Anton-Rudolf Piffer

Anton-Rudolf Piffer
Nickname(s)Toni
Born16 May 1918
Zirl in Tirol, Austria
Died17 June 1944 (1944-06-18) (aged 26)
La Cordonniere, France
Allegiance Nazi Germany
BranchLuftwaffe
Years of service1938–44
RankLeutnant
UnitJG 1
Commands1./JG 1
Battles / warsWorld War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Anton-Rudolf "Toni" Piffer (16 May 1918 – 17 June 1944) was a Luftwaffe flying ace of World War II. Piffer was credited with 35 victories. All his victories were recorded over the Western Front. These included 26 four-engine bombers, all of which he obtained during Defence of the Reich operations.[1]

Early life

Anton-Rudolf Piffer was born 16 May 1918 in Zirl, Austria-Hungary.[2] He joined the Luftwaffe in 1938.[3]

World War II

After completing his training, Piffer was transfered on 3 April 1942 to the 11th Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1, then based in the Netherlands.[4][5] Piloting an Fw 190, Piffle made his first recorded areal victory on 19 September 1942 shooting down an RAF Mosquito Mk.VI bomber from the 105th Squadron near Osnabrück.[3][6][7] On 1 April 1943, Piffer's squadron was redesignated to the 2nd Staffel in Gruppe I of Jagdgeschwader 1 (2./JG 1), with Piffer being now based out of Deelen.[3][4] He then shot down what he reported to be a Stirling on 15 May 1943, although it has been proposed that it was more likely a USAAF four-engine bomber.[8] By the end of May, Piffer's gruppe had been moved to operate out of Schiphol.[3] June 22 1943 Piffer claimed another victory over a B-17 near Dinslaken, and was subsequently awarded the Iron Cross first class.[3] In August, he was promoted to Oberfeldwebel and claimed another B-17.[3] He would claim four more in October,[3] including one on October 8[9] southwest of Bremen,[10] before being wounded on 18 October 1943 when his Fw 190 A-6 suffered engine failure and he had to conduct an emergency landing near Terwolde.[8] He recovered quickly, claiming two more aerial victories before again being wounded in combat with USAAF bomber escorts on 11 November 1943 near Deelen.[8] In December 1943, he claimed a total of four bombers while based out of Dortmund-Brackel Airbase.[3] On December 16th, he claimed two of those B-17s.[8][11] He then guided fellow ace Rudolf Engleder through a blind landing, after he had been wounded and temporarily lost vision.[11] Then, on 22 December, Piffer shot down a P-38[11] By the end of 1943, Piffer had added 17 victories to his tally, 13 of which being B-17s.[8]

Piffer shot down a B-17 5 January 1944 around Düsseldorf.[12] On 30 January 1944, Piffer claimed another two B-17s shot down on the day.[13] He has also had a P-38 victory that has been attributed to him in that month.[3] Piffer was creditted with shooting down yet another B-17 8 February 1944.[14] His gruppe then moved to be based out of Dortmund.[3] On 24 February 1944, Oberfeldwebel Piffer shot down a B-24 Liberator from the 2nd Bombardment Division over Diepholz.[15][16] On 8 April 1944, Piffer shot down another B-24 bomber near Salzwedel but was shot down himself in his Fw 190 A-8 "Black 3".[4][5][17] He was wounded again in the encounter. Piffer was promoted to the rank of Leutnant and appointed Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 1 on 1 May 1944.[1] He claimed a P-51 on May 8.[3] On May 12, Piffer shot down a P-47 Thunderbolt near Lübeck, before on May 13 being rammed by another and making an emergency landing without landing gear near Hamburg.[18][3] While the more common account lists Piffer as being rammed by the Thunderbolt, another claims he rammed the plane, which fell into the Baltic Sea.[19] Piffer is then credited with shooting down another B-17 on May 24.[20] Piffer is credited with aerial victories over a B-17 on May 28th near Magdeburg and another B-17 May 29th near Berlin.[1]

His squadron moved to France on June 6th due to the incoming Allied advance, where he claimed a Taylorcraft Auster near Saint-Lô on 15 June.[21] On 16 June, Piffer shot down two RAF Supermarine Spitfire fighters near Flers, Normandy.[1][21]

On 17 June 1944, Piffer was killed when his Fw 190 A-8 "White 3" was shot down in aerial combat with either P-51 or P-47 fighters of the 354th Fighter Group near Argentan.[22][1]

He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 20 October 1944.[23] Anton-Rudolf "Toni" Piffer is buried in La Cambe German war cemetery.[21] He was credited with total 35 victories.[20][5]

Awards

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d e Weal 2011, p. 75.
  2. ^ Brazier 2022, p. 418.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Dixon 2023, p. 228.
  4. ^ a b c Зефиров 2011, p. 365.
  5. ^ a b c deZeng & Stankey 2018, p. 599.
  6. ^ Bowman 1998, p. 12.
  7. ^ Bowman 2003, p. 9.
  8. ^ a b c d e Forsyth 2017, p. 47.
  9. ^ Forsyth 2017, p. 48.
  10. ^ Weal 2011, p. 32.
  11. ^ a b c Weal 2011, p. 50.
  12. ^ Weal 2011, p. 53.
  13. ^ Forsyth 2011, p. 79.
  14. ^ Weal 2011, p. 58.
  15. ^ Yenne 2013, p. 212.
  16. ^ Weal 2011, p. 62.
  17. ^ Weal 2011, p. 71.
  18. ^ Forsyth 2017, p. 67.
  19. ^ Зефиров 2011, p. 365-366.
  20. ^ a b Зефиров 2011, p. 366.
  21. ^ a b c Dixon 2023, p. 229.
  22. ^ Bowman 2008, p. 284-285.
  23. ^ Weal 2011, p. 78.
  24. ^ Obermaier 1989, p. 179.
  25. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 595.

Bibliography

  • Brazier, Kevin (2022). The Complete Knight's Cross Volume Three The Years of Defeat 1944-1945. Fonthill Media. ISBN 9781781557839.
  • Bowman, Martin (1998). Mosquito Bomber/Fighter-Bomber Units World War 2. Osprey Publishing Limited. ISBN 1855326906.
  • Bowman, Martin W. (2008). Mosquito Menacing The Reich. Pen & Sword Aviation. ISBN 9781844158232.
  • Bowman, Martin W. (2003). The Men Who Flew the Mosquito. LEO COOPER. ISBN 0844150135. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  • Bowman, Martin W. (1997). The Reich Intruders. Patrick Stephens Limited. ISBN 1852605391.
  • deZeng IV, Henry L.; Stankey, Douglas G. "Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries Section L-R" (PDF). Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  • Dixon, Jeremy (2023). Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe: Knight's Cross Holders 1939-1942 (1st ed.). Havertown: Pen & Sword Books Limited. ISBN 9781526778642.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • Forsyth, Robert (2017). Jagdgeschwader 1 ‘Oesau’ Aces 1939-45. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 9781472822925.
  • Forsyth, Robert (2011). Luftwaffe Viermot Aces 1942-45. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781849084383.
  • Musciano, Walter A. (1989). Messerschmitt Aces (1st ed.). Aero. ISBN 0830683798.
  • Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
  • Weal, John (2011). Fw 190 Defence of the Reich Aces. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 9781849082945.
  • Yenne, Bill (2013). Big Week: Six Days That Changed the Course of World War II. New York: Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 9780425255759.
  • Зефиров, Михаил (2011). Асы Люфтваффе. Кто есть кто. Выдержка, мощь, внимание (in Russian). Moscow: AST. ISBN 9785170577767.
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