Hans Dammers

Hans Dammers
Born 8 December 1913(1913-12-08)
Scherpenberg near Moers
Died 17 March 1944(1944-03-17) (aged 30)
Stanislau
Allegiance Nazi Germany
Service/branch Luftwaffe
Rank Leutnant (posthumous)
Unit JG 52, EJGr Ost
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Hans Dammers (8 August 1913 – 17 March 1944) was a German World War II fighter ace and was credited with 113 aerial victories, with 23 unconfirmed claims. During his numerous ground attack missions he destroyed 11 aircraft, 8 locomotives, 39 horse drawn wagons, 34 trucks, 3 anti-aircraft emplacements and 1 armoured reconnaissance vehicle.[1]

Following the launch of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941 Dammers was credited with 48 kills as part of JG 52. His first victory of 1942 -a MiG-1- occurred on 13 May followed by a Pe-2 bomber on 28 May .[2] On 17 July 1942 Dammers (flying Bf 109 G-2 W.Nr. 13435) and his wingman Unteroffizier Kurt Keiser jumped Soviet Yak-1 pilot (then Starshiy Leytenant) Aleksandr Pokryshkin, but the future second highest scoring Soviet ace managed to shot both down. Keiser was killed and Dammers bailed out.[3]

He resumed his successes, shooting down two LaGG-3s on 28 July, and on 6 August 1942 he claimed an I-153 biplane fighter and two LaGG-3s. Dammers had 57 victories when he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 August 1942.[2]

Dammers' Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 20162) "yellow 9" was struck on 13 March 1944 by debris from a shot down Lavochkin La-5. Dammers baled out but his parachute got caught on his wing. Dammers succumbed to his injuries and died in hospital on 17 March 1944 in Stanislau. He was posthumously promoted to Leutnant.

Awards

References

Citations
  1. ^ a b Obermaier 1989, p. 99.
  2. ^ a b Bundesarchiwe-MA 35 mm microfilms
  3. ^ Bergstrom 2006, p. 43.
  4. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 157.
Bibliography
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
  • Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 - 1945 (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 3-87341-065-6.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Christer Bergstrom, Andrey Dikov & Vlad Antipov (2006) Black Cross – Red Star. Air War over the Eastern Front. Volume 3. Everything for Stalingrad. Eagle Editions Ltd. ISBN 0-9761034-4-3.