Wolf-Udo Ettel

Infobox Military Person
name=Wolf-Udo Ettel
born=birth date|1921|2|26|df=y
died=death date and age|1943|7|17|1921|2|26|df=y
placeofbirth=Hamburg
placeofdeath=Catania, Sicily


caption=
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
branch=Luftwaffe
serviceyears=1939-1943
rank=Oberleutnant
commands=8./JG 27
unit= JG 3, JG 27
battles=World War II
awards=Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves (posthumous)
laterwork=

Wolf-Udo Ettel (26 February 1921 – 17 July 1943) was a German World War II Luftwaffe 124 victories Flying ace and a posthumous recipient of the coveted Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.

Leutnant Ettel was posted to 4 staffel, Jagdgeschwader 3 on the Eastern front in early 1942. On 24 June, he claimed his first two victories when he shot down two Il-2 Sturmovik aircraft. He was shot down near Voronezh on 10 July, while destroying a Russian-flown Douglas Boston bomber. He baled out of his stricken Bf 109 F-4 “White 1” behind Russian lines, swam across the River Don to return to his unit four days later. He recorded his 20th victory on 9 August and his 30th by 7 October.

4./JG 3 was relocated to the Kuban bridgehead in February 1943, and during the months of intesive operations Ettel claimed some 28 Russian aircraft shot down in March and 36 more in April, including five shot down on 11 April. He claimed his 120th victory on 11 May but was shot down by flak and belly-landed his Bf 109 G–4 between the front lines, returning to German lines despite Russian rifle fire. That same night Ettel led a Wehrmacht patrol to his damaged aircraft to salvage important equipment.

Ettel was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 1 June. On 5 June 1943, Ettel was posted as "Staffelkapitän" to 8./JG 27 based in Greece. He shot down a RAF Spitfire over Sicily on 14 July. On 16 July, he shot down two USAAF B-24 bombers and another Spitfire.

Ettel was shot down and killed in action on 17 July 1943, flying a ground support mission attacking British Anti Aircraft artillery position south east of Lentini.Ettel was posthumously awarded the Eichenlaub (Nr 289) on 31 August.

Wolf Ettel was credited with 124 victories in over 250 missions. Of his 120 victories over the Eastern front 21 were Il-2 Sturmovik ground-attack aircraft. He recorded 4 victories over Sicily including 2 USAAF four-engine bombers.

Awards

* Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold (23 October 1942)
* German Cross in Gold (23 December 1942)
* Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class
* Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
** Knight's Cross (1 June 1943)
** 289. Oak Leaves (31 August 1943)

References

* Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. "Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945". Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.