Heinz-Horst Hißbach
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Heinz-Horst Hißbach | |
|---|---|
| Born | 30 January 1916 |
| Died | 14 April 1945 (aged 29) |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Branch |  Luftwaffe |
| Service years | ?–1945 |
| Rank | Hauptmann (captain) |
| Unit | KG 40, NJG 2 |
| Commands | II./NJG 2 |
| Conflicts | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Heinz-Horst Hißbach[Note 1] (30 January 1916 – 14 April 1945) was a Luftwaffe night fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. Hißbach claimed 27 aerial victories, 22 of them at night.[Note 2]
Night fighter career
Hißbach was born on 30 January 1916 in Dessau.[1]
Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, RAF attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign.[2] 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.[3]
On 1 November 1944, Hißbach succeeded Major Paul Semrau as Gruppenkommandeur of II. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 (NJG 2—2nd Night Fighter Wing).[4]
In the night of 14/15 April 1945, Hißbach and his crew of Hubert Varzecha and Max Mayer were killed in action when they were shot down by anti-aircraft artillery. The three were strafing a US resupply column, destroying eight vehicles, in the area of Gelnhausen when their aircraft was hit and exploded.[1] Posthumously, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) that day.[5]
