Hans Röhrig

Hans Roehrig (4 November 1919 – 13 July 1943) was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Hans Roehrig was credited with 75 victories. He recorded 56 victories over the Eastern Front and 19 victories recorded over the Western Front.

Career
Roehrig was born on 4 November 1919 in Hindenburg in the Province of Upper Silesia, present-day Zabrze, Poland.

Roehrig was first assigned to Erprobungsgruppe 210. He flew many fighter-bomber missions over England during the Battle of Britain and according to one source, recorded five aerial victories during this time but those victories remain unconfirmed. On 1 May 1941, Roehrig was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing) stationed on the Eastern Front.

On 4 July 1941, Roehrig sustained minor injuries during a takeoff accident when his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 6726—factory number) flipped over at Hostynne.

He recorded his first victory on 25 July, when he shot down a Russian DB-3 twin-engine bomber. Roehrig relocated with 3./JG 53 to the Mediterranean theatre at the end of 1941. From bases in Sicily, he flew missions over Malta but was unable to add any further victory during this time.

In May 1942, I./JG 53 relocated back to the Eastern Front. On 30 June 1942, Roehrig engaged in aerial combat with Soviet fighters east of Kshensky. In this engagement, his Bf 109 F-4 trop (Werknummer 10234—factory number) took a hit in the cabin, injuring Roehrig. On 6 August, Roehrig was shot down in his Bf 109 G-2 (Werknummer 13480) and sustained minor injuries. His victor may have been the Soviet ace Starshiy Leytenant Mikhail Baranov (183 IAP, 269 IAD) flying a Yakovlev Yak-1 fighter. At that time, Roehrig had eight victories to his credit. Roehrig claimed his 10th victory on 20 August. In September, Roehrig was particularly successful recording 39 victories during the month. On September 1942, Roehrig had reached 56 victories.

On 28 September 1942, I. Gruppe was withdrawn from the Eastern Front and ordered to Munich-Riem where they would be reequipped with the Bf 109 G-2 trop for redeployment in the Mediterranean theater.

Roehrig was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 2 October 1942. During October, the unit operated over Malta to participate into bomber escort missions.

Squadron leader
In November 1942, Roehrig was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 9. Staffel of JG 53. He replaced Oberleutnant Franz Götz who had been appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of III. Gruppe of JG 53, a Gruppe to which 9. Staffel was subordinated. He successfully led the unit during the campaigns in Tunisia and Sicily. On 18 May 1943, Roehrig claimed a Lockheed P-38 Lightning twin-engine fighter aircraft shot down 70 km northwest of Trapani. That day, the Western Allies had begun an air offensive in preparation for Operation Corkscrew, the invasion of Pantelleria, attacking airfields in Sicily and Sardinia. Returning from this attack, United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) P-38 fighters from the 14th Fighter Group and Luftwaffe fighters from both Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) and III. Gruppe of JG 53, engaged in aerial combat. In this encounter, Luftwaffe pilots claimed eleven aerial victories for the loss of one Bf 109 shot down, the pilot escaping unhurt. The USAAF pilots claimed five Bf 109s shot down, further claiming to have damaged five other German aircraft, for the loss of four of their own, one pilot became a prisoner of war, one was killed in action and two were reported as missing in action.

On 9 July 1943, the Western Allies launched Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily. He recorded his last victories, two USAAF P-38 fighters, over Sicily on 11 July 1943. He shot down another two USAAF P-38 on the same day.

On 13 July 1943, Roehrig led 9. Staffel of JG 53 on a fighter escort missions for Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft to drop Fallschirmjäger on the Catania plains. That day, he was last seen 15 km west of Augusta. Roehrig was shot down and killed in action in aerial combat by Supermarine Spitfire fighters in his Bf 109 G-4 trop (Werknummer 15063) in the area of Syracuse. Roehrig was succeeded by Oberleutnant Franz Barten as commander of 9. Staffel. Posthumously, Roehrig was promoted to Hauptmann (captain) on 1 September 1943.

Aerial victory claims
According to Spick, Roehrig was credited with 75 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number of missions. This figure is made up of approximately 50 aerial victories on the Eastern Front, the remaining aerial victories were claimed over the Western Allies in the Meditareanean theater and includes one four-engine heavy bomber. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 74 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim. This figure includes 58 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and another 16 over the Western Allies, including one four-engined bomber.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 4927". 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

 * Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
 * Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 26 October 1942 as Leutnant and pilot
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 2 October 1942 as Leutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 9./Jagdgeschwader 53