Heinrich Füllgrabe

Heinrich Füllgrabe
Born	26 July 1916 Witzenhausen
Died	30 January 1945 (aged 28) Brieg
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	?–1945
Rank	Oberleutnant
Unit	JG 52 JG 50
Battles/wars	World War II Operation Barbarossa Battle of the Caucasus Defense of the Reich
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Heinrich Füllgrabe (26 July 1916 – 30 January 1945) was a German 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. Since joining the Luftwaffe in the late 1930s, after the his training as a fighter pilot, Füllgrabe was appointed to serve as the Unteroffizier 9./JG 52 in spring 1941. Heinrich Füllgrabe became famous as a member of one of the most efficient units of the Luftwaffe, Karaya Quartet, where flying alongside Hermann Graf (212 kills), Alfred Grislawski (133) and Ernst Süß (68). Heinrich Füllgrabe was killed on 30 January 1945 by Soviet anti-aircraft fire near Brieg in Silesia. During his career he was credited with 67 aerial victories, all of them on the Eastern Front. His score includes five Il-2 Sturmoviks.

Awards

• Aviator badge
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe on 30 March 1942 as Feldwebel and pilot^[1]
• German Cross in Gold on 11 May 1942 as Feldwebel in the III./Jagdgeschwader 52^{[2][Note 1]}
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 2 October 1942 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 52^{[4][Note 2]}

Notes

1. According to Obermaier on 25 May 1942.^[3]
2. According to Scherzer as pilot in the III./Jagdgeschwader 52.^[5]

References

Citations

1. Patzwall 2008, p. 81.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 127.
3. Obermaier 1989, p. 115.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 189.
5. Scherzer 2007, p. 323.

Bibliography

• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (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.
• 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.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3.
• 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.
• Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1.