Karl-Heinz Krahl (25 September 1914 – 14 April 1942) was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Karl-Heinz Krahl was shot down 14 April 1942, by anti-aircraft fire from the defenses at RAF Luqa during the Siege of Malta. During his career he is credited with between 19 - 24 aerial victories, all against Western forces.
Karl-Heinz Krahl | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 September 1914 Breslau |
| Died | 14 April 1942 (aged 27) near Luqa, Malta |
| Buried | German war cemetery in Cagliari (reinterred) |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service | Army (1934) Luftwaffe (1934–1942) |
| Years of service | 1934–1942 |
| Rank | Hauptmann (captain) |
| Unit | Condor Legion JG 2 JG 3 |
| Commands | I./JG 2 II./JG 3 |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Career
editOn 5 September 1940, Krahl succeeded Oberleutnant Helmut Wick as Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 3. Staffel of JG 2. Wick had been appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe of JG 2. When Wick was appointed Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of JG 2 on 20 October, Krahl succeeded him as Gruppenkommandeur of I. Gruppe.[1]
Mediterranean theater and death
editKrahl was transferred and appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) on 21 November 1941. He succeeded Hauptmann Gordon Gollob who was transferred.[2] Command of I. Gruppe of JG 2 was passed to Hauptmann Ignaz Prestele.[3] At the time, the Gruppe was based at Wiesbaden-Erbenheim Airfield and preparing for deployment to Mediterranean theater. In early January 1942, II. Gruppe received orders to relocate to Sicily where the II. Fliegerkorps (2nd Air Corps) concentrated forces during the Siege of Malta. On 18 January, the first elements of II. Gruppe arrived at Comiso Airfield.[4][5]
On 14 April 1942, he was shot down and killed in action in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 (Werknummber 8784—factory number) by anti-aircraft artillery near Luqa, Malta.[6][7] The next day, he was replaced by Major Kurt Brändle as commander of II. Gruppe.[2] Following World War II, Krahl was reinterred at the German War Cemetery in Cagliari, the capital of the island of Sardinia.[8]
Summary of career
editAerial victory claims
editAccording to Obermaier, Krahl was with 24 aerial victories.[9] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 19 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed on the Western Front.[10]
| Chronicle of aerial victories | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location | Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location |
| – 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" –[10] "Phoney War" — 1 September 1939 – 9 May 1940 | |||||||||
| 1 | 21 April 1940 | 17:26 | M.S.406 | south of Saarbrücken[11] | |||||
| – 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" –[10] Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940 | |||||||||
| 2 | 19 May 1940 | 12:50 | Hurricane | Cambrai[12] | 4 | 21 May 1940 | 19:12 | M.S.406 | Compiègne[13] |
| 3 | 20 May 1940 | 18:35 | Blenheim | Péronne[13] | 5 | 26 May 1940 | 17:00 | Spitfire | Calais[14] |
| – 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" –[10] At the Channel and over England — 26 June – 20 October 1940 | |||||||||
| 6 | 30 August 1940 | 12:45 | Hurricane[15] | 10 | 28 September 1940 | 15:44 | Hurricane[15] | Selsey Bill | |
| 7 | 31 August 1940 | 18:55 | Hurricane[15] | 11 | 5 October 1940 | 14:50 | Hurricane[16] | south of Bournemouth | |
| 8 | 31 August 1940 | 19:30 | Curtiss[15] | Dover | 12 | 15 October 1940 | 13:40 | Hurricane | Portsmouth[16] |
| 9 | 5 September 1940 | 16:05 | Spitfire[15] | ||||||
| – Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" –[10] At the Channel and over England — 20 October 1940 – 21 June 1941 | |||||||||
| 13 | 29 October 1940 | 15:45 | Hurricane[16] | 15 | 5 November 1940 | 14:35 | Hurricane | northeast of Portland[16] | |
| 14 | 5 November 1940 | 14:35 | Hurricane | northeast of Portland[16] | |||||
| – Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" –[10] On the Western Front — 22 June – 20 November 1941 | |||||||||
| 16 | 24 July 1941 | 14:23 | Spitfire | north of Brest[17] | 18 | 24 July 1941 | 15:25 | Wellington | 20 km (12 mi) north of Brignogan[17] |
| 17 | 24 July 1941 | 15:25 | Wellington | 20 km (12 mi) north of Brignogan[17] | |||||
| – Staffel II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –[10] Mediterranean Theater — 7 January – 14 April 1942 | |||||||||
| 19 | 10 March 1942 | 17:10 | Hurricane[18] | ||||||
Awards
edit- Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords (14 April 1939)[10]
- Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class[19]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 13 November 1940 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen"[20][21]
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Prien et al. 2002, p. 98.
- ^ a b Prien & Stemmer 2003, p. 328.
- ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 420.
- ^ Prien & Stemmer 2003, pp. 102, 104.
- ^ Weal 2013, p. 33.
- ^ Prien & Stemmer 2003, pp. 106, 339.
- ^ Prien et al. 2004, pp. 77, 90.
- ^ Goss 2018, p. 11.
- ^ Obermaier 1989, p. 151.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 684.
- ^ Prien et al. 2001a, p. 61.
- ^ Prien et al. 2001b, p. 100.
- ^ a b Prien et al. 2001b, p. 101.
- ^ Prien et al. 2001b, p. 102.
- ^ a b c d e Prien et al. 2002, p. 102.
- ^ a b c d e Prien et al. 2002, p. 104.
- ^ a b c Prien et al. 2003, p. 424.
- ^ Prien et al. 2004, p. 86.
- ^ Dixon 2023, p. 54.
- ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 271.
- ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 470.
Bibliography
edit- Dixon, Jeremy (2023). Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe: Knight's Cross Holders 1939–1942. Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-52677-864-2.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer [in German] (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.
- Goss, Chris (2018). Knights of the Battle of Britain — Luftwaffe Aircrew Awarded the Knight's Cross in 1940. Yorkshire, UK: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-52672-651-3.
- Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 2 G–L. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-19-6.
- 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.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard (2003). Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" in WWII: II./JG 3 in Action with the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military History. ISBN 978-0-7643-1774-3.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2001a). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 2—Der "Sitzkrieg"—1.9.1939 bis 9.5.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 2—The "Phoney War"—1 September 1939 to 9 May 1940] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-59-5.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2001b). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945 Teil 3—Einsatz in Dänemark und Norwegen 9.4. bis 30.11.1940—Der Feldzug im Westen 10.5. bis 25.6.1940 [Fighter Pilot Association of the German Luftwaffe 1934 to 1945 Part 3—Assignments in Denmark and Norway 9 April to 30 November 1940—The campaign in the West 10 May to 25 June 1940] (in German). Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-61-8.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2002). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 4/I—Einsatz am Kanal und über England—26.6.1940 bis 21.6.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 4/I—Action at the Channel and over England—26 June 1940 to 21 June 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-63-2.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 5—Heimatverteidigung—10. Mai 1940 bis 31 Dezember 1941—Einsatz im Mittelmeerraum—Oktober 1940 bis November 1941—Einsatz im Westen—22. Juni bis 31. Dezember 1941—Die Ergänzungsjagdgruppen—Einsatz 1941 bis zur Auflösung Anfang 1942 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 5—Defense of the Reich—10 May 1940 to 31 December 1941—Action in the Mediterranean Theater—October 1940 to November 1941—Action in the West—22 June to 31 December 1941—The Supplementary Fighter Groups—Action from 1941 until their Breakup in Early 1942] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-68-7.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2004). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 8/I—Einsatz im Mittelmeerraum—November 1941 bis December 1942 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 8/I—Action in the Mediterranean Theater—November 1941 to December 1942] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-74-8.
- 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.
- Weal, John (2013). Aces of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet". Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 116. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78096-300-6.
