Rolf Pingel

Rolf Pingel (1 October 1913 – 4 April 2000) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and fighter ace during the Spanish Civil War and World War II.

He is credited with six aerial victories during the Spanish Civil War and further 22 aerial victories on the Western Front of World War II.

He flew about 550 combat missions, including approximately 200 in Spain.

Born in Kiel, Pingel grew up in the Weimar Republic.

He joined the military service in the Luftwaffe and was trained as a fighter pilot.

During the Spanish Civil War, he volunteered for service in the Condor Legion.

Pingel was born 1 October 1913 in Kiel, at the time in the Province of Schleswig-Holstein, a province of the Kingdom of Prussia.

In 1935, he began his flight training at Kitzingen Airfield, and was then posted to the Jagdfliegerschule at Schleißheim.

In Spain, he claimed his first aerial victory on 5 June 1937.

For his service in Spain, he was decorated with the Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords.

After he completed his flight training, he was posted to I. Gruppe (1st group) of Jagdgeschwader 134 "Horst Wessel" (JG 134–134th Fighter Wing) in March 1937.

During the Spanish Civil War, Pingel volunteered for service with the Condor Legion, a unit composed of volunteers from the Luftwaffe and from the Army which served with the Nationalists.

There, he was assigned to 2.

Following his return from Spain, Pingel was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2.(leichte Jäger) Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 334 (JG 334–334th Fighter Wing) on 1 October 1938.

This squadron was part of I. Gruppe of JG 334 under the command of Major Hans-Hugo Witt.

This unit was renamed on 1 November and was then referred to as 2.

During World War II, Pingel claimed his first victory on 10 September 1939 as a squadron leader of 2.

He was later awarded the Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords (Spanienkreuz in Gold mit Schwertern) on 14 April 1939 for his service in the Spanish Civil War.

On 1 April 1939, it was again renamed, becoming the 2.

In early 1939, the Gruppe started replacing the Bf 109 D-1 with the newer Bf 109 E-1 and E-3 variant, completing the change by March.

During the following months, the pilots trained aerial gunnery at Wangerooge Airfield.

At the time of the German mobilization on 26 August, the Gruppe was based at Wiesbaden-Erbenheim.

World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland.

In August 1940, Pingel was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) where he became a group commander.

There, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 September 1940.

On 10 July 1941, his Messerschmitt Bf 109 was damaged in combat, resulting in a forced landing near St Margaret's at Cliffe and was captured by the British Home Guard.

He was released in 1947 as a prisoner of war.

Staffel (2nd squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53–53rd Fighter Wing).

Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53–53rd Fighter Wing).

Staffel (2nd squadron) of Jagdgruppe 88 (J/88—88th Fighter Group) under the command of Oberleutnant Günther Lützow.

2. Staffel was the first squadron to be fully equipped with the then new Messerschmitt Bf 109.

On 8 July, during the Battle of Brunete, Pingel led a flight three aircraft (Kette) from 2.

Staffel on a fighter escort mission for bombers from Kampfgruppe 88 and reconnaissance aircraft from Aufklärungsgruppe 88.

Near Aranjuez, the flight encountered five bombers heading for Ávila.

In this encounter, Pingel was credited with the destruction of a Tupolev SB-2 bomber.

Four days later, he was credited with the destruction of another SB-2 bomber and an escorting Polikarpov I-16 fighter.

On 16 July near Fuenlabrada, Pingel shot down another I-16 fighter.

Pingel was credited with his sixth and last aerial victory in Spain on 22 August during the Battle of Santander, claiming yet another I-16.

Pingel died on 4 April 2000 in Lollar, Germany.

Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 133 (JG 133–133rd Fighter Wing).