Wolfgang Späte

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Wolfgang Späte (8 September 1911 – 30 April 1997) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II, with 99 victories claimed. He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. For fighter pilots it was a quantifiable measure of skill and combat success. He is attributed by some, for an early, 1938 version of the speed to fly theory,Template:Sfn usually attributed to Paul MacCready. Already a talented glider pilot before the war, he went on to become one of the Luftwaffe's foremost test pilots.

Early life and career

Späte was born on 8 September 1911 in Dresden, at the time in the Kingdom of Saxony of the German Empire.Template:Sfn

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. During this invasion, Späte served with 2. Staffel (2nd squadron) of Heeres-Ergänzungs-Aufklärungsgruppe 23 (23rd army reconnaissance group), flying aerial reconnaissance missions, and received the Iron Cross 2nd Class (Script error: No such module "Lang".) on 8 November. Trained as a fighter pilot, he was posted to 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) on 1 January 1941.Template:Sfn The Staffel was headed by Oberleutnant Hubert Mütherich and subordinated to II. Gruppe (2nd group) of JG 54 commanded by Hauptmann Dietrich Hrabak.Template:Sfn At the time, the Gruppe was based at Bonn-Hangelar Airfield at Sankt Augustin for a period of rest and replenishment following the losses sustained during the Battle of Britain.Template:Sfn

On 29 March 1941, II. Gruppe of JG 54 was withdrawn from the English Channel and was ordered to Graz-Thalerhof. There the various squadrons were split up with 4. Staffel being subordinated to III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing) and ordered to Deta in Romania. On 6 April, 4. Staffel flew combat missions in the Invasion of Yugoslavia. The next day, the Staffel flew combat air patrols on the Hungarian-Yugoslavian border. On 9 April, II./JG 54 was united again at Kecskemét, Hungary and returned to Deta on 11 April. The Gruppe was withdrawn from this theater on 19 April and ordered to an airfield at Zemun near Belgrade.Template:Sfn In this theater of operations, Späte claimed his first aerial victory, a Yugoslav Bristol Blenheim bomber near Pécs in Hungary, on 7 April 1941.Template:Sfn

War against the Soviet Union

Following the surrender of the Royal Yugoslav Army on 17 April 1941, JG 54 received orders on 3 May 1941 to turn over all Bf 109-Es so they could receive the new Bf 109-F variant. Transition training was completed at Airfield Stolp-Reitz in Pomerania. Following intensive training, the Geschwader was moved to airfields in Eastern Prussia. II. Gruppe under command of Hauptmann Hrabak was moved to Trakehnen on 20 June 1941.Template:Sfn The Wehrmacht launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, on 22 June with II. Gruppe supporting Army Group North in its strategic goal towards Leningrad.Template:Sfn

Victories came regularly, and he was awarded the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Script error: No such module "Lang".) on 9 August.Template:Sfn On 10 September, Späte was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 5. Staffel of JG 54. He succeeded Mütherich who was killed in action the day before.Template:Sfn On 2 October, Späte claimed three aerial victories in combat near Lake Ilmen. His third claim of the day was JG 54s 1,000th aerial victory claimed since the launch of Operation Barbarossa on 22 June.Template:Sfn Then on 5 October, he became the 10th member of JG 54 to be awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Script error: No such module "Lang".), after reaching 45 victories.Template:Sfn

His unit withdrew to the Reich at the end of the year for rest and refit, and Späte was promoted to Hauptmann on 1 January 1942. Success continued upon returning to the north of the Eastern Front as the Soviets desperately tried to raise the siege of Leningrad. This culminated with the award of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Script error: No such module "Lang".) on 23 April 1942 when he had 72 victories.Template:Sfn The presentation was made by Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair, Hitler's headquarters in Rastenburg, present-day Kętrzyn in Poland. Also presented with awards that day by Hitler were Hauptmann Herbert Ihlefeld, who received the Swords to his Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, and Oberleutnant Wolf-Dietrich Huy who was also honored with the Oak Leaves.Template:Sfn However, with the award, he was ordered back to the Reich to set up a top-secret unit: Erprobungskommando 16, (EKdo 16) to test-fly the revolutionary new rocket-fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 163 "Komet". In consequence, command of 5. Staffel of JG 54 was passed on to Hauptmann Joachim Wandel on 21 April.Template:Sfn

File:Me163.jpg
Messerschmitt Me 163 at the Luftwaffenmuseum in Berlin-Gatow

Späte took his first flight in the Me 163 on 8 May 1942. Over the next year testing continued and slowly specially chosen pilots joined EKdo 16. Side by side with the rocket-fighter project, was the test program of the Me 262 jet-fighter (under EKdo 262). On 17 April 1943, Späte became the first Luftwaffe pilot to fly the Messerschmitt Me 262 (Werknummer 2620000002—factory number) jet fighter.Template:Sfn He was one of a select few pilots to have flown both ground-breaking aircraft.Template:Sfn

After another year, the Me 163 was deemed combat-ready, and the testing program was wound down. Before he left for his new posting though, on 14 May 1944 he flew the first combat sortie for the Me 163. According to some sources, his Me 163 PK+QL was painted red, either in the factory or by ground crew, resembling Manfred von Richthofen's Fokker Dr.I. Although he flew the mission (without success, twice unable to intercept the enemy when the rocket engine failed), Späte was not amused after seeing the plane and ordered it to be re-painted.Template:Sfn

Group commander

In May 1944, Späte was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of IV. Gruppe of JG 54. He replaced Hauptmann Gerhard Koall who had temporarily been leading the Gruppe after its former commander Hauptmann Siegfried Schnell was killed in action on 25 February 1944.Template:Sfn

His new unit was quickly recalled to Germany in June to cover the transfer of all the squadrons sent west following the D-day landings. There it was converted onto the Fw 190A-8 and then sent to Poland against the great Russian summer offensive.Template:Sfn But against vastly greater numbers of enemy aircraft the unit was butchered, losing nearly half its pilots killed or wounded - Späte himself was injured and forced two times to bail out of his aircraft. The unit was pulled back again to the Reich for refit and rebuild. On 17 September, the Allied forces staged their airborne operation at Arnhem. Again, IV./JG 54 was thrown into the fray, but for the second time in less than 3 months, against vastly superior opposition, it was destroyed in less than a fortnight.Template:Sfn

Whether due to problems getting the Me 163 operational, or his unit's catastrophic losses, Späte gave up his command of IV./JG 54. In his 4-month absence from the Me 163 programme, the first combat unit (I./JG 400) had been set up and he joined that unit to come back up to speed on the interceptor's progress (some sources say as the unit's commander, although Hauptmann Robert Olejnik is also given as the unit commander at this time).Template:Sfn

Flying the Messerschmitt Me 262

After JG 400 was disbanded, Späte joined the Geschwaderstab (headquarters unit) of Jagdgeschwader 7 (JG 7—7th Fighter Wing) in April 1945. On 15 April, JG 7 was ordered to relocate to airfields at Saaz, present-day Žatec, Eger and the Prague–Ruzyně Airport where it continued to fly missions in defense of Berlin.Template:Sfn On 17 April, JG 7 was able to get 20 Me 262 airborne which intercepted Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers near Dresden. In this encounter, Späte claimed a B-17 bomber shot down.Template:Sfn

Later life

Following World War II, Späte joined the German Air Force in 1956, at the time referred to as the Bundesluftwaffe of the Bundeswehr. He retired in 1967 with the rank of Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel) Späte died on 30 April 1997 at the age of Script error: No such module "age". in Edewecht, Germany.Template:Sfn

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Späte was credited with 99 aerial victories.Template:Sfn Spick also lists him with 99 aerial victories, claimed in over 600 combat missions, 90 of which on the Eastern Front and nine on the Western Front, including five four-engine bombers while flying the Me 262.Template:Sfn Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 99 aerial victory claims, plus four further unconfirmed claims. This figure of confirmed claims includes 91 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and eight on the Western Front, including five four-engine bombers with the Me 262 jet fighter.Template:Sfn

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 25 Ost 84859". 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 Späte 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 Späte 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
– 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Template:Sfn
Balkan Campaign — 29 March – 3 May 1941
1 7 April 1941 12:00 Blenheim FünfkirchenTemplate:Sfn
– 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Template:Sfn
Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 5 December 1941
2 23 June 1941 10:07 SB-2 northeast of InsterburgTemplate:Sfn 26 26 August 1941 05:45 I-16 east of PoretschjeTemplate:Sfn
3 23 June 1941 10:08 SB-2 northeast of InsterburgTemplate:Sfn 27 26 August 1941 05:48 I-16 east of PoretschjeTemplate:Sfn
4 27 June 1941 13:35 SB-2 east of DünaburgTemplate:Sfn 28 3 September 1941 18:30 I-18 (MiG-1) north of MichałówkaTemplate:Sfn
5 27 June 1941 13:50 SB-2 east of DünaburgTemplate:Sfn 29 9 September 1941 16:45 I-18 (MiG-1) LeningradTemplate:Sfn
6 30 June 1941 06:47 DB-3 east of KreuzburgTemplate:Sfn 30 10 September 1941 11:20 I-18 (MiG-1) south of LeningradTemplate:Sfn
7 30 June 1941 12:30 DB-3 north of DünaburgTemplate:Sfn 31 12 September 1941 13:00 I-18 (MiG-1) north of Krasnoye SeloTemplate:Sfn
8 30 June 1941 14:50 DB-3 west of DünaburgTemplate:Sfn 32 19 September 1941 09:20 I-18 (MiG-1) northeast of LeningradTemplate:Sfn
9 2 July 1941 18:30 DB-3 east of TschalkinoTemplate:Sfn 33 21 September 1941 11:50 I-18 (MiG-1) south of PutilowoTemplate:Sfn
10 6 July 1941 10:45 I-16 east-southeast of PskovTemplate:Sfn 34 21 September 1941 17:30 I-18 (MiG-1) north of WswelowshskiTemplate:Sfn
11 7 July 1941 18:55 DB-3 northeast of OstrovTemplate:Sfn 35 23 September 1941 08:40 I-16 northeast of LeningradTemplate:Sfn
12 8 July 1941 11:15 I-18 (MiG-1) PorkhovTemplate:Sfn 36 26 September 1941 08:35 I-18 (MiG-1) ShicharjewoTemplate:Sfn
13 17 July 1941 06:30 I-153 northwest of SoltsyTemplate:Sfn 37 26 September 1941 11:20 I-18 (MiG-1) north of ParogiTemplate:Sfn
14 17 July 1941 20:30 DB-3 east of Lake SamraTemplate:Sfn 38 27 September 1941 11:00 I-18 (MiG-1) LjubnitzaTemplate:Sfn
15 19 July 1941 17:30 DB-3 southwest of MshinskayaTemplate:Sfn 39 1 October 1941 17:00 I-18 (MiG-1) PolnowoTemplate:Sfn
16 19 July 1941 19:08 I-18 (MiG-1) northeast of WloschowoTemplate:Sfn 40 1 October 1941 17:02 I-18 (MiG-1) PolnowoTemplate:Sfn
17 25 July 1941 07:58 DB-3 north of WerestTemplate:Sfn 41 2 October 1941 08:00 I-18 (MiG-1) LjubnitzaTemplate:Sfn
18 7 August 1941 19:48 I-18 (MiG-1) west of KorpowaTemplate:Sfn 42 2 October 1941 08:12 I-18 (MiG-1) east of ValdayTemplate:Sfn
19 7 August 1941 19:51 I-18 (MiG-1) north of KorpowaTemplate:Sfn 43 2 October 1941 14:30 I-18 (MiG-1) east of Lake SeligerTemplate:Sfn
20 10 August 1941 10:11 I-18 (MiG-1) northeast of PoretschjeTemplate:Sfn 44 2 October 1941 14:35 I-18 (MiG-1) east of Lake SeligerTemplate:Sfn
21 11 August 1941 06:07 I-16 northeast of PoretschjeTemplate:Sfn 45 5 October 1941 08:10 I-16 southeast of ValdayTemplate:Sfn
22 12 August 1941 17:50 I-18 (MiG-1) KiepiekTemplate:Sfn 46 7 October 1941 07:22 I-26 (Yak-1) southeast of BorowitschiTemplate:Sfn
23 16 August 1941 19:00 I-18 (MiG-1) northeast of KrasnogvardeyskyTemplate:Sfn 47 7 October 1941 17:10 I-18 (MiG-1) northeast of KresttsyTemplate:Sfn
24 21 August 1941 12:57 I-18 (MiG-1) northeast of PushkinTemplate:Sfn 48 10 October 1941 10:17 I-26 (Yak-1) Jam ChotilowoTemplate:Sfn
25 25 August 1941 13:40 I-153 KupljaTemplate:Sfn
– 5. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Template:Sfn
Eastern Front — 6 December 1941 – 21 April 1942
49 3 February 1942 15:02 Pe-2 UlyanovkaTemplate:Sfn 65 26 March 1942 13:25 P-40Template:Sfn
50 7 February 1942 08:50 Pe-2 Szenaja KjerjestTemplate:Sfn 66 28 March 1942 15:30 I-301 (LaGG-3)Template:Sfn
51 10 February 1942 16:40 R-5 south-southeast of ChudovoTemplate:Sfn 67 1 April 1942 10:55 I-18 (MiG-1)Template:Sfn
52 15 February 1942 15:05 I-26 (Yak-1) north of WolchowstrojTemplate:Sfn 68 1 April 1942 11:35 I-26 (Yak-1)Template:Sfn
53 22 February 1942 10:45 biplane with skids (Seversky) DubrovkaTemplate:Sfn 69 1 April 1942 15:15 Il-2Template:Sfn
54 28 February 1942 08:30 Pe-2 southwest of TikhvinTemplate:Sfn 70♠ 5 April 1942 11:47 I-26 (Yak-1) Script error: No such module "convert". north of ValdayTemplate:Sfn
55 7 March 1942 15:40 R-5 east of KholmTemplate:Sfn ♠Template:Refn 5 April 1942 11:47 I-26 Script error: No such module "convert". north of ValdayTemplate:Sfn
56 13 March 1942 14:10 I-18 (MiG-1) west of Malaya VisheraTemplate:Sfn 71♠ 5 April 1942 13:10 I-18 (MiG-1)Template:Sfn
57♠ 16 March 1942 06:33 biplane (Seversky) BolotowoTemplate:Sfn 72♠ 5 April 1942 13:41 I-18 (MiG-1)Template:Sfn
58♠ 16 March 1942 06:45 biplane (Seversky) NarostyniaTemplate:Sfn 73♠ 5 April 1942 13:43 I-18 (MiG-1)Template:Sfn
59♠ 16 March 1942 06:45 biplane (Seversky) NarostyniaTemplate:Sfn 74 15 April 1942 06:30 MiG-3Template:Sfn
60♠ 16 March 1942 14:38 I-18 (MiG-1) Myasnoy BorTemplate:Sfn
southwest of Gladi 		75 16 April 1942 06:35 LaGG-3Template:Sfn
61♠ 16 March 1942 17:15 I-18 (MiG-1) GremjatschewoTemplate:Sfn
forest, south of Lyubyan 		76 16 April 1942 08:10 Pe-2 north of MaljutischijTemplate:Sfn
62 17 March 1942 13:20 I-26 (Yak-1) PogostjeTemplate:Sfn 77 16 April 1942 08:15 Pe-2 Script error: No such module "convert". northwest of DworjetzTemplate:Sfn
63 18 March 1942 12:55?Template:Refn I-61 (MiG-3) east of Spasskaja PolistTemplate:Sfn 78 17 April 1942 13:50 Yak-1Template:Sfn
64 26 March 1942 13:22 P-40Template:Sfn?Template:Refn
– Stab II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Template:Sfn
Eastern Front — July 1942
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		7 July 1942
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		U-2 vicinity of DemyanskTemplate:Sfn
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		7 July 1942
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		U-2 vicinity of DemyanskTemplate:Sfn
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		7 July 1942
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		U-2 vicinity of DemyanskTemplate:Sfn 79?Template:Refn 13 July 1942 15:20 R-5 east of Jam SimorgojeTemplate:Sfn
– Stab IV. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Template:Sfn
Eastern Front — June – August 1944
79 28 June 1944 19:15 La-5 PQ 25 Ost 84859Template:Sfn 86 22 July 1944 15:25 Boston PQ 25 Ost 3259Template:Sfn
80 8 July 1944 17:46 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 4275Template:Sfn 87 26 July 1944 16:45 Il-2 KholmTemplate:Sfn
81 15 July 1944 13:40 La-5 PQ 26 Ost 5018Template:Sfn 88 4 August 1944 18:25 unknown PQ 25 Ost 1233Template:Sfn
82 15 July 1944 13:50 La-5 PQ 26 Ost 5014Template:Sfn 89 9 August 1944 16:40 Il-2 PQ 25 Ost 12156Template:Sfn
Script error: No such module "convert". east of Grojec
83 15 July 1944 14:00 La-5 PQ 26 Ost 5012Template:Sfn 90 12 August 1944 11:00 La-5 PQ 25 Ost 12427Template:Sfn
Script error: No such module "convert". east-southeast of Grojec
84 16 July 1944 09:30 P-40 PQ 26 Ost 40292Template:Sfn
Gulf of Finland, north-northeast of Reval 		91 26 August 1944 12:36 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 13385Template:Sfn
Script error: No such module "convert". east-southeast of Nasielsk
85 20 July 1944 15:30 Yak-9 PQ 25 Ost 32772Template:Sfn
Script error: No such module "convert". northwest of Kholm 		92 26 August 1944 18:55 La-5 PQ 25 Ost 14848Template:Sfn
vicinity of Ostrołęka
– Stab IV. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Template:Sfn
Western Front — September 1944
93 25 September 1944 18:02 B-25 ArnhemTemplate:Sfn 94 26 September 1944 14:20 Spitfire east of ArnhemTemplate:Sfn
– Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 7 –Template:Sfn
95 17 April 1945
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		B-17Template:Sfn vicinity of Dresden 98 25 April 1945
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		B-17Template:Sfn southwest of Prague
96 19 April 1945 12:15 B-17Template:Sfn vicinity of Aussig 99 25 April 1945
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		B-17Template:Sfn southwest of Prague
97 25 April 1945
—
Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 		B-17Template:Sfn southwest of Prague

Awards

Citations

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References

Citations

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Bibliography

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  • Späte, Wolfgang. Der streng geheime Vogel Me 163 (in German). DÖRFLER im NEBEL VERLAG GmbH. Template:ISBN.
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