Eckart-Wilhelm von Bonin

Eckart-Wilhelm von Bonin (14 November 1919 – 11 January 1992) was a German World War II night fighter pilot who served in the Luftwaffe. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.[1] He is credited with shooting down 37 enemy aircraft claimed during 150 combat missions.

Eckart-Wilhelm von Bonin
Born	14 November 1919 Potsdam
Died	11 January 1992 (aged 72) Hamburg-Eimsbüttel
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1937–45
Rank	Oberstleutnant
Unit	NJG 1
Commands held	II./NJG 1
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Relations	Hubertus von Bonin

Family

His brother, Oberstleutnant Hubertus von Bonin (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipient) was killed in action on 15 December 1943. He lost two other brothers during the war.

Night fighter career

A map of part of the Kammhuber Line. The 'belt' and night fighter 'boxes' are shown.

Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, RAF attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign.[2] By mid-1940, Generalmajor (Brigadier General) Josef Kammhuber had established a night air defense system dubbed the Kammhuber Line. It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped with radars and searchlights and an associated night fighter. Each sector named a Himmelbett (canopy bed) would direct the night fighter into visual range with target bombers. In 1941, the Luftwaffe started equipping night fighters with airborne radar such as the Lichtenstein radar. This airborne radar did not come into general use until early 1942.[3]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Von Bonin was credited with 37 aerial victories claimed in roughly 150 combat missions. Two of his claims were over four-engined bombers during daytime operations, the other 35 were claimed during nocturnal missions.[4] Foreman, Parry and Matthews, authors of Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 37 nocturnal victory claims.[5] Matthews and Foreman also published Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, listing Von Bonin with 33 aerial victories, plus four further unconfirmed claims.[6]

Chronicle of aerial victories
This and the ♠ (Ace of spades) indicates those aerial victories which made Von Bonin an "ace-in-a-day", a term which designates a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day.   This along with the ! (exclamation mark) indicates a daytime aerial victory.
Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location	Serial No./Squadron No.
– 6. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –[7]
1	11 May 1941	02:20	Wellington	Tönningen[8]
2	12 May 1941	02:20	Blenheim	3 km (1.9 mi) west of Sankt Peter-Ording[8]
3	15 July 1941	01:40	Wellington	east of Zwolle[9]	R1613/No. 214 Squadron RAF[10]
4	7 April 1942	02:38	Manchester[11]
5	3 June 1942	02:41	Wellington	10 km (6.2 mi) north-northwest of Brussels[12]
6	9 June 1942	02:38	Halifax	4 km (2.5 mi) northeast of Brussels[12]
7	26 June 1942	01:38	Blenheim	16 km (9.9 mi) north of Tirlemont[13]
8	30 July 1942	03:17	Wellington	50 km (31 mi) east of Antwerp[14]
9	5 October 1942	22:38	Wellington	northeast of Maastricht[15]
10	12 March 1943	21:40	Halifax	4–5 km (2.5–3.1 mi) north-northwest of Amerika[16]
13	26 May 1943	01:36	Wellington	8 km (5.0 mi) north of Maastricht[17]
14	30 May 1943	00:43	Wellington[18]
15	12 June 1943	01:47	Halifax	Oye-Plage, northeast of Liège[18]
16	22 June 1943	01:50	Stirling	18 km (11 mi) southeast of Eindhoven[19]
17	31 July 1943	00:57	Halifax	Mariaweiler[20]
18![Note 1]	17 August 1943	11:45	B-17	10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Aachen[22]
19![Note 1]	17 August 1943	15:07	B-17	3 km (1.9 mi) northeast of Aachen[22]
20	31 August 1943	00:45	Halifax[23]
21	7 September 1943	00:45	Halifax	southwest of Munich[24]
22	7 September 1943	00:47	Halifax	southwest of Munich[24]
23	3 November 1943	19:30	Lancaster	southwest of Gangelt[25]
24	19 November 1943	19:30	Lancaster	northeast of Ronse[26]
25♠	26 November 1943	02:20	Halifax	north of Prüm[26]
26♠	26 November 1943	02:42	Halifax	southeast of Darmstadt[26]
27♠	26 November 1943	02:45	Lancaster	12 km (7.5 mi) Brandau, south of Darmstadt[26]	JB-221/No. 97 Squadron RAF
28♠[Note 1]	26 November 1943	19:24	Lancaster	south-southwest of Liège[27]
29♠[Note 1]	26 November 1943	19:30	Halifax	Hermeskeil[27]
30	20 December 1943	19:26	Halifax	Mayen[28]
31	20 December 1943	19:45	Halifax	Dachsenhausen[28]
32	20 February 1944	05:40	Lancaster	12 km (7.5 mi) north of Dessau[29]
33	24 February 1944	21:36	four-engined bomber	Brieg[30]
34	24 February 1944	21:48	four-engined bomber	Marling[30]
35	15 March 1944	22:10	four-engined bomber	southeast of Saint-Dizier[31]
36	15 March 1944	22:41	four-engined bomber	northeast of Lure[32]
37	22 June 1944	01:14	Lancaster	18 km (11 mi) east-southeast of Turnhout[33]	ME782/No. 630 Squadron RAF

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st class
• Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 8 May 1943 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän[34]
• German Cross in Gold on 1 August 1943 as Hauptmann in the 6./Nachtjagdgeschweder 1[35]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 5 February 1944 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Nachtjagdgeschweder 1[36]

Notes

1. According to Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, this claim was unconfirmed while Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945 confirm this claim.[7][21]

References

Citations

1. Spick 1996, pp. 3, 4.
2. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 9.
3. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 27.
4. Obermaier 1989, p. 91.
5. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, pp. 20–190.
6. Matthews & Foreman 2014, p. 120–121.
7. Matthews & Foreman 2014, p. 121.
8. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 20.
9. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 25.
10. Bowman 2015, p. 118.
11. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 37.
12. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 44.
13. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 47.
14. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 52.
15. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 60.
16. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 71.
17. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 82.
18. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 84.
19. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 88.
20. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 99.
21. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, pp. 102, 130.
22. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 102.
23. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 109.
24. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 112.
25. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 125.
26. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 129.
27. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 130.
28. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 133.
29. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 150.
30. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 151.
31. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 154.
32. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 155.
33. Foreman, Matthews & Parry 2004, p. 190.
34. Patzwall 2008, p. 55.
35. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 51.
36. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 139.

Bibliography

• Bowman, Martin (2015). The Wellington Bomber. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1-78383-176-0.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (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.
• Foreman, John; Matthews, Johannes; Parry, Simon (2004). Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939–1945. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-0-9538061-4-0.
• Matthews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2014). Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims – Volume 1 A–F. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-18-9.
• 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. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
• 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. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• 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. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3.
• 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. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1.