Wachowiak, Friedrich.

Wachowiak, Friedrich, born 13-02-1920 in Dortmund, was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He joined the Luftwaffe from 29-07-1940 as an Obergefreiter with 8/Jagdgeschwader 52  under command of Major Hanns Trübenbach . It was the unit of the top three scoring flying aces of all time, Erich Hartmann,   Gerhard Barkhorn  and Günther Rall, all three survived the war. Friedrich Wachowiak served with JG 52 and Jagdgeschwader 3 under command of Oberst Günther Lützow

and gained his first Soviet victories on 01-05-1942, he shot down three Russian bombers over Constanza. He sunk two commercial ships during the Balkan invasion. At the end of 1941 he received his 20^th victory and the 40^th was in March 1942. Awarded with Knight Cross of the Iron Cross for 160 enemy flights and 46 victories. Another famous Knight Cross winner of the JG52 was Major, Günther Rall.

  Oberst Günther Lützow on 24-04-1945, aged 32, was reported missing while attempting to intercept a U.S. Army Air Forces B-26 Marauder raid near Donauwörth. His body was never recovered.

On 07-05-1942 Wachowiak reported his 62^nd and on 29-11-1942 the 86^th victory. In 1943/1944 he was temporary a fighter flight trainer and came back to the front in Mai 1944 with the 7/JG 52 over Normandy.

Wachowiak was killed, age 24, on 16-07-1944 on the Normandy invasion front during aerial combat with a Spitfire by Ecouché, in the Caen-Argentan area, as Leutnant and Flugzeugführer III/Jagdgeschwader 3 Ernst Udet. All his 120 victories were recorded over the Eastern Front. At least five were Il-2 Sturmovik . Friedrich Wachowiak is buried on the war cemetery of Champigny St André. Jerome Rouillé was so kind to sent the biography and grave picture. Also buried there is the Flyer Ace Major, Flugzeugführer i.d. 7./J.G. 2 , Sepp Wurmheller,  Generaloberst der Waffen SS, Oberbefehlshaber 7^th Army, Friedrich Dollmann, Waffen SS Kommandeur SS-Panzer Grenadier Regiment 1, Brigadeführer, Fritz Witt

   , General der Flieger and “ The Hangman of Paris ” Kommandeur Wehrkreis XVII, Otto von Stülpnagel the butcher of Paris,  SS Obersturmführer with 1^st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler , Hans Junge) Hitler´s former adjutant and husband of Traudl Junge/Humps, Hitler´s youngest secretary, Generalmajor der Infanterie, Commander of the 33^rd Landswehr Infantry Regiment, Arnold von Bessel and Generalmajor der Flieger, Kommandeur Luftwaffe Heeresgruppe 198, Otto Abernetty,