Alwin Boerst

Infobox Military Person
name=Alwin Boerst
lived=birth date|1910|10|20|df=y — death date and age|1944|3|30|1910|10|20|df=y


placeofbirth=Osterode
placeofdeath=near Iaşi
allegiance=flagicon|Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
branch=Heer (1934-1937)
Luftwaffe (1937-1944)
serviceyears=1934-1944
rank=Major
commands=
unit=StG 2
battles=World War II
*Battle of Crete
*Operation Barbarossa
awards=Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (posthumous)
laterwork=

Major Alwin Boerst (born 20 October, 1910 in Osterode – Killed in action 30 March, 1944 near Iaşi) was a German World War II Luftwaffe Stuka ace [For a list of Luftwaffe ground attack aces see "List of German World War II Ground Attack aces"] .

Boerst participated in the Battle of Crete and assisted in the sinking of HMS Kelly and HMS Kashmir [Berger 2006, p. 39] .

Together with his radio operator and gunner, Ernst Filius, he took off on March 30 1944 for the first time flying a Ju 87 G-1 "tank buster". They were shot down and killed during this mission north of Iaşi by ground fire. Oberfeldwebel Filius was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on May 19 1944. Boerst was posthumous honoured with the Swords to his Knight's Cross on April 6 1944 [Brütting 1992, p. 103] .

Awards

* Verwundetenabzeichen in Black
* Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant "1.000"
* Combined Pilots-Observation Badge
* "Kreta" Cuffband
* German Cross in Gold (5 June 1942)
* Iron Cross
** 2. class (1939)
** 1. class (1940)
* Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe
* Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
** Knight's Cross (5 October 1941)
** 149. Oak Leaves (28 November 1942)
** 61. Swords (6 April 1944 posthumous)

References

*cite web|title=Lexikon der Wehrmacht|work=Alwin Boerst|url=http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/B/BoerstA.htm|accessdate=10 July|accessyear=2007
* Berger, Florian, "Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges". Selbstverlag Florian Berger, 2006. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5.
* Brütting, Georg. "Das waren die deutschen Stuka-Asse 1939 - 1945". Motorbuch, Stuttgart, 1995. ISBN 3-87943-433-6.
* Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. "Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945". Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
* Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit. "Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II". Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 2001. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.