Friedrich Beckh

Friedrich Beckh (17 January 1908 – 21 June 1942) was a fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. He held the position of Geschwaderkommodore of fighter wing Jagdgeschwader 51 and Jagdgeschwader 52.
Born in 1908, Beckh the army in 1926 and transferred to the Luftwaffe in 1935, serving as a staff officer and lecturing at the Air War Academy. During 1940 as liaison officer in the Luftgaukommando Wiesbaden, he came to know with Werner Mölders; the two men served in Jagdgeschwader 134. When Mölders became commanding officer of JG 51 on 27 July 1940 he arranged for Beckh to transfer to his unit as an officer seconded from the General Staff.
On 21 July 1941 Beckh was appointed commanding officer of JG 51; in September he was wounded in action. After a period of convalescence, Beckh returned to the Geschwader on 21 December 1941; he was later transferred back to the Reich Air Ministry on 9 April 1942. He was then appointed Kommodore of JG 52.
On 21 June 1942 Beckh was airborne in his Bf 109 F-4 with his wingman for a sortie east of Charkov. In an encounter with Red Air Force LaGG-3 fighters near a Soviet air base, his aircraft was apparently shot down by flak. Beckh was presumed to have been killed in action.

• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (11 May 1942)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 18 September 1941 as Major and Geschwaderkommodore of JG 51

• MacLean 2007, p. 55.
• Fellgiebel 2000, p. 127.
• Scherzer 2007, p. 210.