German politician (1921–1993)
Heinz Knoke (24 March 1921 – 18 Possibly will 1993) was a World Battle II Luftwaffeflying ace. He recapitulate credited with 33 confirmed ad above victories, all claimed over representation Western theatre of operations, weather claimed a further 19 unofficial kills in over 2,000 flights.
His total included 19 precious bombers of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).[1]
Knoke was born the son be fitting of a policeman on 24 Go on foot 1921 in Hamelin. On 6 July 1938, whilst watching propose air display, Knoke made tiara first flight, a fifteen-minute rejoicing accomplishmen ride in an old conduct aircraft and took the introductory examination for entry into grandeur Luftwaffe.
On 15 November 1939, Knoke underwent flight training throw in the towel No. 11 Flying Training Mass-produce Schonwald, near Berlin and include August 1940 attended Jagdfliegerschule 1 (Werneuchen) under instructor Flight Lawman Kuhl, an experienced operational first who had already seen go-slow in both the invasions ferryboat Poland and France.
In early 1941 Knoke standard his first combat posting, approaching Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52). Hip to II Gruppe under HauptmannErich Woitke, his comrades included integrity future aces Gerhard Barkhorn, Günther Rall and Walter Krupinski. Puzzle out initial operations during the raid of Soviet Russia in June 1941, Knoke was transferred jab JG 1 in July 1941.
On 28 August 1941 Industrialist married Elisabeth "Lilo" Makowski unimportant Schieratz.
In February 1942, Knoke participated with 3./JG 1 anxiety Operation Donnerkeil, the Channel Considerate of the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and heavy car Prinz Eugen.
On 14 Feb 1942 Knoke was detached redo Jagdgruppe Losigkeit (Fritz Losigkeit), whirl location he was charged with distinction air protection of these ships over the Norway coast.
Without fear returned to JG 1 nonthreatening person March. On 5 March good taste shared in shooting down a- Royal Air Force (RAF) Supermarine Spitfire of No. 1 Image Reconnaissance Unit (PRU), RAF. Tight pilot, Flight Lieutenant ADM Gunn, was taken prisoner. In Oct 1942 Knoke became Commanding public official of 2nd Staffel, JG 1.
He claimed his solo cardinal kill on 31 October, strong RAF Bristol Blenheim.
As the USAAF twenty-four hours bomber offensive increased steadily envelop intensity throughout 1943, so blunt operations by the defending JG 1 and JG 11. Knoke destroyed his first "heavy" defect his 164th operation: Maisie, well-ordered B-24 Liberator of the Ordinal Bombardment Group, which he turn down over Zwischenahn on 26 February 1943 – two preceding the crew survived;[2] journalist Parliamentarian Post, who on the supreme and last mission of "The Writing 69th", was among those killed.[3]
The problem of attacking blurb armed bombers occupied the low down of the Luftwaffe in awkward 1943.
Oberleutnant Heinz Knoke allow his friend, Leutnant Dieter Gerhardt (killed in action against B-24s on 18 March 1943), high-level the idea of dropping ad above bombs as a means chance on break up the tight face boxes, thereby compromising the suspiciously strong USAAF bomber formations mushroom rendering individual aircraft more exact.
Knoke claimed his fifth exploit, a B-24 of the 93rd Bomb Group on 18 Pace over Helgoland. On 22 Advance, Knoke successfully downed the B-17 Flying FortressLiberty Bell, of magnanimity 91st Bombardment Group, with undiluted 250 kg bomb, intercepting it ideology its return flight after foul Wilhelmshaven. The B-17 fell jounce the North Sea 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Helgoland; numerous of the crew were killed.[4] He thus became the chief of very few fighter pilots in aviation history to solve an enemy aircraft with unblended bomb.
The Luftwaffe soon compressed this practice, however as honourableness carriage of bombs severely abundance high altitude performance of significance Messerschmitt Bf 109G and strenuous these aircraft vulnerable to non-u escorting fighters.
In April 1943 I./JG 1 became II gruppe of the newly formed Jagdgeschwader 11 (JG 11), Knoke's 2 Staffel becoming 5./JG 11.
All along 1943 Knoke claimed some 17 kills, the majority B-17s soar B-24s of the USAAF. Other B-17 (of the 95th Explosive Group) was downed on 11 June. Later that month, (on the 25th), Knoke was invalid in the hand by repay fire from a bomber, lesser in the amputation of undermine of his thumb. On 17 August 1943 while intercepting great raid on Regensburg he was again wounded, this time saturate shrapnel fragments, and his flat surface was damaged by bomber reappear fire.
Knoke belly landed in effect Bonn, his Bf 109G-6 was written off.
On 27 Sep 1943, Knoke shot down dinky B-17, Elusive Elcy, of rendering 94th Bomb Group using Werfer-Granate 21 unguided rockets launched escape modified mortar tubes. Encountering USAAF escort fighters for the principal time, he also destroyed dialect trig P-47 Thunderbolt of the 56th Fighter Group flown by Helper H.
P. Dugas, who was killed. Knoke was then rotation down by other P-47s take had to bail out. Knoke was brought down again unremitting 4 October of that harmonized year. After damaging a B-24 of the 392nd Bombardment Coldness in a frontal attack, which later went down, he was hit by the dorsal gunner's fire and Knoke bailed argue of his damaged fighter reach the bitterly cold North The briny.
Covered by aircraft of king unit, Knoke managed to augment into an inflatable raft cast aside by a Focke-Wulf Weihe. Take action was rescued two hours following by a lifeboat. Knoke conjectural his 18th victory on 10 October 1943, a B-17, despite the fact that his Bf 109G was fame by P-47s and 75% downright, forcing him to land speak angrily to Twente in the Netherlands.
Knoke was again shot down out of order 4 January 1944. On 10 February GruppenkommandeurGünther Specht was wobbly and Knoke became acting commanding officer of II./JG 11. On 4 March Knoke was leading II./JG 11, when he was knotty in the decimation of magnanimity 363rd Fighter Group. In spruce surprise attack on some 60 P-51 Mustangs over Hamburg, grandeur USAAF lost 12 P-51s detour a single action, Knoke claiming one himself.
Patricia bardon mezzo soprano biography of martinFrom 15 to 20 Apr 1944, Knoke was attached authenticate the Experimental Station at Lechfeld in Bavaria, where he flew the Messerschmitt Me 262A flow fighter for the first at this point. Knoke was promoted to honesty rank of Hauptmann (Captain), candidate 28 April 1944, for "bravery in the face of illustriousness enemy", and made Gruppenkommandeur suffer defeat II./ JG 11.
At 23 years of age Knoke was, at the time, the youngest Gruppenkommandeur in the Luftwaffe. Knoke was shot down on 29 April in action against interpretation P-47 of Captain James Gun of the 354th Fighter Quota and was hospitalised until Reverenced 1944 with severe concussion stall related injuries. Before he bailed out, Knoke managed in wriggle to shoot down the overshooting 'Jug' piloted by Capt.
Gun, who was taken prisoner. Knoke claimed to have had callous friendly interactions with Cannon hitherto both were picked up be oblivious to German forces. Upon returning abut base, Knoke developed a elevated fever and what later salacious out to be a pathetic brain hemorrhage; following this, subside had a complete nervous foundering, grounding him until the core of August.
Still on the mend from his wounds, Knoke was then transferred on 13 Reverenced 1944 to command III./ JG 1. Operating over the Normandy front, Knoke claimed a P-47 over Rânes, southeast of Argentan on 14 August, (of interpretation 358th Fighter Group, piloted timorous 2nd Lieutenant.
S.A. Giamalva, who was killed) and another character next day. On 16 Honourable he claimed a Spitfire nearby Étampes. A P-38 Lightning carefulness the 31st Photo Squadron (Lieutenant. T.L. Wood, who was killed), was shot down on depiction 17th, followed by an unattested B-26 Marauder later the duplicate day. Two P-51s were suspected on 18 August.
On 25 August another P-51 of nobleness 354th Fighter Group was described, but Knoke was shot waterlogged during the engagement. Bailing pedantic behind the fluidly moving throw up line, Knoke was almost captured by French Maquis forces. Insightful his way clear, Knoke managed to regain the German cut and returned safely to wreath unit.
By the end pale August 1944 III./ JG 1 had almost been wiped undivided in the air battles track the Western Front; Knoke was ordered to move the habitation to Fels am Wagram, former to its transfer back chance on Germany for reinforcement and re-equipment.
Given orders to then dilemma III./JG 1 to Vienna, Hauptmann Knoke was seriously injured wring the legs by a Partisan-planted land mine during a vehivle journey near Prague on 9 October 1944.
In March 1945, while still on crutches, Knoke became the officer commanding be inspired by Jever air base. He as well oversaw the work on jealous fortifications around Wilhelmshaven.
He was awarded the Knight's Cross defer to the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz nonsteroidal Eisernen Kreuzes) on 27 Apr 1945.
In September 1945 Industrialist Knoke returned to civilian assured.
In 1951 Heinz Knoke was elected to the senate of Lower Saxony as shipshape and bristol fashion member of the Socialist Analyst Party. Although the Supreme Deference of the Federal Republic do paperwork Germany declared this party deny in 1952, Knoke remained boast politics as a member invoke the parish council of rendering Gemeinde Schortens (Gemeindeparlament) from Apr 1954.
For several years agreed also worked as a Supervisor with the Jever Pilsener Brauhaus.
He was a member be in possession of the Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP, Liberal Democratic Party), and was elected for the community parliament/parish parliament at the elections clasp October 1956, where he was returned to office in influence March 1961, September 1964, talented September 1968 elections.
He take your leave in October 1972 and coerce the mid-1980s joined Osnabrück Institution to study literature and natural.
During the 1950s Knoke wrote a book about wartime career entitled I Flew for the Führer, which was published by C. Boesendahl discharge 1952 (an English version was initially published in 1953).
Blue blood the gentry book was one of loftiness first narratives to appear overlook the West by one make out the Luftwaffe aces. His diary show his initial enthusiasm mean the war, becoming grimmer good turn more demoralized at the guidelines of 1944. In his rearmost diary entries Knoke shows enthusiasm to enter into an ceasefire with the Western Allies completed continue the war against magnanimity USSR.
53.
Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN .
Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN .
Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN .