Kurt Dombacher
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Kurt Dombacher | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 February 1920 |
| Died | 8 October 1993 (aged 73) |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany (to 1945) West Germany |
| Branch |  Luftwaffe German Air Force |
| Years of service | ?–1945 1956–1970's |
| Rank | Oberleutnant (Wehrmacht) Major (Bundeswehr) |
| Unit | JG 5 JG 51 |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Kurt Dombacher (9 February 1920 – 8 October 1993) was a German Luftwaffe ace during World War II. Kurt Dombacher was credited with 68 victories in 800+ missions, with 1 over Western forces and 67 over Soviet forces. He was captured by Soviet forces in May 1945 and was held until 1950.
On 10 September 1944, Dombacher was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). He succeeded Leutnant Gerhard Mai who had temporarily led the Staffel after its former commander Hauptmann Joachim Brendel had been transferred on 2 September.[1] Dombacher was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 8 April 1945, ending the war with 68 aerial victories claimed.[2]
Later life
In 1958, Dombacher, together with Erwin Rohm, participated in the Deutschlandflug [de], a cross-country flight contest for pilots, flying a Piper PA-18 Super Cub. The two pilots finished in second place, behind Adolf Galland and Peter Erhardt flying a Klemm Kl 107.[3]
Summary of career
Aerial victory claims
According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Dombacher was credited with 68 aerial victories.[4] Spick also lists him with 68 aerial victories claimed in approximately 300 combat missions.[5] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 68 aerial victory claims, 67 of which on the Eastern Front and one four-engined heavy bomber on the Western Front.[6]
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 35 Ost 34333". 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 km × 4 km (1.9 mi × 2.5 mi) in size.[7]
| Chronicle of aerial victories | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
This and the ♠ (Ace of spades) indicates those aerial victories which made Dombacher an "ace-in-a-day", a term which designates a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day.
This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Bock, Mathews and Foreman. | |||||||||
| Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location | Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location |
| – 12. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1 – Action in south and west Norway — 1 January – 26 June 1942 | |||||||||
| 1?[Note 1] | 3 April 1942 | — |
Spitfire | Trondheim Fjord[9] | |||||
| – 10. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –[8] Eastern Front — 4 February – 31 December 1943 | |||||||||
| 2 | 10 June 1943 | 19:03 | Pe-2 | PQ 35 Ost 34333[10] 5 km (3.1 mi) east of Seschtschinskaja |
14♠ | 14 August 1943 | 18:24 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | northeast of Schilow[11] |
| 3 | 30 June 1943 | 09:05 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 64322[12] 10 km (6.2 mi) south-southeast of Belyov |
15 | 16 August 1943 | 18:26 | La-5 | southwest of Tschernezkii[13] |
| 4 | 6 July 1943 | 19:30 | Boston | PQ 35 Ost 63843[14] 5 km (3.1 mi) southeast of Zolotukhino |
16 | 18 August 1943 | 17:39 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | west of Savur-Mohyla[13] |
| 5 | 13 July 1943 | 13:43 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | PQ 35 Ost 63254[15] 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Zalegoshch |
17 | 18 August 1943 | 17:43 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | northwest of Dmitriyevka[13] |
| 6 | 13 July 1943 | 14:08 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | PQ 35 Ost 63251[15] 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Zalegoshch |
18 | 27 September 1943 | 10:28 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | south of Akimovka[16] |
| 7 | 17 July 1943 | 08:10 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | PQ 35 Ost 63564[15] 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Maloarkhangelsk |
19 | 27 September 1943 | 10:29 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | east of Sagolitschki[16] |
| 8 | 5 August 1943 | 07:34 | LaGG-3 | west of Petrosselki[11] | 20 | 27 September 1943 | 16:08 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | northeast of Schulgowka[16] |
| 9 | 5 August 1943 | 07:40 | Boston | southwest of Krassawka[11] | 21 | 27 September 1943 | 16:10 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | northeast of Gorodajewka[16] |
| 10♠ | 14 August 1943 | 18:14 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | east of Rakinoye[11] | 22 | 29 September 1943 | 14:35 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | west of Trozko[16] |
| 11♠ | 14 August 1943 | 18:16 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | east of Jkalowka[11] | 23 | 30 November 1943 | 08:29 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | PQ 34 Ost 49818[17] 30 km (19 mi) south-southwest of Dnepropetrovsk |
| 12♠ | 14 August 1943 | 18:17 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | north of Kut[11] | 24 | 30 November 1943 | 13:23 | La-5 | PQ 34 Ost 49767[17] 55 km (34 mi) southwest of Dnepropetrovsk |
| 13♠ | 14 August 1943 | 18:21 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | southwest of Ogulzy[11] | |||||
| – 10. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –[8] Eastern Front — 1 January – 14 August 1944 | |||||||||
| 25 | 16 January 1944 | 13:10 | La-5 | PQ 25 Ost 90572[18] 40 km (25 mi) east-northeast of Vinnytsia |
32 | 7 April 1944 | 17:49 | Il-2 | PQ 25 Ost 50814[19] 40 km (25 mi) south of Ternopil |
| 26 | 24 January 1944 | 10:32 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | PQ 25 Ost 80662[18] 30 km (19 mi) east-northeast of Vinnytsia |
33 | 22 April 1944 | 18:18 | Yak-9 | PQ 25 Ost 40681[19] 20 km (12 mi) south-southwest of Berezhany |
| 27 | 24 January 1944 | 10:35 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | PQ 25 Ost 80632[18] 25 km (16 mi) south-southeast of Koziatyn |
34 | 27 April 1944 | 15:34 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | PQ 24 Ost 59314[19] 20 km (12 mi) north of Kolomyia |
| 28 | 24 January 1944 | 10:42 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | PQ 25 Ost 90513[18] 30 km (19 mi) south-southeast of Koziatyn |
35?[Note 1] | 1 May 1944 | 17:10 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | PQ 24 Ost 59173[19] |
| 29 | 25 January 1944 | 10:37 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | PQ 25 Ost 80634[18] 25 km (16 mi) south-southeast of Koziatyn |
36 | 7 July 1944 | 14:55 | Yak-9 | PQ 25 Ost 44816[20] 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Kovel |
| 30 | 25 January 1944 | 10:42?[Note 3] | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | PQ 25 Ost 90371[18] 25 km (16 mi) south-southeast of Koziatyn |
37 | 1 August 1944 | 10:43 | La-5 | PQ 25 Ost 35315[20] 20 km (12 mi) north of Mariiampil |
| 31 | 7 April 1944 | 14:23 | Il-2 | PQ 25 Ost 50641[18] 20 km (12 mi) south of Ternopil |
38 | 1 August 1944 | 11:15 | Yak-9 | PQ 25 Ost 35345[20] 20 km (12 mi) west-northwest of Mariiampil |
| – 13. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –[8] Eastern Front — 15 August – 9 September 1944 | |||||||||
| 39♠ | 15 August 1944 | 14:45 | Yak-9 | PQ 25 Ost 25297[21] 25 km (16 mi) east of Blumenfeld |
43♠ | 15 August 1944 | 18:27 | La-5 | PQ 25 Ost 35342[21] 20 km (12 mi) west-northwest of Mariiampil |
| 40♠ | 15 August 1944 | 14:50 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | PQ 25 Ost 35155[21] 35 km (22 mi) north of Mariiampil |
44 | 17 August 1944 | 07:00 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | PQ 25 Ost 36331[21] 25 km (16 mi) south of Schaulen |
| 41♠ | 15 August 1944 | 15:23 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | PQ 25 Ost 35319[21] 20 km (12 mi) northwest of Mariiampil |
45 | 1 September 1944 | 10:56 | Il-2 | PQ 25 Ost 13552[21] 15 km (9.3 mi) northeast of Warsaw |
| 42♠ | 15 August 1944 | 18:20 | La-5 | PQ 25 Ost 25433[21] 25 km (16 mi) east-southeast of Blumenfeld |
|||||
| – 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –[22] Eastern Front — 10 September – 31 December 1944 | |||||||||
| 46 | 12 September 1944 | 09:12 | Il-2 | PQ 25 Ost N/13729[23] 15 km (9.3 mi) east of Warsaw |
50 | 18 September 1944 | 13:43 | P-51?[Note 4] | PQ 25 Ost N/03685[23] 20 km (12 mi) west of Warsaw |
| 47 | 12 September 1944 | 09:16?[Note 5] | Yak-9 | PQ 25 Ost N/13588[23] 15 km (9.3 mi) east-northeast of Warsaw |
51 | 9 October 1944 | 14:22 | Il-2 m.H.[Note 2] | PQ 25 Ost N/26726[24] vicinity of Tauroggen |
| 48 | 15 September 1944 | 09:55 | P-39 | PQ 25 Ost N/03861[23] 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Warsaw |
52 | 13 October 1944 | 14:30 | Yak-9 | PQ 25 Ost N/25312[24] 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Insterburg |
| 49 | 15 September 1944 | 10:15 | P-39 | PQ 25 Ost N/13547[23] 15 km (9.3 mi) north of Warsaw |
|||||
| – 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –[22] Eastern Front — 1 January – 8 May 1945 | |||||||||
| According to Mathews and Foreman, Dombacher claimed 17 aerial victories on the Eastern Front in 1945, six of which are documented.[6] | |||||||||
| 56 | 16 February 1945 | — |
Il-2 | northwest of Graudenz | 59 | 19 February 1945 | — |
Il-2 | northwest of Neuenburg |
| 57 | 16 February 1945 | — |
Il-2 | northwest of Graudenz | 60 | 20 February 1945 | — |
unknown | |
| 58 | 16 February 1945 | — |
Il-2 | northwest of Graudenz | 61 | 9 March 1945 | 12:48 | Il-2 | |
Awards
- Aviator badge
- Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
- Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
- Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 3 April 1944 as Feldwebel and pilot[25]
- German Cross in Gold on 25 May 1944 as Oberfeldwebel in the I./Jagdgeschwader 51[26][Note 6]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 8 April 1945 as Leutnant and pilot in 1./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders[28][Note 7]
