Reinhard Kollak

Reinhard Kollak (28 March 1915 – 6 February 1980) 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.

Reinhard Kollak
Born28 March 1915
Frögenau
Died6 February 1980(1980-02-06) (aged 64)
Bonn
Allegiance Nazi Germany (to 1945)
 West Germany
Service/branchArmy
Luftwaffe
Years of service1933–45
1956–67
RankStabsfeldwebel (Wehrmacht)
Hauptfeldwebel (Bundeswehr)
UnitZG 1
NJG 1
NJG 4
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Reinhard Kollak was the highest scoring non commissioned Nachtjagd pilot who, together with his Bordfunker Hans Herman, was credited with 49 victories in over 250 missions, all at night.

Career

Kollak was born in East Prussia, in March 1915 and began his military career by joining the Reichswehr. In 1935, Kollak was transferred to the Luftwaffe where he trained as a fighter pilot. Upon completion of his training in the spring of 1940, Kollak was posted to the I./ZG 1 Zerstörergeschwader 1 and participated in the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain. In October 1940 Kollak was posted to the newly formed 1./NJG 1.

Night fighter career
A map of part of the Kammhuber Line. The 'belt' and night fighter 'boxes' are shown.

Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, the majority of RAF attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign.[1] By mid-1940, Generalmajor (Brigadier General) Josef Kammhuber had established a night air defense ground-controlled interception system (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 of 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.[2]

Kollak claimed his first-night victory while flying as a Feldwebel with I. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1—1st Night Fighter Wing), when he shot down an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley medium bomber in the early hours of 17 June 1941 in the vicinity of Hasselt.[3] He remained with I./NJG 1 when it was redesignated 7./NJG 4 in May 1942 and on the night of 24/25 August 1942, shot down a Short Stirling heavy bomber as his tenth victory. He was awarded the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 12 April 1943. He received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) following his 29th aerial victory. The presentation was made by General Kammhuber on 29 August 1943 at the St. Trond airfield to both Kollak and Major Walter Ehle, the Gruppenkommandeur of II./NJG 1.[4]

Kollak was the most successful pilot of III./NJG 4. Hans Herman joined the Luftwaffe in 1938 and served as Kollak's Bordfunker until the war's end.

Post war

After the war, Reinhard found it difficult to adjust to civilian life before he rejoined the newly founded Bundeswehr in 1956, and retired in 1967 as a Hauptfeldwebel. On 6 February 1980, he died at the age of 64.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Foreman, Parry and Mathews, authors of Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 49 nocturnal victory claims.[5] Mathews and Foreman also published Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, also listing Kollak with 49 claims.[6]

Awards

Notes
  1. According to Scherzer as pilot in the 7./Nachtjagdgeschwader 4.[37]

References

Citations
  1. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 9.
  2. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 27.
  3. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 22.
  4. Bowman 2016a.
  5. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, pp. 22–202.
  6. Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 665.
  7. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 26.
  8. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 28.
  9. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 31.
  10. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 54.
  11. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 55.
  12. Bowman 2016a, p. 94.
  13. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 59.
  14. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 70.
  15. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 74.
  16. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 84.
  17. Chorley 1996, p. 179.
  18. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 89.
  19. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 92.
  20. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 106.
  21. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 107.
  22. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 108.
  23. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 128.
  24. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 151.
  25. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 152.
  26. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 172.
  27. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 173.
  28. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 175.
  29. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 186.
  30. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 187.
  31. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 201.
  32. Bowman 2016b, p. 114.
  33. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 202.
  34. Patzwall 2008, p. 121.
  35. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 268.
  36. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 268.
  37. Scherzer 2007, p. 464.

Bibliography
  • Bowman, Martin (2016a). Nachtjagd, Defenders of the Reich 1940–1943. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-4738-4986-0.
  • Bowman, Martin (2016b). German Night Fighters Versus Bomber Command 1943–1945. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1-4738-4979-2.
  • Chorley, William R (1996). Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War: Aircraft and crew losses: 1943. Midland Counties Publications. ISBN 978-0-90459-790-5.
  • 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; Mathews, Johannes; Parry, Simon (2004). Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939–1945. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-0-9538061-4-0.
  • Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 2 G–L. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-19-6.
  • 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.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3.
  • 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.
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