Grauert, Ulrich.

Grauert, Ulrich, born 06-03-1889 in Berlin, one month before Adolf Hitler (did you know). After attending grammar school in Danzig, Königsberg and Berlin, Ulrich Grauert completed his cadet training in Potsdam and Groß-Lichterfelde. Here he passed the school leaving examination in 1909.  He joined the Prussian Army as a Fähnrich with the 1^st Pommererische Field Artillery Regiment Nr 2 on 13-03-1909, age 20. He was promoted to Leutnant on 27-01-1910 and followed a course on the Field Artillery School in Jüterbog and then the artillery workshop in Spandau. With the beginning of the first war he as an Ordonnanzofficer came with the Staff of the 2^nd Field Artillery Brigade under General Otto von Below . Otto von Below died 15-03-1944 aged 87 in Friedland, Nazi Germany. As a Oberleutnant Grauert in March 1915 was trained as an aircraft observer with the command of a Fighter squadron, Kampfstaffel, Kasta. He was allowed in the Reichswehr and appointed  as commander of the airborne department of the Garde Kavallerie Schutzen Division  and fighting with different Free Corpses against the Spartakisten,  the Marxists Socialist in Germany. As the new 10 divisions Reichswehr  wasn’t allow to have air crafts, Grauert returned  to the Artillery in 1920 and rose in rank until 1933 as Division Commander. With the growing of the Wehrmacht and the secret training of the Luftwaffe  in Russia Grauert, with his flying capacities, was transferred to the branch of service. He became the department leader with the new Reichsluftfahrtministerie , Luftwaffe headquarters and from 01-10-1936 promoted to Generalmajor. Assigned in 1937 as Higher Flight Commander 2, later the 1^st Flyer Division and he became a Generalleutnant on 20-04-1938. After the Poland invasion Grauert’s Flight Corps appointed the 1^st Flyer Corps with the rank Commanding General and promoted to General der Flieger. With his corps Grauert was involved in the Western invasion against Holland,  Belgium and France and in the battle of Britain, (see Bomber Harris).  As most Commanding Generals he, after the defeat of France, was awarded with the Knight Cross of the Iron Cross and promoted to Generaloberst on 19-07-1940. Ulrich Grauert was killed on 15-05-1941, age 52, when his Junkers Ju 52 was shot down by Flight Lieutenant Jerzy Jankiewicz , flying a Super marine Spitfire II, and Sergeant Wacław Giermer, flying a Spitfire II, from the No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron, nickname “Rafalki” near Saint-Omer on the French channel coast. Jankiewicz died in a crash above the channel on 25-11-1942, age 28 and his body is never found. No. 303 Squadron was the most effective Polish RAF squadron during the Second World War. The Poles flew and fought superbly, shooting down 203 enemy aircraft for the loss of 29 pilots killed. No. 303 Squadron became the most successful Fighter Command unit in the Battle, shooting down 126 German machines in only 42 days. Czech Sergeant Josef Frantisek , also of ‘303’, was the top scoring pilot with 17 confirmed victories. During combat operations throughout 1941, No. 303 Squadron claimed some 46 enemy aircraft destroyed, seven probably destroyed and four damaged, for a loss of nine pilots (including three Commanding Officers). Some 20 Spitfires were written off or lost in action. On 08-10-1940 František’s plane crashed near Ewell after a patrol. The exact cause of the crash is unknown. He, age 26, was buried in Northwood Military Cemetery.

    Generaloberst Ulrich Grauert, age 52,  is buried on the German War Cemetery in Nampcel, France. Wolfgang Linke from Frankfurt am Main, visited the cemetery and kindly sent me his pictures.