Emil Bitsch

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use American English Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Emil Bitsch (14 June 1916 – 15 March 1944) was a Luftwaffe flying ace of World War II. He was one of the most successful pilots on the Eastern Front; being credited with 108 aerial victories. He claimed 104 over the Eastern Front and four four-engine bombers over the Western Front.Template:Sfn He may have been the pilot that shot down Soviet female ace Yekaterina Budanova. Bitsch was killed in action against United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) fighters on 15 March 1944.

Career

Bitsch was born on 14 June 1916 in Bad Griesbach in the Grand Duchy of Baden within the German Empire.Template:Sfn

World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. In July 1941, Bitsch served with III. Gruppe (3rd group) of Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3–3rd Fighter Wing), based on the Eastern Front and under the command of Walter Oesau.Template:Refn The Wehrmacht had launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, on 22 June 1941. III. Gruppe supported Army Group South in its strategic goal towards the heavily populated and agricultural heartland of Ukraine, taking Kiev before continuing eastward over the steppes of southern USSR to the Volga with the aim of controlling the oil-rich Caucasus.Template:Sfn

Operating from an airfield at Lutsk, Bitsch claimed his first victory on 2 July over an Ilyushin Il-2.Template:Sfn He had a total of five victories by the end of the year. He claimed two Russian Yak-4 twin-engine fighters which were shot down on 24 June 1942 to claim his 9th and 10th victories. In July, he claimed 15 victories, including his 20th 'kill' which he shot down on 13 July. Bitsch recorded 18 victories in August, including his 30th victim shot down on 16 August; his score had risen to 40 on 28 August.Template:Sfn On 6 November, III. Gruppe was withdrawn from the Eastern Front and sent to Mannheim-Sandhofen Airfield for a period of rest and replenishment. The first elements of the Gruppe arrived by train in Mannheim on 8 December, the transfer was completed a week later. There, the personnel was sent on home leave.Template:Sfn The Gruppe received a full complement of 41 Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 aircraft and on 6 January 1942 was ordered to relocated to Sicily. On 13 January, 7. Staffel and elements of 8. and 9. Staffel boarded a train to Bari in southern Italy while the rest of III. Gruppe headed for Sciacca, Sicily. The relocation progressed until 26 January when new orders were received, ordering the Gruppe to return to Germany. At Jesau near Königsberg, present-day Kaliningrad in Russia, III. Gruppe began preparations for redeployment to the Eastern Front again.Template:Sfn

On 4 September 1942, Oberleutnant Bitsch was shot down by anti aircraft artillery northwest of Stalingrad. He bailed out of his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 (Werknummer 13325—factory number) and landed safely but suffered light injuries in the incident.Template:Sfn He later returned to combat duty and continued flying. Bitsch claimed his 50th aerial victory on 19 March 1943, this was also III. GruppeTemplate:'s 1,600 aerial victory to date.Template:Sfn On 1 June 1943, Bitsch succeeded Oberleunant Franz Beyer who was transferred to IV. Gruppe as Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 8./JG 3.Template:Sfn In July, Oberleutnant Bitsch claimed 29 aerial victories. On 5 July, he became an "ace-in-a-day",Template:Sfn including three Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft on one mission.Template:Sfn On 19 July he shot a Yakovlev Yak-1 down on the Mius front, possibly flown by Soviet female ace Yekaterina Budanova.Template:Sfn He recorded his 100th victory on 21 July 1943 over a Lavochkin La-5.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He was the 46th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.Template:Sfn III. Gruppe flew its last combat missions on the Eastern Front on 1 August 1943. The next day, the Gruppe was ordered to Chasiv Yar and then back to Germany where it was based at Münster-Handorf Airfield.Template:Sfn

Defense of the Reich and death

File:Combatbox.gif
Combat box of a 12-plane B-17 squadron. Three such boxes completed a 36-plane group box. Template:Ordered list

III. Gruppe arrived in Münster-Handorf on 3 August where it was placed under the command of Major Walther Dahl.Template:Sfn Dahl had been appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) on 20 July 1943.Template:Sfn The Gruppe immediately began preparations for Defense of the Reich (Script error: No such module "Lang".) missions and was subordinated to Fighter Leader for the Holland area (Script error: No such module "Lang".).Template:Sfn Bitsch was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Script error: No such module "Lang".) on 29 August after 104 victories claimed on the Eastern Front.Template:Sfn On 25 August, III. Gruppe was ordered to relocate to Bad Wörishofen in southern Germany.Template:Sfn On 1 October, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) attacked German aircraft production, approaching from the south, targeting the Wiener Neustadt Flugzeugwerke (WNF) in Wiener Neustadt and other targets at Friedrichshafen. At 12:30, III. Gruppe was scrambled. Approximately one hour later, the Gruppe intercepted the flight of 50 to 60 Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers and 25 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. In aerial combat which in parts was fought in Swiss airspace, III. Gruppe, without loss, claimed four aerial victories and three Herausschüsse (separation shots–a severely damaged heavy bomber forced to separate from its combat box and which the Luftwaffe counted as an aerial victory).Template:Sfn In this engagement, Bitsch claimed the destruction of a B-17 which was shot down at 13:44.Template:Sfn

On 14 October, the USAAF Eighth Air Force (USAAF) launched the second Schweinfurt raid, attacking the vital ball bearing factories at Schweinfurt. In total, 291 B-17s from the 1st and 3rd Air Division, escorted by two fighter groups, were sent on the mission. The USAAF suffered heavy losses that day. III. Gruppe claimed eighteen aerial victories and Herausschüsse that day.Template:Sfn A B-17 destroyed at 14:45 was credited to Bitsch.Template:Sfn On 19 December, the Fifteenth Air Force targeted the railroad transportation infrastructure at Insbruck as well as Messerschmitt aircraft manufacturing sites at Augsburg. III. Gruppe intercepted the bombers near Insbruck and claimed eight aerial victories, among them, a B-17 shot down by Bitsch.Template:Sfn

Because the weather conditions at Bad Wörishofen rendered the airfield unserviceable, III. Gruppe was ordered to relocate to Leipheim on 18 February 1944.Template:Sfn Bitsch claimed his 108th and last aerial victory on 23 February during the USAAF "Big Week" operation.Template:Sfn On 15 March 1944, 344 heavy bombers of 2nd and 3rd Air Division, escorted by 588 fighter aircraft, attacked German aircraft manufacturing at Braunschweig. At 10:57, 20 aircraft from III. Gruppe took off at Leipheim and were initially ordered to Wiesbaden-Erbenheim. While the flight was still airborne, the Gruppe received further instructions and were vectored to intercept the USAAF bombers on their return from the target area. In the vicinity of Volkel in North Brabant, Netherlands, III. Gruppe came under attack of approximately 20 to 30 Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters. In this engagement, III. Gruppe lost six Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 fighters for one aerial victory claimed.Template:Sfn That day, Bitsch was shot down and killed in action by a P-47 of the 352d Fighter Group in his Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 161139) Script error: No such module "convert". west of Schijndel.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Bitsch was succeeded by Oberleutnant Raimund Koch as commander of 8. Staffel.Template:Sfn

Post-war

File:Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof Ysselsteyn - Emil Bitsch.jpg
German War Cemetery Ysselsteyn – Emil Bitsch

Bitsch is buried at the German war cemetery at Ysselsteyn (in the Netherlands). The crash site was rediscovered in 1994 by Thijs Hellings, a researcher of the World War II airwar from Schijndel. With help from the landowner, remains of the plane were recovered including the radio, armored glass, the compass and many other small items.Template:Sfn

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Bitsch was credited with 108 aerial victories.Template:Sfn Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 106 aerial victory claims. This figure includes 105 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and one four-engined bomber on the Western Front.Template:Sfn

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 34 Ost 7546". The Luftwaffe grid map (Script error: No such module "Lang".) 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 Script error: No such module "convert".. These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area Script error: No such module "convert". in size.Template:Sfn

Chronicle of aerial victories
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  This and the ♠ (Ace of spades) indicates those aerial victories which made Bitsch an "ace-in-a-day", a term which designates a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day.
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  This along with the * (asterisk) indicates an Herausschuss (separation shot)—a severely damaged heavy bomber forced to separate from his combat box which was counted as an aerial victory.
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  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
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –Template:Sfn
Operation Barbarossa – 22 June – 5 December 1941
1 2 July 1941 12:28 V-11 (Il-2)Template:Sfn 4 3 October 1941 14:42 V-11 (Il-2)Template:Sfn
2 10 July 1941 14:45 I-16 Script error: No such module "convert". south of SabelotschjeTemplate:Sfn 5 5 October 1941 14:38 SB-3Template:Sfn
3 20 September 1941 17:06 Pe-2Template:Sfn 6 5 November 1941 11:55 I-61 (MiG-3)Template:Sfn
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –Template:Sfn
Eastern Front – 10 February 1942 – 14 April 1942
7 26 February 1942 14:33 I-301 (LaGG-3) south of Staraya RussaTemplate:Sfn 9 19 March 1942 08:57 I-61 (MiG-3) Script error: No such module "convert". south of Staraya RussaTemplate:Sfn
8 15 March 1942 12:58 Pe-2 Script error: No such module "convert". south of DemyanskTemplate:Sfn
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –Template:Sfn
Eastern Front – 19 May – 13 August 1942
10 24 June 1942 18:12 Yak-4 northeast of ShchigryTemplate:Sfn 21 13 July 1942 09:58 R-10Template:Sfn
11 24 June 1942 18:17 Yak-4 northeast of Stary TschenoissinowoTemplate:Sfn 22 26 July 1942 16:15 LaGG-3Template:Sfn
12 2 July 1942 07:00 MiG-3Template:Sfn 23 26 July 1942 16:18 LaGG-3Template:Sfn
13 2 July 1942 12:10 BostonTemplate:Sfn 24 28 July 1942 13:13 LaGG-3Template:Sfn
14 2 July 1942 12:13 BostonTemplate:Sfn 25 31 July 1942 11:05 Pe-2 southeast of KalachTemplate:Sfn
15 3 July 1942 19:25 Il-2Template:Sfn 26 31 July 1942 11:42 Il-2 west of KletskayaTemplate:Sfn
16 3 July 1942 19:26 Il-2Template:Sfn 27 7 August 1942 17:40 Pe-2 southwest of StalingradTemplate:Sfn
17 4 July 1942 17:16 BostonTemplate:Sfn 28 7 August 1942 17:41 Pe-2 Script error: No such module "convert". southwest of StalingradTemplate:Sfn
18 4 July 1942 17:17 BostonTemplate:Sfn 29 12 August 1942 18:00 LaGG-3 southeast of Kalach
19 5 July 1942 06:20 Yak-4Template:Sfn 30 13 August 1942 09:35 MiG-3 north of PasowTemplate:Sfn
20 5 July 1942 06:22 Yak-4Template:Sfn
– 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –Template:Sfn
Eastern Front – 16 August 1942 – 3 February 1943
31 16 August 1942 09:35 MiG-3 Script error: No such module "convert". south of JagowoTemplate:Sfn 40 28 August 1942 17:00 LaGG-3 northeast of StalingradTemplate:Sfn
32 19 August 1942 17:50 Il-2 southeast of KatschalinskayaTemplate:Sfn 41 28 August 1942 17:20 Il-2 east of StalingradTemplate:Sfn
33 19 August 1942 17:55 R-5 southeast of KatschalinskayaTemplate:Sfn 42 29 August 1942 06:05 LaGG-3 northwest of DubovkaTemplate:Sfn
34 20 August 1942 16:22 Pe-2 south-southwest of RajgorodTemplate:Sfn 43 30 August 1942 16:50 Il-2 west of SareptaTemplate:Sfn
35 20 August 1942 16:26 Pe-2 west of Lake SvetlijaTemplate:Sfn 44 31 August 1942 10:45 Il-2 east of SareptaTemplate:Sfn
36 21 August 1942 17:40 LaGG-3 east of StalingradTemplate:Sfn 45 2 September 1942 17:10 Pe-2 Script error: No such module "convert". northeast of StalingradTemplate:Sfn
37 25 August 1942 05:30 R-5 StalingradTemplate:Sfn 46 2 September 1942 17:11 Pe-2 Script error: No such module "convert". northeast of StalingradTemplate:Sfn
38 27 August 1942 05:25 I-16 AkhtubaTemplate:Sfn 47 4 September 1942 06:55 Il-2 Script error: No such module "convert". west of StalingradTemplate:Sfn
39 27 August 1942 15:20 LaGG-3 north-northwest of AkhtubaTemplate:Sfn
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –Template:Sfn
Eastern Front – 4 February – March 1943
48 9 March 1943 11:35 Yak-1 PetrovskyTemplate:Sfn ?Template:Refn 16 March 1943 15:15 La-5?Template:SfnTemplate:Refn
49 9 March 1943 11:37 Yak-1 southwest of PetrovskyTemplate:Sfn
– 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –Template:Sfn
Eastern Front – March – April 1943
50 19 March 1943 10:38 Il-2 Script error: No such module "convert". south of StaryTemplate:Sfn 55 23 April 1943 09:15 P-39 PQ 34 Ost 7546, KabardinkaTemplate:Sfn
51 20 March 1943 08:45 LaGG-3 Script error: No such module "convert". southwest of Rostov-on-DonTemplate:Sfn 56 27 April 1943 04:45 Il-2 PQ 34 Ost 8812, southeast of MakiivkaTemplate:Sfn
52 23 March 1943 15:46 Il-2 Script error: No such module "convert". east of ChuhuivTemplate:Sfn 57 27 April 1943 04:50 LaGG-3 PQ 34 Ost 8823, southeast of MakiivkaTemplate:Sfn
53 25 March 1943 13:50 LaGG-3 Script error: No such module "convert". south of Rostov-on-DonTemplate:Sfn 58 27 April 1943 04:52 LaGG-3 PQ 34 Ost 8979, east of MakiivkaTemplate:Sfn
54 20 April 1943 08:35 LaGG-3Template:Sfn 59 29 April 1943 09:20 R-5 PQ 34 Ost 9868, south of MassalskojeTemplate:Sfn
?Template:Refn 20 April 1943 11:05 Il-2 Script error: No such module "convert". south of Novorossiysk
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –Template:Sfn
Eastern Front – 4 February – 1 August 1943
60?[Note 1] 2 May 1943 06:05 LaGG-3 east of StarobilskTemplate:Sfn 83 8 July 1943 05:57 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 6123, southeast of ProkhorovkaTemplate:Sfn
61 6 May 1943 18:10 Il-2 southeast of SlavyanskTemplate:Sfn 84 8 July 1943 13:02 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 6127, north of BelgorodTemplate:Sfn
62 6 May 1943 18:13 Il-2 east of Krasnyi LymanTemplate:Sfn 85 8 July 1943 13:12 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 6124, north of BelgorodTemplate:Sfn
63 9 May 1943 06:55 LaGG-3 BatayskTemplate:Sfn 86 11 July 1943 13:35 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 6124, southeast of WerchopenjeTemplate:Sfn
64 9 May 1943 16:10 Pe-2 northeast of Krasnyi LymanTemplate:Sfn 87 11 July 1943 13:35 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 6124, southeast of WerchopenjeTemplate:Sfn
65 12 May 1943 05:05 Il-2 southwest of IziumTemplate:Sfn 88 13 July 1943 05:39 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 6287, west of ProkhorovkaTemplate:Sfn
66 14 May 1943 17:35 Il-2 east of PribodnojeTemplate:Sfn 89 13 July 1943 05:41 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 6288, west of ProkhorovkaTemplate:Sfn
67 24 May 1943 07:14 I-16 west of BatayskTemplate:Sfn 90 15 July 1943 18:10 Pe-2 PQ 35 Ost 7072, IziumTemplate:Sfn
68 24 May 1943 07:17 I-16 west of BatayskTemplate:Sfn 91 16 July 1943 04:57 La-5 east of IziumTemplate:Sfn
69 10 June 1943 08:45 La-5 north of Starobilsk-OstTemplate:Sfn 92 16 July 1943 18:25 Yak-1 PQ 34 Ost 89142Template:Sfn
70 11 June 1943 11:01 La-5 east of PokrowskojeTemplate:Sfn 93 17 July 1943 10:25 Il-2 Script error: No such module "convert". south of IziumTemplate:Sfn
71 13 June 1943 04:05 LaGG-3 southeast of StarobilskTemplate:Sfn 94 19 July 1943 05:35 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 7087, southeast of IziumTemplate:Sfn
72 13 June 1943 04:15 LaGG-3 east of StarobilskTemplate:Sfn 95 19 July 1943 05:42 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 7085, southeast of IziumTemplate:Sfn
73 15 June 1943 17:34 LaGG-3 north of StarobilskTemplate:Sfn 96 19 July 1943 05:45 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 7068, northeast of IziumTemplate:Sfn
74 2 July 1943 09:40 LaGG-3 PQ 34 Ost 7922, southeast of SslawjanskTemplate:Sfn 97 19 July 1943 12:10 Yak-1 PQ 35 Ost 9814Template:Sfn
75♠ 5 July 1943 03:21?Template:Refn Il-2 east of BelgorodTemplate:Sfn 98 20 July 1943 04:15 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 7075, IziumTemplate:Sfn
76♠ 5 July 1943 03:25 Il-2 east of BelgorodTemplate:Sfn 99 20 July 1943 04:20 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 7072, IziumTemplate:Sfn
77♠ 5 July 1943 07:42 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 61184, west of VolchanskTemplate:Sfn 100 21 July 1943 14:14 Il-2 PQ 34 Ost 7913, northwest of SslawjankTemplate:Sfn
78♠ 5 July 1943 07:51 Il-2 northwest of ProkhorovkaTemplate:Sfn 101 31 July 1943 05:35 LaGG-3 PQ 34 Ost 8826Template:Sfn
79♠ 5 July 1943 12:35 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 6133, southeast of ProkhorovkaTemplate:Sfn 102 31 July 1943 05:55 LaGG-3 PQ 34 Ost 8823Template:Sfn
80♠ 5 July 1943 16:40 Il-5 PQ 35 Ost 6149, southeast of BelgorodTemplate:Sfn 103 1 August 1943 10:30 Il-2 PQ 34 Ost 8822Template:Sfn
81 7 July 1943 04:15 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 6162, southeast of BelgorodTemplate:Sfn 104 1 August 1943 10:32 Il-2 PQ 34 Ost 8825Template:Sfn
82 7 July 1943 17:15 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 6127, east of JakowlewoTemplate:Sfn
– 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" –Template:Sfn
Defense of the Reich – 8 August 1943 – 15 March 1944
?Template:RefnTemplate:Refn 1 October 1943 13:44 B-17Template:Sfn 107 19 December 1943 12:28 B-17Template:Sfn PQ 04 Ost S/KCTemplate:Sfn
105?[Note 1] 14 October 1943 14:45 B-17Template:Sfn southeast of SchweinfurtTemplate:Sfn 108?[Note 1] 23 February 1944
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		B-24Template:Sfn
106?[Note 1]Template:Refn 14 October 1943 14:55 B-17* north of ArnsteinTemplate:Sfn

Awards

Notes

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  1. ↑ a b c d Cite error: Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".Script error: No such module "Namespace detect".

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References

Citations

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Bibliography

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