Place of burial France Years of service 1933–41 | Commands held JG 2 Name Wilhelm Balthasar | |
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Born 2 February 1914Fulda ( 1914-02-02 ) Unit Condor LegionJG 1, JG 27, JG 3, JG 2 Battles/wars Spanish Civil WarWorld War IIInvasion of PolandBattle of FranceBattle of Britain Battles and wars | ||
Wilhelm Balthasar (2 February 1914 – 3 July 1941) was a German fighter pilot during the Spanish Civil War and World War II. A flying ace, he was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. During his career in the Luftwaffe, Balthasar was credited with 47 victories, including 7 in the Spanish Civil War. Between 1939 and 1941 he flew about 300 combat missions in addition to 465 in Spain.
At the outset of World War II, Balthasar was squadron commander of 1./Jagdgeschwader 1, which was in July 1940 renamed 7./Jagdgeschwader 27. The squadron did not see any action during the 1939 operation Fall Weiss, as it was tasked with the air defense of Berlin. On 10 May 1940 German forces launched the offensive in Western Europe and it was there Balthasar made his mark. On his first mission, 11 May 1940, he claimed three Belgian Air Force Gloster Gladiator fighters and a French Morane 406. He also recorded 9 victories in two days between 5 and 6 June 1940, which brought his World War II tally to 21. For this achievement, on 14 June 1940, Hauptmann Balthasar was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, becoming the second Luftwaffe fighter pilot after Werner Mölders, to be so decorated.
On 16 February 1941 Balthasar was appointed commander of the Jagdgeschwader 2. Balthasar was killed only a day later during an aerial combat with RAF fighters over Aire, France. As he was diving violently in his Bf 109 F-4, the wing of his aircraft malfunctioned and he crashed to his death near Saint-Omer.
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