Helmut MißnerHis name, in German, is spelled with a "sharp S"; see ß. (19 May 1921 – 12 September 1944) was a former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. 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. He was credited with 82 aerial victories all over the Eastern Front. In 1944 he was killed in action over Sagan, Poland.

Career Mißner entered the Luftwaffe 6 January 1941. In 1942 he was transferred to I./JG 54. Based on his experience, he was one of the instructors for the Luftwaffe. He was assigned to the Eastern Front and he had 82 aerial victories. On 17 July 1943, Mißner was credited with claiming JG 54s 5,000th aerial victory.

Instructor and death In mid-July 1944, Mißner was posted to 1. Staffel of Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, renamed Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Nord on 1 September, a fighter pilot training unit. On 12 September 1944, Mißner was killed in flight accident at Sagan, also known as Żagań, Poland. It is thought that lack of oxygen caused him and his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8 (Werknummer 170713—factory number) to plunge from an altitude of and crash. He was buried at Poznan, Poland in a mass grave. Before his death, Mißner was recommended for promotion to Leutnant (second lieutenant). Posthumously, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () on 10 October 1944 for his 82 aerial victories claimed.

Summary of career Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Mißner was credited with 82 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 83 aerial victories, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 00351". 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.

Chronicle of aerial victories Claim Date Time Type Location Claim Date Time Type Location – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 1 May 1942 – 3 February 1943 1 15 September 1942 07:20 Pe-2 PQ 00351 northeast of Gatchina – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 4 February – 31 December 1943 2 14 February 1943 15:00 I-16 PQ 36 Ost 00421Pushkin-Mga 18 6 July 1943 08:15 U-2 PQ 35 Ost 63392 west-northwest of Maloarkhangelsk 3 14 February 1943 15:02 MiG-3 PQ 36 Ost 00412 east of Pushkin 19 7 July 1943 14:13 Yak-7 PQ 35 Ost 63582 southwest of Maloarkhangelsk 4 15 February 1943 07:30? Il-2 PQ 36 Ost 10563 east of Lyuban 20 7 July 1943 14:18 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 63564 southwest of Maloarkhangelsk 5 15 February 1943 07:40 Il-2 PQ 36 Ost 10532 northeast of Lyuban 21 8 July 1943 13:45 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 63551 west-southwest of Maloarkhangelsk 6 15 February 1943 07:42 Il-2 PQ 36 Ost 10474 northeast of Lyuban 22 8 July 1943 13:47 P-39 PQ 35 Ost 63574 7 15 February 1943 15:30 La-5 PQ 36 Ost 00412 east of Pushkin 23 9 July 1943 12:01 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 63813 south of Maloarkhangelsk 8 17 February 1943 10:15 Il-2 PQ 36 Ost 00414 east of Pushkin 24 12 July 1943 19:35 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 63235 southeast of Mtsensk 9 23 February 1943 09:40 LaGG-3 PQ 36 Ost 10161southeast of Shlisselburg 25 13 July 1943 10:42 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 63256 east-southeast of Oryol 10 9 March 1943 10:15 LaGG-3 PQ 36 Ost 00433 southwest of Mga 26 13 July 1943 10:43 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 63268, south-southwest of Novosil east-southeast of Oryol 11 23 March 1943 11:09 Il-2 PQ 36 Ost 00423Pushkin-Mga 27 13 July 1943 13:39 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 63255 east-southeast of Oryol 12 24 March 1943 11:12 P-39 PQ 36 Ost 00442 southeast of Slutsk 28 14 July 1943 15:32 La-5 PQ 35 Ost 54418 west-southwest of Belyov 13 26 May 1943 20:07? LaGG-3 PQ 36 Ost 10313 south of Mga 29 14 July 1943 15:46 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 54284 west of Belyov 14 5 June 1943 15:15 LaGG-3 PQ 36 Ost 00173 north of Selo 30 17 July 1943 07:02 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 54464 north-northwest of Bolkhov 15 18 June 1943 17:05 LaGG-3 PQ 36 Ost 20163, Volkhovstroysouth of Volkhov 31 17 July 1943 19:02 Yak-4 PQ 35 Ost 63836 southeast of Maloarkhangelsk 16 22 June 1943 02:32 P-40 PQ 36 Ost 00344 north of Gatchina 32 27 July 1943 12:37 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 54571 east-northeast of Pskov 17 5 July 1943 03:55 LaGG-3 PQ 35 Ost 63574 southwest of Maloarkhangelsk 33 28 July 1943 15:10 Yak-7 PQ 35 Ost 54594 northeast of Karachev – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 54 –Eastern Front — 1 January – July 1944 34 12 February 1944 14:09 Il-2 PQ 35 Ost 06794 59 24 April 1944 10:28 Yak-9 PQ 26 Ost 70363Baltic Sea, east-northeast of Kunda 35 16 February 1944 14:26 LaGG-3 PQ 25 Ost 39411 south of Narva 60 8 May 1944 14:00 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 70512Baltic Sea, west of Hungerburg 36 18 February 1944 15:23 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 70663 west-southwest of Hungerburg 61 8 May 1944 14:02 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 70384Baltic Sea, east-northeast of Kunda 37 25 February 1944 08:55 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 70699 62 13 May 1944 08:00 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 70372Baltic Sea, east-northeast of Kunda 38 25 February 1944 09:05 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 70692 southwest of Narva 63 13 May 1944 08:03 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 70382Baltic Sea, east-northeast of Kunda 39 6 March 1944 12:25 La-5 PQ 26 Ost 70854 southwest of Narva 64 16 May 1944 10:15 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 70372Baltic Sea, east-northeast of Kunda 40 6 March 1944 16:25 La-5 PQ 26 Ost 70823 southwest of Narva 65 16 May 1944 10:18 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 70382Baltic Sea, east-northeast of Kunda 41 6 March 1944 16:26 La-5 PQ 26 Ost 70821 southwest of Narva 66 26 May 1944 13:36 La-5 PQ 26 Ost 80172Gulf of Finland, north of Hungerburg 42 7 March 1944 14:57 Yak-9 PQ 26 Ost 70364Baltic Sea, east-northeast of Kunda 67 26 May 1944 19:02 La-5 PQ 26 Ost 80173Gulf of Finland, north of Hungerburg 43 9 March 1944 14:58 La-5 PQ 26 Ost 80573southwest of Narva 68 29 May 1944 05:39 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 70393Gulf of Finland 44 9 March 1944 15:20? LaGG-3 PQ 26 Ost 70421Baltic Sea, northwest of Hungerburg 69 29 May 1944 05:45 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 70493Baltic Sea, northwest of Hungerburg 45 10 March 1944 08:00 LaGG-3 PQ 26 Ost 70332 70 2 June 1944 10:21? P-40 PQ 26 Ost 8084 south of Narva 46 26 March 1944 06:26 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 70381Baltic Sea, east-northeast of Kunda 71 15 June 1944 07:34 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 70322Baltic Sea, east-northeast of Kunda 47 26 March 1944 06:35 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 70391Gulf of Finland 72 28 June 1944 11:50 P-39 PQ QT-4/1 48 2 April 1944 08:35 Pe-2 PQ 26 Ost 70393northeast of Kunda 73 29 June 1944 12:30 P-39 PQ QT-1/3 49 2 April 1944 08:39 Pe-2 PQ 26 Ost 70371Baltic Sea, east-northeast of Kunda 74 29 June 1944 19:07 Il-2 PQ PS-2/9 50 2 April 1944 15:36 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 70393Gulf of Finland 75 30 June 1944 11:36 Il-2 PQ OS-9/4 51 3 April 1944 16:59 Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 60492Baltic Sea, east-northeast of Kunda 76 30 June 1944 11:50? P-39 PQ OT-2/7 52 3 April 1944 17:05 Pe-2 PQ 26 Ost 60494northeast of Kunda 77 2 July 1944 17:17 P-39 PQ OS-9/2vicinity of Polotsk 53 3 April 1944 17:08? Pe-2 PQ 26 Ost 70372northeast of Kunda 78 3 July 1944 11:42 Il-2 PQ OS-8/2vicinity of Polotsk 54 4 April 1944 08:12 Yak-7? PQ 26 Ost 60367northwest of Kunda 79 3 July 1944 11:43 Il-2 PQ OS-6/7vicinity of Polotsk 55 4 April 1944 08:15? Il-2 PQ 26 Ost 60442northeast of Kunda 80 3 July 1944 11:44 Il-2 PQ OS-6/5vicinity of Polotsk ? 4 April 1944 08:42 Il-2 northeast of Kunda ? 3 July 1944 Yak-9 56 19 April 1944 18:36 Yak-9 PQ 26 Ost 70694 southwest of Narva 81 4 July 1944 06:44 Yak-9 PQ OS-8/6vicinity of Polotsk 57 21 April 1944 18:27 Pe-2 PQ 26 Ost 70494Baltic Sea, northwest of Hungerburg 82 6 July 1944 19:34 P-39 PQ OT-2/1 southeast of Pruzhany 58 24 April 1944 10:22 Yak-9 PQ 26 Ost 70382Baltic Sea, east-northeast of Kunda

Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class German Cross on 17 October 1944 as Feldwebel in the I./Jagdgeschwader 54 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 10 October 1944 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the I./Jagdgeschwader 54

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