Otto Wessling (23 September 1913 – 19 April 1944) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with up to 83 aerial victories achieved in an unknown number of combat missions. This figure includes 55 aerial victories on the Eastern Front, and further claims over the Western Allies, including 15 four-engined bombers.
Born in Bad Harzburg, Wessling grew up in the German Empire, the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. He received a vocational education and then joined the military service in the Luftwaffe in 1937. Following flight training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) in March 1940. Flying with this wing, Wessling claimed his first aerial victory on 30 June 1941 on the Western Front over a Royal Air Force fighter aircraft. In June 1941, his unit was transferred east and fought in Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. On 4 September 1942, Wessling was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 62 aerial victories claimed. He then served as a fighter pilot instructor with Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost and became an officer. Transferred back to JG 3 in June 1943, his unit fought in the Mediterranean theater. There, Wessling was made Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 10. Staffel (10th squadron) of JG 3 on 16 July. A week later, he was severely wounded requiring a lengthy period of convelesance. He returned to JG 3 in February 1944 and was given command of 11. Staffel which was then fighting in Defense of the Reich. On 19 April 1944, he was shot down by US fighters near Kassel and crash landed his damaged aircraft at Eschwege when he was killed by strafing US fighters. On 20 July 1944, Wessling was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves.
Early life and career Wessling, the son of a laborer in a quarry, was born on 23 September 1913 in Bad Harzburg in the Duchy of Brunswick of the German Empire. Following graduation from school, he received a vocational education as a merchant. Trained as a pilot with the German Air Sports Association (), he joined the Luftwaffe in 1937, serving in the military reserve.
World War II World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland. Wessling was posted to the 9. Staffel (9th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) in March 1940. At the time, 9. Staffel, headed by Oberleutnant Heinz Kupka was subordinated to III. Gruppe (3rd group) of JG 3 under the leadership of Hauptmann Walter Kienitz. The Gruppe had been newly created on 1 March at the airfield in Jena-Rödingen as part of the Luftwaffe expansion plan of 11 October 1939. Wessling was one of 28 pilots assigned to the Gruppe which was equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-1 and E-3. On 28 March, the Gruppe was ordered to Detmold Airfield where it stayed until 10 April, when it relocated to Hopsten Airfield in preparation for the Battle of France.
Battle of Britain Following the Battle of France, III. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Dieppe on 29 June 1940 in preparation for would become the Battle of Britain. The next day, Wessling claimed a Royal Air Force (RAF) Supermarine Spitfire fighter shot down, a claim which was not confirmed. On 10 July, seven RAF Bristol Blenheim bombers attacked the Amiens – Glisy Aerodrome. The bombers were intercepted by fighters from III. Gruppe and shot all seven bombers down, including one by Wessling. On 21 July, III. Gruppe was withdrawn from the English Channel and relocated to Dortmund Airfield for a brief period of rest, replenishment and maintenance overhaul. On 8 August, the Gruppe moved to an airfield at Desvres. On 1 September, Hauptmann Wilhelm Balthasar replaced Hauptmann Walter Kienitz as commander of III. Gruppe. On 27 September, Luftwaffe forces attacked and bombed London. That day, the Luftwaffe lost 19 Bf 109 single engine fighters, 19 Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters and 17 Junkers Ju 88 bombers. The RAF lost 48 fighters, including a Spitfire claimed by Wessling. RAF Fighter Command lost 18 Spitfires destroyed or damaged to all causes in the days air battles.
In November 1940, the group commander, Balthasar, had to be sent to a hospital as his injury sustained on 4 September had still not fully healed. He would eventually be replaced by Hauptmann Walter Oesau. On Christmas Eve, Adolf Hitler visited the Gruppe at the Desvres airfield. An event which the Nazi propaganda exploited and recorded for Die Deutsche Wochenschau, a newsreel series released in the cinemas. On 5 February 1941, the RAF flew "Circus" No. 3 targeting the Saint-Omer with twelve Blenheim bombers escorted by RAF fighters. Intercepted by fighters from I. and III. Gruppe of JG 3 fighters near Pas-de-Calais, Wessling claimed a Hawker Hurricane fighter shot down. On 15 February, III. Gruppe was withdrawn from the English Channel. The remaining serviceable aircraft were transferred to Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). The Gruppe then traveled to Gütersloh Airfield by train. The pilots then went on a skiing vacation in Kleinwalsertal from 8 to 26 March. On 17 April, the Gruppe was reequipped with Bf 109 F-2. On 3 May, the Gruppe was again sent to France where they were based at Auchy-au-Bois. On 21 May, the RAF launched "Circus" No. 10 which sent eleven bombers from No. 21 and six bombers No. 110 Squadron to bomb the power station, benzole refinery at Gosnay. Defending against this attack, Wessling shot down the Blenheim bomber V6390 from No. 110 Squadron.
The Gruppe flew its last mission against the RAF on 7 June. In preparation for Operation Barbarossa, III. Gruppe was ordered to relocate east on 9 June. During the layover at Straubing, the commanding officer of 9. Staffel, Oberleutnant Max Jaczak, who had led the Staffel since 30 October 1940, was killed in a flying accident. In consequence, command of 9. Staffel was passed to Oberleutnant Viktor Bauer before the Gruppe continued their journey to Breslau-Schöngarten Airfield, present-day Wrocław Airport.
War against the Soviet Union The Gruppe relocated to an airfield at Moderówka on 18 June where the Gruppe concluded their last preparations for Operation Barbarossa. At the start of the campaign, JG 3 was subordinated to the V. Fliegerkorps (5th Air Corps), under command of General der Flieger Robert Ritter von Greim, which was part of Luftflotte 4 (4th Air Fleet), under command of Generaloberst Alexander Löhr. These air elements supported Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt's Heeresgruppe Süd (Army Group South), with the objective of capturing Ukraine and its capital Kiev. Wessling claimed his first aerial victory of the campaign on 3 October. By then, the Gruppe was based at Gluchow and was engaged in the Battle of Moscow. That day, he was claimed an I-17 fighter, an early war designation for the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-1. On 5 October, Wessling claimed an Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft destroyed.
On 6 November, III. Gruppe was withdrawn from the Eastern Front and sent to Mannheim-Sandhofen Airfield for a period of rest and replenishment. The first elements of the Gruppe arrived by train in Mannheim on 8 December, the transfer was completed a week later. There, the personnel was sent on home leave. The Gruppe received a full complement of 41 Bf 109 F-4 aircraft and on 6 January 1942 was ordered to relocated to Sicily. On 13 January, 7. Staffel and elements of 8. and 9. Staffel boarded a train to Bari in southern Italy while the rest of III. Gruppe headed for Sciacca, Sicily. The relocation progressed until 26 January when new orders were received, ordering the Gruppe to return to Germany. At Jesau near Königsberg, present-day Kaliningrad in Russia, III. Gruppe began preparations for redeployment to the Eastern Front. Wessling claimed his next aerial victories in March 1942 while German forces were fighting in the Demyansk Pocket, an area southeast of Lake Ilmen. The Gruppe had been moved to an airfield at Soltsy on 10 February. Wessling claimed an I-61 fighter, an early war designation for the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3, on 4, 6 and 7 March, and two I-61 fighters on 8 March. On 15 March, Wessling claimed an I-301 fighter, an early war designation for the Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3, followed by three further I-301 fighters claimed two days later. He then claimed a U-2 biplane which referred to a Polikarpov Po-2.
Wessling was presented the German Cross in Gold () on 11 May 1942. He was then transferred to 3. Staffel of JG 3. The Staffel was then under command of Oberleutnant Alfons Raich and subordinated to I. Gruppe headed by Hauptmann Georg Michalek and was based at Kharkov-Rogan airfield, southeast of Kharkov. On 21 July, Wessling was shot down by Soviet anti-aircraft artillery behind enemy lines south of Belayev. His Bf 109 F-4 trop (Werknummer 10222—factory number) crashed west of Morozovsk.
On 4 September 1942, Wessling was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () for 62 aerial victories claimed. He was then transferred to Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, specialized training unit for new fighter pilots destined for the Eastern Front, as an instructor. During this assignment, he was promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant) of the Reserves, the promotion backdated to 1 August 1942.
Squadron leader and Mediterranean theater As part of the 1943 Luftwaffe expansion of the fighter force, a newly created IV. Gruppe of JG 3 was created at Neubiberg Airfield on 1 June. The Gruppe was placed under the command of Hauptmann Franz Beyer. Oberleutnant Franz Daspelgruber was tasked with creation of 10. Staffel, assisted by Wessling who had been transferred. The Gruppe was staffed with 40 pilots and equipped with the Bf 109 G-6. In mid-June, IV. Gruppe received orders to relocate to southern Italy. On 19 June, 10. Staffel began its relocation arriving in Lecce the following day where they fought in the Mediterranean theater.
The Gruppe flew its first combat missions on 2 July when a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) heavy bomber formation was detected heading for Taranto. During the aerial battle over the Gulf of Taranto, Wessling claimed two Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers shot down. As a consequence of the Allied invasion of Sicily, IV. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Ramacca on 11 July. The following day, IV. Gruppe flew multiple combat missions to the area of Syracuse on the southern Sicilian coast. During the course of which, Wessling claimed three Spitfire fighters shot down. On 15 July, the Gruppe had to abandon the airfield at Ramacca due to advancing Allied forces and retreated back to the airfield at Lecce in southern Italy. The next day, Daspelgruber was killed in action. In consequence, Wessling was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 10. Staffel of JG 3. That day, Wessling also claimed two B-24 bombers shot down. On 18 July, IV. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Leverano located approximately southwest of Lecce. That day, Wessling claimed a Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft destroyed. On 21 July, the airfield at Leverano came under a carpet bombing attack, killing four men. Two day later, the airfield again came under attack, killing one pilot wounding six, two of whiom later succumbed to their injuries. The ground personnel lost 30 men killed, a further 31 were wounded with three of them succumbing to their injuries. Among those injured was Wessling who had to be replaced by Oberleutnant Alfred Humer as commander of 10. Staffel.
Defense of the Reich and death