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Friedrich Haas (20 January 1924 – 9 April 1945) was a Luftwaffe fighter ace from Dillenburg/Hesse, Germany and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Friedrich Haas was credited with 74 aerial victories all over the Eastern Front (World War II). Haas was shot down and killed in 1945 over Vienna, Austria.
Career
Haas was posted to 5. Staffel (5th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) in late 1943. He flew on 385 combat missions, scoring 74 kills over the subsequent year and a half. Haas' squadron was often outnumbered and short on fuel at this late stage of the war.
On 10 July, Haas made an emergency landing in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 163574—factory number) west of Stryi and sustained injuries.
Squadron leader and death
On 1 February 1945, Haas succeeded Hauptmann Erich Hartmann as Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 4. Staffel of JG 52. On 1 March, this Staffel was renamed and became the 5. Staffel of JG 52. At the same time, the former 5. Staffel was also renamed and became the 6. Staffel. At the time, II. Gruppe was based at Veszprém in Hungary.
Haas was shot down over Vienna on 9 April 1945 and, though he managed to bail out from his Bf 109 G at low altitude, he struck the vertical stabilizer and fell to his death. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) in April. Haas was succeeded by Leutnant Paul Linxen as commander of 5. Staffel. He is buried in Oberwölbling, Austria.
Summary of career
Aerial victory claims
According to Barbas, Obermaier and Spick, Haas was credited with 74 aerial victories claimed in 385 combat missions. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 50 aerial victory claims recorded on the Eastern Front.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 66671". The Luftwaffe grid map (Jägermeldenetz) 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 360 square miles (930 km). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 km × 4 km (1.9 mi × 2.5 mi) in size.
| Chronicle of aerial victories | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
This and the ♠ (Ace of spades) indicates those aerial victories which made Haas an "ace-in-a-day", a term which designates a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day. This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Barbas, Mathews and Foreman. | |||||||||
| Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location | Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location |
| – 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 – | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 December 1943 | 10:33 | Yak-1 | northwest of Cape Tusla | 2 | 29 December 1943 | 12:35 | P-39 | southeast of Kerch |
| – 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 – | |||||||||
| 3 | 3 January 1944 | 08:26 | P-39 | PQ 66671 east of Kerch | 27 | 30 May 1944 | 14:53 | P-39 | vicinity of Huși 8 km (5.0 mi) north of Iași |
| 4 | 12 January 1944 | 06:55 | P-39 | vicinity of Cape Tarchan Adshim-Uschkai | 28 | 31 May 1944 | 06:41 | Il-2 | PQ 78681 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Iași |
| 5 | 1 February 1944 | 14:58 | P-39 | vicinity of Cape Khroni vicinity of Cape Khroni | 29 | 31 May 1944 | 06:53 | Il-2 | vicinity of Iași 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Iași |
| 6 | 7 April 1944 | 11:38 | Yak-7 | PQ 37892 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Perekop | 30 | 31 May 1944 | 10:37 | Il-2 | vicinity of Iași 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Iași |
| 7 | 15 April 1944 | 06:41 | Il-2 | PQ 35481 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Sevastopol | 31 | 1 June 1944 | 13:36 | P-39 | vicinity of Iași 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Iași |
| 8 | 15 April 1944 | 06:43 | Yak-7 | PQ 35483 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Sevastopol | 32 | 2 June 1944 | 08:42 | P-39 | vicinity of Iași 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Iași |
| 9 | 15 April 1944 | 15:20 | Il-2 | PQ 35391 Black Sea, southwest of Sevastopol | 33 | 2 June 1944 | 15:41 | Yak-7 | vicinity of Iași 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Iași |
| 10 | 18 April 1944 | 10:38 | Il-2 | PQ 35444 vicinity of Sevastopol | 34 | 3 June 1944 | 18:38 | P-39 | vicinity of Cârpiţi 15 km (9.3 mi) north of Iași |
| 11 | 19 April 1944 | 17:23 | Yak-7 | vicinity of Dzhankoi 15 km (9.3 mi) east of Sevastopol | 35 | 4 June 1944 | 12:41 | Boston | vicinity of Abony |
| 12 | 27 April 1944 | 17:52 | P-39 | PQ 35483 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Sevastopol | 36 | 16 October 1944 | 16:07 | Yak-11 | PQ 18891 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of Oradea |
| 13 | 4 May 1944 | 07:45 | Yak-7 | PQ 35363 Black Sea, 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Sevastopol | 37 | 18 October 1944 | 12:03 | Yak-11 | PQ 18814 35 km (22 mi) south of Debrecen |
| 14 | 4 May 1944 | 07:48 | Yak-9 | vicinity of Belbek Black Sea, 15 km (9.3 mi) northwest of Sevastopol | 38 | 19 October 1944 | 10:21 | La-5 | PQ 18444 15 km (9.3 mi) south-southwest of Debrecen |
| 15 | 6 May 1944 | 13:22 | Il-2 | vicinity of Belbek vicinity of Sevastopol | 39 | 30 October 1944 | 14:09 | La-5 | PQ 08765 20 km (12 mi) east of Szolnok |
| 16 | 6 May 1944 | 13:25 | Yak-7 | vicinity of Dzhankoi 15 km (9.3 mi) east of Sevastopol | 40 | 1 November 1944 | 10:21 | Yak-9 | PQ 97263 east of Kecskemét |
| 17♠ | 7 May 1944 | 09:32 | Yak-7 | vicinity of Balaklava 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Sevastopol | 41 | 23 November 1944 | 08:38 | Yak-9 | PQ 98436 vicinity of Atkár |
| 18♠ | 7 May 1944 | 09:36 | Il-2 | vicinity of Balaklava 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Sevastopol | 42 | 23 November 1944 | 11:46 | Il-2 | PQ 8174 30 km (19 mi) south-southeast of Miskolc |
| 19♠ | 7 May 1944 | 09:37? | Il-2 | PQ 35471 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Sevastopol | 43 | 5 December 1944 | 08:57 | Yak-9 | PQ 98445 west of Tura |
| 20♠ | 7 May 1944 | 15:14 | Yak-7 | PQ 35612 Black Sea, 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Sevastopol | 44 | 5 December 1944 | 09:00 | Il-2 | PQ 98454 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Gyöngyös |
| 21♠ | 7 May 1944 | 15:20 | P-40 | PQ 35453 15 km (9.3 mi) east of Sevastopol | 45 | 11 December 1944 | 09:58 | Yak-9 | PQ 98354 |
| 22 | 8 May 1944 | 10:46 | Yak-7 | vicinity of Balaklava Black Sea, 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Sevastopol | 46 | 11 December 1944 | 10:03 | Yak-9 | PQ 98355 30 km (19 mi) north-northeast of Budapest |
| 23 | 8 May 1944 | 10:55 | Yak-7 | PQ 35392 Black Sea, southwest of Sevastopol | 47 | 20 December 1944 | 09:08 | Yak-9 | PQ 88848 vicinity of Seregélyes |
| 24 | 9 May 1944 | 11:33 | Yak-7 | PQ 35471 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Sevastopol | 48 | 20 December 1944 | 09:11 | Yak-9 | PQ 87211 15 km (9.3 mi) northwest of Dunaújváros |
| 25 | 9 May 1944 | 14:12 | Yak-7 | vicinity of Balaklava 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Sevastopol | 49 | 21 December 1944 | 13:14 | Yak-9 | PQ 88844 vicinity of Seregélyes |
| 26 | 29 May 1944 | 08:43 | Pe-2 | PQ 87254 15 km (9.3 mi) south-southwest of Kishinev | 50 | 21 December 1944 | 13:14 | Yak-9 | PQ 88844 vicinity of Seregélyes |
Awards
- German Cross in Gold on 26 July 1944 as Unteroffizier in the 5./Jagdgeschwader 52
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 26 April 1945 as Leutnant and Staffelführer of the 5./Jagdgeschwader 52
