Siegfried Lemke

Siegfried Lemke
Siegfried "Wumm" Lemke
Nickname(s)"Wumm"
Born7 April 1921
Schivelbein
Died18 December 1995(1995-12-18) (aged 74)
Worfelden, Germany
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service / branch Luftwaffe
RankHauptmann (captain)
UnitJG 2
CommandsIII./JG 2
Battles / warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Siegfried "Wumm" Lemke (7 April 1921 – 18 December 1995) was a Luftwaffe 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. During his career he was credited with between 70 and 96 aerial victories.

Biography

Lemke was born on 7 April 1921 in Schivelbein in Farther Pomerania, at the time in the Province of Pomerania within the Weimar Republic, present-day Świdwin, Poland.[1] Following completion of flight and fighter pilot training,[Note 1] Lemke was posted to the 1. Staffel (1st squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing) in October 1942. He claimed his first aerial victory on 12 March 1943 when he downed a Royal Air Force (RAF) Supermarine Spitfire fighter near Fécamp. For this, he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse).[3]

Squadron leader

On 1 January 1944, Lemke was officially appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 1. Staffel of JG 2.[4] He succeeded Leutnant Hugo Dahmer who had been injured on 11 September 1943.[5] Since then, Lemke had inoffically led the Staffel as Staffelführer.[6]

In late January 1944 following the Allied amphibious landing in Italy known as Operation Shingle, I. Gruppe under the command of Hauptmann Erich Hohagen was moved to Aix-en-Provence Aerodrome in southern France. There the unit fought against the 15th Air Force of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).[7] On 9 February, Lemke engaged Spitfires from the 52nd Fighter Wing which were attacking shipping off the coast of France. During this encounter, Lemke claimed four Spitfires shot down. One of the pilots shot down was the American pilot Bob Hoover who was taken prisoner of war.[8] In this engagement, Lemke also shot down Flight Officer James H. Montgomery and Lieutenant John L. Bishop, both pilots killed in action. Lemke's fourth claim did not lead to a loss by the Americans.[9] His squadron were again transferred to Italy to counter the Allied landings at Anzio. In March, 1944 Lemke added sixteen further victories to his tally. The USAAF sent 200 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and 80 Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers to the Rome marshalling yards on 3 March. The bombers were escorted by Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters of which two were shot down by Lemke.[10]

In April, Lemke was awarded the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) after claiming 37 aerial victories. That month, he was also promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant).[3] By the early summer of 1944, Lemke's squadron was again moved, this time to Creil, an airfield north of Paris. From here Lemke flew combat missions over the developing campaign in Normandy following D-Day. On 14 June 1944, Lemke was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) for his then tally of 44 aerial victories.[11]

Group commander

In July 1944, Lemke was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of the III. Gruppe of JG 2, replacing Hauptmann Josef Wurmheller who had been killed in action on 22 June.[12][13] In consequence, command of 1. Staffel passed on to Leutnant Rudolf Wirtgen.[4] The Gruppe flew its last combat mission from Creil, France on 19 August before they relocated to Königsberg in der Neumark, present-day Chojna, Poland, for a period of rest and replenishment. Their remaining aircraft were left in France and assigned to other units. At Königsberg in der Neumark, the Gruppe received factory new Fw 190 A-8/R6 aircraft. The Gruppe moved to Mohrin, present-day Moryń, on 5 October where training of the newly assigned pilots continued. Reaching operational readiness, Lemke relocated III. Gruppe to Altenstadt Airfield on 15 October.[14]

Lemke led III. Gruppe during Operation Bodenplatte in their attack on Sint-Truiden airfield on 1 January 1945.[15] Prior to the attack, he reported 40 Fw 190s operational, 34 of them Fw 190 Ds. However, only 28 of the 43 pilots in the unit were fit for operations and the formation fielded only 28 fighters.[16] The attack turned out to be a disaster. III. Gruppe lost 19 Fw 190s and three were damaged, a loss rate of 79%. Nine pilots were killed, two were wounded and four were captured.[17] While JG 2 moved to Bohemia in April 1945, III. Gruppe disappeared from German order of battle. It is said that Lemke led his surviving men north, though no record exists of the Gruppe movements.[18] In the final days of the war, Lemke was nominated for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) which were not awarded before the war ended.[19]

Later life

Lemke died on 18 December 1995 at the age of 74 in Worfelden, a municipality of Büttelborn, Germany.[19]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Lemke was credited with 70 aerial victories.[20] Spick lists him with 96 aerial victories claimed in 325 combat missions. This figure includes one claim on the Eastern Front and 95 claims on the Western Front of which 21 are four-engined heavy bombers.[21] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and state that Lemke was credited with more than 54 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed on the Western Front, including at least five four-engined bombers.[22]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 14 West 4846". 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.[23]

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
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" –[22]
On the Western Front — 1 January – 31 December 1943
1 12 March 1943 13:10 Spitfire 20–25 km (12–16 mi) north of Fécamp[24] 7 24 September 1943 17:08 Spitfire Gisors[25]
Crillon
2 17 May 1943 12:15 B-17 PQ 14 West 4846[24]
10 km (6.2 mi) southeast of Île de Groix 		8 26 September 1943 12:48 P-51 PQ 05 Ost TC-7, east of Elbeuf[25]
3 29 May 1943 16:23 B-17 15 km (9.3 mi) north of Saint-Malo[24]
10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Saint-Nazaire 		9 4 October 1943 17:33 Typhoon 9 km (5.6 mi) southeast of Champenard[25]
4 4 July 1943 13:24 B-17 85 km (53 mi) west-southwest of Saint-Nazaire[26]
PQ 14 West 4722 		10 5 October 1943 14:21 P-51 PQ 05 Ost RC, north of Bolbec[25]
5 6 September 1943 19:03 Spitfire 35 km (22 mi) northwest of Montdidier[26] 11 19 October 1943 11:22 Typhoon PQ 15 West UT-1, southwest of Bayeux[25]
6 24 September 1943 12:05 Typhoon 9 km (5.6 mi) northwest of Honfleur[25]
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" –[27]
On the Western Front — 1 January – 20 February 1944
12 27 January 1944 11:01 Spitfire PQ 04 Ost S/DN-1[28]
Hyères, Marseilles 		16 9 February 1944 14:50 Spitfire PQ 04 Ost S/CP-2/2[28]
southeast of Cannes
13 27 January 1944 11:13 Spitfire Hyères[28] 17 9 February 1944 14:54 Spitfire PQ 04 Ost S/CP-3[28]
southeast of Cannes
14 27 January 1944 11:17 Spitfire Hyères[28] 18 9 February 1944 15:00 Spitfire PQ 04 Ost S/CP-9[28]
southeast of Cannes
15 4 February 1944 14:27?[Note 2] B-17 PQ 04 Ost S/EM-8[28]
100 km (62 mi) south of Nice 		19 9 February 1944 16:35 Spitfire PQ 04 Ost S/CQ-5/8[28]
southeast of Cannes
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" –[27]
In Italy — 20 February – 8 April 1944
20 29 February 1944 17:10 Spitfire 2 km (1.2 mi) northeast of Nettuno[29] 29 14 March 1944 11:37 B-26 5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of Rome[30]
21 29 February 1944 17:22 Spitfire 20 km (12 mi) southwest of the Tiber estuary[29]
5 km (3.1 mi) south-southwest of Cisterna di Latina 		30 17 March 1944 06:57 Spitfire 12 km (7.5 mi) west of Cape Anzio[30]
22 3 March 1944 11:51 P-47 Valentano[29] 31 17 March 1944 07:23 Spitfire 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Marsciano[30]
23 3 March 1944 11:53 P-47 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Farnese[29] 32 18 March 1944 09:11 Spitfire 5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of Mignano Monte Lungo[30]
24 7 March 1944 09:47?[Note 3] Spitfire 5 km (3.1 mi) northeast of Nettuno[29] 33 18 March 1944 17:36 Spitfire 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Frosinone[30]
25 7 March 1944 09:57 Spitfire 15 km (9.3 mi) west of Nettuno[29] 34 19 March 1944 07:50 Spitfire 5 km (3.1 mi) west of Montalto di Castro[30]
26 7 March 1944 12:22 B-24 55 km (34 mi) southwest of Tarquinia[29] 35 19 March 1944 09:53 Spitfire 20 km (12 mi) west of Tarquinia[30]
27 10 March 1944 10:15 P-51 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Rome[30] 36 19 March 1944 10:02 Spitfire 20 km (12 mi) west of Montalto di Castro[30]
28 11 March 1944 07:20 Spitfire 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Nettuno[30] 37 2 April 1944 13:37 P-39 7 km (4.3 mi) southwest of Montalto di Castro[30]
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" –[27]
On the Western Front — 8 April – July 1944
38 9 May 1944 09:35?[Note 4] P-38 30 km (19 mi) northwest of Nancy[31] 44 12 June 1944 10:47 Typhoon PQ 05 Ost UA-7[31]
vicinity of Lisieux
39 30 May 1944 11:35 P-51 PQ 04 Ost N/CK-4/5[31]
Doulevant-le-Château 		45 14 June 1944 06:45 Typhoon PQ 05 Ost UC-2/1[31]
vicinity of Évreux
40 7 June 1944 06:12 Spitfire 3 km (1.9 mi) southeast of Tilly[31] 46 15 June 1944 06:42 Spitfire PQ 05 Ost UC-8[31]
vicinity of Évreux
41 7 June 1944 06:18 P-47 8 km (5.0 mi) northeast of Bayeux[31] 47 15 June 1944 06:44 Spitfire PQ 05 Ost UC-8/PQ 04 Ost N/AC-2[31]
vicinity of Évreux/Dreux
42 7 June 1944 19:13 P-47 PQ 15 West UT-3, Caen[31]
15 km (9.3 mi) east of Caen 		48 16 June 1944 19:50 P-51 PQ 05 Ost UA-3[31]
vicinity of Lisieux
43 8 June 1944 06:17 P-51 PQ 04 Ost N/AD-7/BD-1[31]
southeast of Dreux
– Stab III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" –[27]
On the Western Front — July – 31 December 1944
49 19 August 1944 09:09?[Note 5] Typhoon PQ 04 Ost N/AC-4/5[32]
vicinity of Dreux 		52 17 December 1944 11:37 Tempest PQ 05 Ost PO[33]
Eifel
50 20 October 1944 09:11 P-38 PQ 05 Ost S/NG-5/8[32]
east of Cologne-Bonn 		53 23 December 1944 14:49 P-47 PQ 05 Ost NO[33]
southwest of Cologne
51 20 October 1944 15:08 P-47 PQ 05 Ost S/QP-1[33]
east of Cologne-Bonn 		54 23 December 1944 14:51 P-47 PQ 05 Ost NO[33]
southwest of Cologne

Awards

Notes

  1. ^ Flight training in the Luftwaffe progressed through the levels A1, A2 and B1, B2, referred to as A/B flight training. A training included theoretical and practical training in aerobatics, navigation, long-distance flights and dead-stick landings. The B courses included high-altitude flights, instrument flights, night landings and training to handle the aircraft in difficult situations.[2]
  2. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 14:25.[27]
  3. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 09:45.[27]
  4. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 09:33.[27]
  5. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 09:03.[27]
  6. ^ According to Obermaier on 31 March 1944.[1]
  7. ^ According to Scherzer on 11 June 1944 as Staffelführer in the I./Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen".[37]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Obermaier 1989, p. 156.
  2. ^ Bergström, Antipov & Sundin 2003, p. 17.
  3. ^ a b c Dixon 2023, p. 125.
  4. ^ a b Prien, Stemmer & Bock 2018, p. 176.
  5. ^ Prien et al. 2010, p. 438.
  6. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 737.
  7. ^ Weal 2000, p. 105.
  8. ^ Hoover 1997, pp. 65–67.
  9. ^ Shores et al. 2018, pp. 527–528.
  10. ^ Page 2020, p. 101.
  11. ^ Page 2020, p. 100.
  12. ^ Weal 2000, p. 118.
  13. ^ Prien, Stemmer & Bock 2018, p. 226.
  14. ^ Prien, Stemmer & Bock 2018, pp. 223–224.
  15. ^ Manrho & Pütz 2010, pp. 59, 61.
  16. ^ Manrho & Pütz 2010, p. 72.
  17. ^ Manrho & Pütz 2010, p. 95.
  18. ^ Weal 2000, p. 117.
  19. ^ a b Dixon 2023, p. 126.
  20. ^ Zabecki 2014, p. 1616.
  21. ^ Spick 1996, p. 234.
  22. ^ a b Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 737–738.
  23. ^ Planquadrat.
  24. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2010, p. 443.
  25. ^ a b c d e f Prien et al. 2010, p. 445.
  26. ^ a b Prien et al. 2010, p. 444.
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 738.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h Prien, Stemmer & Bock 2018, p. 180.
  29. ^ a b c d e f g Prien et al. 2021, p. 46.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Prien et al. 2021, p. 47.
  31. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Prien, Stemmer & Bock 2018, p. 181.
  32. ^ a b Prien, Stemmer & Bock 2018, p. 232.
  33. ^ a b c d Prien, Stemmer & Bock 2018, p. 233.
  34. ^ Patzwall 2008, p. 134.
  35. ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 275.
  36. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 236.
  37. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 501.

Bibliography

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  • Bergström, Christer [in Swedish]. "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
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Military offices
Preceded by Commander of III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 2
23 June 1944 – 8 May 1945 		Succeeded by
None