Gustav Denk

Gustav Denk (24 January 1915 – 13 February 1943) was a German military aviator who served in the Luftwaffe during World War II.

As a fighter ace, he was credited with 67 aerial victories—that is, 67 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft—claimed in over 500 combat missions.

One aerial victories were claimed over the Western Front, the other victories were claimed over the Eastern Front.

Denk was born on 24 January 1915 in Soest in the Province of Westphalia of the German Empire.

Gruppe was ordered to relocate to Soltsy, 30 km west of Lake Ilmen, on 5 August in support of the 16th Army and Army Group North.

Here, the Gruppe supported the fighting south of Lake Ilmen, and the German attacks on Shlisselburg, Leningrad and the Soviet fleet at Kronstadt.

On 24 August, II.

Denk was born in Soest, and following fighter pilot training was posted to Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) in 1939.

In late 1939, he was posted to II.

He claimed his first aerial victory on 13 July 1940 during the Battle of Britain.

On 27 June 1940, II.

Gruppe moved to an airfield at Nordholz located approximately 10 km south of Cuxhaven.

Here on 13 July during the Battle of Britain, Denk claimed his first aerial victory when he shot down a Royal Air Force Bristol Blenheim bomber.

In preparation of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, II.

Gruppe of JG 52, without a period of replenishment in Germany, was ordered to airfields close to the German-Soviet demarcation line.

While the Gruppenstab (group headquarters unit) and 4.

Staffel were based at Suwałki in northeastern Poland, 5.

and 6.

Staffel were transferred to a forward airfield at Sobolewo.

For the invasion, II.

In 1941, his unit was transferred east where it participated in Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

In late January 1942, II.

Gruppe was withdrawn from the Eastern Front and sent to Jesau near Königsberg for a period of recuperation and replenishment, arriving on 24 January 1942.

In Jesau, the Gruppe received many factory-new Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 aircraft.

On 14 April, II.

Gruppe received orders to move to Pilsen, present-day Plzeň in the Czech Republic, for relocation to the Eastern Front.

In January 1943, Denk was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 5.

On 13 February 1943, he was killed in action, shot down by Soviet anti-aircraft artillery near Chernigov.

Posthumously, Denk was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 March 1943.

Staffel (5th squadron) of JG 52.

Gruppe (2nd group) of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing), at the time headed by Hauptmann Hans-Günther von Kornatzki.

Gruppe of JG 52 was subordinated to the Geschwaderstab (headquarters unit) of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing).

The Geschwader was part of the VIII. Fliegerkorps commanded by Generaloberst Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen which supported the northern wing of Army Group Centre.

II.

Gruppe was ordered to an airfield at Spasskaya Polist on the river Polist, south of Chudovo and north of Novgorod on Lake Ilmen, supporting the 18th Army in its advance towards the Neva and Lake Ladoga.

Here Denk claimed his second aerial victory and first on the Eastern Front on 25 August when he shot down an I-18 fighter, an alternative Luftwaffe name for a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1.

Since German forces had reached the proximity of Leningrad, II.

Gruppe was ordered to Lyuban on 1 September, approximately 70 km to Leningrad and located on the road to Moscow.

The Gruppe stayed at Lyuban until 30 September, flying missions to Shlisselburg, Leningrad and Mga.

Here Denk claimed a Polikarpov I-16 fighter on 7 September and a Polikarpov I-153 fighter on 21 September.