Eberhard von Boremski (24 September 1914 – 16 December 1963) was a fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany during World War II. A flying ace, he was credited with 104 aerial victories—that is, 104 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft—claimed in roughly 630 combat missions. Boremski was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He was killed in an accident in Hamburg on 16 December 1963.
Early life and career
Boremski was born 24 September 1914 in Conow, present-day part of Malliß, near Ludwigslust in the German Empire.[1] He joined the Luftwaffe in 1939 and served initially in 5. Staffel (5th squadron) of Trägergruppe 186,[2] which became II. Gruppe (2nd group) of Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing).[Note 1] On 1 March 1940, holding the rank of Unteroffizier (corporal), he was transferred to the newly created 7. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing), a squadron of III. Gruppe.[3] On 1 March 1940, III. Gruppe of JG 3 was formed at Jena under the command of Hauptmann Walter Kienitz. 7. Staffel was headed by Oberleutnant Erwin Neuerburg, also a former member of JG 77. The Gruppe was initially equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-1 and E-3 variant.[4]
World War II
World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. On 28 March 1940, III. Gruppe of JG 3 was considered operationally ready and transferred to Detmold Airfield where it was tasked with defending Germany's western border during the "Phoney War".[5] On 10 April, the Gruppe relocated to Hopsten Airfield.[6] In preparation for the Battle of France, III. Gruppe was subordinated to Luftflotte 2, supporting Army Group Bs attack into the Netherlands.[6] Boremski claimed his first aerial victory on 29 May during the Battle of Dunkirk when he shot down a Royal Air Force (RAF) Supermarine Spitfire fighter on an early evening mission to the combat area. On 5 June, German forced launched Fall Rot (Case Red), the second phase of the conquest of France. Two days later, III. Gruppe fought in the vicinity of Beauvais where Boremski claimed a French Bréguet 693ground-attack aircraft shot down.[7] Following the Armistice of 22 June 1940, III. Gruppe was ordered to Dieppe on 29 June where the unit was tasked with patrolling the French coast at the English Channel.[8]
On 30 June, III. Gruppe flew two fighter intercept missions against RAF forces attacking various targets near Lille. Defending against these attacks, Boremski, flying with 7. Staffel, claimed a Hawker Hurricane fighter shot down which was not confirmed.[9] On 1 September, during the Battle of Britain, command of III. Gruppe was transferred to HauptmannWilhelm Balthasar when the former commander Kienitz had fallen ill.[10] Boremski shot down the Bristol Blenheim bomber T1794 of No. 139 Squadron RAF on 24 September 1940. The Blenheim was on a mission against E-boats and fell into the English Channel. Squadron Leader M. F. Hendry, Sergeant P. M. Davidson and Sergeant V. Arrowsmith were killed in action.[11] On 15 February 1941, III. Gruppe was ordered to Gütersloh Airfield in Germany for a period of rest and replenishment.[12] At Gütersloh, the Gruppe received a full complement of the then new Bf 109 F-2 variant. On 3 May, III. Gruppe moved back to the English Channel front where it was based at Lillers.[13] There, Boremski claimed his last aerial victory over the RAF on 25 May 1941.[14] On 9 June, III. Gruppe was withdrawn from the west and ordered to transfer to Breslau-Gandau, now known as 'Wrocław Airport' in Poland.[15]
War against the Soviet Union
On 18 June, III. Gruppe relocated to Moderówka in south-eastern Poland. On 22 June, German forces launched Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. At the start of the campaign, JG 3 was subordinated to the V. Fliegerkorps (5th Air Corps), under command of General der FliegerRobert Ritter von Greim, which was part of Luftflotte 4 (4th Air Fleet), under command of GeneraloberstAlexander Löhr. These air elements supported GeneralfeldmarschallGerd von Rundstedt's Heeresgruppe Süd (Army Group South), with the objective of capturing the Ukraine and its capital Kiev.[16] Boremski, who was now assigned to 9. Staffel under command of OberleutnantViktor Bauer, claimed his first aerial victories on the Eastern Front on 25 June. Operating from Moderówka, he had filed claim for two Potez 63 bombers which were misidentified Petlyakov Pe-2 bombers.[17] On 26 June, III. Gruppe relocated to Hostynne.[18]
Boremski sitting on his Bf 109, May 1942.[19][Note 2]
On 6 November, III. Gruppe was withdrawn from the Eastern Front and sent to Mannheim-Sandhofen Airfield for a period of rest and replenishment. The first elements of the Gruppe arrived by train in Mannheim on 8 December, the transfer was completed a week later. There, the personnel was sent on home leave.[21] The Gruppe received a full complement of 41 Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 aircraft and on 6 January 1942 was ordered to relocated to Sicily. On 13 January, 7. Staffel and elements of 8. and 9. Staffel boarded a train to Bari in southern Italy while the rest of III. Gruppe headed for Sciacca, Sicily. The relocation progressed until 26 January when new orders were received, ordering the Gruppe to return to Germany.[22] At Jesau near Königsberg, present-day Kaliningrad in Russia, III. Gruppe began preparations for redeployment to the Eastern Front.[23]
Boremski was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 3 May 1942 for achieving 43 victories.[24] After serving as an instructor in mid 1942, he returned to JG 3. In February 1943 he was made Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 7. Staffel of JG 3, serving in this role until 30 May 1943, when he was wounded.[25] His Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 (Werknummer 14808—factory number) had suffered engine failure resulting in a forced landing 10 km (6.2 mi) southeast of Kamianske.[26] He was succeeded by HauptmannKarl-Heinz Langer as commander of 7. Staffel.[27]
In early 1944 he was made commanding officer of Deutsch-Königlich Rumänischen Jagdverband (German Royal Romanian Fighter Unit) of Luftflotte 4, in collaboration with the Royal Romanian Air Force.[28] On 24 February 1944, OberleutnantHerbert Kutscha, the commander of 12. Staffel of JG 3 was wounded in combat. In consequence, Boremski took command of the Staffel the following day.[29] On 11 April, Boremski flying Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 162585) was wounded following a mid-air collision west of Anklam with Gefreiter Horst Witzler from 10. Staffel. Although both pilots bailed out, command of 12. Staffel was transferred to Leutnant Hans Rachner.[30]
From September 1944 to November 1944 Boremski led 1. Staffel of Jagdgruppe Ost and then 9. Staffel of Ergänzungs-Jagdgeschwader 1 (EJG 1—1st Supplementary Fighter Wing). In January 1945, Boremski was credited with his 100th aerial victory. He was the 97th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.[31]
Later life
After the German surrender, Boremski was handed over by U.S. troops in Czechoslovakia to the Soviet armed forces, and he remained a Prisoner of War until 1955. He died in an accident in Hamburg on 16 December 1963.[32]
Summary of career
Aerial victory claims
According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Boremski was credited with 104 aerial victories.[33] Obermaier also lists Boremski with 104 aerial victories claimed on 630 combat missions. This figure includes 100 claims on the Eastern Front, and four on the Western Front.[1] Author Spick lists him with 90 aerial victories.[34] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and state that he claimed at least 88 aerial victories, plus two unconfirmed claims. Four of his aerial victories were claimed on the Western Front, the others on the Eastern Front. The authors indicate that he probably claimed further aerial victories with EJG 1 which cannot be verified through the archives.[35]
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 4932". 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 km × 4 km (1.9 mi × 2.5 mi) in size.[36]
Chronicle of aerial victories
This and the – (dash) indicates unconfirmed aerial victory claims for which Boremski did not receive credit.
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
– 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –[3] Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940
^The picture was taken at Straubing between 13 and 16 May 1942 prior to the deployment to Chuguev. 9. Staffel had just received factory new Bf 109 F-4 aircraft at Wiesbaden-Erbenheim Airfield.[20]
^According to Mathews and Foremann, with 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3.[3]
^According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 07:45.[3]
Bergström, Christer[in Swedish]; Mikhailov, Andrey (2001). Black Cross / Red Star Air War Over the Eastern Front, Volume II, Resurgence January–June 1942. Pacifica, California: Pacifica Military History. ISBN978-0-935553-51-2.
Donnelly, Larry (2004). The Other Few: The Contribution Made by Bomber and Coastal Aircrew to the Winning of the Battle of Britain. Walton on Thames: Red Kite / Air Research. ISBN978-0-9546201-2-7.
Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer[in German] (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. ISBN978-3-7909-0284-6.
Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2014). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 1 A–F. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN978-1-906592-18-9.
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. ISBN978-3-87341-065-7.
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. ISBN978-3-931533-45-8.
Prien, Jochen (1992). Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 77—Teil 1—1934–1941 [History of Jagdgeschwader 77—Volume 1—1934–1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN978-3-923457-19-9.
Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard (1996). Messerschmitt Bf 109 im Einsatz bei der III./Jagdgeschwader 3 in 1940 – 1945 [Messerschmitt Bf 109 in Action with the III./Jagdgeschwader 3 in 1940 – 1945] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN978-3-923457-33-5.
Prien, Jochen (1996). IV./Jagdgeschwader 3—Chronik einer Jagdgruppe—1943 – 1945 [IV./Jagdgeschwader 3—Chronic of a Fighter Group—1943 – 1945] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN978-3-923457-36-6.
Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2000). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945 Teil 3—Einsatz in Dänemark und Norwegen 9.4. bis 30.11.1940—Der Feldzug im Westen 10.5. bis 25.6.1940 [Fighter Pilot Association of the German Luftwaffe 1934 to 1945 Part 3—Assignments in Denmark and Norway 9 April to 30 November 1940—The campaign in the West 10 May to 25 June 1940] (in German). Struve-Druck. ISBN978-3-923457-61-8.
Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2002). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 4/I—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/I—Action at the Channel and over England—26 June 1940 to 21 June 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN978-3-923457-63-2.
Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/I—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/I—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN978-3-923457-69-4.
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. ISBN978-3-923457-76-2.
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. ISBN978-3-923457-77-9.
Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2012). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 12/I—Einsatz im Osten—4.2. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 12/I—Action in the East—4 February to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN978-3-942943-02-4.
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. ISBN978-3-938845-17-2.
Nazi Germany
Luftwaffe
