Hans Roehrig (4 November 1919 – 13 July 1943) was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Roehrig was credited with 75 aerial victories, 56 of which on the Eastern Front and 19 on the Western Front in the Mediterranean theatre. In November 1942, Roehrig was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 9. Staffel (9th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing). Leading the unit during the campaigns in Tunisia and Sicily, he was shot down and killed in action on 13 July 1943 in the area of Syracuse.
Early life and career Roehrig was born on 4 November 1919 in Hindenburg in the Province of Upper Silesia, present-day Zabrze, Poland. He joined the military service of the Luftwaffe and after flight and fighter pilot training, Roehrig was posted to Erprobungsgruppe 210, an operational test unit flying the Messerschmitt Bf 110 in a fighter-bomber and ground-attack capacity. With this unit, he flew fighter-bomber missions over England during the Battle of Britain.
Fighter pilot career In early May 1941, Roehrig was promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant) and transferred to 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing). At the time, the Staffel was commanded by Hauptmann Werner Ursinus and subordinated to I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 53 headed by Hauptmann Hans-Heinrich Brustellin. The Gruppe had just received the Messerschmitt Bf 109 F variant and was based at Crécy-en-Ponthieu.
In preparation of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, JG 53 arrived in Mannheim-Sandhofen on 8 June 1941 where the aircraft were given a maintenance overhaul. On 12 June, the Geschwader began its relocation east, with I. Gruppe moving to Krzewica, located approximately west of Brest. Here, JG 53 was subordinated to Luftflotte 2 (Air Fleet 2) and was deployed on the right flank of Army Group Centre.
Following the German advance, the Gruppe reached an airfield at Hostynne on 30 June. Here on 4 July, Roehrig sustained minor injuries during a takeoff accident when his Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 6726—factory number) flipped over at the airfield. In support of the Panzer-Gruppe 1 (Panzer Group 1), I. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Bila Tserkva, located approximately southwest of Kiev, on 21 July. Here on 25 July, Roehrig claimed his first aerial victory when he shot down an Ilyushin DB-3 bomber. Roehrig claimed three further aerial victories during the Battle of Uman before the Gruppe was withdrawn from the Eastern Front on 7 August, returning to Mannheim-Sandhofen. There, the Gruppe was replenished and received factory new Bf 109 F-4 aircraft.
In December, I. Gruppe of JG 53 was moved to the Mediterranean theatre at Gela in Sicily. Here, Roehrig flew missions during the Siege of Malta but was unable to add any further victory during this time. In early May 1942, I. Gruppe handed its aircraft over to those units staying in Sicily and relocated to Schwäbisch Hall. There, the Gruppe was equipped with a full complement of factory new Bf 109 F-4.
Back on the Eastern Front In support of Case Blue, the 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia, I. Gruppe of JG 53 began its relocation to the Eastern Front on 28 May 1942, arriving at Kursk that evening. Based at Kursk for the next three weeks, I. Gruppe supported the 4th Panzer Army in its drive towards Voronezh. The first combat missions were flown on 31 May in the vicinity northeast of Kursk. On 30 June 1942, Roehrig engaged in aerial combat with Soviet fighters east of Kshensky. In this engagement, his Bf 109 F-4 trop (Werknummer 10234—factory number) took a hit in the cabin, injuring Roehrig. On 6 August, Roehrig was shot down in his Bf 109 G-2 (Werknummer 13480) and sustained minor injuries. His victor may have been the Soviet ace Starshiy Leytenant Mikhail Baranov (183 IAP, 269 IAD) flying a Yakovlev Yak-1 fighter.IAP—Istrebitelny Aviatsionyy Polk (Fighter Aviation Regiment—); IAD—Istrebitelny Aviatsionnaya Diviziya (Fighter Aviation Division—) At that time, Roehrig was credited with 10 aerial victories. While descending in his parachute, he was shot at by Soviet fighters. On 20 September, Roehrig became an "ace-in-a-day" when he claimed five aerial victories.
On 28 September 1942, I. Gruppe was withdrawn from the Eastern Front and ordered to Munich-Riem where they would be reequipped with the Bf 109 G-2 trop for redeployment in the Mediterranean theater. Roehrig was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () on 2 October 1942 for 51 aerial victories claimed.
Malta, North Africa and Sicily On 10 October, I. Gruppe of JG 53 moved to Comiso Airfield in Sicily. The following day, the Gruppe flew its first combat missions during the Siege of Malta. Flying a fighter escort mission on 12 October, Roehrig claimed two Supermarine Spitfire fighters shot down over Malta. These were the first claims of the Gruppe in this theater. When British forces launched the Second Battle of El Alamein on 23 October, elements of I. Gruppe of JG 53 were ordered to North Africa.
In November 1942, Roehrig was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 9. Staffel of JG 53. He replaced Oberleutnant Franz Götz who had been appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of III. Gruppe of JG 53, a Gruppe to which 9. Staffel was subordinated. He successfully led the unit during the campaigns in Tunisia and Sicily. On 18 May 1943, Roehrig claimed a Lockheed P-38 Lightning twin-engine fighter aircraft shot down northwest of Trapani. That day, the Western Allies had begun an air offensive in preparation for Operation Corkscrew, the invasion of Pantelleria, attacking airfields in Sicily and Sardinia. Returning from this attack, United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) P-38 fighters from the 14th Fighter Group and Luftwaffe fighters from both Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) and III. Gruppe of JG 53, engaged in aerial combat. In this encounter, Luftwaffe pilots claimed eleven aerial victories for the loss of one Bf 109 shot down, the pilot escaping unhurt. The USAAF pilots claimed five Bf 109s shot down, further claiming to have damaged five other German aircraft, for the loss of four of their own, one pilot became a prisoner of war, one was killed in action and two were reported as missing in action.
On 9 July 1943, the Western Allies launched Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily. In aerial combat with USAAF P-38 fighters from the 1st Fighter Group on 11 July, Roehrig claimed two P-38 aircraft shot down, his last two claims. He claimed his first P-38 of the day at 11:25 in a location south of Pachino, and a second P-38 at 13:15 southwest Catania.
Two days later on 13 July 1943, Roehrig led 9. Staffel of JG 53 on a fighter escort missions for Junkers Ju 52 transport aircraft to drop Fallschirmjäger on the Catania plains. That day, he was last seen west of Augusta. Roehrig was shot down and killed in action in aerial combat by Supermarine Spitfire fighters in his Bf 109 G-4 trop (Werknummer 15063) in the area of Syracuse. Roehrig was succeeded by Oberleutnant Franz Barten as commander of 9. Staffel. Posthumously, Roehrig was promoted to Hauptmann (captain) on 1 September 1943.
Summary of career
Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Roehrig was credited with 75 aerial victories. Spick also lists him with 75 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number of missions. This figure is made up of approximately 50 aerial victories on the Eastern Front, the remaining aerial victories were claimed over the Western Allies in the Meditareanean theater and includes one four-engine heavy bomber. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 74 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim. This figure includes 58 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and another 16 over the Western Allies, including one four-engined bomber.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 4927". The Luftwaffe grid map () covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about . These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area in size.