Rudolf Trenkel

Rudolf Trenkel (17 January 1918 – 26 April 2001) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II. As a flying ace, he was credited with 138 victories and was a recipient of Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.

Rudolf Trenkel
Born(1918-01-17)17 January 1918
Neudorf
Died26 April 2001(2001-04-26) (aged 83)
Vienna
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branch Luftwaffe
RankHauptmann (captain)
Commands held2./JG 52
Battles/warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Career

Trenkel served in Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) during the Battle of Britain. From February to June 1942, he was assigned to Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing) only to be transferred back to JG 52, taking command of the 2. Staffel (2nd squadron). In 1944 he was forced to bail out five times within ten days. On 14 July 1944, Trenkel was credited with his 100th aerial victory. He was the 83rd Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.[1]

On 16 October 1944, JG 52 lost six aircraft in combat with the French Armée de l'Air Normandie-Niemen fighter regiment serving on the Eastern Front. One of the pilots shot down was Trenkel who survived by bailing out.[2]

Trenkel and other soldiers of JG 52 surrendered to the 90th US Infantry Division near Písek on 8 May 1945 and became a prisoner of war (POW). The soldiers were initially interned at a POW camp at Strakonice where on 14 May, Trenkel married his fiancé Ida Sehnal who was among the civilian refuges. The wedding ceremony was held by Oberst Hermann Graf. The witnesses to the wedding were Major Adolf Borchers and Hauptmann Erich Hartmann. On 15 May, Trenkel and most of the JG 52 personnel were handed over by the American forces to the Soviet Union.[3]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Spick, Trenkel claimed 138 aerial victories in over 500 combat missions, all but one on the Eastern Front.[4] Matthews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 138 aerial victory claims, plus three further unconfirmed claims. This figure includes 131 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and one Western Allies four-engined bomber.[5]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 59191". The Luftwaffe grid map (Jägermeldenetz) covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about 360 square miles (930 km2). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 × 4 km in size.[6]

Awards

Notes
  1. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 10:33.[12]
  2. This unconfirmed claim is not listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock.[14]
  3. This claim is not listed by Matthews and Foreman.[12]
  4. The "m.H." refers to an Ilyushin Il-2 with rear gunner (mit Heckschütze).
  5. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 07:38 over the Black Sea, southeast of Gelendzhik.[12]
  6. According to Matthews and Foreman claimed at 07:39 over the Black Sea, southeast of Gelendzhik.[12]
  7. According to Obermaier on 11 December 1942.[28]

References

Citations
  1. Obermaier 1989, p. 244.
  2. Bergström 2008, p. 85.
  3. Bergström, Antipov & Sundin 2003, pp. 259–260.
  4. Spick 1996, p. 229.
  5. Matthews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1335–1338.
  6. Planquadrat.
  7. Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 1335.
  8. Prien et al. 2006, p. 390.
  9. Matthews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1335–1336.
  10. Prien et al. 2006, p. 430.
  11. Prien et al. 2006, p. 437.
  12. Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 1336.
  13. Prien et al. 2006, p. 438.
  14. Prien et al. 2006, p. 433.
  15. Prien et al. 2006, p. 434.
  16. Prien et al. 2006, p. 435.
  17. Prien et al. 2006, p. 436.
  18. Prien et al. 2006, p. 439.
  19. Prien et al. 2012, p. 282.
  20. Prien et al. 2012, p. 284.
  21. Prien et al. 2012, p. 283.
  22. Prien et al. 2012, p. 285.
  23. Prien et al. 2012, p. 291.
  24. Prien et al. 2012, p. 292.
  25. Matthews & Foreman 2015, p. 1337.
  26. Matthews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1337–1338.
  27. Patzwall 2008, p. 206.
  28. Obermaier 1989, p. 217.
  29. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 479.
  30. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 52.
  31. Scherzer 2007, p. 750.

Bibliography
  • Bergström, Christer. "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  • Bergström, Christer; Antipov, Vlad; Sundin, Claes (2003). Graf & Grislawski – A Pair of Aces. Hamilton MT: Eagle Editions. ISBN 978-0-9721060-4-7.
  • Bergström, Christer (2008). Bagration to Berlin—The Final Air Battles in the East: 1944–1945. Burgess Hill: Classic Publications. ISBN 978-1-903223-91-8.
  • 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.
  • Matthews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 4 S–Z. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-21-9.
  • 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.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2006). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/II—Vom Sommerfeldzug 1942 bis zur Niederlage von Stalingrad—1.5.1942 bis 3.2.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/II—From the 1942 Summer Campaign to the Defeat at Stalingrad—1 May 1942 to 3 February 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-77-9.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2012). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 12/II—Einsatz im Osten—4.2. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 12/II—Action in the East—4 February to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN 978-3-942943-05-5.
  • 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.
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