Hartmann Grasser

Hartmann Grasser (23 August 1914 – 2 June 1986) was a World War II German fighter ace. He was credited with shooting down 103 Allied aircraft^[1][2][3] while flying 700 missions on the Western Front, Eastern Front, and in North Africa. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.

Hartmann Grasser
Born	(1914-08-23)23 August 1914 Graz, Austria
Died	2 June 1986(1986-06-02) (aged 71) Cologne, West Germany
Buried	St. Leonhard-Cemetery, Graz, Austria
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1936–1945
Rank	Major (major)
Unit	JGr 152, ZG 52, ZG 2, JG 51, JG 1, JG 110
Commands held	II./JG 51, III./JG 1
Battles/wars	See battles World War II Kanalkampf Eastern Front Operation Barbarossa North African campaign Tunisian Campaign
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Other work	military advisor

Early life and career

Grasser was born on 23 August 1914 in Graz, Steiermark, Austria. After he received his Abitur, he started studying medicine and became a member of the Austrian Nazis. Following the failed coup attempt in the July Putsch, Grasser fled to Germany. On 1 April 1936, Grasser then joined the Luftwaffe with the rank of Fahnenjunker (cadet).^[4] Following flight training, he was posted to I. Gruppe (1st group) of Zerstörergeschwader 52 (ZG 52—52nd Destroyer Wing) where he served with 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of ZG 52.^[5]

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. At the time ZG 52 was commanded by Hauptmann Wilhelm Lessmann and was based at Biblis where it was tasked with protecting Germany's western border in the Saar region during the "Phoney War".^[6] On 16 September, Grasser shot down a tethered balloon. The following day, he was awarded the Iron Cross second Class (Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse).^[7] A week later, on 24 September 1939, his Messerschmitt Bf 109 109 D-1 was damaged in combat with a French Morane-Saulnier M.S.406, resulting in a forced landing at Bingen.^[8] That day, I. Gruppe of ZG 52 was also renamed and became the Jagdgruppe 152 (JGr. 152—152nd Fighter Group). On 6 January 1940, JGr. 152 was ordered to Graz where it was reequipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter and was renamed, again becoming the I. Gruppe of ZG 52.^[6] This unit was then renamed and became the II. Gruppe of Zerstörergeschwader 2 (ZG 2—2nd Destroyer Wing). In consequence, Grasser became a pilot of 6. Staffel. Flying with this squadron, he participated in the Battle of France and Battle of England and claimed six aerial victories.^[5] During these campaigns, Grasser was promoted to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) on 1 June 1940 and received the Iron Cross first Class (Eisernes Kreuz erster Klasse) on 7 July.^[7]

With Jagdgeschwader 51

In October 1940, Grasser was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing).^[7] There, he was assigned to the Geschwaderstab headed by Oberstleutnant Werner Mölders. Prior to his posting to JG 51, Grasser had been destined to become a night fighter pilot which was not what he wanted to do. Additionally, he helped in the formation of the Z-Staffel (Z—Zerstörer or destroyer) of Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing) which later became part of Jagdgeschwader 5 (JG 5—5th Fighter Wing). Grasser also served as a test pilot, flying the Bf 109 T, the aircraft carrier variant, which were to be produced at Fieseler in Kassel. His acquaintance, Oberleutnant Hans Kolbow, introduced him to Mölders who arranged the transfer to JG 51 instead.^[9]

Grasser claimed his first aerial victory flying with JG 51 on 1 December 1940 when he shot down a Royal Air Force (RAF) Hawker Hurricane fighter near Ashford.^[10]

On the Eastern Front

In June 1941, JG 51 and the majority of the Luftwaffe were transferred to the Eastern Front in preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union.^[11] On 16 July 1941, Kolbow, the Staffelkapitän of 5. Staffel (5th squadron) was killed in action. He was replaced by Leutnant Hans-Joachim Steffens who also killed in action shortly after. On 1 August, command of 5. Staffel was then handed to Grasser. The Staffel was a squadron of II. Gruppe, at the time commanded by Hauptmann Hubertus von Bonin.^[12] On 11 October, the Gruppe was briefly detached from the Geschwaderstab (headquarters unit) of JG 51 and ordered east to Oryol. There, the Gruppe was subordinated to Gefechtsverband Schönborn (Detachment Schönborn), named after the commander of Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 (StG 77—77th Diver Bomber Wing), Major Clemens Graf von Schönborn-Wiesentheid.^[13] On 24 January 1942, Grasser attacked and shot down an Ilyushin DB-3 bomber. However, his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 9704—factory number) was also hit by the aerial gunner of the DB-3 bomber resulting in a forced landing in no man's land. Grasser, who was wounded in the encounter, was rescued by the German infantry.^[14]

On 2 July 1942, the 9th Army launched Operation Seydlitz as part of the Battles of Rzhev. Defending against this operation, the Soviet Air Forces (VVS—Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily) attacked the Luftwaffe airfield at Bryansk on 5 July. II. Gruppe of JG 51 was scrambled and claimed 46 Soviet aircraft shot down for the loss of Bf 109s damaged. That day, Grasser was claimed eight aerial victories, making him an "ace-in-a-day".^[15]

North Africa

II. Gruppe had been withdrawn from the Eastern Front in early October 1942 and sent to Jesau in East Prussia, present day Yushny, Bagrationovsky District, for conversion to the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. Conversion training began on 7 October and on 4 November, the unit received the order to convert back to the Bf 109 and to transfer to the Mediterranean theatre. Via various stopovers, II. Gruppe moved to Sidi Ahmed airfield, arriving on 14 November. There, the unit was subordinated to Fliegerführer Tunis (Flying Leader Tunis).^[16]

 

Grasser (left), Nowotny, Rall, Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein at Rastenburg

On 31 August 1943, Grasser was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub). He was the 288th member of the German armed forces to be so honored.^[7] The presentation was made by Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair, Hitler's headquarters in Rastenburg on 22 September 1943. Three other Luftwaffe officers were presented with awards that day by Hitler, Hauptmann Günther Rall and Hauptmann Walter Nowotny were awarded the Swords to their Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, and Hauptmann Heinrich Prinz zu Sayn-Wittgenstein also received the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.^[17] Grasser was then transferred to the staff of commanding general of the 4. Jagd-Division (4th Fighter Division), and was promoted to Major on 1 December 1943.^[18]

On 28 April 1944, Grasser succeeded Hauptmann Friedrich Eberle as commander of III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1—1st Fighter Wing) which was based at Quedlinburg and fighting in Defense of the Reich.^[19] On 3 June, Grasser transferred command of III. Gruppe to Hauptmann Karl-Heinz Weber who had previously commanded 7. Staffel of JG 1 on the Eastern Front.^[20] On 15 October, Grasser took command of II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 110 (JG 110—110th Fighter Wing).^[21]

Later life

In May 1945, Grasser was taken prisoner of war by United States Armed Forces. In 1946, he was transferred to the Soviet Union and was released in 1949. Following his return to Germany, he relocated to India where he became a civilian flight instructor. In 1950, he moved to Syria to work as a military advisor to the Syrian Air Force in Damascus.^[18]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Grasser was credited with 103 aerial victories.^[22] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for more than 96 aerial victory claims, plus six further unconfirmed claims. This figure includes 83 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and over 13 on the Western Front, including one four-engined bomber.^[23]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 47524". 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.^[24]

Chronicle of aerial victories
This and the ♠ (Ace of spades) indicates those aerial victories which made Grasser an "ace-in-a-day", a term which designates a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day.   This and the – (dash) indicates unconfirmed aerial victory claims for which Grasser did not receive credit.   This and the ! (exclamation mark) indicates those aerial victories listed by Forsyth or by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock.   This and the # (hash mark) indicates those aerial victories listed by Mathews and Foreman.   This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Bock, Mathews and Foreman.
Claim!	Claim#	Date	Time	Type	Location	Claim!	Claim#	Date	Time	Type	Location
– 3. Staffel of Jagdgruppe 152 –^[21] "Phoney War" — 1 September 1939 – 9 May 1940
1		16 September 1939	—	tethered balloon^[8]			1	24 September 1939	—	Curtiss	near Hornbach
According to Mathews and Foreman, aerial victories 2 to 5 are not documented in the German Federal Archives.^[21]
– Stab of Jagdgeschwader 51 –^[21] At the Channel and over England — 26 June 1940 – 26 July 1941
7	6	1 December 1940	15:16	Hurricane	Ashford^[10]	—	—	16 April 1941	18:42	Spitfire	Berck-sur-Mer^[25]
– Stab of Jagdgeschwader 51 –^[21] Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 5 December 1941
8	7	22 June 1941	12:37	SB-2^[26]		15	13	1 July 1941	14:50	DB-3^[26]
9	8	25 June 1941	12:32	SB-2^[26]		16	14	7 July 1941	19:30	V-11 (Il-2)^[26]
10	9	29 June 1941	18:30	V-11 (Il-2)^[26]		17	15	10 July 1941	07:50	R-Z^[26]?^[Note 1]
11	10	29 June 1941	19:55	I-16^[26]		18	16	11 July 1941	09:55	DB-3^[26]
12	11	30 June 1941	11:45	DB-3^[26]		19	—	12 July 1941	18:50	DB-3^[26]
13	—	30 June 1941	15:45	DB-3^[26]		20	17	13 July 1941	19:25	DB-3^[26]
14	12	30 June 1941	15:50	DB-3^[26]
– 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –^[27] Operation Barbarossa — 26 July – 5 December 1941
21	18	26 July 1941	16:52	Boston^[28]		31	28	2 October 1941	10:55	I-18 (MiG-1)^[29]
22	19	26 July 1941	19:20	R-5^[28]		32	29	5 October 1941	14:27	DB-3	northeast of Sevsk^[29]
23	20	29 July 1941	18:30?^[Note 2]	SB-3^[28]		33	30	5 October 1941	14:30	DB-3	northeast of Sevsk^[29]
24	21	29 July 1941	18:36	SB-3^[28]		34	31	7 October 1941	14:10	Pe-2
25	22	9 August 1941	13:50	Pe-2^[30]		—	—	8 October 1941	—	Pe-2^[29]
26	23	26 August 1941	18:16	Boston	15 km (9.3 mi) east of Kaluga^[30]	35	32	22 October 1941	14:59	I-61 (MiG-3)^[29]
27	24	30 August 1941	17:42	I-18 (MiG-3)^[30]		36	33	24 October 1941	14:10	SB-2^[29]
28	25	30 August 1941	17:45	Pe-2^[30]		37	34	5 November 1941	09:32	DB-3^[31]
29	26	2 September 1941	07:06	R-5	50 km (31 mi) southeast of Sechtschinskaja^[30]	38	35	16 November 1941	09:53?^[Note 3]	DB-3^[31]
30	27	7 September 1941	17:20	I-61?^[Note 4]	25 km (16 mi) east of Karlewez^[33]	39	36	2 December 1941	11:10	Pe-2^[31]
– 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –^[27] Eastern Front — 6 December 1941 – 24 January 1942
40	37	6 December 1941	14:10	I-61 (MiG-3)	5 km (3.1 mi) east of Kashira^[34]	44	41	11 January 1942	14:05	Pe-2^[34]
41	38	14 December 1941	09:20	Pe-2^[34]		45	42	19 January 1942	12:20	DB-3^[34]
42	39	4 January 1942	12:15	Pe-2^[34]		46	43	24 January 1942	12:45	DB-3^[34]
43	40	4 January 1942	12:50	Pe-2^[34]
– Stab II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51 –^[35] Eastern Front — March – 30 April 1942
47	44	31 March 1942	12:10	LaGG-3^[36]		49	46	7 April 1942	10:50	LaGG-3	east of Kschen^[36]
48	45	31 March 1942	15:12	LaGG-3^[36]
– Stab II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51 –^[35] Eastern Front — 1 May – 7 October 1942
50	47	21 May 1942	06:55	R-Z^[37]?^[Note 1]		71	68	10 August 1942	17:10	Pe-2	PQ 47524^[38] 20 km (12 mi) south-southwest of Rzhev
51	48	23 June 1942	11:40	I-153^[39]		72	69	13 August 1942	18:03	Yak-1	PQ 54294^[38] 15 km (9.3 mi) west of Belyov
52	49	25 June 1942	11:29	I-16^[39]		73	70	20 August 1942	11:55	MiG-3	PQ 64142^[38] 5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of Belyov
53	50	26 June 1942	11:15	Yak-1^[39]		74	71	21 August 1942	11:35	LaGG-3	PQ 55884, west of Kozelsk^[38]
54		3 July 1942	05:10	I-153^[40]		75	72	22 August 1942	16:00	Pe-2	PQ 54434^[38] 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Belyov
55♠	51♠	5 July 1942	04:46	Yak-1^[40]		76	73	23 August 1942	06:40	Il-2	PQ 54412^[38] 30 km (19 mi) northeast of Dudorovskiy
56♠	52♠	5 July 1942	04:55	Pe-2^[40]		77	74	23 August 1942	07:00	Il-2	PQ 55883^[41] vicinity of Kozelsk
	53♠	5 July 1942	05:10	I-153		78	75	23 August 1942	17:33	Il-2	PQ 54422^[41] 25 km (16 mi) west-southwest of Belyov
57♠	54♠	5 July 1942	09:33	Il-2^[40]		79	76	25 August 1942	06:32	Pe-2	PQ 64173^[41] 5 km (3.1 mi) southwest of Belyov
58♠	55♠	5 July 1942	09:40	Il-2^[40]		80	77	27 August 1942	17:55	Yak-1	PQ 64793^[41] 15 km (9.3 mi) northwest of Zalegoshch
—	—	5 July 1942	—	LaGG-3^[40]		81	78	28 August 1942	14:00	Il-2	north-northwest of Bolkhov^[41]
59♠	56♠	5 July 1942	13:50	Yak-1	15 km (9.3 mi) north of Bolkhov^[40]	82	79	29 August 1942	11:35	LaGG-3	PQ 54224^[41] vicinity of Kozelsk
60♠	57♠	5 July 1942	14:27	Il-2^[40]		83	80	3 September 1942	13:30	LaGG-3	northeast of Sychyovka^[41]
61♠	58♠	5 July 1942	19:30	Il-2^[42]		84	81	4 September 1942	11:52	I-153	PQ 73151, east-southeast of Novosil^[41] vicinity of Verkhovye
62	59	9 July 1942	05:15	I-153^[42]		85	82	10 September 1942	10:22	LaGG-3	PQ 47824^[43] 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Zubtsov
63	60	9 July 1942	05:16	I-153^[42]		86	83	10 September 1942	15:05	MiG-3	PQ 44132^[43] 20 km (12 mi) south-southeast of Kirov
64	61	18 July 1942	11:35	Yak-1^[44]		87	84	14 September 1942	17:00	Il-2	PQ 47593^[43] vicinity of Rzhev
65	62	2 August 1942	15:12	Il-2	PQ 47582^[44] 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Rzhev	88	85	14 September 1942	17:22	Il-2	PQ 47591^[43] vicinity of Rzhev
66	63	2 August 1942	18:05	Pe-2	PQ 47572^[44] 20 km (12 mi) west of Rzhev	89	86	26 September 1942	09:25	R-5	PQ 47483^[43] 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Staritsa
67	64	4 August 1942	06:35	MiG-3	PQ 47552^[45] 15 km (9.3 mi) south-southwest of Rzhev	90	87	26 September 1942	09:26	R-5	PQ 47483^[43] 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Staritsa
68	65	4 August 1942	06:40	MiG-3	PQ 47551^[45] 15 km (9.3 mi) south-southwest of Rzhev	91	88	27 September 1942	07:55	LaGG-3	PQ 47542^[46] 20 km (12 mi) northwest of Rzhev
69	66	4 August 1942	12:05	LaGG-3	PQ 47524^[45] 20 km (12 mi) south-southwest of Rzhev	92	89	1 October 1942	11:45	Pe-2	15 km (9.3 mi) northeast of Karmanowo^[46]
70	67	5 August 1942	17:00	Il-2	PQ 56164^[45] 45 km (28 mi) north-northeast of Gagarin	—	—	4 October 1942	—	unknown^[46]
– Stab II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51 –^[47] Mediterranean Theater — 5 November – 31 December 1942
93		17 November 1942	12:12	Spitfire	20 km (12 mi) west of Bizerte^[48]	97	93	2 December 1942	09:53	P-38	30 km (19 mi) west of Tebourba^[48]
94	90	27 November 1942	09:19	Spitfire	12 km (7.5 mi) south of Béja^[48]	98	94	4 December 1942	10:30	P-38	18 km (11 mi) north of Majaz al Bab^[48]
95	91	28 November 1942	09:15?^[Note 5]	Lysander	2 km (1.2 mi) west of Majaz al Bab^[48]	99	95	5 December 1942	10:45	Spitfire	8 km (5.0 mi) west of Tebourba^[48]
96	92	2 December 1942	09:40?^[Note 6]	P-38	6 km (3.7 mi) south of Tebourba^[48]
– Stab II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51 –^[47] North Africa — 1 January – 6 June 1943
100	96	2 January 1943	12:25?^[Note 7]	Lancaster?^[Note 7]	southeast of Majaz al Bab^[49]	102	99	22 March 1943	14:10	Spitfire	12 km (7.5 mi) south of Gabès^[50] 12 km (7.5 mi) south of Mareth
	97	2 January 1943	12:27	P-38	southwest of Majaz al Bab	103	100	26 March 1943	12:28	P-38	9 km (5.6 mi) north of Maknassy^[50] 4 km (2.5 mi) north of Mansoura
101	98	21 March 1943	13:07	Spitfire	30 km (19 mi) southeast of Gabès^[50]

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (17 September 1939)^[51]
  • 1st Class (7 July 1940)^[51]
• German Cross in Gold on 19 September 1942 as Hauptmann in the II./Jagdgeschwader 51^[52]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 4 September 1941 as Oberleutnant and pilot in the II./Jagdgeschwader 51^{[53][Note 8]}
  • 288th Oak Leaves on 31 August 1943 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"^[54][55]

Promotions

1 January 1938:	Leutnant (second lieutenant)^[4]
1 June 1940:	Oberleutnant (first lieutenant)^[7]
1 August 1942:	Hauptmann (captain)^[7]
1 December 1943:	Major (major)^[18]

Notes

1. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as Polikarpov R-5.^[27]
2. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 12:30.^[21]
3. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 09:55.^[32]
4. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Tupolev SB-3.^[32]
5. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 09:45.^[47]
6. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 09:45.^[47]
7. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 12:26 as a Consolidated B-24 Liberator.^[47]
8. According to Scherzer as pilot in the Stab/Jagdgeschwader 51.^[54]

References

Citations

1. Constable & Toliver 1968, p. 9.
2. Weal 2007, p. 46.
3. Weal & Price 1996, p. 28.
4. Stockert 2012, p. 368.
5. Obermaier 1989, p. 58.
6. Prien et al. 2001, p. 539.
7. Stockert 2012, p. 369.
8. Prien et al. 2001, p. 543.
9. Aders & Held 1993, p. 83.
10. Prien et al. 2002, p. 12.
11. Aders & Held 1993, p. 85.
12. Prien et al. 2003, p. 277.
13. Prien et al. 2003, p. 274.
14. Prien et al. 2005, p. 82, 93, 97.
15. Bergström et al. 2006, p. 109.
16. Prien et al. 2004, p. 1.
17. Amadio 2002, p. 199.
18. Stockert 2012, p. 370.
19. Prien & Rodeike 1996, p. 897.
20. Prien & Rodeike 1996, p. 997.
21. Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 415.
22. Zabecki 2019, p. 331.
23. Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 415–417.
24. Planquadrat.
25. Prien et al. 2002, p. 13.
26. Prien et al. 2003, p. 220.
27. Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 415–416.
28. Prien et al. 2003, p. 282.
29. Prien et al. 2003, p. 286.
30. Prien et al. 2003, p. 284.
31. Prien et al. 2003, p. 287.
32. Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 416.
33. Prien et al. 2003, p. 285.
34. Prien et al. 2005, p. 93.
35. Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 457–458.
36. Prien et al. 2005, p. 96.
37. Prien et al. 2006, p. 295.
38. Prien et al. 2006, p. 303.
39. Prien et al. 2006, p. 296.
40. Prien et al. 2006, p. 298.
41. Prien et al. 2006, p. 304.
42. Prien et al. 2006, p. 299.
43. Prien et al. 2006, p. 305.
44. Prien et al. 2006, p. 300.
45. Prien et al. 2006, p. 302.
46. Prien et al. 2006, p. 306.
47. Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 417.
48. Prien et al. 2004, p. 11.
49. Prien et al. 2010, p. 363.
50. Prien et al. 2010, p. 364.
51. Thomas 1997, p. 216.
52. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 146.
53. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 201.
54. Scherzer 2007, p. 345.
55. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 72.

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