Josef Fözö

Josef Fözö
Nickname(s)"Joschko"
Born7 November 1912
Vienna
Died4 March 1979(1979-03-04) (aged 66)
Vienna
Buried
Vienna Central Cemetery
Allegiance First Austrian Republic
Federal State of Austria
Nazi Germany
BranchÖsterreichische Luftstreitkräfte (1935–38)
Luftwaffe (1938–45)
Years of service1935–1945
RankMajor (major)
UnitCondor Legion
JG 72, JG 71, JG 51, JG 108
CommandsII./JG 51, I./JG 51
Battles / warsSpanish Civil War
World War II
AwardsKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Josef "Joschko" Fözö (7 November 1912 – 4 March 1979) 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 was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Early life and career

Fözö was born on 7 November 1912 in Vienna, the capital of Austria-Hungary.[1] He joined the Austrian Luftstreitkräfte before transferring to the Luftwaffe in 1938. From the summer of 1938 until March 1939, Fözö flew with 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of Jagdgruppe 88 during the Spanish Civil War in support of Nationalist forces, claiming three aerial victories.[2] During his service in Spain, 3.Staffel was first commanded by Oberleutnant Werner Mölders, and then by Oberleutnant Hubertus von Bonin.[3] Fözö, who flew 147 combat missions in Spain, was awarded the Spanish Cross in Gold with Sowrds(Spanienkreuz in Gold mit Schwertern).[4]

On 24 June 1939, the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (Luftwaffe High Command) ordered the formation Jagdgeschwader 71 (JG 71—71st Fighter Wing). On 15 July, two Staffeln were created at Schleißheim Airfield from elelements of I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). Fözö was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel which was equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 D-1. In preparation for war on 26 August, JG 71 was ordered to Fürstenfeldbruck Airfield to provide fighter protection for Munich and then to Böblingen Airfield on 29 August.[5]

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. On 3 October, the creation of II. Gruppe (2nd group) of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) from JG 71 was ordered. Formation began on 16 October and was completed on 1 November at Fürstenfeldbruck Airfield. In consequence, Fözö's 2. Staffel of JG 71 became the 4. Staffel of JG 51.[6]

Fözö claimed his first aerial victory on 16 April 1940 when he shot down a tethered balloon during the during the "Phoney War" period preceding the Battle of France. On 8 July 1940, he claimed the Supermarine Spitfire of Squadron Leader Desmond Cooke shot down. Cooke was the commanding officer of Royal Air Force (RAF) No. 65 Squadron who was killed in action that day.[7] On 13 July during the Kanalkampf phase of the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe attacked convoy CW 5 which had left the Port of Dover. On this mission, Fözö and his wingman, Unteroffizier Ernst Buder engaged a formation of B Flight of No. 56 Squadron led by Flight Lieutenant John Coghlan. In this encounter, Fözö was credited with two Hawker Hurricane fighters shot down.[8] On 31 July a Spitfire of No. 74 Squadron flown by Pilot Officer Harold Gunn, who was killed. Three kills were claimed on 16 August, a Hurricane of No. 501 Squadron (F/L Stoney killed) on 18 August.

On 24 August, Fözö may have damaged and claimed shot down Pilot Officer James Lockhart from No. 85 Squadron northwest of Dover. Lockhart manged to crash land his Hurricane at Hawkinge and was hospitalized.[9]

Another Spitfire was claimed on 26 August (of No. 616 Squadron; F/O Moberly killed).

On 20 February 1941, Fözö was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of II. Gruppe of JG 51. He replaced Hauptmann Günther Matthes who was transferred. Command of 4. Staffel was thus passed on to Oberleutnant Erich Hohagen.[10]

By the time Hauptmann Fözö flew in the invasion of Russia, he had 15 victories to his credit, and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 2 July for 22 victories, including four bombers downed on 30 June alone. On 11 July 1941, Fözö was badly injured in a take-off accident at Stary Bykhaw in Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 12836—factory number). In consequence, command of II. Gruppe was temporarily passed on to Hauptmann Hubertus von Bonin.[11] Following his convalescence, Fözö was given command of I. Gruppe of JG 51, replacing Hauptmann Wilhelm Hachfeld who was transferred. The Gruppe was based at Rjelbitzi airfield, located 26 kilometers (16 miles) north of Dno and 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) west-southwest of Soltsy on the northern bank of the Shelon.[12] On 24 May, the Gruppe moved to an airfield at Tuleblya, located southwest of Lake Ilmen between Staraya Russa and Dno. Here on 31 May, Fözö was severely injured in a landing accident when his Bf 109 F-2 (factory number 8086) flipped over on the muddy landing strip. In consequence, Fözö had to be replaced by Hauptmann Heinrich Krafft as commander of I. Gruppe.[13]

On recovery Fözö was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 108, a training unit, in June 1944. He led the unit until 29 January 1945.

Later life

Düllberg committed suicide on 4 March 1979 at the age of 66 in Vienna, Austria.[4]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Fözö was credited with 27 aerial victories, three of which during the Spanish Civil War and 15 over the Western Allies and nine on the Eastern Front. He flew 517 combat missions, including 147 in Spain.[14] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found documentation for 23 aerial victory claims, plus three further unconfirmed claims. This number includes three claims during the Spanish Civil War, 11 on the Western Front, and nine on the Eastern Front.[15]

Chronicle of aerial victories
  This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Bock, Forsyth, Mathews and Foreman.
Claim Date Time Type Location Claim Date Time Type Location
Spanish Civil War
– 3. Staffel of Jagdgruppe 88 –[16]
Spanish Civil War — September 1938 – January 1939
1 18 September 1938
—
 I-16 3 17 January 1939
—
 I-16
2 31 October 1938
—
 I-16
World War II
– 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –[16]
"Phoney War" — 1 November 1939 – 9 May 1940
1?[Note 1] 16 April 1940 15:55 tethered balloon west of Breisach[17]
– 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 –[16]
At the Channel and over England — 26 June 1940 – 20 February 1941
2 8 July 1940 16:45 Spitfire north of Dover[18] 9?[Note 2] 16 August 1940
—
 Hurricane east of Dover[19]
3 13 July 1940 19:26 Hurricane 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Cap Gris-Nez[20] 10 16 August 1940 18:05 Spitfire east of Dover[19]
4 13 July 1940 19:30 Hurricane 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Cap Gris-Nez[20] 11?[Note 2] 18 August 1940
—
 Hurricane east of Ramsgate[19]
5 31 July 1940 16:55 Spitfire northwest of Dover[20] 12 24 August 1940 09:35 Hurricane northwest of Dover[19]
6 8 August 1940 12:35 Spitfire southeast of Folkestone[20] 13 26 August 1940 13:15 Spitfire Canterbury[19]
7 15 August 1940 16:17 Hurricane east of Burnham-on-Crouch[19] 14 15 October 1940 09:32 Hurricane London[19]
8?[Note 2] 16 August 1940
—
 Hurricane east of Dover[19]
– Stab II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51 –[16]
At the Channel and over England — 20 February – 7 June 1941
15 9 April 1941 12:00 Spitfire 3 km (1.9 mi) north of Mardyck[21]
– Stab II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 51 –[16]
Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 11 July 1941
16 29 June 1941 19:25 I-16[22] 21 1 July 1941 14:30 I-16[23]
17 30 June 1941 10:35 R-10 (Seversky)[22] 22 2 July 1941 14:32 SB-2[23]
18 30 June 1941 10:40 DB-3[22] 23 9 July 1941 15:15 I-16 airfield Subowa[23]
19 30 June 1941 16:45 DB-3[22] 24 11 July 1941 17:05 DB-3[24]
20 30 June 1941 17:30 TB-6[22]

Awards

Publications

  • Freie Jagd von Madrid bis Moskau - Ein Fliegerleben mit Mölders [Free Hunting from Madrid to Moscow - A Pilot's Life with Mölders] (in German). Berlin, Germany: Alfred Becker. 1943. OCLC 9361944.

Notes

  1. ^ This claim is not listed by Mathews and Foreman.[16]
  2. ^ a b c According to Mathews and Foreman, this claim is unconfirmed.[16]

References

Citations

  1. ^ Obermaier 1989, p. 11.
  2. ^ Forsyth 2011, pp. 78, 83.
  3. ^ Laureau 2010, p. 108.
  4. ^ a b c Dixon 2023, p. 71.
  5. ^ Prien et al. 2000, p. 258.
  6. ^ Prien et al. 2001, p. 285.
  7. ^ Sarkar 2020, p. 33.
  8. ^ Bergström 2015, pp. 77–78.
  9. ^ Sarkar 2024, "Saturday, 24 August 1940".
  10. ^ Prien et al. 2002, p. 56.
  11. ^ Prien et al. 2003, pp. 277, 288.
  12. ^ Prien et al. 2006, pp. 252, 265.
  13. ^ Prien et al. 2006, pp. 252–253, 265, 274.
  14. ^ Obermaier 1989, p. 111.
  15. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2014, pp. 326–327.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h Mathews & Foreman 2014, p. 326.
  17. ^ Prien et al. 2001, p. 291.
  18. ^ Prien et al. 2002, p. 61.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h Prien et al. 2002, p. 65.
  20. ^ a b c d Prien et al. 2002, p. 62.
  21. ^ Prien et al. 2002, p. 66.
  22. ^ a b c d e Prien et al. 2003, p. 280.
  23. ^ a b c Prien et al. 2003, p. 281.
  24. ^ Prien et al. 2003, p. 282.
  25. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 183.
  26. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 314.

Bibliography

  • Bergström, Christer [in Swedish] (2015). The Battle of Britain: An Epic Conflict Revisited. Oxford, UK: Casemate. ISBN 978-1612-00347-4.
  • Dixon, Jeremy (2023). Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe: Knight's Cross Holders 1939–1942. Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-52677-864-2.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer [in German] (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • Forsyth, Robert (2011). Aces of the Legion Condor. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84908-347-8.
  • Laureau, Patrick (2010). Condor: The Luftwaffe in Spain, 1936–39. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-0688-9.
  • Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2014). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 1 A–F. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-18-9.
  • Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2001). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 2—Der "Sitzkrieg"—1.9.1939 bis 9.5.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 2—The "Phoney War"—1 September 1939 to 9 May 1940] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-59-5.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2000). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 1—Vorkriegszeit und Einsatz über Polen—1934 bis 1939 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 1—Pre-War Period and Action over Poland—1934 to 1939] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-54-0.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2002). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 4/II—Einsatz am Kanal und über England—26.6.1940 bis 21.6.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 4/II—Action at the Channel and over England—26 June 1940 to 21 June 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-64-9.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/I—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/I—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-69-4.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2006). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 9/II—Vom Sommerfeldzug 1942 bis zur Niederlage von Stalingrad—1.5.1942 bis 3.2.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 9/II—From the 1942 Summer Campaign to the Defeat at Stalingrad—1 May 1942 to 3 February 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-77-9.
  • Sarkar, Dilip (2020). Battle of Britain 1940 — The Finest Hour's Human Cost. Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-52677-593-1.
  • Sarkar, Dilip (2024). Battle of Britain Airfields Under Attack — 19 August 1940 – 6 September 1940. Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-39905-796-7.
  • 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 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
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