Hermann Staiger (6 April 1915 – 22 June 1964) was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. Staiger was credited with 63 aerial victories during World War II, 49 on the Western Front and 14 on the Eastern Front.
Early life and career Staiger was born on 6 April 1915 in Tennenbronn in the Grand Duchy of Baden as part of the German Empire. He joined the Luftwaffe in 1935 as an officer candidate. Following his flight training, by September 1939 he was a Leutnant flying with 1. Staffel (1st squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 20 (JG 20—20th Fighter Wing). This was a wing in name only, being just a single Gruppe (Fighter Group) that had been set up just prior to the outbreak of war, in July 1939. His commanding officer was the Condor Legion veteran Walter Oesau.
World War II For the Polish campaign his unit was based at Sprottau, to protect the Silesian industrial area from Polish bombers. On 6 November, the Gruppe was moved to Döberitz where it remained until 21 February 1940. That day, I./JG 20 was ordered to Bönninghardt and placed under the control of the Stab of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). There, the Gruppe patrolled Germany's western border during the "Phoney War" period of World War II.
During the Battle of France on 29 May, following the German advance, I. Gruppe moved to Sint-Denijs-Westrem Airfield near Ghent in Belgium. Operating from Sint-Denijs on 31 May, the Gruppe engaged in aerial combat during the Battle of Dunkirk and claimed twelve aerial victories for the loss of two pilots killed in action. That day, Staiger claimed his first aerial victory, a Royal Air Force (RAF) Supermarine Spitfire fighter shot down northwest of Dunkirk, his only claim during the Battle of France.
Following the Armistice of 22 June 1940, the Luftwaffe continued to fight the RAF in the Battle of Britain. Staiger claimed his second aerial victory on 30 June. On a mission over the English Channel, he claimed a Bristol Blenheim bomber shot down east of Saint-Omer. On 4 July, I. Gruppe of JG 20 was officially integrated into JG 51, becoming its III. Gruppe. In consequence, Staiger became a member of the 7. Staffel, a Staffel of III. Gruppe of JG 51. During a period of the battle of Britain referred to as Kanalkampf, Staiger claimed a Spitfire northwest of Cap Gris-Nez on 8 July, and a Blenheim northeast of Deal on 11 July, and another Spitfire on 4 August in a location southwest of Dover.
Squadron leader On 24 August 1940, Oesau was given command of III. Gruppe of JG 51, replacing Hauptmann Hannes Trautloft in this capacity. In consequence, Staiger was given command of 7. Staffel as Staffelkapitän (squadron leader). On a fighter escort mission for Luftwaffe bombers heading to London, Staiger claimed two Spitfire fighters shot down on 7 September. On two further missions flown to London, he claimed a Hawker Hurricane fighter shot down near Dungeness on 14 September and another Hurricane the following day near Tonbridge, his last claims in 1940.
On 7 December, III. Gruppe was withdrawn from combat operations and relocated to Krefeld Airfield for a period of rest and replenishment. At Krefeld, the Gruppe received the then new Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-1, training on this type until they relocated to Saint-Omer, France on 14 February 1941. Staiger claimed three further victories, all Spitfire, before III. Gruppe was withdrawn from France on 26 May 1941 and moved to Düsseldorf where it was replenished with the Bf 109 F-2 and waited for further orders.
Eastern Front By 15 June, JG 51 had completed its preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union and was based at airfields at Siedlce, Stara Wieś, Halasy where III. Gruppe was based and Krzewica, close to the German–Soviet demarcation line. The attack on the Soviet Union began at 03:45 on 22 June with JG 51 flying fighter patrols along the Bug River. That day, Staiger claimed three Tupolev SB-2 bombers shot down. On 30 June, when JG 51 became the first Geschwader to claim 1000 victories. Staiger shot down a further four bombers in the first great encirclement battle, over Minsk. On 14 July, he was seriously injured when his Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 8083—factory number) was hit by Soviet anti-aircraft fire and shot down near Stara Bychow, approximately south of Mogilev on the Dnieper. In consequence, command of 7. Staffel passed to Oberleutnant Herbert Wehnelt.
While Staiger was recovering in hospital, he and another pilot of JG 51 were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () on 16 July, Staiger for 25 aerial victories, and Oberleutnant Hans Kolbow from 5. Staffel posthumously after 27 aerial victories. After an extended period of convalescence he served in a number of pilot-training units for the next two years, and was promoted to Hauptmann (Captain) on 1 February 1943. Staiger briefly returned to JG 51 on the Eastern Front where he claimed a Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighter shot down while flying with 9. Staffel. On 5 July, Staiger was transferred to the Western Front where he was appointed Staffelkapitän of 12. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing), replacing Oberleutnant Erwin Leykauf who was transferred. The Staffel was subordinated to III. Gruppe of JG 26 commanded by Hauptmann Klaus Mietusch and based at Cuxhaven-Nordholz Airfield.
Defense of the Reich Staiger claimed his first aerial victory in defense of the Reich on 17 July. That day, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) VIII Bomber Command sent 332 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers to targets in the Netherlands and northern Germany. III. Gruppe of JG 26 intercepted the bombers over the North Sea. In this encounter, Staiger claimed a B-17 from the 351st Bombardment Group shot down. On 25 July, as part of Operation Gomorrah, a series of attacks on Hamburg in the last week of July 1943, approximately 100 B-17 bombers of the USAAF VIII Bomber Command bombed Hamburg and vicinity. II. Gruppe intercepted the lead bombers as they approached the Elbe estuary and claimed three B-17 bombers shot down, including one by Staiger. The next day during Blitz Week, the USAAF attacked synthetic rubber factories in Hannover and U-boat shipbuilding facilities in Hamburg. III. Gruppe again intercepted the USAAF bombers off the German coast where Staiger claimed a B-17F over the Weser estuary. On 29 July, the USAAF targeted Kiel and Warnemünde. III. Gruppe intercepted the bombers near Heligoland and kept attacking the bombers on their approach to Kiel. The Gruppe claimed four B-17 bombers of the 306th Bombardment Group shot down, including two by Staiger, one of which was not confirmed.
III. Gruppe transferred from Cuxhaven-Nordholz to Amsterdam-Schiphol Airfield on 13 August. The USAAF targeted the German aircraft industry on 17 August in the Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission. That day, Staiger shot down a B-17 bomber west of Pesch, northwest of Aachen. On 8 September, III. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Lille-Vendeville in France. On 3 October, the RAF attacked the Beauvais–Tillé Airfield. Defending against the attack, Staiger claimed a Spitfire shot down near Beauvais. His opponent may have been Flight Lieutenant Raymond Hesselyn from No. 222 Squadron who was shot down and captured that day. On 10 October, VIII Bomber Command attacked Münster in northern Germany. III. Gruppe reached the USAAF bombers just after they started heading for England. Staiger and Unteroffizier Hans Oeckel both claimed a B-17 shot down but both pilots were wounded by the defensive gun fire of the bombers. Staiger, who crash landed his Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 15920) near Dorsten, sustained further injuries in his landing. On 22 October, III. Gruppe moved to Bönninghardt for a period of rest from operational flying. Here on 29 October, Staiger was presented the German Cross in Gold () after 34 aerial victories.
An attack by the USAAF on Gelsenkirchen and Münster on 5 November forced III. Gruppe into action again. The Gruppe intercepted the B-17 bombers of the 3rd Bombardment Division but was then dispersed by escorting fighters of the 353rd Fighter Group preventing a consolidated attack on the bombers. In this encounter, Staiger claimed a B-17 bomber shot down probably belonging to 388th Bombardment Group (Heavy). On 13 November, the Gruppe relocated to an airfield at Mönchengladbach. On 9 January 1944, III. Gruppe returned to France with Gruppenstab (headquarters unit), 9. and 11. Staffel at Lille-Vendeville, and 10. and 12. Staffel at Denain. On 21 January, the USAAF Ninth Air Force attacked several V-1 flying bomb launch sites. Defending against this attack, Staiger claimed two Spitfire fighters, but these claims were not filed. Three days later, the USAA planned on attacking Frankfurt am Main which failed to reach its objective. III. Gruppe engaged in combat with escorting Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters southwest of Brussels. In this aerial combat, Staiger claimed the destruction of a 78th Fighter Group P-47.
On 20 February, the Eighth Army Air Force, formerly known as VIII Bomber Command, launched Operation Argument, also known as "Big Week", a series of attacks on the German aircraft industry. Defending against this operation, Staiger shot down a P-47 fighter of the 353rd Fighter Group near Mönchengladbach, this was his 39th aerial victory claim to date. On 24 February, the Eighth Army Air Force targeted Schweinfurt, Gotha and Rostock. II. and III. Gruppe of JG 26 intercepted the bombers without their fighter escorts and attacked them head-on. Five B-17 bombers of the 40th Bombardment Wing were shot down, three from the 92nd and two from the 306th Bombardment Group, including one by Staiger south of Quakenbrück. The next day, the USAAF continued Operation Argument by attacking Augsburg, Stuttgart, Fürth and Regensburg. III. Gruppe again intercepted bombers of the 40th Bombardment Wing near Saarbrücken. That day, Staiger was credited with shooting down a B-17 bomber near Birkweiler close Sedan. On 2 March, the Eighth Army Air Force sent 481 bombers, escorted by 589 fighters, to Frankfurt. III. Gruppe of JG 26 intercepted the bombers near Koblenz. In head-on attack, Staiger claimed one of the B-17 bombers shot down west of Limburg an der Lahn. On 8 March, Staiger claimed two aerial victories. That day, the Eighth Air Force targeted the ball bearings works at Erkner near Berlin. III. Gruppe intercepted the bombers on their target approach between Steinhuder Meer and Braunschweig. Due to the defending escort fighters, the attack on the bombers was flown from the rear with only a few Bf 109 fighters. The 45th Combat Bombardment Wing lost eight B-17s between Steinhuder Meer and Braunschweig, including a B-17 from the 388th Bombardment Group (Heavy) shot down by Staiger north of Hannover. Staiger, and some other Luftwaffe fighters, continued to pursue the bombers to Berlin where Staiger claimed his second B-17 near Potsdam which was not confirmed. On this mission, the commanding officer of III. Gruppe, Mietusch, was shot down and injured. During Mietusch's convalescence, Staiger, in addition to his command of 12. Staffel, was temporarily given command of III. Gruppe.