Hermann-Friedrich Joppien

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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".

Hermann-Friedrich Joppien (19 July 1912 – 25 August 1941) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a fighter ace who claimed 70 enemy aircraft shot down in roughly 270 combat missions. He claimed 42 victories over the Western Front, of which 23 were Supermarine Spitfires, the remaining victories were recorded over the Eastern Front.

Born in Bochum, Joppien volunteered for military service, at first with the Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic and later with the Luftwaffe of Nazy Germany. He was posted to Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) in 1939 and fought in the Battle of France and Britain on the Western Front. In October 1940 he was given command of I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 51. On account of his 40th aerial victory claimed, he was awarded Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. It was Germany's highest military decoration at the time of its presentation to Joppien.Template:Refn Fighting on the Eastern Front, he was killed in action with Soviet fighters on 25 August 1941.

Early life and career

Joppien was born on 19 July 1912 in Bochum in the Province of Westphalia, a province of the Kingdom of Prussia.Template:Sfn His father was a laborer and when he found new work in 1917, the family moved to Hersfeld. After Joppien completed his schooling, he received a vocational education and learned the trade of a typesetter in a printing firm. In October 1931, Joppien joined the military service with Infanterie-Regiment 15 (15th Infantry Regiment) of the Reichswehr of the Weimar Republic in Gießen. There he was promoted to Unteroffizier (corporal) in 1933.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

In parallel to his military service at Gießen, Joppien was very much interested and involved in glider construction and glider flight. His transfer to the Luftwaffe was somewhat delayed as Joppien had been tasked with the training of new officer recruits. On 15 October 1935, his transfer to the Luftwaffe was finally authorized. Until Christmas 1935, he had logged 100 solo flights and in June 1936 he became a flight instructor. He was promoted to Unterfeldwebel (junior non-commissioned officer) on 1 October 1936, to Feldwebel (non-commissioned officer) on 1 February 1937, and to Oberfeldwebel (staff sergeant) on 1 July 1937.Template:Sfn

He was then selected for officer training and posted to a Kriegsschule (war school). Graduating among the top of his class of 130 students, he was promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant) on 23 December 1938. Initially serving as a pilot and Staffeloffizier (squadron officer) in Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing),[Note 1] named after the after World War I fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen, he was promoted to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) on 1 June 1939. He then held the position of Technischer Offizier (technical officer) with Stab of Jagdgruppe 176 (176th Fighter Group), which was formed from the II. Gruppe (2nd Group) of Zerstörergeschwader 76 (ZG 76—76th Destroyer Wing).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn In mid 1939, Joppien was posted to the 1. Staffel (1st Squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland. On 23 November 1939, on the Western Front, Joppien claimed his first victory, an Armée de l'Air (French Air Force) Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 of GC III/7, piloted by Sergent (Sergeant) Guillaume who crash landed at Heillecourt where the aircraft completely burned out. During the encounter, his Messerschmitt Bf 109 was damaged by enemy fire resulting in undercarriage failure on landing. His aircraft overturned, fortunately for Joppien, he escaped unhurt.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn For this achievement, he was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class (Script error: No such module "Lang".) on 13 December 1939.Template:Sfn

Battle of France and Britain

The Battle of France, the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, began on 10 May 1940. During this campaign, Joppien was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class (Script error: No such module "Lang".) on 10 June 1940.Template:Sfn By 25 June 1940, the date which marked the end of the French campaign, he claimed three further victories, which brought his total to four aerial victories.Template:Sfn On 10 June, I. Gruppe was ordered to Jever Airfield and to Leeuwarden Airfield on 21 June. The Gruppe was then ordered to Saint-Inglevert Airfield on 12 July and participated in the Battle of Britain against the Royal Air Force (RAF).Template:Sfn

On 5 August 1940, Joppien became Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of the 1. Staffel of JG 51. He succeeded Hauptmann Douglas Pitcairn who was injured in a takeoff accident that day.Template:Sfn He claimed his first aerial victory as a Staffelkapitän on 11 August. That day, the Gruppe encountered RAF Supermarine Spitfire fighters off of Dover.Template:Sfn During these battles, after 21 aerial victories claimed, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Script error: No such module "Lang".) on 16 September 1940.Template:Sfn Two days later, he was promoted to Hauptmann (captain).Template:Sfn On 18 October, Joppien was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe of JG 51. He succeeded Oberleutnant Richard Leppla who had temporarily led the Gruppe after its former commander, Hauptmann Hans-Heinrich Brustellin had taken been transferred.Template:Sfn

He accumulated further victories against the RAF and on account of his 40th victory achieved on 21 April 1941 was honorably mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht propaganda radio report, the first of three such mentions, on 22 April.Template:Sfn The next day, he was the 11th officer or soldier of the Wehrmacht honored with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Script error: No such module "Lang".) which was presented to him by Adolf Hitler.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He claimed his last two aerial victories on the Western Front on 8 May. The claims were over Hawker Hurricane Mk IIs from No. 302 Polish Fighter Squadron piloted by Piotr Łaguna and Marian Domagała, both pilots bailed out.Template:Sfn

The Gruppe was withdrawn from operations at the English Channel on 25 May 1941 and relocated to Krefeld Airfield for a short period of maintenance and overhaul.Template:Sfn

Operation Barbarossa and death

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 on 22 June 1941. There, on 30 June 1941, he shot down five Soviet bombers near Bobruysk in eastern Belarus, his aerial victories 47–51. This "ace-in-a-day" achievement earned him his second mention in the Wehrmachtbericht on 1 July 1941.Template:Sfn On 5 July 1941, he was wounded following his 58th victory claimed and spent several weeks in convalescence.Template:Sfn

On 25 August 1941, Joppien and his wingman, Leutnant Erwin Fleig, engaged in combat with Soviet fighters and bombers near Yelnya, Bryansk Oblast, a village in Krasnovichsky Selsoviet of Unechsky District of Bryansk Oblast, Script error: No such module "convert". southwest of Bryansk. In the subsequent action Joppien was shot down and killed in his Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 9670—factory number) "Black" by a Soviet Polikarpov I-16 fighter.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Fleig later gave to protocol that he and Joppien had attacked three Petlyakov Pe-2 bombers, escorted by three I-16 fighter aircraft, at an altitude of Script error: No such module "convert".. Fleig saw that Joppien had attacked a Pe-2 bomber, which trailing smoke, was going down. Fleig then observed Joppien's Bf 109 making a sharp right turn and crashed into the ground. By this date, Joppien had shot down 70 enemy aircraft claimed in roughly 270 combat missions. The Wehrmachtbericht announced his death on 29 August 1941.Template:Sfn Following his death, command of I. Gruppe went to Hauptmann Wilhelm Hachfeld who had previously commanded 2. Staffel.Template:Sfn

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Joppien was credited with 70 aerial victories.Template:Sfn Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 59 confirmed aerial victory claims, plus eleven further unconfirmed claims. This figure of confirmed claims includes 32 aerial victories on the Western Front and 27 on the Eastern Front.Template:Sfn

Chronicle of aerial victories
<templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" />
  This and the ♠ (Ace of spades) indicates those aerial victories which made Joppien 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 and the – (dash) indicates unconfirmed aerial victory claims for which Joppien did not receive credit.
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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
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Template:Sfn
"Phoney War" — 1 September 1939 – 9 May 1940
1 23 November 1939 15:30 M.S.406 ZweibrückenTemplate:Sfn
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Template:Sfn
Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940
2 23 May 1940 16:28 D.520 BéthuneTemplate:Sfn 4 6 June 1940 17:12 LeO 451 HamTemplate:Sfn
3 5 June 1940 14:42 MB.152?Template:Refn BréteuilTemplate:Sfn
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Template:Sfn
At the Channel and over England — 26 June 1940 – 21 June 1941
5 29 July 1940 08:25 Spitfire DoverTemplate:Sfn 12 31 August 1940 14:16 SpitfireTemplate:Sfn
6 29 July 1940 08:28 Spitfire DoverTemplate:Sfn
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		6 September 1940
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		SpitfireTemplate:Sfn
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		29 July 1940
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		Spitfire DoverTemplate:Sfn
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		9 September 1940
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		HurricaneTemplate:Sfn
7 11 August 1940 15:13 SpitfireTemplate:Sfn
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		9 September 1940
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		HurricaneTemplate:Sfn
8 15 August 1940 16:05 HurricaneTemplate:Sfn 13 11 September 1940 16:50 SpitfireTemplate:Sfn
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		15 August 1940
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		HurricaneTemplate:Sfn 14 11 September 1940 17:10 SpitfireTemplate:Sfn?Template:Refn
9 24 August 1940 14:09 SpitfireTemplate:Sfn 15 15 September 1940 12:40 SpitfireTemplate:Sfn
10 29 August 1940 20:09?Template:Refn SpitfireTemplate:Sfn
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		15 September 1940
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		SpitfireTemplate:Sfn
11 31 August 1940 14:10 SpitfireTemplate:Sfn
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		27 September 1940
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		HurricaneTemplate:Sfn
– Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Template:Sfn
At the Channel and over England — 26 June 1940 – 21 June 1941
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		29 October 1940
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		HurricaneTemplate:Sfn 23 3 March 1941 17:02 Spitfire south of AshfordTemplate:Sfn
16 8 November 1940 12:20 HurricaneTemplate:Sfn 24 3 March 1941 17:13 Spitfire FolkestoneTemplate:Sfn
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		11 November 1940
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		SpitfireTemplate:Sfn 25 12 March 1941 19:27 Spitfire DungenessTemplate:Sfn
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		11 November 1940
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		SpitfireTemplate:Sfn 26 18 March 1941 12:28 Hurricane LewesTemplate:Sfn
Script error: No such module "convert". south of Lewes
17 14 November 1940 12:25 Spitfire DungenessTemplate:Sfn?Template:Refn 27 15 April 1941 12:33?Template:Refn Spitfire Script error: No such module "convert". southeast of DungenessTemplate:Sfn
18 1 December 1940 11:40 SpitfireTemplate:Sfn vicinity of Hollingbourne 28 16 April 1941 18:30 Hurricane Script error: No such module "convert". southwest of DungenessTemplate:Sfn
19 1 December 1940 15:16 Hurricane AshfordTemplate:Sfn
vicinity of Hollingbourne 		29 20 April 1941 12:12 Spitfire Script error: No such module "convert". north of Cap Gris-NezTemplate:Sfn
20 5 December 1940 15:47 SpitfireTemplate:Sfn north of Rye 30 21 April 1941 20:10 Hurricane northwest of AshfordTemplate:Sfn
21 26 February 1941 18:05 Hurricane southeast of AshfordTemplate:Sfn 31 8 May 1941 18:02 Hurricane FolkestoneTemplate:Sfn
22 26 February 1941 18:07 Hurricane southeast of AshfordTemplate:Sfn 32 8 May 1941 18:03 Hurricane northeast of DungenessTemplate:Sfn
– Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51 –Template:Sfn
Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 25 August 1941
33 25 June 1941 12:32 SB-2Template:Sfn
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		3 July 1941
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		SB-2Template:Sfn
34 25 June 1941 12:35 SB-2Template:Sfn 47 5 July 1941 19:40 DB-3Template:Sfn
35 25 June 1941 12:36 SB-2Template:Sfn 48 24 July 1941 14:55 SB-2Template:Sfn
36 29 June 1941 19:48 SkuaTemplate:Sfn 49 24 July 1941 14:58 SB-2 south of PropoyskTemplate:Sfn
37♠ 30 June 1941 13:15 bomberTemplate:Sfn vicinity of Bobruysk 50 24 July 1941 14:59 SB-2 south of PropoyskTemplate:Sfn
38♠ 30 June 1941 14:50 SB-2Template:Sfn vicinity of Bobruysk 51 28 July 1941 17:20 I-18 (MiG-1)Template:Sfn
39♠ 30 June 1941 16:25 bomberTemplate:Sfn vicinity of Bobruysk 52 28 July 1941 18:40 I-16Template:Sfn
40♠ 30 June 1941 16:27 unknownTemplate:Sfn vicinity of Bobruysk 53 15 August 1941 10:04 I-61 (MiG-3)Template:Sfn
41♠ 30 June 1941 18:58 SB-2 Script error: No such module "convert". east of BobruyskTemplate:Sfn 54 21 August 1941 13:11 I-61 (MiG-3)Template:Sfn
42 2 July 1941 12:55 SB-2Template:Sfn 55 22 August 1941 11:50 DB-3Template:Sfn
43 2 July 1941 15:30 SB-2Template:Sfn 56 22 August 1941 11:52 DB-3Template:Sfn
44 2 July 1941 15:31 SB-2Template:Sfn 57 24 August 1941 09:55 R-3Template:Sfn?Template:Refn
45 2 July 1941 15:32 SB-2Template:Sfn 58 24 August 1941 16:10 I-18 (MiG-1)Template:Sfn
46 3 July 1941 16:47 SB-2Template:Sfn 59 25 August 1941 12:19 I-61 (MiG-3) Script error: No such module "convert". southwest of BryanskTemplate:Sfn

Awards

Notes

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  1. ↑ For an explanation of Luftwaffe unit designations see Organization of the Luftwaffe during World War II.

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References

Citations

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Bibliography

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Template:Knight's Cross recipients of JG 51 Template:Subject bar

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