Battles and wars World War II | Years of service 1940–44 Name Albin Wolf | |
Born 28 October 1920Naila ( 1920-10-28 ) Died April 2, 1944, Pskov, Russia | ||
Albin Wolf (28 October 1920 – 2 April 1944) was a German World War II Luftwaffe flying ace and posthumous recipient of the coveted Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub).
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Credited with 144 victories, he was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and killed in action on 2 April 1944.
Military career
Wolf was transferred to the 6th squadron of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) in May 1942 on the Eastern Front. He achieved his aerial victories 37–40 on 3 August 1943. By 4 September 1943 he had accumulated 78 victories. In November 1943, Wolf was credited with his 100th aerial victory. He was the 59th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. Wolf received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) for 117 victories on 22 November 1943. Wolf crash landed on a transfer flight on 29 December 1943 and was severely wounded. He was appointed Staffelkapitan (squadron leader) of the 6./JG 54 on 11 March 1944.
Albin Wolf's 135th aerial victory claimed on 23 March 1944 was also Jagdgeschwader 54's 7000th of the war. Wolf was killed in action south-east of Pskov on 2 April 1944. His Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-6 (Werknummer 551142—factory number) took a direct hit from an anti-aircraft shell. He was posthumously promoted to Oberleutnant and honoured with the 464th Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 27 April 1944.