Alexander Preinfalk

Alexander Preinfalk (6 February 1920 – 12 December 1944) was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Alexander Preinfalk was shot down on 12 December 1944 by an American P-47 over Bruchsal, Germany and died after he bailed out. He was credited with between 78 and 85+ aerial victories.

Career
Preinfalk was born on 6 February 1920 in Baku, at the time the capital of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Following flight training, he was briefly posted to Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) in 1941 before he was transferred to II. Gruppe (2nd group) of Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing).

Om 26 March 1943, Preinfalk claimed a Supermarine Spitfire fighter shot down 10 km northeast of El Hamma. On 4 April, he claimed another Spitfire shot, this time 25 km northeast of Maknassy. In June 1943, Preinfalk was posted to 1. Staffel of Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Süd—a supplementary training unit—as a fighter pilot instructor.

Defense of the Reich and death
In July 1944, Preinfalk was posted to II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing) based in Hustedt in northwestern Germany. The Gruppe under command of Hauptmann Julius Meimberg was fighting in defense of the Reich and largely staffed by inexperienced young pilots. In consequence, Meimberg made Preinfalk a leader of a Schwarm, a flight of four aircraft, within 6. Staffel led by Oberleutnant Alfred Hammer.

In early December 1944, II. Gruppe was based at Malmsheim Airfield, flying missions against the fighter-bombers of the USAAF Ninth Air Force. Preinfalk was killed in action on 12 December in aerial combat with a Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter 1.5 km southwest of Graben-Neudorf. Although he managed to escape of his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-14/AS (Werknummer 165741—factory number) at low altitude, his parachute failed to fully deploy and he fell to his death.

Aerial victory claims
According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Preinfalk was credited with 78 aerial victories. Spick also lists him with 78 aerial victories, approximately 50 of which on the Eastern Front with the remaining claims over the Western Allies, claimed in an unknown number combat missions. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 80 aerial victory claims, including 60 claims on the Eastern Front and 30 claims over the Western Allies.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 82121". 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 sqmi. These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 x in size.

Awards

 * Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 13 September 1942 as Unteroffizier and pilot
 * German Cross in Gold on 3 October 1942 as Unteroffizier in the II./Jagdgeschwader 77
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 October 1942 as Unteroffizier and pilot in the 5./Jagdgeschwader 77