Josef Kociok

Josef Kociok

Feldwebel Josef Kociok in a Bf 110, 1943
Born 26 April 1918(1918-04-26)
Alt Schalkendorf/Upper Silesia, Germany
Died 26 September 1943(1943-09-26) (aged 25)
Kerch, Crimea
Allegiance  Nazi Germany
Service/branch Luftwaffe
Years of service 1940–1943
Rank Leutnant, Posthumously
Unit ZG 76, SKG 210, ZG 1, NJG 200
Battles/wars

World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Josef Kociok (26 April 1918 – 26 September 1943 ) was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. During his career he was credited with 33 aerial victories in more than 200 missions.

Contents

Career

Josef Kociok began his military career in the fall of 1940 to be designated to serve in 7./ZG 76 (7th Staffel of Zerstörergeschwader 76), headquartered in Norway. On 24 April 1941, he was transferred to 4./SKG 210 - later redesignated 4./ZG 1. This unit was soon engaged in the invasion of the USSR, where he obtained his first aerial victory on 30 June 1941, when he shot down a Tupolev SB bomber. In this squad, Kociok executed attack missions against airfields, vehicles, trains, tanks, field artillery positions and antiaircraft artillery, and infantry attacks against the Soviets. For his performance in these missions, Kociok was awarded the Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe on 1 June 1942 and the German Cross in Gold on 2 December 1942. In February 1943, integrated into 10.(Nachtjagd)/ZG 1, Kociok already accumulated 12 aerial victories, 15 aircraft destroyed on the ground, four tanks, four cannons, 141 freight cars, 80 different vehicles, 4 locomotives, two bridges and an anti-aircraft battery. In the night, he obtained several victories multiple, especially three Russian bombers killed on the night of 9/10 May 1943, followed by four others on 15/16 May 1943. When he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 31 July 1943, he had achieved 15 wins in the night. However, on the night of 26/27 September 1943, after downing a DB-3 bomber in a fight over the location Kerch, (Crimea), his Bf 110 G-2 broke down (according to some sources, when he collided with a crashing Russian DB-3), forcing the crew to jump. But Kociok's parachute did not open, although his radio operator Feldwebel, Alexander Wegerhoff, survived. When he died in combat, Josef Kociok had executed a total of 200 combat missions during which he earned 33 victories (all on the Eastern Front), of which 21 were at night. Posthumously, he was promoted to Leutnant.

Awards

Reference in the Wehrmachtbericht

Date Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording Direct English translation
17 May 1943 Oberfeldwebel Kociok schoß in einer Nacht vier sowjetische Bombenflugzeuge ab.[1] Sergeant Kociok shot down four Soviet bombers in one night.

References

Citations
  1. ^ Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, p. 494.
Bibliography
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 (in German). 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.
  • Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943. München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3.