111 Flugzeugführerabzeichen, verliehen an Hauptmann Hans-Dieter Frank, NJG 1.
Non-ferrous metal version, the eagle with an old silver patina. On pin. Riveted on the reverse. With maker's mark ‘C.E. JUNCKER BERLIN SW’. Needle hook with old solder repair.
Hans-Dieter Frank (8 July 1919 – 28 September 1943) was a night fighter ace who achieved 55 aerial victories in about 150 combat missions, making him the seventeenth most successful night fighter pilot in the history of aerial warfare. He achieved all of his victories on the Western Front, defending the Reich against the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command.
Born in Kiel, Frank grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. After graduating from school, he entered military service in 1937 and was trained as a pilot. Frank then served in the 1st Destroyer Wing (ZG 1-1st Destroyer Wing) and flew a heavy Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighter plane during the invasion of Poland and the Battle of France.
In mid-1941, he transferred to Nachtjagdgeschwader 1, where he became a night fighter pilot and claimed his first aerial victory in the night of 10-11 April 1941. In August 1942, Frank was appointed squadron leader of the 2nd squadron of NJG 1. After his 33rd aerial victory, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 20 June 1943.
On 1 July 1943, he was appointed group commander of the 1st group of NJG 1. On the night of 27–28 September 1943, Frank and his crew were killed in a mid-air collision with another German night fighter.
He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and was promoted to the rank of major.
Frank was born on 8 July 1919 in Kiel, which at the time was part of the province of Schleswig-Holstein during the Weimar Republic. He was the son of a commercial agent. After graduating from school and acquiring his university entrance qualification, Frank joined the Luftwaffe as a Fahnenjunker (cadet) in 1937. After flight training, he was assigned to Zerstörergeschwader 1 (ZG 1 – 1st Destroyer Squadron).
The Second World War in Europe began on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German troops invaded Poland. As a lieutenant (second lieutenant) of the I. Gruppe (1st Group) of ZG 1, Frank flew his first combat missions over Poland and during the Battle of France. [4] On 22 June 1940, the Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1 – 1st Night Fighter Squadron) was formed from the I. Gruppe of the ZG 1 and placed under the command of Captain Wolfgang Falck. As a result, Frank became a member of the night fighter force.
After the Battle of Heligoland in 1939, the Royal Air Force (RAF) shifted its attacks to darkness, thus launching the ‘Defence of the Reich’ campaign. By mid-1940, Major General (Brigadier General) Josef Kammhuber had set up a night air defence system called the Kammhuber Line. It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped with radar and searchlights, and an associated night fighter. Each sector, known as a Himmelbett (canopy of heaven), was designed to bring the night fighter into view of the target bombers. In 1941, the Luftwaffe began equipping night fighters with on-board radar, such as the Lichtenstein radar. This airborne radar was not widely used until early 1942. On 25 August 1941, Frank became an ace after shooting down his fifth victim, Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, Z6505, MH-F, No. 51 Squadron RAF. Sergeant J. C. W. King and his crew were captured. On 8 August 1942, he was appointed squadron captain (wing leader) of 2. Staffel (Squadron) NJG 1.
On 27 November 1942, Frank was awarded the German Cross in Gold.
Frank was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 20 June 1943. The nomination had been submitted for 33 aerial victories. The award was made by Major General Kammhuber.
During the night of 21–22 June, RAF Bomber Command sent 705 aircraft on a mission to bomb Krefeld, with 44 aircraft lost in the attack. That night, Frank claimed six aerial victories in the early hours of the morning, making him ‘Ace of the Day’. One of the bombers he shot down was the Handley Page Halifax HR848, one of 19 aircraft from RAF Squadron No. 35 that were to attack Krefeld on the night of 21-22 June. Flight Sergeant R. J. Quigley and two of his crew were taken prisoner, the remaining four were killed. Another aircraft was HR735, operated by No. 158 Squadron RAF. Pilot Officer C. H. Robinson DFC RNZAF and his six crew were killed. A third aircraft, BB375, flown by German-Canadian Sergeant C. C. Reichert RCAF, No. 408 Squadron RAF, crashed with all but one of the crew being killed. Other victories included a No. 100 Squadron RAF Avro Lancaster bomber near Dinther and two 408 (Goose) Squadron Halifax bombers near Zeist and Lopik.
On 24–25 June, Sergeant Robert Whitfields Halifax JD258, VR-K, which was borrowed from No. 419 Bomber Squadron RCAF but flown by a crew from No. 428 Squadron RAF, claimed Frank's 41st aerial victory. The entire crew was killed. The aircraft was on a mission to bomb Elberfeld, a district of Wuppertal.
Frank's next aerial victory in June 1943 occurred on 29 June 1943 when he shot down his 44th opponent; the Lancaster bomber ED362, HW-E, flown by Pilot Officer J. P. Pascoe RCAF, No. 100 Squadron RAF. Pascoe and all but one of his crew were killed (Sergeant R. G. Storr was captured). That night, RAF Bomber Command had Cologne as its target.
On 1 July 1943, Frank was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (Group Commander) of I. Gruppe (Group) of NJG 1, succeeding Major Werner Streib. On the night of 9–10 July, Frank claimed his first aerial victory as a group commander, attacking No. 61 Squadron RAF's Lancaster bomber W4763, which crashed near Overdinkel in the Netherlands. Four nights later, he shot down a Halifax bomber of No. 401 Squadron RCAF and another Halifax bomber of No. XXXV (Madras Presidency) Squadron. Frank's next aerial victories came during the night of 25-26 July with the Heinkel He 219 night fighter, when he claimed two aerial victories, a Lancaster bomber of No. 50 Squadron RAF and a Wellington bomber of 429 (Bomber) Squadron RCAF. When 660 bombers attacked both Mönchengladbach and Rheydt during the night of 30 to 31 August, Frank was credited with destroying three bombers. His aerial victories included a Short Stirling bomber over Mönchengladbach, a Vickers Wellington bomber JA118 of the Royal Canadian Air Force No. 432 Squadron RCAF and a Lancaster bomber that crashed near Brüggen.
Frank and his radio operator, Senior Sergeant Erich Gotter, were killed in a collision with another German night fighter northwest of Celle in the night of 28 to 29 September 1943. Their He 219 A-0 (serial number 190055) ‘G9+CB’ collided with a Bf 110 G-4 of the NJG 1 squadron headquarters (staff unit) during the landing approach.
Frank had ejected from the aircraft using the ejection seat, but forgot to disconnect his radio cable. He landed safely but was strangled by the radio cable. The three-man crew of the Bf 110 G-4, pilot Captain Günther Friedrich, radio operator Lieutenant Werner Gerber and flight engineer Kurt Weißke, also died in the accident. This collision was probably caused by an attack by RAF night fighter ace Bob Braham on his fighter.
On 2 March 1944, Frank was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, becoming the 417th officer or soldier of the Wehrmacht to receive this honour.
He was also posthumously promoted to the rank of major. Captain Manfred Meurer became his successor as commander of I. Gruppe des NJG 1.
Frank was credited with 55 victories at night in 328 combat missions. Foreman, Parry and Mathews, authors of Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, researched the German Federal Archives and found records of 54 victories at night.
The decorations and documents from the estate of Captain Hans-Dieter Frank, NJG 1, who was awarded the Oak Leaf, will initially be auctioned off individually and sold subject to a possible overall bid.
After that, it will be possible to submit a total bid for all the lots in the award group. To do this, the sums of the individual surcharges are added up and it is possible to submit bids for the complete group. If several total bids are received, the highest bidder is awarded the contract.
If no total bid is received that exceeds the total of the individual surcharges by at least 10%, the provisional surcharges for the individual lots remain valid.
A combined bid can also be made in advance of the auction.
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