Josef Pöhs - Wikiwand

Josef "Joschi" Pöhs (14 March 1912 – 30 December 1943) 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, and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. Pöhs was attached with the Jagdgeschwader 54 fighter wing until spring of 1942 when he transferred to Erprobungskommando 16, a test unit for the new Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet.^[1] Pöhs was killed on 30 December 1943 when his Me 163 was damaged on take-off. When the drop away undercarriage bounced off the ground, it hit the underbelly of the aircraft on rebound, damaging a fuel line containing T-Stoff. This caused the engine to shut down and forced Pöhs to try an attempt to glide back to safety. However, he crashed at Bad Zwischenahn succumbing to injuries he sustained due to exposure to T-Stoff. During his career he was credited with 43 aerial victories.

Born14 March 1912

Alt-Kettenhof, Austria-Hungary

Died30 December 1943 (aged 31)

Bad Zwischenahn

Allegiance

First Austrian Republic (to 1934)

Federal State of Austria (to 1938)

Nazi Germany

BranchÖsterreichische Luftstreitkräfte (1934–1938)
Luftwaffe (1938–1943)

Quick facts Oberleutnant, Born ...

Oberleutnant Josef Pöhs
Born	14 March 1912 Alt-Kettenhof, Austria-Hungary
Died	30 December 1943(1943-12-30) (aged 31) Bad Zwischenahn
Allegiance	First Austrian Republic (to 1934) Federal State of Austria (to 1938) Nazi Germany
Branch	Österreichische Luftstreitkräfte (1934–1938) Luftwaffe (1938–1943)
Service years	1934–1943
Rank	Oberleutnant
Unit	JG 54 EKdo 16
Conflicts	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of France Battle of Britain Invasion of Yugoslavia Operation Barbarossa
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Career

Pöhs was born on 14 March 1912 in Alt-Kettenhof, now part of Schwechat, then in Lower Austria of Austria-Hungary.^[2]

On 6 August 1941, Pöhs was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) for 28 aerial victories claimed. He received the award together with fellow JG 54 pilot Oberleutnant Hubert Mütherich.^[3]

Summary of military career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Pöhs was credited with 43 aerial victories claimed in approximately 300 combat missions.^[2] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 41 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim. This number includes seven on the Western Front and 34 on the Eastern Front of World War II.^[4]

Awards

Flugzeugführerabzeichen
Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class^[5]
Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe (9 August 1941)^[2]
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 August 1941 as Leutnant of the Reserves and pilot in the 5./Jagdgeschwader 54^[6]^{[Note 1]}
German Cross in Gold on 9 December 1941 as Oberleutnant in the II./Jagdgeschwader 54^[8]

Notes

[1]
According to Scherzer as Leutnant (war officer) and pilot in the II./Jagdgeschwader 54.^[7]

References

Citations

[1]
Holloway 2017.
[2]
Obermaier 1989, p. 180.
[3]
Weal 2001, pp. 47, 119.
[4]
Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 973–974.
[5]
Dixon 2023, p. 102.
[6]
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 341.
[7]
Scherzer 2007, p. 599.
[8]
Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 356.

Bibliography

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.
Holloway, Don (November 2017). "BAT OUT OF HELL: The Me-163 Komet". Aviation history magazine.
Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 3 M–R. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-20-2.
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.
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 (2001). Jagdgeschwader 54 "Grünherz". Aviation Elite Units. Vol. 6. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-286-9.

Aerial victory claims

Awards

Citations

Bibliography

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