Wolf-Dietrich Huy

Wolf-Dietrich Huy (2 August 1917 – 13 July 2003) was a former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Born on 2 August 1917 in Freiburg. Oberleutnant Huy joined Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77) in September 1939. His first combat claim was a Spitfire on 31 May 1940. On 13 August 1940 Huy was posted into Stab, III./JG 77.

By early 1941 Huy's staffel served mainly as a Jaboflieger, flying ground support missions. During operations against Greece and Crete Huy carried out several successful attacks on shipping in an Bf 109F-4 coded 'White 1', (Werknummer 8334—factory number). III./JG 77 claimed some 34,000 tonnes of shipping sunk, including the 22,000 ton freighter 'Hellas' as well as damaging the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Fiji and a destroyer. On 22 May 1941 7./JG 77 attacked the British battleship HMS Warspite between 12:13 pm and 12:48 pm during the Battle of Crete. Oberleutnant Huth, Feldwebel Furth and Unteroffizier Pichler each had hit the Warspite and damaged her.

Following the operations in Crete, JG 77 was withdrawn to prepare for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, which started on 22 June 1941, III. Gruppe supported the advance East as part of Army Group South, and scored heavily. Huy was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 5 July 1941, awarded principally for his Jabo exploits in May 1941, but also for attaining 22 air victories, 21 since 22 June.

III./JG 77 served in the Crimea through to early 1942. On 23 January 1942 he was shot down by an ace of the Soviet 32 IAP, Starshiy Leytenant Mikhail Avdeyev. A Soviet offensive aimed at relieving Sevastopol ensued and Oberleutnant Huy claimed the Gruppe's 600th victory on 11 March, and his thirty-eight victory, but was then mistakenly shot down and wounded by German anti-aircraft fire.

In August 1942 he returned to JG 77 on recovery from his wounds and shortly afterward his unit was transferred to North Africa. On 28 October 1942 he claimed a Spitfire over Egypt. Huy was shot down by a Supermarine Spitfire Vc of No. 601 Squadron, flown by P/O JH Nicholls ( an eventual 7-kill ace) on 29 October 1942 over the El Alamein area. He survived the crash and spent the rest of World War II as a prisoner of war.

Huy was credited with 40 air victories ( 38 on the Eastern Front) in over 500 operational missions.

Huy died on 13 July 2003 in Gernsbach.

• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (1 December 1939)
  • 2nd Class (1 May 1941)
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe on 25 January 1942 as Oberleutnant and pilot
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 5 July 1941 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 7./JG 77
  • 83rd Oak Leaves on 17 March 1942 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 7./JG 77