Dietrich Hrabak

Dietrich Hrabak
Dietrich Hrabak
Nickname	"Dieter"
Born	19 December 1914(1914-12-19) Groß-Deuben, Saxony
Died	15 September 1995(1995-09-15) (aged 80) Pfaffenhofen[disambiguation needed ]
Allegiance	Nazi Germany (to 1945) West Germany
Service/branch	Kriegsmarine (1934–1935) Luftwaffe(1935–1945), (1955–1970)
Years of service	1934–1945, 1955–1970
Rank	Oberst (World War II) Generalmajor (Bundeswehr)
Unit	JG 138, JG 76, JG 54 , JG 52
Commands held	II./JG 54, JG 54, JG 52
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland (1939) Battle of Britain Operation Barbarossa
Awards	Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
Other work	Bundeswehr

Dietrich "Dieter" Hrabak (born 19 December 1914 in Groß-Deuben, now a part of Böhlen, Saxony, died 15 September 1995 in Pfaffenhofen^{[disambiguation needed ]}) was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1935 until the end of World War II on 8 May 1945 and again in the Bundeswehr from 1955 until his retirement on 30 September 1970. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.^[1] During World War II he shot down 125 enemy aircraft achieved in over 1000 combat missions. 109 of his victories were claimed over the Eastern front, with 16 against the Western Allies.

Military career

Hrabak showed an interest in aviation from an early age, but joined the German navy in 1934. Two years later he transferred to the Luftwaffe, and qualified as a pilot. In 1938 Hrabak was posted to the Vienna Jagdgruppe, I./JG 138. This unit was later redesignated I./JG 76 during the Polish Campaign, before becoming II./JG 54 in April 1940.

During the Polish Campaign, Hrabak was shot down (the first of 11 times) on his first mission, making a belly landing. On 13 May 1940, he claimed his first victory, a French Potez 63 and he claimed five more victories before the armistice. During the Battle of Britain, Hrabak was a member of JG 54, becoming Gruppenkommandeur II./JG 54 on 26 August 1940. During the Battle of Britain he added ten victories against Royal Air Force (RAF) fighters and Field Marshal Hermann Göring personally decorated Hrabak with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes).

Hrabak served in the Balkans campaign and when Operation Barbarosa began in Russia, he flew on the northern front and over Leningrad. In November 1942, he left JG 54 to become Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing). Under Hrabak JG 52 became the highest scoring Geschwader with over 10,000 victories. In August 1943 he got his 100th victory and in November was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross, the 337th soldier to be thus awarded. He had 118 victories. On 20 September 1944, Hrabak scored the last of his 125 victories.

In October 1944 Hrabak returned to JG 54, serving as its last Geschwaderkommodore until the end of the war. His greatest contribution to the Luftwaffe was not his combat record however but his command, tactical and leadership qualities, which endeared him to the men under his command and sealed his reputation within the Luftwaffe leadership.

After the war, he worked in the automotive and chemical industry until 1953 when Chancellor Konrad Adenauer asked him to help form the new German Air Force. In 1956 he commanded the Advanced Pilot Training Center at Fürstenfeldbruck. In 1962 he took charge of the air defense covering northern Germany and the Netherlands. In 1964 he was named NATO's Chief of Air Defense/Central Europe until becoming special manager for the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter programme. As a major general, he commanded the GAF's tactical command. General Hrabak died peacefully 15 September 1995 in Pfaffenhofen.

Quotes

Dietrich Hrabak was famous for saying: "If you return from a mission with a victory, but without your Rottenflieger [Wingman], you have lost your battle."

Awards

• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (28 September 1940)^[2]
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for fighter pilots in Gold with pennant
• German Cross in Gold on 10 July 1944 as Oberstleutnant in JG 52^[3]
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd class (15 September 1939)
  • 1st class (28 May 1940)
• Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 21 October 1940 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the II./JG 54^[4]
  • 337th Oak Leaves on 25 November 1943 as Oberstleutnant and Geschwaderkommodore of JG 52^[5]
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 3 September 1944

Reference in the Wehrmachtbericht

Date	Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording	Direct English translation
3 September 1944 (addendum)	Das auf allen Kriegsschauplätzen bewährte Jagdgeschwader 52 erzielte unter Führung seine Kommodore, Eichenlaubträger Oberstleutnant Hrabak, seinen 10 000 Luftsieg.[6]	The on all theatres of war well proven 52nd Fighter Wing under the leadership of its Wing Commander, Oak Leaves bearer Oberstleutnant Hrabak, achieved its 10 000th aerial victory.

References

Citations

1. ^ Spick 1996, pp. 3–4.
2. ^ Obermaier 1989, p. 59.
3. ^ Patzwall and Scherzer 2001, p. 200.
4. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 236.
5. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 75.
6. ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, p. 231.

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
• Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 - 1945 (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 3-87341-065-6.
• Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
• Schaulen, Fritjof (2003). Eichenlaubträger 1940 - 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe I Abraham - Huppertz (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 3-932381-20-3.
• 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 (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 0-8041-1696-2.
• Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 (in German). München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.

External links

Military of Germany portal

• "The Men of JG 54". Dietrich Hrabak. http://www.jg54greenhearts.com/Hrabak.htm. Retrieved 25 March 2007. 
• "World War 2 Awards". Dietrich Hrabak. http://www.ww2awards.com/person/29791. Retrieved 21 August 2010. 

Military offices
Preceded by Major Herbert Ihlefeld	Commander of Jagdgeschwader 52 November 1, 1942 – September 30, 1944	Succeeded by Oberstleutnant Hermann Graf
Preceded by Oberstleutnant Anton Mader	Commander of Jagdgeschwader 54 Grünherz October 1, 1944 – May 8, 1945	Succeeded by none

Persondata
Name	Hrabak, Dietrich
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	19 December 1914
Place of birth	Groß-Deuben, Saxony
Date of death	15 September 1995
Place of death	Pfaffenhofen[disambiguation needed ]