Rudolf Miethig

Rudolf Miethig (17 October 1921 – 10 June 1943) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a fighter ace credited with 101 aerial victories—that is, 101 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft.

All of his victories were claimed over the Soviet Air Forces in an unknown number of combat missions.

Miethig, who was born on 17 October 1921 in Zwickau, volunteered for service in the Luftwaffe in 1939.

Following flight training, he was transferred to the 3.

There, the Gruppe was initially subordinated to the Stab (headquarters unit) of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) and supported German forces fighting in the Battle of Vyazma as part of Operation Typhoon, the code name of the German offensive on Moscow.

On 20 October, the Gruppe moved to an airfield named Kalinin-Southwest, present-day Tver, and located on the Volga, and to Staritsa on 31 October and then to Ruza located approximately 80 km west of Moscow on 3 November.

Born in Zwickau, Miethig was trained as a fighter pilot and posted to Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52–52nd Fighter Wing) in early 1941.

Fighting on the Eastern Front, he claimed his first aerial victory on 14 November 1941 during Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union.

Staffel (3rd squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) in the spring of 1941.

At the time the Staffel was commanded by Oberleutnant Helmut Kühle who was replaced by Oberleutnant Helmut Bennemann on 27 April.

Here, Miethig claimed his first aerial victory, a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1, on 14 November 1941 and his second victory, an I-61 fighter, an early German designation for the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3, on 27 November.

In July 1942, Miethig was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 3.

Three months later, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 October 1942.

The failed assault on Moscow forced I. Gruppe to retreat to an airfield at Dugino, present-day Novodugino, on 15 December where they stayed until 31 January 1942.

Here, Miethig claimed a Polikarpov R-5 reconnaissance bomber on 28 January.

On 1 February.

I Gruppe was withdrawn from combat operations and was moved to Smolensk and then further west to Orsha.

From 8 to 12 February the Gruppe took a train to Jesau near Königsberg, present-day Kaliningrad in Russia, for a period of recuperation and replenishment where they received new Bf 109 F-4 aircraft.

The Gruppe was ordered to Olmütz, present-day Olomouc in Czech Republic on 11 April.

On 17 May, I. Gruppe relocated to Artyomovsk, present-day Bakhmut.

From Artyomovsk, JG 52 supported the German forces fighting in the Second Battle of Kharkov.

On 24 May, the Gruppe was ordered to relocate to Barvinkove located approximately 40 km west of Sloviansk.

Here, Miethig claimed four further aerial victories by the end of May, including a Petlyakov Pe-2 bomber on 26 May, a MiG-1 fighter and an Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft on 29 May, and another Il-2 ground-attack aircraft on 31 May.

On 1 June, the Gruppe then moved to an airfield at Grakowo, located approximately halfway between Kharkov and Kupiansk.

On 13 June, Miethig claimed two Yakovlev Yak-1 fighters shot down.

The next day, Bennemann replaced Leesmann, who was transferred, as Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe of JG 52.

In consequence, command of 3.

Staffel was passed on to Leutnant Karl Rüttger.

Miethig claimed a Soviet flown Hawker Hurricane fighter on 23 June followed by a Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighter the next day.

On 8 June 1943, Miethig was credited with his 100th aerial victory.

Two days later, he was killed in action following a mid-air collision with an enemy aircraft over the Kuban bridgehead.

Staffel (3rd squadron) of JG 52.

I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 52 to which 3.

Staffel was subordinated was headed by Hauptmann Wolfgang Ewald at the time.

Until 21 February, the entire I. Gruppe was based at an airfield at Katwijk in the Netherlands where it was tasked with patrolling the Dutch coast area and German Bight, the three Staffeln were then deployed at various airfields on the Dutch, German and Danish North Sea coast.

On 25 May, I. Gruppe was placed under the command of Hauptmann Karl-Heinz Leesmann.

On 23 September, I. Gruppe was withdrawn from the Western Front and was sent to the Eastern Front where it would be based at an airfield at Ponyatovka, located approximately 30 km southwest of Roslavl.

On 22 June, German forces had launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union.

Pror to its deployment on the Eastern Front, I. Gruppe was fully equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2.

The Gruppe reached Orsha on 27 September before heading to Ponyatovka on 2 October.