Helmut Meckel

Helmut Meckel
Meckel as an Oberleutnant
Born23 August 1917
Munich
Died8 May 1943(1943-05-08) (aged 25)
Tunis, Tunisia
Burial place
German Military Cemetery at Bordj-Cedria
Military career
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Branch
Heer (1935–39)
Luftwaffe (1939–43)
Service years
1935–1943
Rank
Oberleutnant (first lieutenant)
UnitsJG 3, JG 77
Commands2./JG 3
Conflicts
World War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Helmut Meckel (23 August 1917 – 8 May 1943) was a German 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, and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. Meckel was killed on 8 May 1943 in a flying accident during the evacuation of Tunis. During his career he was credited with 25 aerial victories with 14 over the Eastern Front and 11 over the Western Front.

Early life and career

Meckel was born on 23 August 1917 in Munich, then the capital of the Kingdom of Bavaria. In October 1935, Meckel joined the military service of the Wehrmacht, initially serving in an artillery regiment. In March 1939, Meckel transferred to the newly emerging Luftwaffe. Following flight and fighter pilot training, he was posted to 2. Staffel (2nd squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) holding the rank of Leutnant (second lieutenant).

World War II

World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. Meckel claimed his first aerial on 7 June 1940 during the Battle of France. Fighting in the combat area of the lower Somme, Meckel claimed a Hawker Hurricane fighter shot down near Abbeville. At the time, Meckel was a pilot in 2. Staffel of JG 3 commanded by Oberleutnant Helmut Tiedmann. The Staffel was subordinated to I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 3 headed by Hauptmann Günther Lützow.

On 21 August, command hierarchy within JG 3 changed when Lützow was appointed Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of JG 3. In consequence, Oberleutnant Lothar Keller was briefly given command of I. Gruppe until Hauptmann Hans von Hahn officially took command on 27 August. On 24 August, Meckel's Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-4 (Werknummer 1649—factory number) was hit by friendly fire from a Seenotdienst (sea rescue service) Dornier Do 18. Hit in the radiator, he made an emergency landing at Calais. By then, Meckel had been awarded both classes of the Iron Cross (Eisernes Kreuz). On 15 September, Meckel was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel of JG 3. He succeeded Oberleutnant Helmut Reumschüssel who had become a prisoner of war. At the end of 1941, with nine aerial victories claimed against the Royal Air Force (RAF) since June, Meckel was the most successful fighter pilot of I. Gruppe at the time.

On 5 February 1941, the RAF flew "Circus" No. 3 targeting the airfield at Saint-Omer. That day, Meckel claimed two Supermarine Spitfire fighters shot down near Saint-Omer. On 14 February, I. Gruppe began relocating back to Germany for a period of rest and replenishment, completing the transfer to Mannheim-Sandhofen Airfield by 18 February. The pilots were then sent on a skiing vacation to Seefeld in Tirol and returned to active duty by 31 March. The Gruppe was then equipped with the Bf 109 F variant. On 18 April, I. Gruppe began relocating back to English Channel, then based at Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, completing the transfer by 6 May. In late May, the Gruppe was again withdrawn from the English Channel.

War against the Soviet Union

In preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the I. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Dub on 18 June 1941. At the start of the campaign, JG 3 was subordinated to the V. Fliegerkorps (5th Air Corps), under command of General der Flieger Robert Ritter von Greim, which was part of Luftflotte 4 (4th Air Fleet), under command of Generaloberst Alexander Löhr. These air elements supported Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt's Heeresgruppe Süd (Army Group South), with the objective of capturing Ukraine and its capital Kiev. On 23 June, the second day of the invasion, I. Gruppe pilots claimed 19 aerial victories, including two by Meckel, taking his total to 14 aerial victories claimed.

On 15 July 1941, Meckel was withdrawn from combat operations due to illness. He was sent back to Germany for hospitalization and convalescence. In consequence, command of 2. Staffel was passed on to Oberleutnant Max Bucholz. On 12 August, Meckel was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) for 25 aerial victories claimed. He was the fifth pilot of JG 3 to receive this distinction. Following his recovery, he served as an instructor at the Luftkriegsakademie (air war academy) at Berlin-Gatow.

With Jagdgeschwader 77 and death

In October 1942, Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing) was placed under the command of Major Joachim Müncheberg. JG 77 had just been withdrawn from the Eastern Front and was reequipped with the Bf 109 G-2 trop in Munich for deployment to North Africa. Here, Meckel joined JG 77's Geschwaderstab (headquarters unit), serving as Münchberg's Ia (operations officer).

On 8 May 1943, the Geschwaderstab left Africa and relocated to Trapani, Sicily. Due to pilot error, Meckel crashed Messerschmitt Bf 108 B-2 (Werknummer 3073) during takeoff at Korbous, killing him and four other passengers. He is buried at the German Military Cemetery at Bordj-Cedria.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Meckel was credited with 25 aerial victories 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 26 aerial victory claims, including on the 12 claims on Western Front and 14 on the Eastern Front.

Chronicle of aerial victories
  This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Bock, Forsyth, Mathews and Foreman.
Claim Date Time Type Location Claim Date Time Type Location
– 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –
Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940
1 7 June 1940
—
 Hurricane Abbéville
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –
Battle of Britain — 26 June – 18 September 1940
2 16 August 1940
—
 Spitfire 5 7 September 1940
—
 Spitfire
3 18 August 1940
—
 Hurricane 6 7 September 1940
—
 Spitfire
? 26 August 1940
—
 Spitfire 7 18 September 1940
—
 Hurricane south of London
4 28 August 1940
—
 Hurricane southeast of Cambridge
– 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –
Battle of Britain — October 1940 – 9 June 1941
8 5 October 1940
—
 Hurricane Canterbury 10 5 February 1941
—
 Spitfire 1 km (0.62 mi) southwest of Saint-Omer
9 7 October 1940
—
 Spitfire Thames Estuary 11 5 February 1941
—
 Spitfire northwest of Saint-Omer
5 km (3.1 mi) southwest of Saint-Omer
– 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3 –
Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 15 July 1941
12 22 June 1941 08:30 I-16 Gródek 19 8 July 1941 17:25 DB-3 north of Kotelanka
13 23 June 1941 06:00 DB-3 south of Włodzimierz 20 8 July 1941 17:30 DB-3 south of Lipno
14 23 June 1941 06:05 DB-3 south of Włodzimierz 21 9 July 1941 05:45 DB-3 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Gudnow
15 25 June 1941 10:55 I-153 west of Pawlow 22 10 July 1941 10:30 Pe-2 north of Fasowka
16 2 July 1941 12:35 DB-3 30 km (19 mi) east of Korets 23 10 July 1941 15:35 I-153 south of Sitniaki
17 2 July 1941 12:40 DB-3 east of Korets 24 11 July 1941 09:50 V-11 (Il-2) east of Kiev
18 5 July 1941
—
 I-153 25 11 July 1941 16:30 V-11 (Il-2) north of Kiev

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.
  2. ↑ This claim is not listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock.
  3. ↑ According to Scherzer as Staffelkapitän of the 2./Jagdgeschwader 3.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 Obermaier 1989, p. 166.
  2. ↑ Bergström, Antipov & Sundin 2003, p. 17.
  3. 1 2 3 Dixon 2023, p. 110.
  4. ↑ Prien et al. 2001, pp. 149, 153, 156.
  5. 1 2 Prien et al. 2002, p. 182.
  6. ↑ Prien et al. 2002, p. 191.
  7. ↑ Prien & Stemmer 2002, p. 74.
  8. ↑ Prien & Stemmer 2002, p. 84.
  9. ↑ Franks 2016, p. 11.
  10. ↑ Prien & Stemmer 2002, pp. 84, 428.
  11. ↑ Weal 2013, p. 20.
  12. ↑ Prien & Stemmer 2002, pp. 128, 130.
  13. ↑ Prien & Stemmer 2002, p. 133.
  14. ↑ Prien & Stemmer 2002, p. 135.
  15. ↑ Prien & Stemmer 2002, p. 140.
  16. ↑ Prien et al. 2003, p. 72.
  17. ↑ Weal 2013, pp. 28, 85.
  18. ↑ Prien 1994, pp. 1293–1294.
  19. ↑ Prien 1994, pp. 1558–1559.
  20. ↑ Dixon 2023, p. 111.
  21. ↑ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 795.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 828.
  23. ↑ Prien et al. 2001, p. 156.
  24. 1 2 3 4 Prien et al. 2002, p. 186.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Prien et al. 2002, p. 188.
  26. 1 2 3 4 Prien et al. 2003, p. 74.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 Prien et al. 2003, p. 78.
  28. 1 2 Prien et al. 2003, p. 75.
  29. 1 2 Prien et al. 2003, p. 79.
  30. ↑ Prien et al. 2003, p. 77.
  31. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 306.
  32. ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 532.

Bibliography

  • Bergström, Christer [in Swedish]; Antipov, Vlad; Sundin, Claes (2003). Graf & Grislawski – A Pair of Aces. Hamilton MT: Eagle Editions. ISBN 978-0-9721060-4-7.
  • 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.
  • 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. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • Franks, Norman (2016). Fighter Command's Air War 1941: RAF Circus Operations and Fighter Sweeps Against the Luftwaffe. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-47384-723-1.
  • Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 3 M–R. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-20-2.
  • 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. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
  • Prien, Jochen (1994). Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 77—Teil 3—1942–1943 [History of Jagdgeschwader 77—Volume 3—1942–1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-26-7.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2001). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945 Teil 3—Einsatz in Dänemark und Norwegen 9.4. bis 30.11.1940—Der Feldzug im Westen 10.5. bis 25.6.1940 [Fighter Pilot Association of the German Luftwaffe 1934 to 1945 Part 3—Assignments in Denmark and Norway 9 April to 30 November 1940—The campaign in the West 10 May to 25 June 1940] (in German). Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-61-8.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2002). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 4/I—Einsatz am Kanal und über England—26.6.1940 bis 21.6.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 4/I—Action at the Channel and over England—26 June 1940 to 21 June 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-63-2.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/I—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/I—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-69-4.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard (2002). Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" in WWII: Stab and I./JG 3 in Action with the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7643-1681-4.
  • 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 Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Weal, John (2013). Aces of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet". Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 116. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78096-298-6.