Günter Steinhausen

Günther Steinhausen (born 15 September 1917 in Lobkevitz on the isle of Rügen – missing in action, 6 September 1942 near El Alamein, Egypt) was a World War II Luftwaffe Flying ace with 40 combat victories to his name. He was also a posthumous recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Günther Steinhausen
Born	15 September 1917 Lobkevitz on the isle of Rügen
Died	6 September 1942 (aged 24) near El Alamein
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Rank	Leutnant
Unit	JG 27
Battles/wars	World War II North African campaign
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Biography

Günther Steinhausen was born 15 September 1917 at Lobkevitz, on the island of Rügen. After flight training, Steinhausen was posted, as an Unteroffizier, to 1./JG 27 (the 1st squadron of the 27th Fighter Wing) in the spring of 1941, transferring with the unit to North Africa soon after.

The first Luftwaffe fighter unit in Africa, they were initially based at Ain-el-Gazala, just west of the besieged port of Tobruk. Flying the older Bf 109E-7, it was still found to be eminently competitive against the British squadrons based there. He recorded his first victory on 9 June, shooting down a Hawker Hurricane north of Tobruk. On 26 August 1941, Steinhausen claimed his fifth victory: probably a Tomahawk IIb AK374 of No. 250 Squadron flown by British ace Sgt. Maurice Hards (7 victories) who force-landed wounded near Mersa Matruh.[1][2]

In August, as the remaining Gruppen of Jagdgeschwader 27 transferred in to North Africa from Russia as reinforcements, I./JG 27 rotated its squadrons back to Germany to re-equip onto the Bf 109F.

After the British Operation Crusader in November and December had relieved Tobruk and driven the Axis back, in January Rommel had sufficient fuel supplies to launch his next counter-attack, and he took Benghazi on 29 January, as the aircrew retraced their steps to airfields they had abandoned only a month or so previously. On 28 March Steinhausen claimed his 10th victory, when he shot down a Kittyhawk fighter of No. 94 Squadron RAF flown by P/O Crosbie, near Timimi.

Four days after his 13th victory on 22 May 1942, Rommel launched his offensive that would eventually take the Axis forces right across Libya and into Egypt, almost to the gates of Alexandria. It was this time, as with many other pilots of JG 27 that was to be particularly successful for Steinhausen. With a rush of multiple victories he advanced his tally: a pair of South African Tomahawks on 31 May, followed by four fighters in the El Adem area on 16 June (20-23v.) and then a further four Hurricanes (of No. 238 Sqn (RAF)) on 28 June over Sidi Haneish (27-30v.).

On 9 July, Steinhausen shot down a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) B-24 Liberator, ("Eager Beaver"), and only the second four-engine bomber claimed by JG 27. One of six bombers of the Halverston Detachment that had been sent to attack an Axis supply convoy, it was his 34th victory.[3] By now the front had stabilised at the Alamein line and both sides paused to draw breath, and build up supplies for their next offensives. In the interim, he was awarded the Ehrenpokal (Honour Goblet) on 5 August, and then the German Cross in Gold on 21 August, for his success to date.

At the end of August, activity picked up again, and Rommel launched his assault on the fortified Alamein line at the beginning of September. On 6 September 1942, on an early-morning patrol, Fw Steinhausen shot down a Hurricane of No. 7 Sqn (SAAF) or No. 274 Sqn (RAF) near El Alamein for his 40th victory. However, he was then himself shot down in his Bf 109F-4 "White 5" (Werknummer 13272—factory number) southeast of El Alamein.[4] His body was never recovered. One analyst asserts that James Francis Edwards was his victor since his combat report tallies with the action, though he only claimed a "damaged" Bf 109.[5] Another objects, since the time differences do not match. Christopher Shores and his co-authors noted Steinhausen was killed in the morning at 08:00 local time.[6] Francis made a claim between 17:30 and 18:50 in an evening sortie.[7] They assert the more certain candidates are Sergeant W J Malone and Flight Lieutenant R L Mannix from No. 127 Squadron RAF.[8] Both made claim at approximately 08:25 to 09:35.[7]

Günther Steinhausen was credited with 40 victories, all recorded over the Western Desert, all but two of those were over single-seat fighters. On 3 November he was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) and promoted to Leutnant.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Steinhausen was credited with 40 aerial victories.

Chronicle of aerial victories
Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location	Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location
– 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 27 –
1	9 June 1941	05:05	Hurricane[9]	north Tobruk	21	16 June 1942	18:10	P-40[10]	east El Adem
2	18 June 1941		Brewster[9]	Buq Buq	22	16 June 1942	18:14	P-40[10]	southwest El Adem
3	2 August 1941	18:50	Hurricane[9]	40 km (25 mi) northwest Mersa Matruh	23	16 June 1942	18:20	P-40[10]	east Gambut
4	2 August 1941	18:50	Hurricane[9]	40 km (25 mi) northwest Mersa Matruh	24	27 June 1942	08:58	Martin 167[10]	west-southwest El Dabaa
5	26 August 1941		P-40[11]	north Sidi Barrani	25	27 June 1942	18:27	Hurricane[10]	southwest Fouka
6	14 September 1941	18:15	P-40[11]	southeast Gasr el Ahrid	26	27 June 1942	18:30	Hurricane[10]	southwest Fouka
7	7 January 1942	13:02	P-40[12]	northeast Ajdabiya	27	28 June 1942	11:25	Hurricane[10]	southwest Fouka
8	9 January 1942	15:05	P-40[13]	east Ajdabiya	28	28 June 1942	11:30	Hurricane[10]	south Fouka
9	9 January 1942	15:30	P-40[13]	east Ajdabiya	29	28 June 1942	11:31	Hurricane[10]	southwest Fouka
10	28 March 1942	13:40	P-40[13]	south Timimi	30	28 June 1942	11:33	Hurricane[10]	southwest Fouka
11	11 April 1942	10:50	P-40[14]	north Bir Habex	31	3 July 1942	09:15	P-40[15]	east-southeast El Alamein
12	25 April 1942	10:10	P-40[14]	east-southeast Ain el Gazala	32	4 July 1942	17:05	Hurricane[15]	20 km (12 mi) south-southeast El Alamein
13	22 May 1942	07:50	P-46[14]	20 km (12 mi) south Martuba	33	5 July 1942	18:00	P-46[15]	Borg El Arab
14	28 May 1942	10:00	Hurricane[14]	5 km (3.1 mi) north Gasr el Ahrid	34	9 July 1942	18:00	B-24[15]	100 km (62 mi) northwest Bir el Astas
15	31 May 1942	07:25	P-40[14]	north Bir Hakeim	35	22 August 1942	14:07	Spitfire[15]	7 km (4.3 mi) south El Hammam
16	31 May 1942	07:35	P-40[14]	north Bir Hakeim	36	25 August 1942	12:14	Hurricane[15]	south El Alamein
17	9 June 1942	07:53	P-40[14]	south Mteifel Chebir	37	1 September 1942	17:46	Hurricane[16]	Alam el Halfa
18	12 June 1942	19:03	Hurricane[10]	west El Adem	38	3 September 1942	15:43	Hurricane[16]	north Manga el Rahla
19	12 June 1942	19:14	P-40[10]	Ssouthwest El Adem	39	3 September 1942	15:46	Hurricane[16]	north Manga el Rahla
20	16 June 1942	18:00	Hurricane[10]	east El Adem	40	6 September 1942	07:57	P-40[16]	southeast El Alamein

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st class
• Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 10 August 1942 as Feldwebel and pilot[17][Note 1]
• German Cross in Gold on 21 August 1942 as Feldwebel in the I./Jagdgeschwader 27[19]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 3 November 1942 as Feldwebel and pilot in the 1./Jagdgeschwader 27[20][21]

Notes

1. According to Obermaier on 5 August 1942.[18]

References

Citations

1. Molesworth 2011.
2. Shores 1999, p. 313.
3. Weal 2003, p. 83.
4. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 544.
5. Heaton & Lewis 2012, p. 155.
6. Shores, Massimello & Guest 2012, p. 341.
7. Shores, Massimello & Guest 2012, p. 340.
8. Shores, Massimello & Guest 2012, p. 339.
9. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 563.
10. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 568.
11. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 564.
12. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 565.
13. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 566.
14. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 567.
15. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 569.
16. Prien, Rodeike & Stemmer 1998, p. 570.
17. Patzwall 2008, p. 199.
18. Obermaier 1989, p. 210.
19. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 458.
20. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 409.
21. Scherzer 2007, p. 721.

Bibliography

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• Heaton, Colin; Lewis, Anne-Marie (2012). The Star of Africa: The Story of Hans Marseille, the Rogue Luftwaffe Ace. London, UK: Zenith Press. ISBN 978-0-7603-4393-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Molesworth, Carl (2011). P-40 Warhawk vs Bf 109, MTO 1942–44. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84908-469-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• 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.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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