Klaus Mietusch

On 22 January 1941, 7. Staffel received orders to relocate to Sicily in support of X. Fliegerkorps, under the command of General der Flieger (General of the Flyers) Hans Geisler, for actions against the strategically important island of Malta. With the opening of a new front in North Africa in mid-1940, British air and sea forces based on the island could attack Axis ships transporting vital supplies and reinforcements from Europe to North Africa. To counter this threat the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) were tasked with bombing raids in an effort to neutralise the RAF defences and the ports. That day the unit and a 40-strong detachment of ground crews departed Wevelgem. Following a brief stopover in Rome, 7. Staffel arrived in Gela on Sicily on 9 February 1941. There, the unit received factory new Bf 109 E-7 aircraft.[11]

7./JG 26 nicknamed "Red Hearts".[12]

Mietusch claimed his first victory in the Siege of Malta on 26 February over a No. 261 Squadron Hurricane 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Malta.[13] He became a fighter ace on 22 March, taking his total to five aerial victories. In combat north of Malta, Mietusch had shot down two No. 261 Squadron Hurricanes.[14] On 5 April, 7. Staffel moved to Grottaglie airfield near Taranto in Apulia to support the Invasion of Yugoslavia by the Wehrmacht. On the first day of the campaign, Mietusch claimed a Yugoslav Hawker Fury, which in fact was an Avia BH-33, in combat northeast of Podgorica.[15] On 8 April, 7. Staffel returned to Gela and resumed operations over Malta.[16] On 13 April, Mietusch was credited with shooting down two Hurricanes from No. 261 Squadron, one of which was piloted by Flight Officer Ernest "Imshi" Mason who was wounded in the encounter.[12]

On 18 June, 7. Staffel flew together with I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) and intercepted Hurricane fighters belonging to No. 1 Squadron of the South African Air Force (SAAF) covering the British retreat after Operation Battleaxe. In this encounter, No. 1 Squadron lost three Hurricanes, two were claimed by JG 27 and a third was shot down by Mietusch in combat southeast of Sidi Omar.[17] On 21 August, twelve Martin Maryland bombers from the SAAF No. 12 and No. 24 Squadron attacked the Luftwaffe airfields at Kambut. The bombers were escorted by RAF Hurricane fighters from No. 229 Squadron. Bf 109s from JG 27 and 7. Staffel of JG 26 intercepted the flight, some attacking the bombers while others engaged the escort fighters. Mietusch claimed the probable destruction of a Maryland bomber which was not confirmed. This was his last claim on the North African Theater.[18] 7. Staffel was then withdrawn from North Africa and returned France. During its six-month tenure in the Mediterranean Theater, 7. Staffel claimed 52 aerial victories without losing a single pilot nor aircraft in combat.[19]

7. Staffel was reunited with III. Gruppe of JG 26 at Ligescourt. The Gruppe had just been equipped with the Bf 109 F-4. Mietusch, who had been on vacation before rejoining his unit, flew his next combat mission on 16 September.[20] On 18 September, the RAF flew "Circus" No. 99 targeting the Rouen. Defending against this "Circus", Mietusch shot down a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) No. 452 Squadron Spitfire fighter.[21]

Mietusch was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 7. Staffel on 19 September 1941. He succeeded Hauptmann Joachim Müncheberg in this command position. Müncheberg had led the Staffel since 22 August 1940 and had been given command of II. Gruppe after its former commander, Hauptmann Walter Adolph was killed in action.[22] On 20 September, 7. Staffel began conversion training to the then new Focke Wulf Fw 190 fighter aircraft at their airfield in Ligescourt.[23] Full transition from the Bf 109 F-4 to the Fw 190 was not completed until mid-November.[24]

The RAF ordered "Circus" No. 102 to their targets at Béthune and Gosnay on 21 September. The "Circus", consisting of twelve Bristol Blenheim bombers and escorted by fourteen squadrons of Hurricanes and Spitfires, was intercepted by Luftwaffe fighters from Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing) and JG 26. Mietusch was credited with the destruction of his 12th and 13th aerial victory that day. He shot down two Spitfire fighters from either the New Zealand No. 485 (NZ) Squadron or No. 602 Squadron. The first Spitfire was claimed at 16:23 near Berck-sur-Mer while the second Spitfire was shot down at 16:30 20 km (12 mi) northwest of the Baie de Somme.[25] Following combat with a Spitfire near Boulogne-sur-Mer on 13 October, Mietusch made an emergency landing in his Bf 109 F-4 (Werknummer 7220) at Saint-Omer.[26] Command of III. Gruppe was passed on from Hauptmann Gerhard Schöpfel to Hauptmann Josef Priller on 6 December.[27] Two days later, Mietusch claimed a Spitfire fighter in combat near Berck-sur-Mer but lost his wingman, Leutnant Walter Thorn who was shot down and killed by two Spitfires from No. 603 Squadron south of Montreuil.[28]

On 14 April 1942, Mietusch flew Fw 190 A-2 (Werknummer 5215) in combat. His aircraft sustained minor damage, resulting in an emergency landing at Wevelgem.[29] At the time, Mietusch dated Lieselotte Hays, a Luftwaffenhelferin (female air force helper).[30] During the Dieppe Raid on 19 August, Mietusch claimed two aerial victories in the vicinity of Dieppe. He shot down two Spitfires at 10:34 and 10:35 from either No. 19 Squadron or No. 121 (Eagle) Squadron.[31] Mietusch claimed his first two aerial victories over the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) on 9 October though neither claim was confirmed by the Luftwaffe. The VIII Bomber Command flew a mission to Lille, targeting the locomotive works and steel factory. That day, Mietusch attacked a Short Stirling bomber which in fact was a misidentified Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber from the 301st Bombardment Group which made it back to England. He attacked another B-17 bomber from the 301st Bombardment Group which later made a forced landing in the English Channel.[32][33] Credited with 23 aerial victories, Mietusch was presented the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 16 October 1942.[34]

In January 1943, the Luftwaffe planned to move JG 26 to the Eastern Front. The idea was to exchange JG 26 with Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) which supported Army Group North.[35] In order to keep up operations, the exchange was planned by rotating each Gruppe by Gruppe and every Staffel by Staffel. In this context, Mietusch's 7. Staffel was attached to I. Gruppe of JG 54 which was commanded by Hauptmann Hans Philipp and was based outside of Leningrad.[36] On 17 February, 7. Staffel left Courtrai, heading east by train. Following a stop at Heiligenbeil, the unit was based at the airbase at Krasnogvardeysk, present day Gatschina, which is located approximately 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Leningrad.[37][38] At Heiligenbeil, 7. Staffel received 13 new Fw 190 A-4 and A-5 fighters. The combat area of I. Gruppe of JG 54 was predominantly over the front of 18th Army, on the left flank of Army Group North, and on the Volkhov River.[35]

In early May, 7. Staffel moved to an airfield at Siverskaya. Mietusch claimed his first aerial victories on the Eastern Front on 21 May. The Staffel was scrambled at 05:25 and ordered to intercept a flight of Petlyakov Pe-2 bombers, escorted by Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighters, on a mission to bomb a railway bridge at Narva. 7. Staffel claimed five aerial victories on this mission, two Pe-2 bombers and three LaGG-3 fighters shot down, including a Pe-2 and two LaGG-3s by Mietusch.[39]

On 13 June on the Western Front, the Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of III. Gruppe, Hauptmann Kurt Ruppert was killed in action. Command of the Gruppe was temporarily given to Hauptmann Rolf Hermichen.[40] On 29 June, Geschwaderkommodore Priller informed Mietusch that he had been chosen as new commander of III. Gruppe. Mietusch passed command of 7. Staffel to Hauptmann Günther Kelch and returned to Germany.[41]

On 5 July, Mietusch arrived at Cuxhaven-Nordholz Airfield where III. Gruppe was based and took over command from Hermichen.[42] In July, the Gruppe received the Bf 109 G-4 and G-6 variants and the pilots began familiarizing themselves with this aircraft type while flying in Defense of the Reich.[43] On the night of 24/25 July, the RAF and USAAF launched Operation Gomorrah, the attack on Hamburg during the last week of July 1943. The RAF initiated the attack at night which created a firestorm in the city. The following day, the USAAF attacked Hamburg with 100 B-17 bombers, spreading the destruction. Further 118 B-17 bombers bombed Kiel that day. Defending against these attacks, Mietusch claimed his first aerial victory as Gruppenkommandeur when he shot down a B-17 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Hamburg.[44] The USAAF targeted the German aircraft industry on 17 August in the Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission. Mietusch led his Gruppe against the bombers and shot down two B-17 bombers, the first southeast of Schleiden in the Eifel hills, and the second south of Laacher See.[45][46] On 29 November, VIII Bomber Command attacked Bremen. III. Gruppe intercepted the bombers prior to their bomb run and Mietusch shot a B-17 from its combat box west of Oldenburg. This was referred to as a Herausschuss (separation shot) and denoted a severely damaged heavy bomber which was forced to separate from its combat box and was counted as an aerial victory.[47]

Combat box of a 12-plane B-17 squadron. Three such boxes completed a 36-plane group box.

1. Lead Element
2. High Element
3. Low Element
4. Low Low Element

On 8 March 1944, Mietusch claimed his 60th aerial victory. That day, the Eighth Air Force, formerly known as VIII Bomber Command, targeted the ball bearings works at Erkner near Berlin. Mietusch led his III. Gruppe in the attack which intercepted the bombers on their target approach between Steinhuder Meer and Braunschweig. Due to the defending escort fighters, Mietusch attacked the bombers from the rear with only a few of his Bf 109 fighters. He was credited with a Herausschuss of a B-17 bomber from the 381st Bombardment Group south of Braunschweig before coming under attack by P-47 fighter from the 352nd Fighter Group. His Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 162032) was hit at close range, forcing him to bail out. Although injured, he landed safely near Steinhuder Meer.[48] His victor may have been Captain Virgil Meroney who claimed his eighth aerial victory that day.[49] Mietusch, who was hospitalized for next weeks, was awarded the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 26 March for 60 aerial victories claimed.[50]

On 12 April, Mietusch was injured in a landing accident and was again hospitalized, this time for three weeks. His Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 162345) ran into a bomb crater during landing at the Étain-Rouvres Airfield.[51] On 1 May, he was promoted to Major (major).[3] On 12 May, the USAAF flew a mission against the German fuel industry, 886 bombers, escorted by 735 fighters, attacked six oil refineries. Mietusch intercepted the bombers on their return to England and claimed a Herausschuss of a B-17 bomber from the 452d Bombardment Group near Bastogne.[52]

After the Allies launched Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy on 6 June, Luftflotte Reich sent additional units to the invasion front. By 8 June, Jagdgeschwader 1, Jagdgeschwader 3, Jagdgeschwader 11 and III. Gruppe of JG 54 had arrived in France and were subordinated to Fliegerkorps II. III. Gruppe of JG 26 was based at Villacoublay Airfield and flew missions to Le Havre that day.[53] In the early morning hours, Mietusch claimed the destruction of two Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters from the USAAF 371st Fighter Group. The P-47s had been attacking ground targets east of Le Havre.[54] On 17 July, Mietusch shot down a No. 602 Squadron Spitfire southwest of Caen. Shortly after, he ignored the warning of his wingman Unteroffizier Heinz Gehrke and was shot down in his Bf 109 G-6/U4 (Werknummer 440640) near Argentan-Alençon by another Spitfire from the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) No. 411 Squadron. Mietusch bailed out and was wounded, returning to his unit the next day.[55]

Grave in Düsseldorf

Mietusch was killed in action on 17 September 1944 during the first day of Operation Market Garden, the operation to secure a bridgehead over the River Rhine. In an attempt to defend against Allied airborne landings in the Netherlands, Mietusch led a flight of 15 Bf 109s to the Allied landing zones.[56] Near the German border to the Netherlands, Mietusch flight intercepted a squadron of North American P-51 Mustang fighters. In the resulting aerial combat, Mietusch shot down one of the P-51 fighters north of Mönchengladbach before he came under attack by another P-51, piloted by Lieutenant William Beyer from the 376th Fighter Squadron, assigned to the 361st Fighter Group.[57] Mietusch was shot down in his Bf 109 G-6/U4 (Werknummer 441646) by Beyer, crashing near Aldekerk.[58]

Posthumously, Mietusch was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 18 November 1944.[59] He was the 653rd member of the German armed forces to be so honored. Mietusch was buried in the honor section of the Düsseldorf Northern Cemetery (Field 112-Section 0-Grave 117).[3] Caldwell characterized Mietusch as a very nervous man with limited social skills. According to Caldwell's account, Mietusch never interacted with non-commissioned officers, overcoming his lack of self-confidence by an act of will.[60]

According to Heaton, Lewis, Olds and Schulze, Mietusch was credited with 76 aerial victories.[61] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 72 aerial victory claims, plus six further unconfirmed claims. This figure includes 15 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 57 over the Western Allies, including 13 four-engined bombers.[62]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 26 Ost 80364". 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.[63]

• Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (26 April 1941)[126]
• German Cross in Gold on 15 October 1942 as Oberleutnant in the 7./Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"[127][Note 23]
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for Fighter Pilots in Gold with Pennant "400" (10 July 1944)[128]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 26 March 1944 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"[129][130]
  • 653rd Oak Leaves on 18 November 1944 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter"[129][131]