Heinz Rökker

Heinz Rökker (20 October 1920 – 2 August 2018) was a German night fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe during World War II.

He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.

The Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz), and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.

He claimed 64 enemy aircraft (63 at night) shot down, all were British bombers.

Rökker was the eighth most successful night fighter pilot in the history of aerial warfare.

Rökker was born on 20 October 1920 in Oldenburg, in the Free State of Oldenburg of the Weimar Germany.

At the age of 19 he passed his Kriegsabitur (war time diploma, a school leaving certificate under accelerated conditions) at the Hindenburg School on Oldenburg and applied to join the Luftwaffe.

He was assigned to 4 staffel of the 22 Flieger-Ausbild Regiment (4th Squadron of the 22nd Pilot Training Regiment) at Güstrow.

Rökker was accepted as an officer candidate and entered the Luftwaffe on 1 October 1939, 19 days before his 19th birthday and one month after the German invasion of Poland and the start of World War II in Europe.

Rökker then moved to the Fliegerhorstkompanie Wenzendorf (Airfield Company Wenzendorf) on 13 November 1939.

Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, bombing missions by the Royal Air Force (RAF) shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign.

On 14 January 1940 Rökker was transferred to the Luft-Nachschub-Kompanie 5 (5th Aerial Replacement Company) stationed in Gütersloh.

From 4 July 1940, he was stationed at Berlin-Gatow with the Schülerkompanie Flugzeugführer-schule (School Company at Advanced Flying School).

Rökker was promoted to Gefreiter on 1 October 1940.

By mid-1940, Generalmajor (Brigadier General) Josef Kammhuber had established a night air defense system dubbed the Kammhuber Line.

It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped with radars and searchlights and an associated night fighter.

Each sector, named a Himmelbett (canopy bed), would direct the night fighter into visual range with target bombers.

He then completed advanced training at a flying school near Magdeburg from 20 March—15 August 1941.

Rökker attended Blindflugschule 5 in Belgrade, occupied Yugoslavia, from 15 September before completing his training at Nachtjagdschule 1, near Munich on 1 November 1941.

During his advanced training, on 1 May and 1 August respectively, he was promoted to the rank of Fähnrich and Oberfähnrich.

In 1941, the Luftwaffe started equipping night fighters with airborne radar such as the Lichtenstein radar.

This airborne radar did not come into general use until early 1942.

Rökker was then posted to 1 Staffel (squadron), Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 (NJG 2—Night Fighter Wing 2) operating in the Mediterranean theatre on 6 May 1942.

He remained with this wing until war's end.

Carlos Nugent was also posted to 1./NJG 2 in May 1942 and became Rökker's Bordfunker (wireless/radar operator).

The unit was located to Catania in Sicily, Italy.

From there, it transported to North Africa by ship and was based in Libya.

After flying 25 missions Rökker was awarded the Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Bronze (Frontflugspange für Nachtjäger in Bronze) on 17 June 1942.

On 31 May 1942 Rökker's Junkers Ju 88 was damaged by anti-aircraft artillery from Allied shipping he crash landed at Kastelli, on Crete.

20 days later, Rökker shot down a RAF Bristol Beaufort by day on 20 June 1942, near Crete.

The time was recorded as 17:20 local time.

His aircraft received several hits from return fire during the action, but he landed safely.

Rökker's victim was Beaufort DD959, No. 217 Squadron RAF piloted by Flying Officer Frank J. R. Minster and crewed by Sergeant W. A. R. King, J Moschonas and J.A. Bowyer.

All of these men were posted missing in action and were never found.

Rökker began night intruder missions in June and over British lines in Africa.

Over Mersa Matruh, Egypt, on the night of the 25/26 June 1942 he engaged a Vickers Wellington southwest of the city and shot it down at 22:45.

He attacked and claimed another at 00:09.

On the night of the 28/29 June at 23:58 he encountered another Wellington which he claimed for fourth victory.

The machine was R1029, of No. 108 Squadron RAF, which he damaged severely and which was destroyed in a crash-landing.

He died in August 2018 at the age of 97.