Wolfgang Lippert (pilot)
Wolfgang Lippert (14 September 1914 – 3 December 1941) was a World War II Luftwaffe Flying ace. Lippert was credited with 30 victories, five of which were scored in the Spanish Civil War.
Wolfgang Lippert | |
|---|---|
| Born | 14 September 1914 Fraureuth, Kingdom of Saxony |
| Died | 3 December 1941 (aged 27) Egypt |
| Allegiance | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Nazi Germany |
| Service/ |  Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1932/3–1941 |
| Rank | Hauptmann (captain) |
| Unit | Stab II./JG 27 and 3./JG 53 |
| Battles/wars | Spanish Civil War World War II |
| Awards | Spanish Cross In Gold with Swords Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Military career
Luftwaffe career
Lippert joined the Luftwaffe and after pilot training, was posted to I./Jagdgeschwader 134 "Horst Wessel". In March 1937 Leutnant Lippert was transferred to I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing) at Wiesbaden. Lippert gained his first aerial victories during the Spanish Civil War flying with the Condor Legion with 3. Staffel of Jagdgruppe 88. He claimed five victories from mid-1938 until March 1939, receiving the award of the Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords.
On 1 May 1939, Lippert was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 3. Staffel of JG 53. He succeeded Hauptmann Lothar von Janson who was transferred.[1]
He claimed his first victory of World War II on 30 September 1939, a French Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 over Wissembourg. During the Battle of France he destroyed eight Allied aircraft.
Group commander
On 4 September 1940, Hauptmann Lippert was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing). He thus succeeded Oberleutnant Ernst Düllberg who had temporarily replaced Hauptmann Werner Andres after his transfer.[2]
During the Battle of Britain, a further seven kills were claimed. On 16 August 1940 he shot down Sgt John Lawrence Crisp of 43 Squadron A Flight, who broke his leg on landing at Bognor Regis. On 1 November 1940 he shot down Royal Air Force ace S/L Archie McKellar flying a No. 605 Squadron Hurricane Mk.I.[3][4] He was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 24 September after 13 World War II victories.
In 1941 Lippert participated with II./JG 27 in Operation Barbarossa, scoring four victories against Soviet aircraft. Later that year the unit was transferred to North Africa where he destroyed a further five Allied aircraft.
Death
On 23 November 1941 Lippert was shot down over Allied lines near Bir el Gubi, probably by Flight Lieutenant Clive Caldwell of No. 250 Squadron. As Lippert bailed out of his Bf 109 F-4 (Werknummer 8469—factory number), he hit the tailplane. He was hospitalised in Cairo and his legs were amputated. However, his legs were infected by gangrene and he died on 3 December.[5][6][7]
Summary of career
Aerial victory claims
Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 29 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim. This number includes five claims during the Spanish Civil War, three on the Eastern Front and further 21 over the Western Allies of World War II.[8]
| Chronicle of aerial victories | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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 |
| Spanish Civil War | |||||||||
| – 3. Staffel of Jagdgruppe 88 –[8] Spanish Civil War — July – December 1938 | |||||||||
| 1 | 15 July 1938 | — |
I-15[9] | 4 | 4 October 1938 | — |
I-16[9] | ||
| 2 | 23 July 1938 | — |
I-16[9] | 5 | 29 December 1938 | — |
I-15[9] | ||
| 3 | 14 August 1938 | — |
I-16[9] | ||||||
| World War II | |||||||||
| – 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –[8] "Phoney War" — 1 September 1939 – 9 May 1940 | |||||||||
| 1 | 30 September 1939 | 14:45 | M.S.406 | Büdingen[10] | 2 | 7 April 1940 | 12:50 | Spitfire | southwest of Diedenhofen[11] |
| – 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –[8] Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940 | |||||||||
| 3 | 10 May 1940 | 13:55 | Curtiss | southwest of Metz[12] | 6 | 20 May 1940 | 18:35 | Curtiss | Noyon[12] |
| 4 | 14 May 1940 | 19:30 | Wellington | Sedan[12] | 7 | 3 June 1940 | 14:20 | Spitfire | south of Paris[12] |
| 5 | 15 May 1940 | 16:13 | MB.151 | south of Charleville | 8 | 9 June 1940 | 14:50 | Curtiss | Boult[12] |
| – 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 –[8] At the Channel and over England — 26 June – 3 September 1940 | |||||||||
| 9 | 16 August 1940 | 18:00 | Spitfire[13] | 11 | 2 September 1940 | 08:55 | Hurricane[14] | ||
| 10 | 26 August 1940 | 17:35 | Spitfire | Portsmouth[14] | |||||
| – Stab II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 27 –[8] At the Channel and over England — 4 September – 5 November 1940 | |||||||||
| 12 | 7 September 1940 | 19:05 | Spitfire | London[15] | 15 | 25 October 1940 | 13:06 | Hurricane | London[16] |
| 13 | 17 September 1940 | 16:48 | Hurricane | Maidstone[15] | 16 | 1 November 1940 | 09:15 | Hurricane | Canterbury[16] |
| 14 | 25 October 1940 | 13:05 | Hurricane | London[16] | |||||
| – Stab II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 27 –[8] Operation Barbarossa – 22 June – 19 July 1941 | |||||||||
| 17 | 22 June 1941 | 04:15 | I-15 | south of Knyszyn[17] | 19?[Note 1] | 25 June 1941 | — |
SB-3 | north of Njemenczin[17] |
| 18 | 22 June 1941 | 04:18 | I-17 (MiG-1) | northeast of Wizna[17] | 20 | 25 June 1941 | 12:15 | DB-3 | southwest of Vilnius[17] |
| – Stab II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 27 –[8] In North Africa — 22 September – 23 November 1941 | |||||||||
| 21 | 23 October 1941 | 09:30 | Hurricane | south of Buq Buq[18] | 24 | 22 November 1941 | 16:45 | Wellington | northwest of Bir Hacheim[19] |
| 22 | 22 November 1941 | 10:20 | P-40 | southeast of Ain el Gazala airfield[19] | 25 | 23 November 1941 | 12:25 | Hurricane | east of Bir Hacheim[19] |
| 23 | 22 November 1941 | 16:30 | P-40 | northwest of Bir Hacheim[19] | |||||
Awards
- Spanienkreuz in Gold mit Schwerten
- Flugzeugführerabzeichen
- Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
- Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 24 September 1940 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Jagdgeschwader 27[20][21]
Notes
- According to Mathews and Foreman this claim is unconfirmed.[8]
References
Citations
- Prien et al. 2000, p. 232.
- Prien et al. 2002a, p. 398.
- Holmes 1998, p. 106.
- Foreman 1988, pp. 21–22.
- Weal 2003, p. 90.
- Weal 2003, p. 72.
- Goss 2018, p. 114.
- Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 762.
- Forsyth 2011, p. 106.
- Prien et al. 2001a, p. 368.
- Prien et al. 2001a, p. 369.
- Prien et al. 2001b, p. 327.
- Prien et al. 2002b, p. 201.
- Prien et al. 2002b, p. 203.
- Prien et al. 2002a, p. 402.
- Prien et al. 2002a, p. 403.
- Prien et al. 2003, p. 168.
- Prien et al. 2004, p. 259.
- Prien et al. 2004, p. 260.
- Scherzer 2007, p. 510.
- Fellgiebel 2000, p. 294.
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 (1988). Battle of Britain: The Forgotten Months, November And December 1940. London, UK: Air Research Publications. ISBN 978-1-871187-02-1.
- Forsyth, Robert (2011). Aces of the Legion Condor. Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 99. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84908-347-8.
- Goss, Chris (2018). Knights of the Battle of Britain — Luftwaffe Aircrew Awarded the Knight's Cross in 1940. Yorkshire, UK: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-52672-651-3.
- Holmes, Tony (1998). Hurricane Aces 1939–1940. London: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85532-597-5.
- Mason, Francis (1969). Battle Over Britain. London, UK: McWhirter Twins. ISBN 978-0-901928-00-9.
- 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.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2000). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 1—Vorkriegszeit und Einsatz über Polen—1934 bis 1939 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 1—Pre-War Period and Action over Poland—1934 to 1939] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-54-0.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2001a). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 2—Der "Sitzkrieg"—1.9.1939 bis 9.5.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 2—The "Phoney War"—1 September 1939 to 9 May 1940] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-59-5.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2001b). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 3—Einsatz in Dänemark und Norwegen—9.4. bis 30.11.1940—Der Feldzug im Westen—10.5. bis 25.6.1940 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 3—Action in Denmark and Norway—9 April to 30 November 1940—The Campaign in the West—10 May to 25 June 1940] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-61-8.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2002a). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 4/I—Einsatz am Kanal und über England—26.6.1940 bis 21.6.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 4/I—Action at the Channel and over England—26 June 1940 to 21 June 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-63-2.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2002b). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 4/II—Einsatz am Kanal und über England—26.6.1940 bis 21.6.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 4/II—Action at the Channel and over England—26 June 1940 to 21 June 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-64-9.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/I—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/I—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-69-4.
- Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2004). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 8/I—Einsatz im Mittelmeerraum—November 1941 bis December 1942 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 8/I—Action in the Mediterranean Theater—November 1941 to December 1942] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-74-8.
- 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 (2003). Jagdgeschwader 27 "Afrika". Aviation Elite Units. Vol. 12. London, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-538-9.