Hans Hahn (night fighter pilot)

Hans Hahn (21 February 1919 – 11 October 1941) was a Luftwaffe night fighter 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; his was the first awarded to a night fighter.[1]

Hans Hahn
Born21 February 1919
Rheydt
Died11 October 1941(1941-10-11) (aged 22)
Grantham, England
Buried
Cannock Chase German war cemetery, England
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branchBalkenkreuz (Iron Cross) Luftwaffe
Years of service1940–1941
RankLeutnant
UnitNJG 2
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Death
Graves of Hans Hahn (1919–1941) and Helmut Scheidt (1919–1941), Deutsch Soldatenfriedhof Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, England

Hans Hahn was killed near Grantham, England, on 11 October 1941 after his JU 88 collided with a RAF Oxford trainer aircraft he targeted. He is buried at Cannock Chase German war cemetery.[2]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

During his career he claimed twelve aerial victories, all of them at night.[Note 1]

Most successful Night Fighter pilot until his death. On five occasions, he returned to his base at Gilze-Rijen on one engine. Once he returned with a balloon cable wrapped around his wing in his C-4.[1]

Chronicle of aerial victories
Claim Date Time Type Location Serial No./Squadron No.
– 3. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 –
1 24 October 1940 23:02 Wellington vicinity of Linton-on-Ouse[3]
2 2 January 1941 19:00 Whitley 50 km (31 mi) east of Withernsea[4]
3 13 March 1941 01:15 Hudson vicinity of Leeming[5]
4 13 March 1941 22:00 Blenheim vicinity of Waddington[5]
5 8 April 1941 01:43 Hereford Wellingore[6]
6 9 April 1941 00:40 Wellington vicinity of Upwood[6]
7 17 April 1941 01:22 Hampden southeast of Waddington[6]
8 21 April 1941 03:30 Hereford vicinity of Digby[6]
9 3 May 1941 01:20 Stirling vicinity of Oakington[7]
10 4 May 1941 03:10 Fulmar Stoke Holy Cross[7]
11 5 May 1941 01:12 Blenheim vicinity of Feltwell[7]
13 12/13 October 1941
—
 Oxford vicinity of Grantham[8] Oxford AB767/No. 12 Flying Training School RAF[9]

Awards

Notes
  1. For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter aces
  2. According to Scherzer as pilot in the 3./Nachtjagdgeschwader 2.[11]

References

Citations
  1. Kracker Database of World War II Luftwaffe aircrew.
  2. "Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e.V." Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  3. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 12.
  4. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 15.
  5. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 17.
  6. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 18.
  7. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 20.
  8. Foreman, Parry & Mathews 2004, p. 31.
  9. Oxford AB767.
  10. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 211.
  11. Scherzer 2007, p. 361.

Bibliography
  • 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.
  • Foreman, John; Parry, Simon; Mathews, Johannes (2004). Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939–1945. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-0-9538061-4-0.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Accident description for Oxford AB767 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 22 March 2023.
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