Adolf Borchers

Infobox Military Person
name=Adolf Borchers
born=birth date|1913|2|10|df=y
died=dda|1996|2|9|1913|2|10|df=y
placeofbirth=Wendhausen near Lüneburg
placeofdeath=


caption=Adolf Borchers
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
serviceyears=
rank=Major
branch=Condor Legion
Luftwaffe
commands= 11./JG 51, I./JG 52, III./JG 52
unit=JG 51, JG 52
battles=Spanish Civil War
World War II
*Invasion of Poland
*Battle of France
*Battle of Britain
awards="Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross"
relations=Walter Borchers
Hermann Borchers
laterwork=Ski school

Adolf Borchers (10 February 1913 – 9 February 1996) was a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron CrossFellgiebel] during World War II. His brother, Major Walter Borchers received the Knight's Cross on 29 October 1944 as "Gruppenkommandeur" of III./NJG 5. A second brother, SS-Hauptsturmführer Hermann Borchers received the Knight's Cross on 16 October 1944 as commander of the I. Bataillon of the SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 19.

Biography

He was born in Wendhausen near Lüneburg. He joined the Condor Legion in the fall of 1938 and participated as a Unteroffizier in the Spanish Civil War. After the Spanish Civil War he was transferred to 2./JG 77 which later became 11./JG 51. In this unit he fought in the Invasion of Poland, Battle of France and Battle of Britain, claiming 5 kills in the west. During Operation Barbarossa he accumulated further victories and by the end of 1941 his score had increased to 23 aerial victories. After being promoted to an Officers rank he was made Staffelkapitän of 11./JG 51 on 8 October 1942. By the end of 1942 his score stood at 38 aerial victories.

In 1943 Borchers married the famed skier Christl Cranz.

For 78 aerial victories he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. On June 11 1944 he was put in charge of I./JG 52. He claimed his 100 aerial victory on 24 July 1944. His 118th victory claimed on September 2 1944 is also noted for claiming JG 52 10,000th kill [Weal 2004, p. 117] . Gruppenkommandeur Borchers was transferred to III./JG 52 on 1 February 1945. Together with his fellow comrades he surrendered to US force only to be turned over to Soviet forces.

Borchers was officially credited with shooting down 132 enemy aircraft in more than 800 combat missions, the majority were claimed on the Eastern front and five were claimed in the Battle of France and Battle of Britain together [Spick 1996, p. 230] .

After World War II he and his wife, Christl Cranz, found a Ski school which she led until 1987.

Awards

* Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (13 October 1941)
* German Cross in Gold (15 October 1942)
* Iron Cross 2. and 1. class
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (22 November 1943)

References

* 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.
* Spick, Mike. "Luftwaffe Fighter Aces". Ivy Books, 1996. ISBN 0-8041-1696-2.
* Weal, John. Aviation Elite Units "Jagdgeschwader 52 The Experten". Osprey Publishing Limited, 2004. ISBN 1-84176-786-7.