Jürgen Brocke

Jürgen Brocke
Jürgen Brocke
Born4 February 1922
Bad Harzburg
Died15 September 1942(1942-09-15) (aged 20)
Voronezh, Russia
Cause of deathKilled in action
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service / branch Luftwaffe
Years of service1939–1942
RankLeutnant (second lieutenant)
UnitJG 77
Battles / warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Jürgen Brocke (4 February 1922 – 15 September 1942) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Brocke claimed 42 victories in 150 missions. He was shot down on 15 September 1942 and was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross on 9 December 1942.

Career

Brocke was born on 4 February 1922 in Bad Harzburg in the Free State of Brunswick with the Weimar Republic. Following the outbreak of World War II in Europe on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland, Brocke joined the Army of the Wehrmacht, initially serving in the artillery.[1] In 1940, he transferred to the Luftwaffe. Following flight training,[Note 1] Brocke was posted to the 4. Staffel (4th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing) in early 1942.[3] The Staffel was commanded by Oberleutnant Heinrich Setz and subordinated to II. Gruppe of JG 77 headed by Hauptmann Anton Mader.[4] At the time, the Gruppe was stationed at Vienna-Aspern for a period of rest re-equipment with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F series.[5]

Eastern Front

On 11 March 1942, II. Gruppe began relocating back to the Eastern Front, at first to Proskuriv where it stayed for a few days,[6] and then to Sarabuz on the Crimea, arriving on 17 March 1942.[7]

On 5 July 1942, II. Gruppe moved to an airfield Kastornoje, approximately 75 kilometers (47 miles) west of Voronezh, where it fought in the Battle of Voronezh.[8]

On 15 September 1942, Brocke was shot down and killed in action by anti-aircraft artillery in his Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 7623—factory number) southwest of Devitsa, located approximately 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) west of Voronezh.[9] Posthumously, Brocke was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 9 December 1942.[10]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Brocke was credited with 42 aerial victories claimed in approximately 150 combat mission on the Eastern Front.[1] Spick also lists him with 42 aerial victories and a mission-to-claim ratio of 3.57.[11] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 39 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed over the Eastern Front.[12]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 82133". 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.[13]

Chronicle of aerial victories
  This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Bock, Mathews and Foreman.
Claim Date Time Type Location Claim Date Time Type Location
– 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 77 –[14]
Eastern Front — 17 March – 30 April 1942
1 7 April 1942 11:00 I-16[15] Kerch 3 10 April 1942 10:20 I-153[16]
2 9 April 1942 15:50 I-153[16] 4 22 April 1942 16:55 I-153[16]
– 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 77 –[12]
Eastern Front — 1 May – 15 September 1942
5 13 May 1942 07:56 I-180 (Yak-7)[17] 24 6 August 1942 18:09 Boston PQ 82133[18]
60 km (37 mi) northwest of Voronezh
6 16 May 1942 09:40 Yak-1[19] 25 9 August 1942 18:54 LaGG-3 PQ 92184[18]
15 km (9.3 mi) north of Voronezh
7 21 May 1942 17:50 Yak-1 PQ 35383[19] 26 12 August 1942 14:48 LaGG-3 PQ 83674[20]
60 km (37 mi) south-southwest of Yelets
8 12 June 1942 12:03 LaGG-3[21] 27 13 August 1942 06:12 Yak-1 PQ 92163[20]
25 km (16 mi) northeast of Voronezh
9 14 June 1942 14:53 I-16[21] 28 13 August 1942 18:20 LaGG-3 PQ 93714[20]
50 km (31 mi) north of Voronezh
10 10 July 1942 03:45 Yak-1[22] 29 13 August 1942 18:22 LaGG-3 PQ 92112[20]
30 km (19 mi) north-northwest of Voronezh
11 11 July 1942 05:32 LaGG-3[23] 30?[Note 2] 14 August 1942 09:18 Pe-2[25]
12 14 July 1942 06:47 P-39[26] 31?[Note 2] 14 August 1942 09:28 Pe-2[25]
13 14 July 1942 19:33 DB-3[26] 32 17 August 1942 04:18 Boston PQ 92312[25]
vicinity of Devitsa
14 16 July 1942 13:15 LaGG-3[26] 33 5 September 1942 17:17 Il-2 PQ 82162[25]
55 km (34 mi) northwest of Voronezh
15 18 July 1942 18:36 Yak-1[27] 34 5 September 1942 17:22 LaGG-3 PQ 83851[25]
60 km (37 mi) north-northwest of Voronezh
16 21 July 1942 15:00 P-40[27] 35 5 September 1942 17:28 Il-2 PQ 83822[28]
50 km (31 mi) south-southeast of Yelets
17 24 July 1942 18:41 LaGG-3[29] 36 13 September 1942 10:18 Il-2 PQ 92731[28]
25 km (16 mi) north-northwest of Sloboda
18 26 July 1942 17:52 Pe-2[29] 37 13 September 1942 10:24 Hurricane PQ 92644
45 km (28 mi) north of Sloboda
19 26 July 1942 17:54 Pe-2[29] 38 15 September 1942 10:30 Il-2 PQ 92192[30]
vicinity of Devitsa
20 26 July 1942 18:02 Pe-2[31] 39 15 September 1942 10:39 Pe-2 PQ 92383[30]
vicinity of Devitsa
21 27 July 1942 11:39 LaGG-3[31] 40 15 September 1942 10:40 Pe-2 PQ 92384[30]
vicinity of Devitsa
22 28 July 1942 07:42 Il-2 PQ 83872[31]
60 km (37 mi) northwest of Voronezh 		41 15 September 1942 10:41 Pe-2 PQ 92512[30]
vicinity of Devitsa
23 28 July 1942 18:58 LaGG-3 PQ 93783[31]
50 km (31 mi) north of Voronezh

Awards

Notes

  1. ^ Flight training in the Luftwaffe progressed through the levels A1, A2 and B1, B2, referred to as A/B flight training. A training included theoretical and practical training in aerobatics, navigation, long-distance flights and dead-stick landings. The B courses included high-altitude flights, instrument flights, night landings and training to handle the aircraft in difficult situations. For pilots destined to fly multi-engine aircraft, the training was completed with the Luftwaffe Advanced Pilot's Certificate (Erweiterter Luftwaffen-Flugzeugführerschein), also known as the C-Certificate.[2]
  2. ^ a b This claim is not listed by Mathews and Foreman.[24]
  3. ^ According to Obermaier on 6 September 1942.[1]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Obermaier 1989, p. 95.
  2. ^ Bergström, Antipov & Sundin 2003, p. 17.
  3. ^ a b Dixon 2023, p. 292.
  4. ^ Prien et al. 2005, p. 298.
  5. ^ Prien 1993, p. 869.
  6. ^ Prien 1993, p. 930.
  7. ^ Prien 1993, p. 941.
  8. ^ Prien 1993, p. 1106.
  9. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 320.
  10. ^ Prien 1993, p. 1174.
  11. ^ Spick 1996, p. 249.
  12. ^ a b Mathews & Foreman 2014, pp. 159–160.
  13. ^ Planquadrat.
  14. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2014, p. 159.
  15. ^ Prien et al. 2005, p. 300.
  16. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2005, p. 301.
  17. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 297.
  18. ^ a b Prien et al. 2006, p. 309.
  19. ^ a b Prien et al. 2006, p. 299.
  20. ^ a b c d Prien et al. 2006, p. 310.
  21. ^ a b Prien et al. 2006, p. 301.
  22. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 303.
  23. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 304.
  24. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2014, p. 160.
  25. ^ a b c d e Prien et al. 2006, p. 311.
  26. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2006, p. 305.
  27. ^ a b Prien et al. 2006, p. 306.
  28. ^ a b Prien et al. 2006, p. 312.
  29. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2006, p. 307.
  30. ^ a b c d Prien et al. 2006, p. 313.
  31. ^ a b c d Prien et al. 2006, p. 308.
  32. ^ Patzwall 2008, p. 58.
  33. ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 61.
  34. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 124.
  35. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 245.

Bibliography

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  • Bergström, Christer [in Swedish]. "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  • Dixon, Jeremy (2023). Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe: Knight's Cross Holders 1939–1942. Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-52677-864-2.
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  • Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3.
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