michalski was appointed Adjutant in II./JG 53. With JG 53 participating in the invasion of Russia from June 1941 onward, Michalski claimed 13 further victories by the end of August 1941 for a total of 22. By October 1941 Oberleutnant Michalski was Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 4./JG 53 based at Leeuwarden in the Netherlands.

In November II./JG 53 were relocated to Sicily for operations against Malta. Michalski was to become the most successful German fighter pilot in the Siege, claiming 26 victories against the island's defenders. Michalski became Gruppenkommandeur II./JG 53 in June 1942 and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) for 41 victories in September. On 15 October Michalski was shot down by No. 126 Squadron Spitfires, flown by F/L. Jones and F/Sgt Varey,[2] off Marsaxlokk Bay. He bailed out of his Bf 109 G-2, landing in the sea, and was rescued by the German air-sea rescue service.

North Africa

In October 1942 II./JG 53 were sent to Tunisia. Following the fall of Tunisia, II./JG 53 relocated to bases in Sicily in May 1943. On 18 June Michalski was again shot down, near Donnafucata in Sicily by F/O G. Keith Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), flying a Spitfire of No. 72 Squadron.[3] He bailed out wounded in the leg and with a broken ankle, landing in the sea, from where he was rescued by the German air-sea rescue service. Hospitalised, he returned to JG 53 in August 1943.

In November 1943, II./JG 53 was relocated to airfields in Austria, operating on Reichsverteidigung (Defense of the Reich) duties. Michalski claimed his 60th victory on 2 November. In April 1944, Michalski was made Geschwaderkommodore of JG z.b.V. at Kassel in Germany. The unit was formed to control III./JG 3, I./JG 5, II./JG 27, III./JG 54 and II./JG 53. On 1 May, he was once more shot down and wounded in aerial combat. Following a swift recovery, Michalski was transferred to the Verbandsführerschule of the General der Jagdflieger on 20 May 1944. On 21 July, he joined the Stabsstaffel, I./Jagdgeschwader 11 before being appointed Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 4 on 18 August 1944. Major Michalski was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 25 November for 72 victories. He gained his 73rd and final victory on 8 March 1945, over the Eastern Front.

As Geschwaderkommodore, Michalski was ordered to Berlin on 22 January 1945 and attended the meeting with Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring which was later dubbed the Fighter Pilots' Mutiny. This was an attempt to reinstate Generalleutnant Adolf Galland as General der Jagdflieger who had been dismissed for outspokenness regarding the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (Luftwaffe high command), and had been replaced by Oberst Gordon Gollob. The meeting was held at the Haus der Flieger in Berlin and was attended by a number of high-ranking fighter pilot leaders which included Michalski, Günther Lützow, Hannes Trautloft, Hermann Graf, Erich Leie, Helmut Bennemann, Kurt Bühligen and Herbert Ihlefeld, and their antagonist Göring supported by his staff Bernd von Brauchitsch and Karl Koller. The fighter pilots, with Lützow taking the lead as spokesman, criticized Göring and made him personally responsible for the decisions taken which effectively had led to the lost air war over Europe.[4]

Michalski was involved in a motor vehicle accident on 22 February 1946 and died in a hospital in Kaltenkirchen.[5] His brother Werner was killed in action as a Leutnant on 10 April 1942 serving with Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter".[6]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Spick, Michalski was credited with 73 aerial victories in 652 missions, of which 59 victories were achieved over the Western Front including 13 four-engine bombers and 29 Supermarine Spitfire fighters.[7] Matthews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 68 aerial victory claims, plus three further unconfirmed claims. This number includes 14 on the Eastern Front and 54 on the Western Front, including 11 four-engined bombers.[8]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 03 Ost 9848". 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.[9]

Awards

Notes
  1. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 11:45.[10]
  2. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed as a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1.[10]
  3. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 09:45.[10]
  4. This claim is not listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock.[21][22]
  5. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 14:18.[10]
  6. According to Prien, this claim was dated 12 October 1942.[29]
  7. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 14:16.[10]
  8. This claim is not listed by Prien.[32]
  9. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 12:48.[35]
gollark: Hopefully the "issue" with my hatchery will be resolved sanely by tomorrow... who am I kidding, it's TJ09, who's been really confusing already.
gollark: I mean, there *can* be.
gollark: HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!
gollark: You can summon one with one, it's just hard.
gollark: Xenowyrms: 11/10 coolest.

References

Citations
  1. Stockert 2011, p. 170.
  2. Shores, Cull & Malizia 1991, p. 607.
  3. Cull 2000.
  4. Braatz 2005, p. 348–351.
  5. Stockert 2011, p. 171.
  6. Obermaier 1989, p. 71.
  7. Spick 1996, p. 237.
  8. Matthews & Foreman 2015, pp. 849–850.
  9. Planquadrat.
  10. Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 849.
  11. Prien et al. 2001, p. 386.
  12. Prien et al. 2002, p. 226.
  13. Prien et al. 2002, p. 228.
  14. Prien et al. 2002, p. 230.
  15. Prien et al. 2002, p. 231.
  16. Prien et al. 2003, p. 131.
  17. Prien et al. 2003, p. 134.
  18. Prien et al. 2003, p. 135.
  19. Prien et al. 2003, p. 133.
  20. Prien et al. 2003, p. 137.
  21. Prien et al. 2004, pp. 142, 148.
  22. Prien et al. 2011, pp. 122–123.
  23. Prien 1991, p. 1669.
  24. Prien et al. 2004, p. 146.
  25. Prien et al. 2004, p. 142.
  26. Prien et al. 2004, p. 148.
  27. Prien et al. 2004, p. 143.
  28. Prien et al. 2004, p. 144.
  29. Prien 1991, p. 1677.
  30. Prien et al. 2004, p. 149.
  31. Prien et al. 2004, p. 150.
  32. Prien 1991, p. 1678.
  33. Prien et al. 2011, p. 123.
  34. Prien 1991, p. 1680.
  35. Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 850.
  36. Prien et al. 2009, p. 244.
  37. Prien 1991, p. 1683.
  38. Thomas 1998, p. 80.
  39. Scherzer 2007, p. 543.
  40. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 311.
  41. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 93.

Bibliography
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  • Cull, Brian (2000). Spitfires Over Sicily – The crucial role of the Malta Spitfires in the Battle of Scily, January – August 1943. Grub Street. ISBN 978-1-902304-32-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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Military offices
Preceded by
none		 Commander of Jagdgeschwader z.b.V.
20 April 1944 – 20 May 1944		 Succeeded by
Hauptmann Walther Dahl
Preceded by
Major Gerhard Schöpfel		 Commander of Jagdgeschwader 4
7 August 1944 – 8 May 1945		 Succeeded by
none
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