Beyer, Franz.

Beyer, Franz, born, 22-04-1918 in Berlin, at the time the capital of the German Empire was a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot during World War II and a recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany . Beyer was killed on  near Venlo, the Netherlands after dog-fighting with British Spitfires. During his career he was credited with 81 aerial victories, 4 on the Western Front and 77 on the Eastern Front. On 01-06-1943, Beyer was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of IV. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3, nickname “Udet”  , after the Generaloberst der Luftwaffe, Director General of Equipment for the Luftwaffe, Ernst Udet, who on 17-11-1941, committed suicide, age 45, Berlin. Jagdgeschwader 3, under controle of Major Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke  Wolf Wilcke was shot down 23-03-1944, age 31 near Schöppenstedt and is buried in the honor section of the cemetery in Mönchengladbach-Holt.

Franz Beyer was involved in all great battles, Battle of France, Battle of Britain , Operation Barbarossa , Italian campaign, Defense of the Reich

In November 1944 II./JG 3 was separated from the Geschwader in order to re-equip with the Me 262 jet fighter and become part of the first jet fighter Geschwader, Jagdgeschwader 7. A newly formed II./JG 3 was raised from a former bomber unit at the end of 1944; this new Gruppe was transferred to the East in early 1945 to counter the Soviet air offensive.

During Operation Bodenplatte, the massed attack on Allied airfields on 01-01-1945, Jagdschwader 3 was one of the few German fighter units to carry out their operations successfully despite fielding the smallest German force that day. The 22 Fw 190s committed destroyed 43 Typhoons and Spitfires and damaged 60 more in a 20-minute attack on the 2nd TAF airfield at Eindhoven (JG 3 claimed 116 destroyed). However the loss of 16 pilots was a serious blow to the unit. Six were captured, 6 were killed while four were posted as missing. Six pilots returned, three of them were wounded. Some flying aces of the JG3 are Horst Brock  Brock was shot down and killed in Bf 109 G-5 (W.Nr. 26 113) “Yellow 5”. His body washed ashore on 03-11-1944 and  Hauptmann (later Generaloberst) Bruno Loerzer. 22 victories, Pour le Mérite.

Franz Beyer died in an air battle on 11-02-1944, age, near Venlo, Netherlands and later reinterred at the Ysselsteyn German war cemetery. Command of IV. Gruppe was temporarily passed to Hauptmann Heinz Lange before command was officially handed to Major Friedrich-Karl “Tutti” Müller on 26 February. Heinz Lange survived the war and died 26-02-2006 (aged 88) Major Friedrich-Karl “Tutti” Müller was killed in a landing accident at Salzwedel on 29-05-1944, when his Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 410827) stalled on landing approach at low altitude. Franz Beyer is now buried on Ysselsteyn German war cemetery. Plot L-Row 11-Grave 263.

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