Adolf "Addi" Glunz (11 June 1916 – 1 August 2002) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 71 aerial victories achieved in 574 combat missions. All but three of his victories were claimed over the Western Front and in Defense of the Reich. This figure included seventeen four-engine bombers and 37 Supermarine Spitfire fighters.
Born in Bresegard, Glunz grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. He joined the military service in the Luftwaffe in 1939 and was trained as a fighter pilot. Following flight training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) in November 1940. Flying with this wing, Glunz claimed his first aerial victory on 7 May 1941 on the Western Front over a Royal Air Force fighter aircraft. In preparation of Operation Barbarossa, JG 52 was moved east where Glunz claimed three Soviet aircraft destroyed. In July 1941, he was assigned to Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing), operating on the Western Front. On 29 August 1943, Glunz was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the only non-commissioned officer of JG 26 to receive this distinction. In January 1944, Glunz was appointed squadron leader of 5. Staffel (5th squadron) and in March of 6. Staffel, followed by his promotion to an officer's rank in April. On 24 June 1944, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Glunz claimed his last aerial victory on 1 January 1945 during Operation Bodenplatte. In March 1945, he underwent conversion training to the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. In April, Glunz transferred to Jagdgeschwader 7 (JG 7—7th Fighter Wing), the first jet fighter wing but did not fly the Me 262 operationally.
In May 1945, Glunz was taken prisoner of war and released in June 1946. He then became a Formula Three race car driver before he founded his own business, giving driving lessons. Glunz died on 1 August 2002 in Lüdenscheid.
Early life and career Glunz was born on 11 June 1918 in Bresegard, district of Ludwigslust, at the time in the Province of Pomerania of the German Empire. He was the son Karl Glunz, a Beamter, or civil servant, of the Deutsche Reichsbahn. Due to his father's job, the family moved to Hamburg and in 1934 to Heide. Following graduation from school, Glunz began vocational education in mechanical engineering. In Heide, he worked for a company which built glider aircraft, triggering his interest in flying. Aged sixteen, he began building and flying glider aircraft. Glunz then became a flight instructor with the National Socialist Flyers Corps 11/16 of the Nord Gruppe (northern group), teaching members of the Hitler Youth to fly.
From 2 November 1938 to 25 March 1939, Glunz attended the compulsory Reichsarbeitsdienst (Reich Labour Service). Glunz joined the military service of the Luftwaffe on 1 September 1939, the day German forces invaded Poland starting World War II in Europe. He served with 2. Kompanie (2nd company) of Flieger-Ausbildungs-Regiment 61 (61st Flight Training Regiment), completing on 30 September. He was then transferred to 1. Staffel (1st squadron) of Jagdfliegerschule 4 (fighter pilot school) in Fürth. After he completed flight training, he received the Pilot's Badge () on 4 October 1940. He was then posted to the Ergänzungsstaffel (a training unit) of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) on 1 November 1940.
World War II World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. On 9 November 1940, Glunz was transferred from the Ergänzungsstaffel to 4. Staffel of JG 52, a squadron of the II. Gruppe (2nd group). At the time, II. Gruppe of JG 51 was undergoing a period of rest and replenishment at Mönchengladbach following the Battle of Britain. There, the Gruppes strength was brought to 24 Messerschmitt Bf 109 Es, including a few Bf 109 E-8. The Gruppe was commanded by Hauptmann Erich Woitke while 4. Staffel was headed by Oberleutnant Johannes Steinhoff. On 22 December, II. Gruppe was ordered to Leeuwarden Airfield where it was tasked with patrolling the North Sea coast in the Netherlands. Following a brief stay at Haamstede, the Gruppe was moved to Berck-sur-Mer on 10 February 1941.
On 15 April 1941, the Luftwaffe ordered an attack on the Royal Air Force (RAF) airfield at Manston. Due to adverse weather conditions, the attack was called off, only a Schwarm, a flight of four aircraft, under the leadership of Oberleutnant Siegfried Simsch, assumed to have reached the target. The flight however had found the Luftwaffe airfield at Saint-Omer where II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing) was based. In the attack, the Schwarm destroyed nine aircraft, wounding two pilots and five technicians. The pilots Glunz, Simsch, Feldwebel Georg Mayr and Unteroffizier Hans Sembill were punished by Hermann Göring personally.
On 27 April, II. Gruppe was moved again, this time to an airfield at Katwijk where it started receiving the first aircraft of the Bf 109 F series. Glunz was promoted to Unteroffizier (subordinate officer or sergeant) on 1 May. Flying from Katwijk on 7 May, he claimed his first aerial victory when he shot down a RAF Supermarine Spitfire fighter east of Deal. On 19 May, he was credited with another Spitfire destroyed, claimed at 12:40 north of Dover. This earned him the Iron Cross 2nd Class (), awarded on 26 May and the Iron Cross 1st Class () on 8 June. On 9 June, II. Gruppe of JG 51 was withdrawn from the Channel Front.
On 13 June, the Stab and 4. Staffel of JG 52 were ordered east to Suwałki, located about from the southwestern Lithuanian border, while 5. and 6. Staffel were moved to Eastern Prussia. On 22 June, German forces launched Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. At the start of this invasion, II. Gruppe was controlled the Stab of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) which was subordinated to VIII. Fliegerkorps (2nd Air Corps) and part of Luftflotte 2 (Air Fleet 2). JG 27 area of operation during Operation Barbarossa was over the northern area of Army Group Center. Glunz claimed his first aerial victory on the Eastern Front in the vicinity of Varėna on 26 June. That day he shot down an Ilyushin DB-3 bomber at 09:33. Glunz received the Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for fighter pilots in Bronze () on 1 July. Two days later, he claimed two further DB-3 bombers near Barysaw. On 16 July 1941, his Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 8175—factory number) suffered engine failure resulting in an emergency landing at Vitebsk.
Western Front Glunz joined Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) on 18 July 1941 and was assigned to the II. Gruppe. JG 26 was named after Albert Leo Schlageter, a martyr cultivated by the Nazi Party. At the time, II. Gruppe was commanded by Hauptmann Walter Adolph and based at Moorsele Airfield, Belgium near the English Channel. Glunz made his first check flight with this unit on 24 July and flew his first combat mission on 29 July with 4. Staffel. On 6 August, he flew another mission resulting in no claims or losses. On 21 August, the RAF Fighter Command targeted a chemical plant at Chocques with "Circus" No. 83 and Nr. 84. Following combat, Glunz made a forced landing of Bf 109 E-7 at Saint-Omer. On 27 August, the Fighter Command sent "Circus" No. 85 to saint-Omer and Nr. 86 to the power station at Lille. All three Gruppen of JG 26 were dispatched and intercepted "Circus" No. 85. During this encounter, Glunz claimed his first aerial victory with JG 26, his sixth in total, when he shot down a Spitfire fighter near Bergues. On 3 September, 4. Staffel went to Le Bourget for conversion training to the then new Focke-Wulf Fw 190 radial engine powered fighter. That day, Glunz made his maiden flight on the Fw 190 under the guidance of Oberleutnant Karl Borris who was leading the training program. Glunz flew the Bf 109 operationally at least once more. On 8 September, flying a Bf 109 E-7, he participated on a fighter escort mission for two destroyers passing through the Strait of Dover. Later that day, he made another training flight on the Fw 190.
On 18 September, Adolph was killed in action, in consequence command of II. Gruppe was given to Hauptmann Joachim Müncheberg. Glunz received the Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for fighter pilots in Silver () on 1 October. During a landing accident at Moorsele Airfield the following day, he damaged the landing gear of his Fw 190 A-1 (Werknummer 0020). On 5 November, Glunz claimed his first aerial victory flying the Fw 190. A "Rhubarb" flown by No. 611 Squadron was intercepted by Glunz and his wingman off Gravelines. In this encounter, Glunz claimed a Spitfire fighter shot down. His opponent may have been Sergeant William Philip Dales from No. 611 Squadron who was killed in action. On 8 November Fighter Command flew the last "Circus" of the year. "Circus" Nr. 110 targeted the railroad repair facility at Lille. In an air battle which involved Spitfire fighters of Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) No. 412 Squadron, based at RAF Wellingore, Glunz was credited with shooting down a Spitfire fighter north of Calais.
His first aerial battle in 1942 occurred on 9 January. Glunz and his wingman, Unteroffizier Josef Siecker, chased two Spitfire fighters from No. 71 Squadron, one of the American Eagle Squadrons in the RAF. In this encounter, Sieker was shot down and killed while one of the Spitfire fighters claimed a probable victory over Glunz. Glunz also claimed one of the Spitfires shot down but both American pilots returned safely. Glunz claimed his tenth aerial victory during Operation Donnerkeil. The objective of this operation was to give the German battleships and and the heavy cruiser fighter protection in the breakout from Brest to Germany. The Channel Dash operation (11–13 February 1942) by the Kriegsmarine was codenamed Operation Cerberus by the Germans. In support of this, the Luftwaffe, formulated an air superiority plan dubbed Operation Donnerkeil for the protection of the three German capital ships. Glunz was credited with a Spitfire from either No. 118 or No. 234 Squadron shot down at 17:08 on 12 February east of Eu.
On 13 March, Glunz attacked a flight of Spitfire fighters from the RCAF No. 401 Squadron over the English Channel, off Dungeness. In this encounter, he claimed one of the Spitfires shot down. On 10 April, the RAF flew two "Rodeos", providing a diversion for a "Ramrod" short range bomber attack missions targeting Boulogne. JG 26 lost three aircraft, including two pilots killed in action, for six aerial victories claimed. Glunz claimed a No. 340 (Free French) Squadron Spitfire shot down at 17:43 near Étaples. On 14 April 1942, Glunz claimed a Spitfire shot down from No. 317 Squadron near Calais. The RAF flew one "Circus" and two "Ramrods" in the area of Pas de Calais. "Circus" Nr. 137 targeted the Luftwaffe the Abbeville Airfield. Defending against this attack, Glunz was credited with shooting down a Spitfire fighter near Abbeville. Glunz was wounded during an aerial attack on the Abbeville Airfield. The attack occurred while he was sitting on the toilet, forcing him to seek cover with lowered trousers. He was then wounded by flying glass fragments in the buttock. Since the injuries were caused by enemy action, he was awarded the Wound Badge in Black () in April 1942. He considered the circumstances of the injury too embarrassing and never wore the decoration.