Otto Weßling

Otto Weßling
Otto Weßling
Born	23 September 1913; Bad Harzburg
Died	19 April 1944 (aged 30); Eschwege
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1937–44
Rank	Hauptmann of the Reserves
Unit	JG 3, EJGr Ost
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of France; Operation Barbarossa; Italian Campaign; Defense of the Reich †;
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Otto Weßling (23 September 1913 – 19 April 1944) was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II. 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. Otto Weßling claimed 83 victories, in 500 missions. He was shot down by a P-51 Mustang near Kassel on 19 April 1944. He managed to crash-land his damaged Messerschmitt Bf 109 and was killed by a strafing P-51.[1] On 20 July 1944 he was posthumously promoted to Hauptmann der Reserves and received the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross.

Early life and career

Wessling, the son of a laborer in a quarry, was born on 23 September 1913 in Bad Harzburg in the Duchy of Brunswick of the German Empire. Following graduation from school, he received a vocational education as a merchant. Trained as a pilot with the German Air Sports Association (Deutscher Luftsportverband), he joined the Luftwaffe in 1937, serving in the military reserve.[2]

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland. Wessling was posted to the 9. Staffel (9th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) in March 1940.[3] At the time, 9. Staffel, headed by Oberleutnant Heinz Kupka was subordinated to III. Gruppe (3rd group) of JG 3 under the leadership of Hauptmann Walter Kienitz.[4] The Gruppe had been newly created on 1 March at the airfield in Jena-Rödingen as part of the Luftwaffe expansion plan of 11 October 1939. Wessling was one of 28 pilots assigned to the Gruppe which was equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-1 and E-3. On 28 March, the Gruppe was ordered to Detmold Airfield where it stayed until 10 April, when it relocated to Hopsten Airfield in preparation for the Battle of France.[5]

On 23 July 1943, Wessling was severely wounded during a bombing attack on the airfield at Leverano in southern Italy.[6]

Squadron leader and death

On 10 February 1944, Leutnant Hermann Schmied, the commander of 11. Staffel of JG 3, was killed in action. In consequence, following his convalescence and return to active duty, Wessling was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 11. Staffel later that month.[7]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Weßling was credited with 83 aerial victories.[8] Spick also lists Weßling with 83 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number of combat missions.[9] Matthews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 80 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim. This figure includes 55 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 25 over the Western Allies, including 15 four-engined bombers.[10]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 35 Ost 39364". 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]

Chronicle of aerial victories
This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Bock, Matthews and Foreman.
– 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –[12] At the Channel and over England — 26 June 1940 – 9 June 1941
1	30 June 1940	15:45	Spitfire	west of Saint-Omer[13]	3	27 September 1940	15:45	Spitfire[14]
2	10 July 1940	14:33	Blenheim	20 km (12 mi) west of Arras[13]
According to Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock, the 4th aerial victory was not documented.[14] Matthews and Foreman do not list this claim.[12]
5	5 February 1941	14:00	Hurricane	west of Calais[14]	6?[Note 1]	21 May 1941	—	Blenheim	north of Saint-Pol[14]
– 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –[12] Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 4 October 1941
7	3 October 1941	15:55	I-17 (MiG-1)[15]		8	5 October 1941	14:35	Il-2[15]
– 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –[12] Eastern Front — 10 February – 14 April 1942
9	4 March 1942	10:30	I-61 (MiG-3)[16]		20	20 March 1942	09:35	I-61 (MiG-3)[17]
10	6 March 1942	11:40	I-61 (MiG-3)[16]		21	22 March 1942	16:56	Il-2[17]
11	7 March 1942	15:05	I-61 (MiG-3)[16]		22	22 March 1942	17:02	Il-2[17]
12	8 March 1942	16:20	I-61 (MiG-3)	20 km (12 mi) southeast of Staraya Russa[16]	23	28 March 1942	12:40	I-301 (LaGG-3)[17]
13	8 March 1942	16:20?[Note 2]	I-61 (MiG-3)	20 km (12 mi) southeast of Staraya Russa[16]	24	28 March 1942	12:50	I-301 (LaGG-3)[17]
14	15 March 1942	16:15	I-301 (LaGG-3)[17]		25	30 March 1942	11:40	I-61 (MiG-3)[18]
15	17 March 1942	10:35	I-301 (LaGG-3)[17]		26	31 March 1942	14:40	I-61 (MiG-3)[18]
16	17 March 1942	10:40	I-301 (LaGG-3)[17]		27	1 April 1942	17:00	Pe-2[18]
17	17 March 1942	15:40	I-301 (LaGG-3)[17]		28	1 April 1942	17:10	Pe-2[18]
18	19 March 1942	16:05	U-2[17]		29	4 April 1942	17:20	I-61 (MiG-3)[18]
19	20 March 1942	09:30	I-61 (MiG-3)[17]		30	5 April 1942	16:15	I-301 (LaGG-3)	1 km (0.62 mi) west of Borki[18]
– 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –[10] Eastern Front — June – July 1942
31	3 June 1942	17:40	MiG-1[19]		41	3 July 1942	10:05	MiG-1[20]
32	11 June 1942	05:25	Il-2[19]		42	5 July 1942	19:03	Yak-4[20]
33	13 June 1942	12:13	LaGG-3	20 km (12 mi) northeast of Kupiansk[19]	43	9 July 1942	05:06	MiG-1[20]
34	13 June 1942	12:17	MiG-1	20 km (12 mi) northwest of Kupiansk[19]	44	12 July 1942	10:55	U-2[20]
35	22 June 1942	06:45	MiG-1[19]		45	17 July 1942	05:15	R-5[20]
36	22 June 1942	12:55	MiG-1[19]		46	17 July 1942	05:40	MiG-1[20]
37	22 June 1942	13:00	MiG-1[19]		47	17 July 1942	05:50	MiG-1[20]
38	22 June 1942	13:10	MiG-1[19]		48	21 July 1942	08:35	MiG-1[21]
39	28 June 1942	03:35	MiG-1[22]		49	21 July 1942	08:56	Il-2[21]
40	29 June 1942	17:05	Il-2[22]		50	21 July 1942	09:01	Il-2	Stalino[21]
– 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –[23] Eastern Front — August 1942
51	8 August 1942	10:53	Su-2 (Seversky)	PQ 35 Ost 39364[24] 15 km (9.3 mi) south-southwest of Kalach	57	21 August 1942	11:05	MiG-1	PQ 35 Ost 30822[24] 50 km (31 mi) east-southeast of Kletskaya
52	12 August 1942	04:25	LaGG-3	PQ 35 Ost 3946[24]	58	21 August 1942	11:15	Pe-2	35 km (22 mi) northeast of Kalach[24] 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Pitomnik
53	12 August 1942	04:28	LaGG-3	PQ 35 Ost 4931, Karpovka[24]	59	26 August 1942	08:45	Yak-7	PQ 35 Ost 49241[24] 5–10 km (3.1–6.2 mi) northeast of Stalingrad
54	13 August 1942	17:50	LaGG-3	PQ 35 Ost 39423[24] 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Pitomnik	60	28 August 1942	05:15	MiG-1	PQ 35 Ost 49251, northeast of Stalingrad[25] 20 km (12 mi) east-northeast of Stalingrad
55	13 August 1942	17:55	LaGG-3?[Note 3]	PQ 35 Ost 49312[24] 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Bassargino	61	28 August 1942	05:17	I-180 (Yak-7)	PQ 35 Ost 49214, west of Pitschugi[25] 15 km (9.3 mi) northeast of Grebenka
56	16 August 1942	13:35	MiG-1	PQ 35 Ost 40772[24]	62?[Note 4]	31 August 1942	16:10	Il-2[25]
– 10. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –[23] Mediterranean theater — 1–23 July 1943
63	2 July 1943	11:12	B-24	30 km (19 mi) southeast of Lecce[26]	67	12 July 1943	17:10	Spitfire	10 km (6.2 mi) south of Catania[26]
64	2 July 1943	11:30	B-24	60 km (37 mi) southwest of San Cesario di Lecce[26]	68	16 July 1943	13:10	B-24	15 km (9.3 mi) north of Bari[26]
65	12 July 1943	08:15	Spitfire	5 km (3.1 mi) west of Syracuse[26]	69	16 July 1943	13:22	B-24	15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Palazzo[26]
66	12 July 1943	11:12	Spitfire	30 km (19 mi) south of Licata[26]	70	18 July 1943	13:55	P-38	PQ 14 Ost 70494[26]
– 11. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –[23] Defense of the Reich — February – 19 April 1944
71	23 March 1944	11:20	B-17[27]	3–5 km (1.9–3.1 mi) north of Hamm	78	11 April 1944	11:00	B-17[27]	south of Oebisfelde
72	23 March 1944	11:24	P-38[27]	5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of Ahlen	79	11 April 1944	11:04	B-17[27]	vicinity of Miesterhorst
73	29 March 1944	14:12	B-17[27]	Steinhuder Meer	80	11 April 1944	13:20	B-17[27]	Rostock
74	29 March 1944	14:18	P-51[27]	Syke-Bassum	81	13 April 1944	14:05	B-17[27]	southwest of Wertheim
75	8 April 1944	14:15	B-17[27]	northwest of Braunschweig	82	18 April 1944	14:35	B-17[28]	Nauen, west of Berlin
76	8 April 1944	14:20	B-24[27]	north of Braunschweig	83	18 April 1944	14:38	B-17[28]	Nauen, west of Berlin
77	9 April 1944	11:40	B-24[27]	north of Rügen

Awards

Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class (22 June 1940)[29]
- 1st Class (1 July 1940)[29]
Wound Badge (1939)
- in Black
German Cross in Gold on 11 May 1942 as Oberfeldwebel in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 3[30]
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 3 September 1942 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"[31][Note 5]
- 530th Oak Leaves on 20 July 1944 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 11./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"[32][33]

Notes

This unconfirmed claim is not listed by Matthews and Foreman.[12]
According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 16:23.[12]
According to Matthews and Foreman claimed as a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1.[23]
According to Matthews and Foreman this claim in unconfirmed.[23]
According to Scherzer on 4 September 1942 as pilot in the 1./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet".[32]

References

Citations

Weal 2012, p. 71.
Stockert 2012, p. 108.
Obermaier 1989, p. 68.
Prien et al. 2001, p. 124.
Prien et al. 2001, p. 123.
Prien 1996, pp. 12–14, 333.
Prien 1996, pp. 59, 331.
Zabecki 2014, p. 1614.
Spick 1996, p. 235.
Matthews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1407–1408.
Planquadrat.
Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 1407.
Prien et al. 2002, p. 244.
Prien et al. 2002, p. 247.
Prien et al. 2003, p. 148.
Prien et al. 2005, p. 34.
Prien et al. 2005, p. 35.
Prien et al. 2005, p. 36.
Prien et al. 2006, p. 97.
Prien et al. 2006, p. 99.
Prien et al. 2006, p. 100.
Prien et al. 2006, p. 98.
Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 1408.
Prien et al. 2006, p. 102.
Prien et al. 2006, p. 103.
Prien et al. 2010, p. 136.
Prien 1996, p. 355.
Prien 1996, p. 356.
Thomas 1998, p. 440.
Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 509.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 444.
Scherzer 2007, p. 781.
Fellgiebel 2000, p. 85.

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