Maximilian Volke

Maximilian Volke
Leutnant Ernst-Wilhelm Reinert (left) and Feldwebel Maximilian Volke standing next to Hans-Joachim Marseille's "Otto" Kübelwagen, April 1943[1]
Born(1915-05-23)23 May 1915
Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria
Died5 September 1944(1944-09-05) (aged 29)
Mirandola, Italy
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service / branchLuftwaffe
RankOberfeldwebel
UnitJG 77
Battles / warsWorld War II
AwardsGerman Cross in Gold

Maximilian Volke (Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, 23 May 1915 – Mirandola, Italy, 5 September 1944) was a Luftwaffe Oberfeldwebel (flight sergeant) and 36-victory fighter ace of the Jagdgeschwader 77.

Volke was a veteran of the campaigns in Russia and Africa. On 5 September 1944, he was shot down in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 441456—factory number) near Mirandola-Cividale.[2] Volke was 29 years and was decorated with the German Cross in Gold, received as Feldwebel in the II./JG 77 on 12 July 1943.[3]

Ofw. Volke's remains and parts of his aircraft were located and dug out of a farmer's field in Mirandola, just north of Modena by an Italian amateur war history research team (the Romagna Air Finders) in July 2007, nearly 63 years after he was shot down.[4][5]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 36 aerial victory claims. This figure includes 27 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and nine over the Western Allies, including three four-engine bomber.[6]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 83763". 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.[7]

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 –[8]
Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 5 December 1941
1 26 June 1941 14:25 SB-3[9]
– 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 77 –[8]
On the Eastern Front — 17 March – 30 April 1942
2 19 March 1942 12:45 DB-3[10] 3 23 April 1942 13:14 Pe-2[11]
– 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 77 –[6]
On the Eastern Front — 1 May – 7 November 1942
4 13 May 1942 15:24 LaGG-3[12] 16 6 August 1942 18:10 Douglas DB-7 (Boston) PQ 83763[13]
60 km (37 mi) south-southwest of Yelets
5 15 May 1942 15:00 Il-2[12] 17 7 August 1942 11:12 LaGG-3 PQ 92471[13]
25 km (16 mi) southeast of Voronezh
6 16 July 1942 18:02 Yak-1[14] 18 11 August 1942 11:37 LaGG-3 PQ 92364[13]
20 km (12 mi) east of Voronezh
7 17 July 1942 18:34 Il-2[15] 19 11 August 1942 11:38 LaGG-3 PQ 92353[13]
10 km (6.2 mi) east of Voronezh
8 19 July 1942 06:22 Pe-2[15] 20 12 August 1942 07:15 Douglas DB-7 (Boston) PQ 92424[13]
25 km (16 mi) east of Voronezh
9 19 July 1942 06:23 Pe-2[15] 21 12 August 1942 07:20 Pe-2 PQ 92324[13]
10 km (6.2 mi) north of Voronezh
10 19 July 1942 06:36 Il-2[15] 22 13 August 1942 10:50 Il-2 PQ 83811[16]
50 km (31 mi) south of Yelets
11 23 July 1942 04:06 Pe-2[15] 23 13 August 1942 18:14 LaGG-3 PQ 83871, Semljansk[16]
60 km (37 mi) northwest of Voronezh
12 25 July 1942?[Note 1] 05:06 Hurricane[18] 24 21 August 1942 11:06 Yak-1 PQ 92783[19]
20 km (12 mi) west-northwest of Sloboda
13 28 July 1942 07:40 Hurricane PQ 82231[20]
40 km (25 mi) north-northwest of Voronezh 		25 26 August 1942 05:55 Pe-2 PQ 82274[19]
45 km (28 mi) west-northwest of Voronezh
14 28 July 1942 15:15?[Note 2] Douglas DB-7 (Boston) PQ 92353[20]
10 km (6.2 mi) east of Voronezh 		26 13 September 1942 10:22 Hurricane PQ 92594[22]
30 km (19 mi) north-northwest of Sloboda
15 28 July 1942 15:20 Douglas DB-7 (Boston) PQ 92354, Voronezh[20]
10 km (6.2 mi) east of Voronezh 		27 13 September 1942 10:27 Yak-1 PQ 92653[22]
50 km (31 mi) north-northeast of Sloboda
– 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 77 –[17]
Mediterranean Theater, North Africa — 1 January – May 1943
28 7 March 1943 12:35 Spitfire 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Medenine[23] 31 12 March 1943 14:26 P-38 50 km (31 mi) northwest of Kairouan[23]
29 10 March 1943 16:37 P-40 PQ 03 Ost 94652, 60 km (37 mi) southwest of Gabès[23] 32 13 March 1943 17:52 P-39 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of La Fauconnerie[23]
30 10 March 1943 16:45 P-40 PQ 03 Ost 94663, 60 km (37 mi) southwest of Gabès[23]
60 km (37 mi) south-southwest of Gabès 		33 7 April 1943 09:00 Spitfire 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Skhira[23]
– 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 77 –[17]
Mediterranean Theater, Italy — May – 31 December 1943
34 4 July 1943 11:30 B-17 110 km (68 mi) east of Syracuse[24] 36 16 July 1943 13:28 B-24 2 km (1.2 mi) southwest of Santeramo in Colle[24]
15 km (9.3 mi) south-southwest of Palazzo San Gervasio
35 8 July 1943 12:40 B-17 40 km (25 mi) southwest of Capo Scaramia[24]

Awards

Notes

  1. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed on 24 July 1942.[17]
  2. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 15:12.[21]

References

Citations

  1. ^ Michulec 2002, p. 64.
  2. ^ Prien et al. 2021, pp. 367, 378.
  3. ^ a b Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 489.
  4. ^ Military.com: "Remains of German WWII Ace Found"
  5. ^ Jenner Meletti (2007-08-13). "Una tomba per l'erede del Barone Rosso". Repubblica (in Italian).
  6. ^ a b Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1359–1360.
  7. ^ Planquadrat.
  8. ^ a b Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1359.
  9. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 332.
  10. ^ Prien et al. 2005, p. 300.
  11. ^ Prien et al. 2005, p. 301.
  12. ^ a b Prien et al. 2006, p. 297.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Prien et al. 2006, p. 309.
  14. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 305.
  15. ^ a b c d e Prien et al. 2006, p. 306.
  16. ^ a b Prien et al. 2006, p. 310.
  17. ^ a b c Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1360.
  18. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 307.
  19. ^ a b Prien et al. 2006, p. 311.
  20. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2006, p. 308.
  21. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 979.
  22. ^ a b Prien et al. 2006, p. 312.
  23. ^ a b c d e f Prien et al. 2011, p. 457.
  24. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2011, p. 458.
  25. ^ Patzwall 2008, p. 209.

Bibliography

  • Bergström, Christer [in Swedish]. "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  • Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims – Volume 4 S–Z. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-21-9.
  • Michulec, Robert (2002). Luftwaffe at War/Luftwaffe Aces of the Western Front. London: Greenhill Books. ISBN 978-1-85367-486-0.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
  • 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.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/II—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part VI/2—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-70-0.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2005). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/I—Winterkampf im Osten—6.12.1941 bis 30.4.1942 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part IX/1—Winter War in the East—6 December 1941 to 30 April 1942] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-76-2.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2006). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/III—Vom Sommerfeldzug 1942 bis zur Niederlage von Stalingrad—1.5.1942 bis 3.2.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part IX/3—From the 1942 Summer Campaign to the Defeat at Stalingrad—1 May 1942 to 3 February 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-78-6.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2011). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 11/II—Einsatz im Mittelmeerraum—1.1 bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 11/II—Action in the Mediterranean Theater—1 January to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-942943-00-0.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Bock, Winfried; Balke, Ulf (2021). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 14—Einsatz im Mittelmeerraum—1.1. bis 15.9.1944 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 14—Action in the Mediterranean Theater—1 January to 15 September 1944] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-942943-24-6.


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