Hans-Heinz Augenstein

Hans-Heinz Augenstein (11 July 1921 – 7 December 1944) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and flying ace during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.[1] Operating as a night fighter pilot, he was credited with 46 aerial victories, of which 45 were four-engine bombers, all of which claimed in Defense of the Reich.[2][Note 1]

Hans-Heinz Augenstein
Born	(1921-07-11)11 July 1921 Pforzheim, Germany
Died	7 December 1944(1944-12-07) (aged 23) Münster, Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Rank	Oberleutnant (first lieutenant)
Unit	NJG 1
Commands held	12./NJG 1
Battles/wars	See battles World War II Defense of the Reich  †
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Born in Pforzheim-Brötzingen, Augenstein grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. He joined the military service in the Luftwaffe and was trained as a night fighter pilot. Following flight training, he was posted to Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1—1st Fighter Wing) in 1942. Flying with this wing, Augenstein claimed his first aerial victory on 13/14 May 1943 over a Royal Air Force bomber aircraft. In March 1944, he was appointed squadron leader of 12. Staffel (12th squadron) of NJG 1 and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 June 1944 for 35 nocturnal aerial victories claimed. On 7 December 1944, Augenstein was killed in action when he was shot down by a RAF night fighter near Münster.

Early life

Augenstein was born on 11 July 1921 in Pforzheim-Brötzingen, at the time in the Republic of Baden of the Weimar Republic.[3]

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland. Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, Royal Air Force (RAF) attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign.[4] By mid-1940, Generalmajor (Brigadier General) Josef Kammhuber had established a night air defense system dubbed the Kammhuber Line. It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped with radars and searchlights and an associated night fighter. Each sector named a Himmelbett (canopy bed) would direct the night fighter into visual range with target bombers. In 1941, the Luftwaffe started equipping night fighters with airborne radar such as the Lichtenstein radar. This airborne radar did not come into general use until early 1942.[5]

Night fighter career

A map of part of the Kammhuber Line. The 'belt' and night fighter 'boxes' are shown.

Augenstein first served with 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1—1st Fighter Wing) during mid 1942. In late 1942, Augenstein transferred to 7. Staffel.[6] This squadron was part of III. Gruppe (3rd group) of NJG 1 and at the time commanded by Hauptmann Wolfgang Thimmig.[7] Augenstein was credited with his first aerial victory on the night of 13/14 May 1943 when he shot down an Avro Lancaster bomber 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) east of Lingen[8] On the night of 23/24 May, RAF Bomber Command sent 829 heavy bombers to Dortmund of which 38 were lost.[9] Defending against this attack, Augenstein shot down a Handley Page Halifax 6 km (3.7 mi) southwest of Raalte.[10]

Bomber Command sent 518 bombers on a mission to bomb Essen on the night of 27/28 May, 23 bombers did not retun to England. Augenstein was credited with four aerial victories thant night, including three Halifax and a Vickers Wellington bomber. The Wellington was HE752 from No. 166 Squadron which crashed near Hengelo.[11] On 11/12 June, Bomber Command attacked Düsseldorf with 890 bombers. The RAF lost 43 aircraft that night, including a Lancaster bomber shot down by Augenstein 8 km (5.0 mi) northeast of Deventer.[12][13] The following night, Bomber Command lost 24 bombers in an attack on Bochum.[14] Augenstein was credited with the destruction of two Halifax bombers that night.[15] Augenstein was awarded the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 16 January 1944.[16]

Squadron leader and death

On 1 March 1944, Augenstein was made Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 12. Staffel of NJG 1[6] On the night of 27/28 May, Bomber Command attacked Leopoldsburg. Augenstein claimed three Halifax bombers shot down that night, taking his total to 40 aerial victories.[17] A little less than two weeks later, on 9 June, hewas awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes).[6] Augenstein was shot down on the night of 15/16 June near Roubaix, possibly by Flight Lieutenant W. W. Provan from No. 29 Squadron.[16]

On the night of 2/3 November, flying from an airfield at Dortmund, Augenstein claimed his last three aerial victories during a RAF raid on Düsseldorf.[18][Note 2] On the night of 7 December 1944, Augenstein's Messerschmitt Bf 110 G-4 (Werknummer 140078—factory number) was shot down 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of Münster-Handorf by a De Havilland Mosquito night fighter of the Fighter Interception Unit, flown by RAF ace Flight Lieutenant Edward Richard Hedgecoe and Flight Sergeant J.R. Whitham.[20] Augenstein and his Bordfunker Feldwebel Günther Steins were killed but his air gunner Unteroffizier Kurt Schmidt bailed out unhurt.[21] Augenstein was credited with 46 victories, all recorded at night and including 45 four-engine bombers.[3][6]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Augenstein was credited with 46 victories, of which 45 were four-engine bombers.[3] Foreman, Parry and Matthews, authors of Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 45 nocturnal victory claims.[22] Matthews and Foreman also published Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, listing Augenstein with 41 claims, plus five further unconfirmed claim.[23]

Chronicle of aerial victories
This and the – (dash) indicates unwitnessed aerial victory claims for which Augenstein did not receive credit.   This and the % (percent sign) indicates aerial victories listed in Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims but not in Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945.   This and the ? (question mark) indicates discrepancies between Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945 and Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims.
Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location	Serial No./Squadron No.
– 7. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –[16]
1	13 May 1943	23:57	Lancaster	6 km (3.7 mi) east of Lingen[8]
2	24 May 1943	02:39	Halifax	6 km (3.7 mi) southwest of Raalte[10]	Halifax DK169/No. 76 Squadron RAF[24]
3	28 May 1943	00:54	Wellington	3 km (1.9 mi) southwest of Hengelo[10]	Wellington HE752/No. 166 Squadron RAF[6]
4	28 May 1943	01:05	Halifax	3 km (1.9 mi) northeast of Heek (Nienborg)[10]
5	28 May 1943	01:21	Halifax	Leer[10]	Halifax DK147/No. 76 Squadron RAF[25]
6	28 May 1943	01:37	Halifax	10 km (6.2 mi) east-northeast of Deventer[26]
7	12 June 1943	03:00	Lancaster	8 km (5.0 mi) northeast of Deventer[12]
8	13 June 1943	01:56	Halifax[15]	5 km (3.1 mi) west of Gildehaus	Halifax W7909/No. 10 Squadron RAF[27]
9	13 June 1943	02:03	Halifax	northeast of Oldenzaal[15]	Halifax DT568/No. 51 Squadron RAF[28]
– III. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –[16]
10	27/28 August 1943	—	Stirling[29]	20 km (12 mi) northwest of Nuremberg
11?[Note 3]	28 August 1943	00:03	four-engined bomber	Nuremberg-Lohe[29]
– 9. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –[16]
12	6 September 1943	00:45	Stirling	Schönborn[31]	Stirling EH878/No. 623 Squadron RAF[32]
13	6 September 1943	01:07	Lancaster	5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of Landau[33]
14	22 September 1943	22:45	Lancaster	Hüpede[34]	Halifax HR776/No. 158 Squadron RAF[35]
15	23 September 1943	22:50	Lancaster	3 km (1.9 mi) north of Speyer[34]
16	23 September 1943	23:00	Lancaster	3 km (1.9 mi) north of Kirchheimbolanden[36]
17	27 September 1943	23:00	Halifax	west of Lübbecke[37]
18	3 October 1943	01:42	Halifax	7 km (4.3 mi) east of Kassel[38]
19	9 October 1943	01:42	Lancaster	south-southwest of Hanover[39]
20	20 October 1943	22:24	Lancaster	Ommen[40]	Lancaster JA907/No. 7 Squadron RAF[41]
21	20 October 1943	22:45	Lancaster	near Zwolle[40]
22	3 November 1943	20:03	Lancaster	southwest of Sundern[42]	Lancaster DV265/No. 101 Squadron RAF[43]
23?[Note 3]	26 November 1943	02:55	Halifax	Frankfurt (Oder)[44]	Halifax LK995/No. 429 Squadron RAF[45]
– 7. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –[16]
24	16 December 1943	19:00	Lancaster	south of Osnabrück[46]
25	24 December 1943	03:00	Lancaster	Frankfurt (Oder)[47]	Lancaster LL671/No. 514 Squadron RAF[48]
26	22 January 1944	03:00	Halifax	4 km (2.5 mi) east-southeast of Oldenzaal[49]
—	27 January 1944	—	Lancaster
27	30 January 1944	21:49	Lancaster[50]		Lancaster JA702/No. 156 Squadron RAF[51]
28?[Note 3]	30 January 1944	22:00	Lancaster[50]
29	15 February 1944	22:48	Halifax	Emmerich[52]
30	20 February 1944	02:30	Lancaster	ES-5[52]
31?[Note 3]	25 February 1944	02:50	Halifax	south of Augsburg[53]
32	26 February 1944	02:30	Lancaster[53]
– 12. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –[23]
34	2 May 1944	00:32	Lancaster	near Ghent[54]
35	2 May 1944	00:25	Halifax	8 km (5.0 mi) north of Mechelen[55]
36	23 May 1944	01:21	Lancaster	Eindhoven[56]
37	23 May 1944	01:34	Lancaster	Hoogstraten area[56]
38	28 May 1944	02:13	Halifax[57]
39	28 May 1944	02:15	Halifax[57]
40	28 May 1944	02:17	Halifax[57]
41%	13 June 1944	00:33	Lancaster	Cambrai
42	29 July 1944	01:52	four-engined bomber	15 km (9.3 mi) west of Stuttgart[58]
43	29 July 1944	02:11	four-engined bomber	near Stuttgart[58]
– IV. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –[19]
44	4/5 November 1944	—	Lancaster[59]
45	4/5 November 1944	—	Lancaster[59]
46	4/5 November 1944	—	Lancaster[59]

Awards

• Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 17 January 1944 as Leutnant and pilot[60]
• German Cross in Gold on 16 January 1944 as Leutnant in the 7./Nachjagdgeschwader 1[61]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 June 1944 as Oberleutnant and Staffelführer of the 7./Nachjagdgeschwader 1[62][63]

Notes

1. For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter aces
2. Authors Matthews and Foreman date these claims on the evening of 4 November, stating that Augenstein shot down three Lancaster bombers.[19]
3. According to Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, this claim was unconfirmed while Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945 confirm this claim.[30][16]

References

Citations

1. Spick 1996, pp. 3–4.
2. Spick 1996, p. 244.
3. Obermaier 1989, p. 82.
4. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 9.
5. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 27.
6. Bowman 2016a, p. 153.
7. Aders 1978, p. 227.
8. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 80.
9. Bowman 2016a, p. 151.
10. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 82.
11. Bowman 2016a, pp. 152–153.
12. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 84.
13. Bowman 2016a, p. 154.
14. Bowman 2016a, p. 155.
15. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 85.
16. Matthews & Foreman 2014, p. 21.
17. Bowman 2016b, pp. 88, 90.
18. Hinchliffe 1998, pp. 296–297.
19. Matthews & Foreman 2014, p. 22.
20. Bowman 2016b, p. 161.
21. Bowman & Davey 2013, p. 79.
22. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, pp. 80–223.
23. Matthews & Foreman 2014, pp. 21–22.
24. Chorley 1996, p. 156.
25. Accident description for Halifax DK147 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
26. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 83.
27. Accident description for Halifax W7909 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
28. Chorley 1996, p. 182.
29. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 108.
30. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, pp. 108, 130, 146, 152.
31. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 111.
32. Bowman 2016a, p. 208.
33. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 112.
34. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 115.
35. Accident description for Halifax HR776 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
36. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 116.
37. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 117.
38. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 119.
39. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 120.
40. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 124.
41. Accident description for Lancaster JA907 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
42. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 126.
43. Accident description for Lancaster DV265 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
44. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 130.
45. Bowman 2016a, p. 227.
46. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 132.
47. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 134.
48. Accident description for Lancaster LL671 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
49. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 143.
50. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 146.
51. Accident description for Lancaster JA702 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 18 April 2020.
52. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 148.
53. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 152.
54. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 172.
55. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 176.
56. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 179.
57. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 180.
58. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 206.
59. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 223.
60. Patzwall 2008, p. 43.
61. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 19.
62. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 118.
63. Scherzer 2007, p. 196.

Bibliography

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• Bowman, Martin; Davey, Chris (2013). Mosquito Bomber/Fighter-Bomber Units 1942–45. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4728-0049-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Bowman, Martin (2016a). Nachtjagd, Defenders of the Reich 1940–1943. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-4738-4986-0.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Bowman, Martin (2016b). German Night Fighters Versus Bomber Command 1943–1945. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1-4738-4979-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Chorley, W. R (1996). Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War: Aircraft and crew losses: 1943. Midland Counties Publications. ISBN 978-0-90459-790-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Chorley, W. R (1997). Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War: Aircraft and crew losses: 1944. Midland Counties Publications. ISBN 978-0-9045-9791-2.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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• Hinchliffe, Peter (1998). Luftkrieg bei Nacht 1939–1945 [Air War at Night 1939–1945] (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 978-3-613-01861-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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