Hans Dortenmann

Hans Dortenmann (11 December 1921 – 1 April 1973) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 39 aerial victories achieved in 150 combat missions. This figure includes 17 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 22 over the Western Allies.

Hans Dortenmann
Born11 December 1921
Weingarten
Died1 April 1973(1973-04-01) (aged 51)
Heidelberg
Allegiance Nazi Germany (to 1945)
Service/branchArmy (?–1941)
Luftwaffe (1941–45)
Years of service?–1945
RankHauptmann (captain)
UnitJG 54
JG 26
Commands heldIII./JG 54
Battles/wars
See battles

World War II

AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Born in Weingarten, Dortenmann grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. He joined the military service of the Wehrmacht, at first in the infantry, before transferring to the Luftwaffe where he was trained as a fighter pilot. Following flight training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) in November 1943. Flying with this wing, Dortenmann claimed his first aerial victory on 6 February 1944 over a Soviet Air Forces fighter aircraft. In mid-1944, elements of JG 54 were moved to the Western Front, fighting in the aerial battles of the Normandy invasion. In June 1944, he was appointed squadron leader of 2. Staffel (2nd squadron) of JG 54. This unit was renamed and reorganized a few times and became part of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) In February 1945. Dortenmann was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 20 April 1945, the last member of JG 26 to be so honored. He surrendered to British forces in May 1945. Dortenmann died on 1 April 1973 in Heidelberg.

Early life and career

Dortenmann was born 11 December 1921 at Weingarten. He served in the infantry until April 1941 when he transferred to the Luftwaffe to undergo pilot training.[1]

World War II

In November 1943, Dortenmann was posted to Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) where he was assigned to 2. Staffel (2nd squadron).[2] At the time, 2. Staffel was officially led by Oberleutnant Otto Vinzent who temporarily replaced Hauptmann Walter Nowotny as Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe (1st group). While Vinzent replaced Nowotny, 2. Staffel was headed by Oberleutnant Alfred Teumer.[3] The Gruppe was based at Orsha and Vilnius, on the northern sector of the Eastern Front, flying the Focke Wulf Fw 190 A-4, A-5 and A-6.[4]

On 14 January 1944, Soviet forces launched the Leningrad–Novgorod Offensive, an attack on the German Army Group North with the objective to lift the Siege of Leningrad.[5] Dortenmann claimed his first aerial victory on 6 February 1944 over a Lavochkin La-5 fighter. According to Matthews and Foreman, Dortenmann was credited with 15 aerial victories on the Eastern Front. The last claim was filed on 8 April over a Yakovlev Yak-9 30 kilometres (19 miles) south-southeast of Ostrov.[1] According to Weal, he was credited with 14 aerial victories on the Eastern Front.[6]

Western Front

In January 1943, the Luftwaffe had planned to exchange JG 54 with Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) fighting on the Western Front. In order to keep up operations, the exchange was planned by rotating each Gruppe by Gruppe and every Staffel by Staffel. III. Gruppe of JG 54, under the command of Hauptmann Reinhard Seiler, was the first unit to relocate to the Western Front in February 1943.[7] Following the Invasion of Normandy on 6 June, III. Gruppe was augmented by a fourth squadron by moving 2. Staffel of JG 54, under the command of Leutnant Horst Forbig, to France. On 12 June, Forbig was killed in action.[8] On 20 June, Dortenmann succeeded Forbig when he was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel.[1] Dortenmann was shot down by a Supermarine Spitfire near Paris on 26 June but managed to bail out of his Fw 190.[9] On 22 June, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Eighth Air Force, Ninth Air Force and Allied Expeditionary Air Force flew numerous missions in support of the Allied ground forces braking out of the beachhead and the Battle of Cherbourg.[10] Defending against this attack, Dortenmann claimed a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter shot down near Rouen.[1]

A Fw 190 D-9 similar to those flown by Dortenmann

In mid-August, III. Gruppe was withdrawn from Normandy and returned to Germany for conversion training to the new inline engine powered Fw 190 D-9, the first unit to receive this aircraft.[6] The Gruppe withdrew to northern Germany for the conversion, making stopovers at Beauvais Airfield, Florennes Airfield and Bonn-Hangelar Airfield at Sankt Augustin before retreating to an airfield at Oldenburg. At Oldenburg, III. Gruppe was reformed with four Staffeln, retaining its former 9. Staffel, 10. Staffel was the former 7. Staffel, 11. Staffel was created from 8. Staffel, and Dortenmann's old 2. Staffel became the new 12. Staffel.[9]

Following the conversion training, III. Gruppe of JG 54 under the command of Hauptmann Robert Weiß were moved to Achmer Airfield where they were tasked with flying airfield protection cover for the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighters of Kommando Nowotny.[11][12] Dortenmann claimed his only four-engined bomber destroyed on 2 November when he shot down a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress in combat near Osnabrück.[6] Flying a Me 262 jet fighter on 7 November, Hauptmann Franz Schall attacked a P-47 fighter near Münster. The P-47 was flown by Lieutenant Charles C. McKelvy from the 359th Fighter Group and was damaged in the attack by Schall but kept flying until McKelvy came under attack by Dortenmann. Although injured, McKely made a forced landing and was taken prisoner of war.[13]

With Jagdgeschwader 26

On 25 December, III. Gruppe of JG 54 was subordinated to JG 26. Arriving at Varrelbusch Airfield, the pilots were welcomed by JG 26 commanding officer Oberstleutnant Josef Priller.[14] On 29 December, Dortenmann shot down a Spitfire near Münster. Dortenmann's Staffel was scheduled to form part of a third wave ordered to conduct low-level fighter patrols over the front. The main objective was for III. Gruppe of JG 54, IV. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 27 and Jagdgeschwader 6 to cover Me 262 jets from Kampfgeschwader 51 which were intended to carry out close air support operations. The German fighters were guided to their positions by ground control at Wiedenbrück which used VHF R/T in combination with FuG 16 ZY in each fighter. The system did not function properly on the day leaving them without guidance.[15] An order to split the Gruppen up, at lower altitudes violated all the norms of fighter combat for it exposed small formations of German pilots to higher flying Allied fighters which could pick them off piecemeal. The ensuing operation was a disaster.[15] Dortenmann, scheduled to lead the third wave, listened over the radio to the carnage. When his time came to take-off, he disobeyed orders to fly at 6,500 feet (2,000 metres), and climbed to 20,000 ft (6,100 m). Near Osnabrück, he encountered Spitfires and Hawker Tempests from No. 3 Squadron RNZAF and No. 56 Squadron RAF. Dortemann's men claimed two, confirmed via British reports, for the loss of one killed and one wounded. When he landed Priller informed him 3. Jagddivision had ordered his court-martial. His commander advised him to keep a low profile. The threat was never carried out, such was the demand for qualified pilots. Dortenmann's actions probably saved his unit from the same fate as preceding fighter units on the mission.[15] That day, the Gruppenkommandeur of III. Gruppe, Weiß was killed in action. Command of the Gruppe was temporarily passed on to Dortenmann.[16]

A Fw 190 D-9 of 10./JG 54, piloted by Leutnant Theo Nibel, downed by a partridge which flew into the nose radiator.[17]

On 31 December, Dortenmann led a flight of 20 Fw 190 aircraft from III. Gruppe to Fürstenau in preparation for Operation Bodenplatte. Bodenplatte was an attempt at gaining air superiority during the stagnant stage of the Battle of the Bulge. That evening, the pilots were briefed on the mission objectives, which was the Grimbergen Airfield near Brussels. Under the overall command of Priller, 47 aircraft from the Geschwaderstab and I. Gruppe of JG 26, and further 17 aircraft from III. Gruppe of JG 54 took off at 08:14 on 1 January 1945.[18][19] Flying at an altitude of approximately 50–150 metres (160–490 feet), the attack force sustained losses during the approach to the target area, largely due to anti-artillery fire. The airfield at Gimbergen was almost completely abandoned, the damage inflicted was minimal, and the losses sustained where significant. III. Gruppe of JG 54 alone suffered five pilots killed or missing in action, plus four further taken prisoner of war, making the mission a total failure.[20] Dortenmann just made it to Kirchhellen.[21]

On 15 February, III. Gruppe of JG 54 was placed under the command of Hauptmann Rudolf Klemm. Four days later, Dortenmann's 12. Staffel was disbanded, its pilots distributed over III. Gruppe. Dortenmann was given command of 11. Staffel while its former commander, Leutnant Hans Prager, received command of 9. Staffel.[22] Dortenmann now took command of 11./JG 54. On 25 February, III. Gruppe of JG 54 officially became part of JG 26 as its IV. Gruppe. In consequence, 9./JG 54 became 15./JG 26, 10./JG 54 became 13./JG 26, and 11./JG 54 under the command of Dortenmann became 14./JG 26.[23]

On 23 March, Allied forces launched Operation Plunder, the operation to cross the Rhine led by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. By 25 March, Montgomery's armies had crossed the Rhine in force, threatening the airfield at Nordhorn.[24] In consequence, II. and VI. Gruppe of JG 26 were ordered to Bissel, present-day a neighborhood of Großenkneten. [25] On 28 March, Dortenmann headed a flight of 12 VI. Gruppe aircraft to the area near Münster where a flight of No. 56 Squadron Hawker Tempest fighters was intercepted. Leading the attack, Dortenmann shot down one of the Tempests at 11:35 5 km (3.1 mi) southwest of Münster.[26]

On 29 March 1945, Oberleutnant Alfred Heckmann, commander of 3. Staffel of JG 26 was transferred. In consequence, Dortenmann was given command of 3. Staffel as Staffelkapitän. Command of his former 14. Staffel was handed over to Prager.[27] Dortenmann was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 20 April for 35 victories. He was the last member of JG 26 to receive this distinction.[28]

Dortenmann led a flight of 12 Fw 190s on mission from Rechlin–Lärz Airfield to Prenzlau on 26 April. The objective was to meet up with a dozen Panzerblitz equipped aircraft, providing fighter escort on an anti-tank mission. The secondary objective was to determine whether the East-West Axis—a street in central Berlin built as a triumphal avenue which in parts is now the Straße des 17. Juni—was still usable as a runway. Over the target area, the Dortenmann's pilots claimed four Soviet fighter, including a Yak-9 fighter shot down by Dortenmann southeast of Prenzlau.[29] Later the pilots learned that they had escorted Generaloberst Robert Ritter von Greim and the test pilot Hanna Reitsch to Gatow Airport. The two were on a journey to meet Adolf Hitler in the Führerbunker.[30] During the meeting, Hitler promoted von Greim to Generalfeldmarschall (field marshal) and appointed him Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe.[31] The next day, Dortenmann led a combat air patrol of nine Fw 190s from Rechlin to Berlin. The flight spotted seven Yakovlev Yak-3 fighters northeast of Berlin. Dortenmann shot down one of the Yak-3 fighters, this was his last aerial victory claim.[32]

On 28 April, I. Gruppe relocated from Rechlin to an airfield near Neumünster in northern Germany.[33] The Gruppe relocated for the last time on 2 May, flying all of the serviceable aircraft to Flensburg Airfield.[34] On 4 May, Dortenmann led a flight of nine Fw 190s from I. Gruppe on a combat air patrol over the Kiel Canal. The flight landed at 18:24 at Flensburg Airfield, the last and final mission flown by JG 26. Generalfeldmarschall von Greim had ordered the relocation of JG 26 to Prague. However, the German surrender at Lüneburg Heath had been signed and Major Karl Borris, the commander of I. Gruppe, surrendered the airfield to the British on 6 May.[35] Dortenmann had claimed 18 aerial victories flying the Fw 190 D-9, making him the most successful Luftwaffe fighter pilot to have flown this aircraft in combat.[36][37]

Dortenmann died on 1 April 1973 in Heidelberg.[38]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Dortenmann was credited with 38 victories in 150 combat missions, with 16 victories over the Eastern Front and 22 over the Western Front.[2] Matthews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 39 aerial victory claims. This figure includes 17 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 22 over the Western Allies, including one four-engined bomber.[39]

Awards

References

Citations
  1. Matthews & Foreman 2014, p. 238.
  2. Obermaier 1989, p. 103.
  3. Prien et al. 2012, p. 165.
  4. Prien et al. 2012, p. 163.
  5. Weal 2001, p. 107.
  6. Weal 2011, p. 80.
  7. Weal 2001, p. 85.
  8. Weal 2001, p. 92.
  9. Weal 2001, p. 93.
  10. Caldwell 1998, p. 283.
  11. Boehme 1992, p. 58.
  12. Forsyth 2019, The Combatants.
  13. Harvey 2011, p. 276.
  14. Caldwell 1991, p. 300.
  15. Parker 1998, pp. 346, 348.
  16. Weal 2001, pp. 96–97.
  17. Girbig 1997, p. 198.
  18. Girbig 1997, p. 195.
  19. Manrho & Pütz 2004, pp. 288, 467.
  20. Girbig 1997, pp. 196–198.
  21. Manrho & Pütz 2004, p. 301.
  22. Caldwell 1991, p. 335.
  23. Caldwell 1991, p. 337.
  24. Caldwell 1998, p. 449.
  25. Caldwell 1998, p. 450.
  26. Caldwell 1998, pp. 453, 455.
  27. Caldwell 1991, p. 356.
  28. Caldwell 1991, p. 362.
  29. Caldwell 1998, p. 472.
  30. Caldwell 1991, pp. 367–368.
  31. Mitcham 2011, p. 348.
  32. Caldwell 1998, p. 473.
  33. Caldwell 1991, p. 368.
  34. Caldwell 1998, p. 475.
  35. Caldwell 1991, pp. 370–371.
  36. Thomas 2016, pp. 57–58.
  37. Page 2020, p. 116.
  38. Scherzer 2007, p. 279.
  39. Matthews & Foreman 2014, pp. 238–239.
  40. Matthews & Foreman 2014, p. 239.
  41. Caldwell 1998, p. 447.
  42. Caldwell 1998, p. 455.
  43. Caldwell 1998, p. 469.
  44. Caldwell 1998, p. 464.
  45. Caldwell 1998, p. 468.
  46. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 90.
  47. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 139.

Bibliography
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Military offices
Preceded by
Hauptmann Robert Weiß		 Acting Commander of III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54
January 1945		 Succeeded by
Oberleutnant Wilhelm Heilmann
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