Klaus Mietusch

Klaus Mietusch (5 August 1918 – 17 September 1944) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and fighter ace during World War II.

He is credited with 72 aerial victories achieved in 452 combat missions.

This figure includes 15 aerial victories on the Eastern Front, and further 57 victories over the Western Allies, including 13 four-engined bombers.

Born in Bochum, Mietusch grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany.

Mietusch was born on 5 August 1918 in Posen in the Province of Posen, part of the Kingdom of Prussia, present-day Poznań in west-central Poland.

At birth, his last-name was Mitusz which was later changed to Mietusch to sound more German.

He joined the military service in the Luftwaffe in 1937.

Following graduation from school with his Abitur (university-preparatory high school diploma), Mietusch joined the military service in the Luftwaffe in 1937, as a Fahnenjunker (officer cadet).

Following flight training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) in 1939.

Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) was created on 1 May 1939 in Düsseldorf by renaming Jagdgeschwader 132 (JG 132—132nd Fighter Wing) and was commanded by Oberst Eduard Ritter von Schleich, a flying ace of World War I. Mietusch, who was promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant) in 1939, was among the first pilots assigned to this unit following his training as a fighter pilot.

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

Mietusch, who was serving as a technical officer with the Geschwaderstab (headquarters unit), was replaced in this capacity by Leutnant Walter Horten on 14 December.

Serving with 7.

Staffel (7th squadron) of JG 26, he crashed his Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3 (Werknummer 1202—factory number) during takeoff at Chièvres Airfield on 27 May.

At the time 7.

Staffel was headed by Oberleutnant Georg Beyer.

III.

Flying with this wing, Mietusch claimed his first aerial victory on 31 May 1940 on the Western Front during the Battle of France.

Mietusch claimed his first aerial victory during the Battle of France on 31 May 1940.

In combat with the fighters from No. 213 and No. 264 Squadron from the Royal Air Force (RAF), he shot down a Hawker Hurricane fighter near Dunkirk.

On 8 June, Mietusch made a forced landing in his Bf 109 E-1 (Werknummer 2746) behind enemy lines.

He was shot down in combat with a Hurricane near Neufchâtel.

Although uninjured in the landing, he was shot by a French civilian and taken prisoner of war.

Following the armistice of 22 June 1940, he was sent to hospital in Germany.

With the opening of a new front in North Africa in mid-1940, British air and sea forces based on the island could attack Axis ships transporting vital supplies and reinforcements from Europe to North Africa.

To counter this threat the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) were tasked with bombing raids in an effort to neutralise the RAF defences and the ports.

That day the unit and a 40-strong detachment of ground crews departed Wevelgem.

Following a brief stopover in Rome, 7.

In early 1941, he fought in the Mediterranean theater.

He was made Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 7.

Staffel (7th squadron) of JG 26 in September 1941 and in January 1943, was posted to the Eastern Front.

On 22 January 1941, 7.

Staffel received orders to relocate to Sicily in support of X. Fliegerkorps, under the command of General der Flieger (General of the Flyers) Hans Geisler, for actions against the strategically important island of Malta.

In July 1943 he was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of III.

Gruppe of JG 26.

Following his 60th aerial victory, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 26 March 1944.

Mietusch claimed his last aerial victory on 17 September 1944 during the Operation Market Garden.

Posthumously, Mietusch was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 18 November 1944.

He was killed in action that day, shot down by a North American P-51 Mustang fighter from the 361st Fighter Group.

Gruppe (3rd group), to which his squadron was subordinated, was commanded by Major Ernst Freiherr von Berg who was replaced by Hauptmann Adolf Galland on 11 June.