Hans-Heinz Augenstein

Template:Short description Template:Template other Hans-Heinz Augenstein (11 July 1921 – 7 December 1944) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and flying ace during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.Template:Sfn Operating as a night fighter pilot, he was credited with 46 aerial victories, of which 45 were four-engine bombers, all of which claimed in Defense of the Reich.Template:Sfn

Born in Pforzheim-Brötzingen, Augenstein grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. He joined the military service in the Luftwaffe and was trained as a night fighter pilot. Following flight training, he was posted to Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1—1st Fighter Wing) in 1942. Flying with this wing, Augenstein claimed his first aerial victory on 13/14 May 1943 over a Royal Air Force bomber aircraft. In March 1944, he was appointed squadron leader of 12. Staffel (12th squadron) of NJG 1 and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 June 1944 for 35 nocturnal aerial victories claimed. On 7 December 1944, Augenstein was killed in action when he was shot down by a RAF night fighter near Münster.

Early life

Augenstein was born on 11 July 1921 in Pforzheim-Brötzingen, at the time in the Republic of Baden of the Weimar Republic.Template:Sfn

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland. Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, Royal Air Force (RAF) attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign.Template:Sfn By mid-1940, Generalmajor (Brigadier General) Josef Kammhuber had established a night air defense system dubbed 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 with 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.Template:Sfn

Night fighter career

File:Kammhuber Line Map - Agent Tegal.png

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

Augenstein first served with 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1—1st Fighter Wing) during mid 1942. In late 1942, Augenstein transferred to 7. Staffel.Template:Sfn This squadron was part of III. Gruppe (3rd group) of NJG 1 and at the time commanded by Hauptmann Wolfgang Thimmig.Template:Sfn Augenstein was credited with his first aerial victory on the night of 13/14 May 1943 when he shot down an Avro Lancaster bomber east of LingenTemplate:Sfn On the night of 23/24 May, RAF Bomber Command sent 829 heavy bombers to Dortmund of which 38 were lost.Template:Sfn Defending against this attack, Augenstein shot down a Handley Page Halifax southwest of Raalte.Template:Sfn

Bomber Command sent 518 bombers on a mission to bomb Essen on the night of 27/28 May, 23 bombers did not return to England. Augenstein was credited with four aerial victories that night, including three Halifax and a Vickers Wellington bomber. The Wellington was HE752 from No. 166 Squadron which crashed near Hengelo.Template:Sfn On 11/12 June, Bomber Command attacked Düsseldorf with 890 bombers. The RAF lost 43 aircraft that night, including a Lancaster bomber shot down by Augenstein northeast of Deventer.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The following night, Bomber Command lost 24 bombers in an attack on Bochum.Template:Sfn Augenstein was credited with the destruction of two Halifax bombers that night.Template:Sfn Augenstein was awarded the German Cross in Gold () on 16 January 1944.Template:Sfn

Squadron leader and death

On 1 March 1944, Augenstein was made Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 12. Staffel of NJG 1Template:Sfn On the night of 27/28 May, Bomber Command attacked Leopoldsburg. Augenstein claimed three Halifax bombers shot down that night, taking his total to 40 aerial victories.Template:Sfn A little less than two weeks later, on 9 June, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ().Template:Sfn Augenstein was shot down on the night of 15/16 June near Roubaix, possibly by Flight Lieutenant W. W. Provan from No. 29 Squadron.Template:Sfn

On the night of 2/3 November, flying from an airfield at Dortmund, Augenstein claimed his last three aerial victories during a RAF raid on Düsseldorf.Template:SfnTemplate:Refn On the night of 7 December 1944, Augenstein's Messerschmitt Bf 110 G-4 (Werknummer 140078—factory number) was shot down northwest of Münster-Handorf by a De Havilland Mosquito night fighter of the Fighter Interception Unit, flown by RAF ace Flight Lieutenant Edward Richard Hedgecoe and Flight Sergeant J.R. Whitham.Template:Sfn Augenstein and his Bordfunker Feldwebel Günther Steins were killed but his air gunner Unteroffizier Kurt Schmidt bailed out unhurt.Template:Sfn Augenstein was credited with 46 victories, all recorded at night and including 45 four-engine bombers.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Augenstein was credited with 46 victories, of which 45 were four-engine bombers.Template:Sfn Foreman, Parry and Mathews, authors of Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 45 nocturnal victory claims.Template:Sfn Mathews and Foreman also published Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, listing Augenstein with 41 claims, plus five further unconfirmed claim.Template:Sfn

Chronicle of aerial victories
This and the – (dash) indicates unwitnessed aerial victory claims for which Augenstein did not receive credit.   This and the % (percent sign) indicates aerial victories listed in Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims but not in Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945.   This and the ? (question mark) indicates discrepancies between Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945 and Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims.
Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location	Serial No./Squadron No.
– 7. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –Template:Sfn
1	13 May 1943	23:57	Lancaster	east of LingenTemplate:Sfn
2	24 May 1943	02:39	Halifax	southwest of RaalteTemplate:Sfn	Halifax DK169/No. 76 Squadron RAFTemplate:Sfn
3	28 May 1943	00:54	Wellington	southwest of HengeloTemplate:Sfn	Wellington HE752/No. 166 Squadron RAFTemplate:Sfn
4	28 May 1943	01:05	Halifax	northeast of Heek (Template:Ill)Template:Sfn
5	28 May 1943	01:21	Halifax	LeerTemplate:Sfn	Halifax DK147/No. 76 Squadron RAF
6	28 May 1943	01:37	Halifax	east-northeast of DeventerTemplate:Sfn
7	12 June 1943	03:00	Lancaster	northeast of DeventerTemplate:Sfn
8	13 June 1943	01:56	HalifaxTemplate:Sfn	west of Gildehaus	Halifax W7909/No. 10 Squadron RAF
9	13 June 1943	02:03	Halifax	northeast of OldenzaalTemplate:Sfn	Halifax DT568/No. 51 Squadron RAFTemplate:Sfn
– III. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –Template:Sfn
10	27/28 August 1943	—	StirlingTemplate:Sfn	northwest of Nuremberg
11?Template:Refn	28 August 1943	00:03	four-engined bomber	Nuremberg-LoheTemplate:Sfn
– 9. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –Template:Sfn
12	6 September 1943	00:45	Stirling	SchönbornTemplate:Sfn	Stirling EH878/No. 623 Squadron RAFTemplate:Sfn
13	6 September 1943	01:07	Lancaster	northwest of LandauTemplate:Sfn
14	22 September 1943	22:45	Lancaster	HüpedeTemplate:Sfn	Halifax HR776/No. 158 Squadron RAF
15	23 September 1943	22:50	Lancaster	north of SpeyerTemplate:Sfn
16	23 September 1943	23:00	Lancaster	north of KirchheimbolandenTemplate:Sfn
17	27 September 1943	23:00	Halifax	west of LübbeckeTemplate:Sfn
18	3 October 1943	01:42	Halifax	east of KasselTemplate:Sfn
19	9 October 1943	01:42	Lancaster	south-southwest of HanoverTemplate:Sfn
20	20 October 1943	22:24	Lancaster	OmmenTemplate:Sfn	Lancaster JA907/No. 7 Squadron RAF
21	20 October 1943	22:45	Lancaster	near ZwolleTemplate:Sfn
22	3 November 1943	20:03	Lancaster	southwest of SundernTemplate:Sfn	Lancaster DV265/No. 101 Squadron RAF
23?	26 November 1943	02:55	Halifax	Frankfurt (Oder)Template:Sfn	Halifax LK995/No. 429 Squadron RAFTemplate:Sfn
– 7. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –Template:Sfn
24	16 December 1943	19:00	Lancaster	south of OsnabrückTemplate:Sfn
25	24 December 1943	03:00	Lancaster	Frankfurt (Oder)Template:Sfn	Lancaster LL671/No. 514 Squadron RAF
26	22 January 1944	03:00	Halifax	east-southeast of OldenzaalTemplate:Sfn
—	27 January 1944	—	Lancaster
27	30 January 1944	21:49	LancasterTemplate:Sfn		Lancaster JA702/No. 156 Squadron RAF
28?	30 January 1944	22:00	LancasterTemplate:Sfn
29	15 February 1944	22:48	Halifax	EmmerichTemplate:Sfn
30	20 February 1944	02:30	Lancaster	ES-5Template:Sfn
31?	25 February 1944	02:50	Halifax	south of AugsburgTemplate:Sfn
32	26 February 1944	02:30	LancasterTemplate:Sfn
– 12. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –Template:Sfn
34	2 May 1944	00:32	Lancaster	near GhentTemplate:Sfn
35	2 May 1944	00:25	Halifax	north of MechelenTemplate:Sfn
36	23 May 1944	01:21	Lancaster	EindhovenTemplate:Sfn
37	23 May 1944	01:34	Lancaster	Hoogstraten areaTemplate:Sfn
38	28 May 1944	02:13	HalifaxTemplate:Sfn
39	28 May 1944	02:15	HalifaxTemplate:Sfn
40	28 May 1944	02:17	HalifaxTemplate:Sfn
41%	13 June 1944	00:33	Lancaster	Cambrai
42	29 July 1944	01:52	four-engined bomber	west of StuttgartTemplate:Sfn
43	29 July 1944	02:11	four-engined bomber	near StuttgartTemplate:Sfn
– IV. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –Template:Sfn
44	4/5 November 1944	—	LancasterTemplate:Sfn
45	4/5 November 1944	—	LancasterTemplate:Sfn
46	4/5 November 1944	—	LancasterTemplate:Sfn

Awards

• Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 17 January 1944 as Leutnant and pilotTemplate:Sfn
• German Cross in Gold on 16 January 1944 as Leutnant in the 7./Nachjagdgeschwader 1Template:Sfn
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 June 1944 as Oberleutnant and Staffelführer of the 7./Nachjagdgeschwader 1Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn