Vechtel was born on 31 July 1920 in Vohren, present-day part of Warendorf, at the time in the Province of Westphalia in the Weimar Republic. Following flight training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" (JG51—51st Fighter Wing) on 2 May 1942. There, he was assigned to the 10. Staffel (10th squadron) which was subordinated to the IV. Gruppe (4th group) of JG51. At the time, 10. Staffel was headed by Leutnant Horst Haase while IV. Gruppe was commanded by Hauptmann Johann Knauth and based at an airfield in Vyazma on the Eastern Front.
World War II
World War II in Europe had begun on Friday, 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. In June 1941, German forces had launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. In May 1942, IV. Gruppe was briefly withdrawn from combat for a period of maintenance and equipment overhaul at Smolensk. They were then sent to Dugino where it was tasked with providing fighter cover over the left flank of Army Group Center in the vicinity of the 9th Army.
Attack on the Rzhev salient in August 1942
On 30 July 1942, the Soviet Kalinin Front launched the First Rzhev–Sychyovka Offensive Operation with the objective to crush the Rzhev salient held by the 9th Army. Vechtel claimed his first aerial victory on 2 August 1942 over an Ilyushin Il-2ground attack aircraft northeast of Rzhev. By the end of 1942, he had claimed five further aerial victories and had been awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse). In March 1943, the Gruppe had just completed conversion from the Messerschmitt Bf 109F-2 to the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-4 and was based at Smolensk. In that combat area, Army Group Centre had launched Operation Büffel, a series of retreats eliminating the Rzhev salient. On 21 March, IV. Gruppe was ordered to Bryansk where it was deployed over the left wing of Army Group Centre. In August 1943, JG51 fought in the Soviet Belgorod-Kharkov Offensive Operation where his Gruppe supported the 8th Army.
On 3 January 1944, Vechtel was awarded the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) and the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 28 January 1944. In May 1944, IV. Gruppe of JG51 was based at Lysiatychi. Here on 1 May, Vechtel claimed JG51s 8000th aerial victory of the war, this was his 66th claim. On 22 June, Soviet forces launched Operation Bagration, the strategic offensive operation against Army Group Centre. In consequence, IV. Gruppe was moved to Mogilev that day and to an airfield named Bayary located 92 kilometers (57 miles) northeast of Minsk and 13 kilometers (8.1 miles) east of Barysaw. Following the German retreat, the Gruppe moved to an airfield at Lida, which is 150 kilometers (93 miles) west of Minsk, on 3 July.
Vechtel was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 27 July 1944 after 79 aerial victories. Following his return from home leave, Vechtel had been promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant) and served with 11. Staffel, also a squadron of IV. Gruppe. On 28 August, IV. Gruppe moved to Modlin Airfield located approximately 35 kilometers (22 miles) northwest of Warsaw. Here, the Gruppe predominately flew combat missions to the area north and northeast of Warsaw. On 15 August, as part of the group expansion from three Staffeln per Gruppe to four Staffeln per Gruppe, 10. Staffel was re-designated and became the 13. Staffel while Vechtel's 11. Staffel became the 14. Staffel of JG51. On 1 September, Vechtel was shot down and wounded by anti-aircraft artillery in his Bf109G-6 (Werknummer 163631—factory number) 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) northwest of Wyszków.
Squadron leader and end of war
On 11 December 1944, Vechtel was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of the 14. Staffel of JG51, also a squadron of IV. Gruppe. He replaced Oberleutnant Horst Walther who was transferred. At the time, the Gruppe was commanded by MajorHeinz Lange and was based at Modlin. Soviet forces launched the Vistula–Oder Offensive on 12 January 1945. Two days later, Soviet forces reached Modlin, forcing VI. Gruppe to move to Danzig-Langfuhr, present-day Wrzeszcz, Poland. On 25 March 1945, Vechtel was credited with his 100th aerial victory. He was the 99th Luftwaffe pilot to have shot down 100 aircraft. On 1 May, JG51 received the order to relocate to Flensburg in northern Germany. Some of the pilots decided for themselves that the war was lost and deserted, including Vechtel. On 2 May, he refused to fly to Flensburg and led a Schwarm close to his hometown Warendorf near Münster. There, he arrived with two other pilots, a fourth pilot was shot down and captured by British forces.
Later life
Vechtel died on 21 August 1975 at the age of 55 in Speyer, West Germany. He was buried at the Speyer Cemetery[de].
Summary of career
Aerial victory claims
According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Vechtel was credited with 108 aerial victories. Spick and Weal also list him with 108 aerial victories claimed in 860 combat missions, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front, and a mission-to-claim ratio of 7.96. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and also state that he claimed 108 aerial victories, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front. However, not all of his claims can be verified through the archives.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 47682". 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 (930km2). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3km ×4km (1.9mi ×2.5mi) in size.
Chronicle of aerial victories
This and the? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Prien, Stemmer, Balke, Bock, Mathews and Foreman.
Claim
Date
Time
Type
Location
Claim
Date
Time
Type
Location
– 10. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 – Eastern Front — 1 May 1942 – 3 February 1943
According to Mathews and Foreman, aerial victories 92 to 99 were not documented. The author Prien, Stemmer, Balke and Bock state that the aerial victory records of IV. Gruppe dated later than November 1944 are incomplete.
100
25 March 1945
—
unknown
According to Mathews and Foreman, aerial victories 101 to 108 were not documented.
↑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.
Brazier, Kevin (2022). The Complete Knight's Cross—The Years of Defeat 1944–1945. Vol.Three. Stroud, Gloucestershire: Fonthill Media. ISBN978-1-78155-783-9.
Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer[in German] (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile[The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN978-3-7909-0284-6.
Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 4 S–Z. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN978-1-906592-21-9.
Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945[The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN978-3-87341-065-7.
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. ISBN978-3-931533-45-8.
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. ISBN978-3-931533-08-3.
Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2006). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/II—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 9/II—From the 1942 Summer Campaign to the Defeat at Stalingrad—1 May 1942 to 3 February 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN978-3-923457-77-9.
Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2012). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 12/II—Einsatz im Osten—4.2. bis 31.12.1943[The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 12/II—Action in the East—4 February to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN978-3-942943-05-5.
Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Balke, Ulf; Bock, Winfried (2022). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 15/I—Einsatz im Osten—1.1. bis 31.12.1944[The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 15/I—Action in the East—1 January to 31 December 1944] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN978-3-942943-26-0.
Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives[The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN978-3-938845-17-2.
1 Oak Leaves with JG 2. 2 Knight's Cross with JG 53. 3 Knight's Cross and Oak Leaves with JG 26. 4 Oak Leaves and Swords with JG 3. 5 Oak Leaves and Swords with JG 26.
Nazi Germany
Luftwaffe
