Gerhard Kollewe

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Gerhard Kollewe
Gerhard Kollewe.jpg
Born 3 March 1912
Deutsch-Kruschin, Province of Posen, German Empire
Died 17 October 1942 (1942-10-18) (aged 30)
over the Mediterranean Sea
Allegiance  Weimar Republic (to 1933)
 Nazi Germany
Service/branch Luftwaffe
Years of service 1931–42
Rank Major
Commands held II.(Kampf)/LG 1
Battles/wars Spanish Civil War
World War II
Awards Spanish Cross in Silver with Swords
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Gerhard Kollewe (3 March 1912 – 17 October 1942) was a German World War II Luftwaffe bomber pilot and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Career

Gerhard Kollewe joined the military service of the Reichswehr, serving in the 7th Infantry Regiment, after graduating from Gymnasium (secondary school) in 1931. In the summer of 1935 he transferred to the newly established Luftwaffe.

In 1939 Kollewe was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of the 4.(Sturz)/186 (T), a diver bomber squadron designated for future operation on the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin. At the outbreak of World War II during the invasion of Poland he flew against targets in Poland and on 3 September 1939 participated in the sinking of the Polish destroyer OPR Wicher and minelayer ORP Gryf in the port of Gdynia.[1]

Following the Battle of Crete, Kollewe was involved in the damage inflicted on HMS Isis and HMS Ilex on 15 June 1941. This achievement earned him a reference on 16 June 1941 in the Wehrmachtbericht (armed forces report), an information bulletin issued by the headquarters of the Wehrmacht. To be singled out individually in this way was an honour and was entered in the Orders and Decorations' section of a soldier's Service Record Book.

Kollewe was killed in action 17 October 1942 on a mission against Malta. British fighter pilots Sergeant Tiddy and P/O Giddings of the No. 126 Squadron RAF and No. 249 Squadron RAF claimed this aerial victory. Of his Junkers Ju 88 crew A-4, L1+YC (Werknummer 141 033—factory number) his observer Feldwebel Bernhard Mähler was also killed in action. His radio operator Oberfeldwebel Martin Assum and aerial gunner Feldwebel Paul Ballof were taken prisoner of war.

Awards

Wehrmachtbericht reference

Date Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording Direct English translation
Monday, 16 June 1941 Im östlichen Mittelmeer bekämpften deutsche Kampfflugzeuge unter Führung des Hauptmanns Kollewe mit besonderem Erfolg einen Verband britischer Kriegsschiffe. Sie versenkten einen Leichten Kreuzer durch vier Bombenvolltreffer schweren Kalibers und beschädigten einen schweren Kreuzer.[8] In the eastern Mediterranean, German bombers fought under the command of Captain Kollewe particularly successful with a task force of British warships. They sank a light cruiser with four bomb hits of heavy caliber and damaged a heavy cruiser.

Notes

  1. According to Thomas on 10 September 1939.[4]

References

Citations

  1. Kaiser 2010, p. 47.
  2. Schumann 2007, p. 122.
  3. Kaiser 2010, p. 46.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Thomas 1997, p. 395.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Scherzer 2007, p. 464.
  6. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 268.
  7. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 60.
  8. Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, p. 578.

Bibliography

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  • Taghon, Peter (2004). Die Geschichte des Lehrgeschwaders 1—Band 1—1936 – 1942 (in German). Zweibrücken, Germany: VDM Heinz Nickel. ISBN 3-925480-85-4.
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  • Weal, John (2009). Junkers Ju 88 Kampfgeschwader in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-318-6.
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External links

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