Years of service 1934–1942 Died June 2, 1942, Wadden Sea Service/branch Luftwaffe Allegiance Nazi Germany | Name Helmut Woltersdorf Place of burial Ysselsteyn, Netherlands Rank Oberleutnant | |
Born 15 November 1915
Friedberg, Germany ( 1915-11-15 ) Buried at Ysselsteyn, Netherlands
(Block Q-row 11-grave 255) Unit II./ZG 141, I./ZG 76, 4./NJG 1 Battles/wars World War II
Polish Campaign
Norwegian Campaign
Battle of Britain
Defence of the Reich Awards German Cross in Gold (18 May 1942) Battles and wars World War II, Invasion of Poland, Norwegian Campaign, Battle of Britain, Defence of the Reich | ||
Helmut Woltersdorf was a German Luftwaffe flying ace and night fighter ace of the World War II. Woltersdorf is credited with 24 victories, including 20 Royal Air Force (RAF) bomber aircraft. Woltersdorf flew the Messerschmitt Bf 110 and Dornier Do 215 night-fighter.
Contents
World War II
Woltersdorf initially joined II. Gruppe Zerstorergeschwader 141, based at Padubitz until May 1939, when it was renamed I./ZG 76. Woltersdorfs first kill came on 2 September 1939 over Poland. While escorting Dornier Do 17s he shot down a PZL P.11 fighter. He was to score his second kill against this type on 9 September.
During the Norwegian Campaign Helmut scored four kills against RAF Vickers Wellington bombers, two on the 12 April and two victories on 30 April.
During the Battle of Britain Woltersdorf claimed two Spitfires on 15 August, his only kills of the battle. I./ZG 76 had been withdrawn from the front-line in September 1940 to re-train in the night-fighter role.
Defending Belgian and Dutch air space, Woltserdorf destroyed nine Wellington, three Handley Page, two Avro Manchester, one Lockheed Ventura and a single Handley Page Halifax between 12 May 1941 and 2 June 1942.
On the night of 6/7 July 1941 Woltersdorf, now flying a Dornier Do 215B-5 night fighter equipped with the Infra-Red "Spanner-Anlage" detection apparatus, assigned to NJG I, was forced to crash land just off the Dutch coast, after his aircraft was damaged by a Vickers Wellington bomber he had shot down. Woltersdorf ditched his aircraft into the Waddenzee Sea.
In October 2007 the Dornier was discovered largely intact. It remains the only known Dornier in existence, and there is a good chance of it being recovered (see the Dornier Do 215 page for more details).
On 2 June 1942 Woltersdorf was shot down and killed by a Hawker Hurricane piloted by New Zealander Sergeant Peter Gawith of No. 3 Squadron RAF. The RAF unit had been conducting night sweeps over Europe since 11 December 1941 Gawith survived just two more months. On 28 July he was posted as missing in action over Noordwijk, Netherlands.
List of victories
Can be identified with a degree of certainty
Possible identification
A claim was made but no corresponding enemy losses found