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Hans Götz
Born	(1919-06-02)2 June 1919 Stuttgart, Germany
Died	4 August 1943(1943-08-04) (aged 24) Karachev, Russia
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1939–1943
Rank	Hauptmann (captain)
Unit	JG 54
Commands	I./JG 54
Battles / wars	World War II Eastern Front Western Front
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Hans Götz (2 June 1919 – 4 August 1943) was a former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Hans Götz was credited with 82 victories in 600 combat missions. He claimed three victories over the Western Front.

Career

Götz was born on 2 June 1922 in Stuttgart, the capital of the Free People's State of Württemberg of the Weimar Republic.

On 22 February 1943, Götz was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing). He succeeded Oberleutnant Siegfried Graf Matuschka who was transferred. When on 6 July Major Reinhard Seiler was wounded in combat, Götz was temporarily given the position of Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe of JG 54 until the new commander Hauptmann Gerhard Homuth took command on 1 August. The following day, Homuth was killed in action and Götz again assumed command of the Gruppe. Only two days later, on 4 August, Götz was killed in action following combat with Ilyushin Il-2 ground attack aircraft. His Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5 (Werknummer 1119—factory number) crashed and exploded northeast of Karachev.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Götz was credited with 82 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found documentation for 82 aerial victory claims. This number includes 79 claims on the Eastern Front and three over the Western Allies.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 29323". 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 km). 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.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
• Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 10 November 1941 as Leutnant and pilot
• German Cross in Gold on 2 July 1942 as Oberleutnant in the I./Jagdgeschwader 54
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 December 1942 as Oberleutnant and pilot in the 2./Jagdgeschwader 54

Notes

1. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed as a Yakovlev Yak-1.
2. According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 16:13.
3. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Yakovlev Yak-7.
4. According to Scherzer as pilot in the I./Jagdgeschwader 54.

References

Citations

1. Obermaier 1989, p. 119.
2. Prien et al. 2012, p. 165.
3. Prien et al. 2012, p. 192.
4. Zabecki 2014, p. 1614.
5. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 406–407.
6. Planquadrat.
7. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 406.
8. ^ Prien et al. 2002, p. 300.
9. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 199.
10. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 202.
11. Prien et al. 2003, p. 200.
12. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 201.
13. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 203.
14. ^ Prien et al. 2005, p. 199.
15. ^ Prien et al. 2005, p. 201.
16. Prien et al. 2005, p. 200.
17. Prien et al. 2005, p. 202.
18. Prien et al. 2006, p. 85.
19. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 91.
20. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 86.
21. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 88.
22. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 93.
23. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 94.
24. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 95.
25. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 407.
26. Prien et al. 2006, p. 96.
27. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 99.
28. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 98.
29. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 169.
30. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 176.
31. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 177.
32. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 170.
33. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 178.
34. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 171.
35. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 179.
36. Prien et al. 2012, p. 173.
37. Prien et al. 2012, p. 175.
38. Prien et al. 2012, p. 180.
39. Dixon 2023, pp. 298–299.
40. Patzwall 2008, p. 120.
41. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 143.
42. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 198.
43. Scherzer 2007, p. 340.

Bibliography

• Bergström, Christer . "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
• Dixon, Jeremy (2023). Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe: Knight's Cross Holders 1939–1942. Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-52677-864-2.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) . Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 2 G–L. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-19-6.
• Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3.
• Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2002). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 4/II—Einsatz am Kanal und über England—26.6.1940 bis 21.6.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 4/II—Action at the Channel and over England—26 June 1940 to 21 June 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-64-9.
• Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/II—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/II—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-70-0.
• Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2005). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/I—Winterkampf im Osten—6.12.1941 bis 30.4.1942 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/I—Winter War in the East—6 December 1941 to 30 April 1942] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-76-2.
• Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2006). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/III—Vom Sommerfeldzug 1942 bis zur Niederlage von Stalingrad—1 May 1942 bis 3 February 1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/III—From the 1942 Summer Campaign to the Defeat at Stalingrad—1 May 1942 to 3 February 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-78-6.
• Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2012). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 12/III—Einsatz im Osten—4.2. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 12/III—Action in the East—4 February to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN 978-3-942943-07-9.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Zabecki, David T., ed. (2014). Germany at War: 400 Years of Military History. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. ISBN 978-1-59884-981-3.

External links

• "Aces of the Luftwaffe". Hans Götz. Retrieved 19 February 2008.

• Aviation
• Biography

• 1919 births
• 1943 deaths
• Luftwaffe personnel killed in World War II
• German World War II flying aces
• Luftwaffe pilots
• Military personnel from Stuttgart
• People from the Free People's State of Württemberg
• Recipients of the Gold German Cross
• Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
• Aviators killed by being shot down