Leopold Steinbatz (25 October 1918 – 23 June 1942) was an Austrian-born fighter pilot of the Luftwaffe in World War II. As a fighter ace, he was credited with 99 aircraft shot down in over 300 combat missions, all of which claimed over the Eastern Front.
World War II in Europe had begun on Friday, 1 September 1939, with the German Invasion of Poland. Steinbatz was transferred to 2. Staffel (2nd Squadron) of the Ergänzungsgruppe of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing), a supplementary and training fighter group of JG 52.[Note 2] There he first met Hermann Graf, his future wingman on the Eastern Front.[2] In August 1940, Steinbatz was transferred to 9. Staffel (9th Squadron) of JG 52, a squadron of III. Gruppe (3rd Group) and was then assigned to the Luftwaffenmission Rumänien (Luftwaffe Mission Romania) under the command of Generalleutnant Wilhelm Speidel [de]. The military mission from Germany supported General Ion Antonescu in the reorganization of the Rumanian armed forces.[2][3] III. Gruppe of JG 52 was transferred to Bucharest in mid-October and temporarily renamed I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 28 (JG 28—28th Fighter Wing) until 4 January 1941.[4]
Following its brief deployment in the Balkan Campaign, III. Gruppe was back in Bucharest by mid-June.[5] There, the unit was again subordinated to the Luftwaffenmission Rumänien and equipped with the new, more powerful Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 model. On 21 June 1941, III. Gruppe was ordered to Mizil ready for Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. Its primary objective was to provide fighter protection for the oil fields and refineries at Ploiești.[7] The invasion of the Soviet Union began on 22 June. The next day, the Gruppe moved to Mamaia, the northern district of Constanța on the Black Sea coast.[8]
9. Staffel also known as the Karaya-Staffel
The Gruppe moved to Belaya Tserkov on 1 August during the Battle of Kiev and also used an airfield at Yampil from 6 to 8 August.[9] Here on the 4 August, Steinbatz claimed his first aerial victory when he shot down a Polikarpov I-16 fighter southeast of Kiev, while escorting Junkers Ju 87dive bombers to Brovary.[10] He claimed his second aerial victory over another I-16 fighter on 26 August.[11] The following day, III. Gruppe had reached an airfield named Stschastliwaja about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east-southeast of Oleksandriia where they stayed until 12 September. Flying from Stschastliwaja, Steinbatz claimed an Ilyushin DB-3 bomber on 1 September and an I-16 fighter on 6 September.[12]
On 24 September, III. Gruppe moved to the Poltava Air Base, supporting the 17th Army in the First Battle of Kharkov.[13] Steinbatz claimed an I-26 fighter on 27 September here. The I-26 was an early war German designator for the Yakovlev Yak-1 fighter aircraft. A day later, he shot down an I-16 fighter and a Tupolev SB bomber near Poltava.[14] That day, Steinbatz and his wingman Stabsfeldwebel Johann Klein intercepted seven bombers from 98 DBAP (Dal'nebombardirovochnyy Aviatsionnyy Polk—long-range bomber regiment) escorted by three I-16 fighters which lost one fighter and three bombers.[15] On 9 October, he claimed two I-26 fighters followed by another I-26 fighter on 11 and 14 October respectively.[16] On 23 October, III. Gruppe relocated to Chaplynka in the Crimea. Steinbatz claimed an I-61 fighter,[Note 3] a designator for the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3, on 24 and 27 October, and two I-61 fighters on 28 October.[18]
"Today [8 January 1942] was my lucky day. Early this morning we took off on a free-hunt mission and we actually spotted three Soviets... I flew together with a young comrade who had never been in combat before as the three 'brothers' appeared. Of course I immediately attacked one of the fighters. With a short burst of fire I blew off his left wing and he went down vertically. Pulling up, I saw the second fighter below. He was watching his descending comrade. I dived again and attacked him. I hit his radiator and he made a forced landing. We shot the aircraft on fire. Now the turn had come for the third aircraft, the bomber. My wingman had been attacking him but wasn't able to bring him down. As I approached him, he fired like mad. I came in very close, and then I shot him in flames with a few rounds. Burning, he crashed into a village."[19]
Steinbatz in a letter to his wife
The Gruppe then moved to an airfield at Taganrog on 2 November where they stayed until 1 January 1942. Steinbatz was credited with 34 aerial victories, making him the fifth most successful fighter pilot of III. Gruppe.[20] On 1 January 1942, III. Gruppe moved to Kharkov where they fought in the Barvenkovo–Lozovaya offensive and remained until 29 April.[21] Here Steinbatz claimed his first aerial victory in 1942 on 4 January over an unidentified biplane. A day later, he was credited with shooting down an I-16 followed by another I-16 on 7 January. On 8 January, he was credited with three aerial victories, two I-26s and a Vultee V-11ground attack aircraft, probably referring to the Ilyushin Il-2 ground attack aircraft.[22]
Steinbatz received the Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 19 January and the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) three days later.[23] On 14 February, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernes Kreuzes) for reaching 42 aerial victories and sent on extended leave.[24][25] Graf was promoted to Staffelkapitän of 9. Staffel of JG 52 in March, and by the beginning of April, his unit had accumulated over 200 victories in Russia, for the loss of only eight pilots.[26]
Crimean campaign
On 29 April, III. Gruppe had relocated to Zürichtal, a small village at the Inhul in the former German settlement west of Feodosia in the Crimea during the Crimean campaign. On 1 May, the Gruppe was subordinated to VIII. Fliegerkorps and was supporting the 11th Army in the Battle of the Kerch Peninsula and the Siege of Sevastopol.[27] On 2 May, Steinbatz became an "ace-in-a-day" for the first time when he claimed five I-61s and a Polikarpov I-153 fighter. Three days later, he claimed another I-61 and an I-16 fighter, including his 50th aerial victory.[1][28] On 8 May, Steinbatz became an "ace-in-a-day" again when he claimed four I-61 fighters, a Sukhoi Su-2 light bomber, a Polikarpov I-15 fighter and an I-153 fighter, which took his total to 58 aerial victories.[29]
On 12 May, German forces launched Operation Fredericus, also referred to as the Second Battle of Kharkov, to eliminate the Izium bridgehead over Seversky Donets. That day, III. Gruppe was moved to the Kharkov-Rogan airfield, southeast of Kharkov and subordinated to the Stab (headquarters unit) of JG 52. Two days later, III. Gruppe predominantly flew fighter escort missions for Ju 87 dive bombers from VIII. Fliegerkorps attacking Soviet ground forces on the northern pincer and claimed 52 aerial victories for the loss of one aircraft damaged.[30] The Gruppe claimed 89 victories in its first two days over Kharkov, with Graf becoming the first pilot in JG 52 to reach the century (on 14 May). Ofw Steinbatz got his 75th on 20 May and although the ground offensive was blunted by the next day, the intense aerial combat continued. He claimed four victories apiece on 1 and 2 June and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 2 June for his 83 victories.[31][32] He was the third non-commissioned officer in the Luftwaffe to receive this honor. The first was OberfeldwebelHeinrich Hoffmann, who received the distinction on 19 October 1941, the second was FeldwebelGerhard Köppen who was honored on 27 February 1942.[33]
"After his return he proved absolutely reckless... He entered upon an unparalleled victory march, scoring one victory after another! As he had achieved his No. 80 and was expected to be awarded with the Oak Leaves, I urged him to take some leave. The combats had put a tremendous strain on his nerves. This was shown on several occasions. I grounded him for a couple of days, but then he requested that I allow him to start flying combat sorties again. As I was called to the Führer's Headquarters (on 24 May 1942), I exhorted him to 'cool down a bit'. But I knew that his goal was to reach his '100'."[24]
Hermann Graf, Staffelkapitän and wingman
On 19 May, the Gruppe moved to Barvinkove where they stayed until 12 June mostly fighting over the encircled Soviet forces in the Izium salient.[34] Here, Steinbatz claimed a Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighter on 20 May, an I-16 on 21 May, a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1 fighter on 22 and 26 May, and three further MiG-1s on 27 May, another LaGG-3 fighter on 28 May and finally three MiG-1s on 29 May, taking his total to 87 aerial victories claimed by end of May 1942.[35] In June, he claimed his first aerial victories of the month on 2 June when he shot down two MiG-1s and two Su-2 light bombers.[36] On 6 June, Steinbatz claimed a LaGG-3 followed by a MiG-1, another LaGG-3 on 9 June, and a Su-2 light bomber on 10 June, his last while flying from Barvinkove.[37]
On 12 June, the Gruppe relocated to an airfield at Belgorod.[38] On 15 June, Steinbatz claimed four aerial victories east of Vovchansk, his last.[39] Shortly after, he was killed in action when his Bf 109 F-4/R1 (Werknummer 13357—factory number) was hit by Soviet anti-aircraft artillery northwest of Shebekino.[40] The commander of III. Gruppe, MajorHubertus von Bonin, ordered FeldwebelEdmund Rossmann and three other men to search for him. German soldiers in a forward infantry position reported a Bf 109 crashing into a forest from low altitude.[41] Steinbetz's body was never found.[42] Eight days later, on 23 June, Steinbatz was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern). He was the 14th member of the Wehrmacht and the only non-commissioned officer to be awarded this honor.[43][44] At the time of his death, he was the 11th-ranking fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe and second of III. Gruppe.[45][46]
On 30 June 1942, his father wrote a letter to Adolf Hitler asking for a promotion of his son to an officers rank. On 23 July 1942, the commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe-Personalamt (LWA—Air Force Staff Office), on orders of ReichsmarschallHermann Göring, announced the promotion of Steinbatz to Leutnant (Second Lieutenant) of the Reserves, effective as of 1 June 1942.[44]
Summary of career
Aerial victory claims
According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Steinbatz was credited with 99 aerial victories.[47] Spick also lists him with 99 aerial victories, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front in an unknown number of combat missions.[48] According to Obermaier, he flew approximately 300 combat missions.[49] Berger states that Steinbatz flew 390 combat missions.[33] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 98 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.[50]
Chronicle of aerial victories
This and the ♠ (Ace of spades) indicates those aerial victories which made Steinbatz an "ace-in-a-day", a term which designates a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day.
This and the – (dash) indicates unconfirmed aerial victory claims for which Steinbatz did not receive credit.
Claim
Date
Time
Type
Location
Claim
Date
Time
Type
Location
– 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 –[51] Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 5 December 1941
Barbas, Bernd (2010). Die Geschichte der III. Gruppe des Jagdgeschwaders 52 [The History of 3rd Group of Fighter Wing 52] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN978-3-923457-94-6.
Berger, Florian (2003) [1999]. Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. The Highest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World War] (in German) (3rd ed.). Vienna, Austria: Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN978-3-9501307-0-6.
Bergström, Christer[in Swedish]; Mikhailov, Andrey (2001). Black Cross / Red Star Air War Over the Eastern Front: Resurgence January–June 1942. Vol. II. Pacifica, California: Pacifica Military History. ISBN978-0-935553-51-2.
Bergström, Christer[in Swedish]; Dikov, Andrey; Antipov, Vlad; Sundin, Claes (2006). Black Cross / Red Star Air War Over the Eastern Front: Everything for Stalingrad. Vol. III. Hamilton MT: Eagle Editions. ISBN978-0-9761034-4-8.
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 (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims: S–Z. Vol. IV. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN978-1-906592-21-9.
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] (in German). Vol. II. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN978-3-931533-45-8.
Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Trophy for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN978-3-931533-08-3.
Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003a). 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 (2003b). 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. ISBN978-3-923457-70-0.
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. 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.
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.
Schreier, Hans (1990). JG 52 Das erfolgreichste Jagdgeschwader des 2. Weltkriegs [JG 52 The Most Successful Fighter Wing of World War II] (in German). Berg am See: K. Vowinckel. ISBN978-3-921655-66-5.
Stockert, Peter (2012) [1996]. Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1 [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945] (in German). Vol. I (4th ed.). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. ISBN978-3-9802222-7-3.
Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945: L–Z] (in German). Vol. II. Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN978-3-7648-2300-9.
Von Seemen, Gerhard (1976). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 : die Ritterkreuzträger sämtlicher Wehrmachtteile, Brillanten-, Schwerter- und Eichenlaubträger in der Reihenfolge der Verleihung : Anhang mit Verleihungsbestimmungen und weiteren Angaben [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 : The Knight's Cross Bearers of All the Armed Services, Diamonds, Swords and Oak Leaves Bearers in the Order of Presentation: Appendix with Further Information and Presentation Requirements] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Verlag. ISBN978-3-7909-0051-4.
Nazi Germany
Luftwaffe
