Gustav Denk

Gustav Denk (24 January 1915 – 13 February 1943) was a German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Denk claimed 67 aerial victories, two over the Western Front and 65 over the Eastern Front.

Gustav Denk
Born24 January 1915
Soest
Died13 February 1943(1943-02-13) (aged 28)
Chernigov
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branch Luftwaffe
Years of service1939–43
RankOberleutnant
UnitJG 52
Commands held5./JG 52, 6./JG 52
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Career

Denk was born on 24 January 1915 in Soest in the Province of Westphalia of the German Empire.[1] He joined the Luftwaffe at the beginning of the war and participated in the Invasion of Poland and the Battle of France, but did not claim his first victory until the Battle of Britain.

Operation Barbarossa

In preparation of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, II. Gruppe of JG 52, without a period of replenishment in Germany, was ordered to airfields close to the German-Soviet demarcation line. While the Gruppenstab (group headquarters unit) and 4. Staffel were based at Suwałki in northeastern Poland, 5. and 6. Staffel were transferred to a forward airfield at Sobolewo. For the invasion, II. Gruppe of JG 52 was subordinated to the Geschwaderstab (headquarters unit) of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing). The Geschwader was part of the VIII. Fliegerkorps commanded by Generaloberst Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen which supported the northern wing of Army Group Centre.[2]

Squadron leader and death

In January 1943, Denk officially succeeded Oberleutnant Siegfried Simsch as Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 5. Staffel of JG 52. Simsch had been wounded in combat on 3 November 1942. The Staffel had then been temporarily led by Oberfeldwebel Willi Nemitz.[3] On 10 February, he succeeded Hauptmann Rudolf Resch as Staffelkapitän of 6. Staffel of JG 52.[4][5]

Denk was killed in action on 13 February 1943 when he was shot down in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 (Werknummer 14554—factory number) by anti-aircraft artillery over the Soviet airfield at Chernigov.[6] He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 14 March 1943.[7] Denk was succeeded by Nemitz as commander of 6. Staffel.[8]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Spick, Denk was credited with 67 aerial victories claimed in over 500 combat missions.[9] Matthews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 67 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim. All but two of his confirmed victories were claimed on the Eastern Front.[10]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 95722". 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 km2). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 × 4 km in size.[11]

Awards

Notes
  1. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 04:12 over a Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3.[7]
  2. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 00:51.[27]
  3. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 00:28.[27]

References

Citations
  1. Obermaier 1989, p. 100.
  2. Prien et al. 2003, p. 26.
  3. Prien et al. 2006, p. 475.
  4. Prien et al. 2012, p. 374.
  5. Weal 2007, p. 33.
  6. Prien et al. 2012, p. 396.
  7. Matthews & Foreman 2014, p. 212.
  8. Barbas 2005, p. 286.
  9. Spick 1996, p. 239.
  10. Matthews & Foreman 2014, pp. 212–213.
  11. Planquadrat.
  12. Prien et al. 2002, p. 155.
  13. Prien et al. 2002, p. 156.
  14. Prien et al. 2003, p. 44.
  15. Prien et al. 2003, p. 45.
  16. Prien et al. 2006, p. 481.
  17. Prien et al. 2006, p. 494.
  18. Prien et al. 2006, p. 482.
  19. Prien et al. 2006, p. 487.
  20. Prien et al. 2006, p. 495.
  21. Prien et al. 2006, p. 490.
  22. Prien et al. 2006, p. 496.
  23. Prien et al. 2006, p. 497.
  24. Prien et al. 2006, p. 491.
  25. Prien et al. 2006, p. 498.
  26. Prien et al. 2006, p. 492.
  27. Matthews & Foreman 2014, p. 213.
  28. Prien et al. 2006, p. 499.
  29. Prien et al. 2012, p. 378.
  30. Patzwall 2008, p. 65.
  31. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 82.
  32. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 159.
  33. Scherzer 2007, p. 269.

Bibliography
  • Barbas, Bernd (2005). Die Geschichte der II. Gruppe des Jagdgeschwaders 52 [The History of 2nd Group of Fighter Wing 52] (in German). ISBN 978-3-923457-71-7.
  • Bergström, Christer. "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. 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.
  • Matthews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2014). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 1 A–F. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-18-9.
  • 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 (2006). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/II—Vom Sommerfeldzug 1942 bis zur Niederlage von Stalingrad—1.5.1942 bis 3.2.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/II—From the 1942 Summer Campaign to the Defeat at Stalingrad—1 May 1942 to 3 February 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-77-9.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2012). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 12/II—Einsatz im Osten—4.2. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 12/II—Action in the East—4 February to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN 978-3-942943-05-5.
  • 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.
  • Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1.
  • Weal, John (2007). More Bf 109 Aces of the Russian Front. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-177-9.
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