Wilhelm Balthasar

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Wilhelm Balthasar
2 February 1914 - 3 July 1941
Place of birth	Fulda
Place of death	KIA - near St. Omer, France
Allegiance	Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1933-1941
Rank	Major
Unit	Condor Legion, JG 1, JG 27, JG 3, JG 2
Commands	JG 2
Battles/wars	Spanish Civil War, Poland, Battle of France, Battle of Britain
Awards	Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub

Major Wilhelm Balthasar (February 2, 1914 – July 3, 1941) was German WWII Luftwaffe Ace, commander of JG 2 and a winner of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oakleaves.

Born February 1914 at Fulda, Balthesar served as an Artillery officer from 1933 until he transferred to the Luftwaffe in 1935. In November 1936, he joined the Condor Legion serving with Kampfgruppe K88 flying reconnaisance missions.

Oberleutnant Balthasar brought back information on 23 November 1936 that enabled German forces to make a successful bombing attack on the port of Cartagena. He gained his first victory when he shot down a Spanish Republican Air Force I-16 on 20 January 1937.

On March 16, he made an emergency landing at Almorox airfield. As he landed his crippled He-70, 3.J/88's fighters were taking off on a train strafing mission. Spotting an experimental Heinkel He-112 fighter nearby Balthesar, claiming to be an experienced fighter pilot, received permission to fly the monoplane fighter. Balthasar took off and with the Heinkel's 20mm cannon blew up an ammunition rail-car. On his way back to the airfield, he also claimed a Loyalist tank destroyed.

Upon landing, Balthasar was reprimanded by the commanding officer. When the top brass learned of his escapade, however, he was given command of Aufklärungsgruppe A88, a detachment of Heinkel He-45 biplanes and the He-112 fighter tasked with armed reconnaissance, ground attacks and artillery spotting missions.

He then joined Jagdgruppe J88 in September 1937 and claimed six more victories (including four SB-2 bombers in one mission on 7 February 1938). He returned to Germany in March 1938 with the Spanienkreuz in Gold mit Schwertern und Brillanten award.

At the beginning of World War 2, Balthasar was Staffelkapitän of 1./Jagdgeschwader 1 and flew operation during the invasion of Poland. Wth JG 1 on the Western Front in May 1940, Balthasar scroed frequently, claiming three Belgian Air Force Gloster Gladiator fighters and a French Morane 406 on 11 May 1940. He claimed a further five French kills on 5 June, and claimed four on 6 June to take his tally to 28. Hauptmann Balthasar was awarded the Ritterkreuz, in June, becoming the second fighter pilot (Werner Mölders was the first), to be so decorated. He was ultimately the most successful German fighter pilot of the French campaign.

On 1 September 1940, Balthasar was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III/Jagdgeschwader 3. On 4 September, he was seriously wounded in the leg in a dogfight with several 222 Squadron Spitfires over Canterbury. However, although still on crutches Balthasar was flying operationally again some 14 days later. On 23 September he claimed two more Spitfires. He claimed another three victories before gaining hospital treatment for his wounds in November 1940.

In early 1941 Major Balthasar was appointed Kommodore of Jagdgeschwader 2. Between 22 June and 27 June, he claimed another nine RAF aircraft, including five Bristol Blenheim bombers on 23 June. He was awarded the Oakleaves to the Ritterkruez in July.

On 3 July 1941, Balthasar killed in aerial combat with RAF fighters over Aire, France. When Balthasar manouvering violently in his Bf 109 F-4, the wing of his aircraft failed and he crashed to his death near St Omer. He was buried in a World War 1 cemetary in Flanders alongside his father who had fallen in the earlier conflict.

Wilhelm Balthasar was credited with some 47 victories and 13 ground kills. In 1939-41 he flew about 300 combat missions. Seven of his victories were recorded during the Spanish Civil War in over 400 operations.

Contents 1 Summary of Luftwaffe career 1.1 Dates of rank 1.2 Notable decorations 2 References

[edit] Summary of Luftwaffe career

[edit] Dates of rank

• Leutnant:
• Oberleutnant:
• Hauptmann:
• Major: 1941

[edit] Notable decorations

• Iron Cross Second (?) and First (?) Classes
• Knight's Cross (1940)
• Oak Leaves (1941)
• Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords (?)
• Pilot Badge (?)

[edit] References

• Ringlstetter,Herbert - Helmut Wick, An Illustrated Biography Of The Luftwaffe Ace And Commander Of Jagdgeschwader 2 During The Battle Of Britain (ISBN 0-7643-2217-6) - Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA, 2005
• Nauroth,Holger- Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen", A Photographic History (ISBN 0-7643-2094-7) - Schiffer Publishing, Atglen, PA, 2005

Preceded by Hauptmann Karl-Heinz Greisert

Commander of Jagdgeschwader 2 Richthofen February 16, 1941-July 3, 1941

Succeeded by Oberstleutnant Walter Oesau