# Theo Osterkamp

Theodor "Theo" Osterkamp (15 April 1892 – 2 January 1975) was a German fighter pilot during World War I and World War II. A flying ace, he achieved 32 victories in World War I. In World War II, he led Jagdgeschwader 51 up to the Battle of Britain and claimed a further six victories during World War II, in the process becoming one of only a few men to score victories and become an ace in both world wars.

## Early life and World War I

Osterkamp was born in Rölsdorf near Düren, West Germany, and grew up in Aschersleben, modern day Saxony-Anhalt. He was born in 1892 as the second son of the factory owner Hermann Osterkamp and Anna Wilhelmine née Blank. Osterkamp received his Abitur from the Gymnasium in Dessau. His schoolmates in Dessau included the future pilots Oswald Boelcke and Gotthard Sachsenberg.
When the First World War started he was studying forestry but decided to enlist in the German Army. He was rejected for service due to his "slight build" and he instead enlisted in the Marinefliegerkorps in August 1914. He then flew with the 2. Marine-Fliegerabteilung in Flanders. During 1915–1916, he served as an air observer, and became the first German pilot to fly a land-based aircraft to England on a reconnaissance-mission. Osterkamp claimed his first (but unconfirmed) kill on 6 September 1916 as an observer to pilot Leutnant zur See Wilhelm Mattheus in a LVG C.II two-seater aircraft. In March 1917, he joined the Kampffliegerschule (Combat pilot school) in Putzig and then joined Marine Feld Jagdstaffel 1 on the 14th of April 1917 On 21 March 1917, Leutnant Osterkamp took command of Marine Feld Jagdstaffel 2 He scored a total of 32 victories during the war, and was awarded the Prussian military order Pour le Mérite on 2 September 1918, and was one of the last individuals to receive it.

## Interwar years

Osterkamp joined the new Luftwaffe on 1 August 1933 with the rank of Hauptmann. He also participated in the second, third and fourth FAI International Tourist Plane Contest Challenge 1930 (11th place), Challenge 1932 (12th place) and Challenge 1934 (5th place). On 1 April 1935, Osterkamp was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 4. Staffel (4th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 132 "Richthofen" (JG 132—132nd Fighter Wing), the first commander of this newly created Staffel. On 15 March 1936, Osterkamp transferred command of 4. Staffel to Hauptmann Clemens Graf von Schönborn-Wiesentheid. Osterkamp was then appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 134 "Horst Wessel" (JG 134—134th Fighter Wing). He held this position until November 1937 when he was transferred to the Jagdfliegerschule Werneuchen, later (JFS 1).

## World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. On 19 September, Oberst Osterkamp was appointed Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). During the Battle of France, he claimed four victories. During the Kanalkampf period of the Battle of Britain in July 1940, he claimed a further two victories, (a Bristol Blenheim on 1 June and a Spitfire on 13 July 1940) bringing his total to six. He was replaced as commander of JG 51 by Werner Mölders on 23 July with the latter formally taking command on the 27 July. Promoted to Generalmajor, Osterkamp was awarded his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 22 August 1940. Following his replacement in JG 51, Osterkamp was appointed Jagdfliegerführer 2, the commander of fighter aircraft in Luftflotte 2.
On 1 August 1942, he was transferred to Luftgaustab z.b.V. Afrika. On 5 April 1943, he was appointed Jagdfliegerführer Sizilien and served until replaced on 15 June by Adolf Galland. He then served in a number of staff positions until being appointed Inspekteur der Luftwaffen-Bodenorganisation (Inspector of Luftwaffe ground organisation) in 1944. His criticism of the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (Luftwaffe High Command) led to his dismissal from service in December 1944.

## Post-war career

In 1960, he was appointed honorary chairman of the Gemeinschaft der Jagdflieger, the Association of Fighter Pilots.

## Summary of career
### Aerial victory claims

Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 31 aerial victory claims, plus six further unconfirmed claims during World War I and three further unconfirmed claims during World War II. This number includes 29 claims during the World War I and two on the Western Front of World War II.
Chronicle of aerial victories :
| This and the – (dash) indicates unconfirmed aerial victory claims for which Osterkamp did not receive credit.  This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Bock, Mathews and Foreman. ||||||||||
| Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location | Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location |
| World War I ||||||||||
| – Marine Feld Jagdstaffel 1 – April – September 1917 ||||||||||
| 1 | 30 April 1917 | — | Nieuport | Oostkerke | 4 | 11 July 1917 | 21:45 | Sopwith 1½ Strutter | north of Veurne |
| 2 | 12 May 1917 | — | Sopwith Triplane | Ostend | 5 | 12 July 1917 | 21:00 | Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 | Zandvoorde |
| 3 | 5 June 1917 | — | Sopwith Camel | Nieuwpoort | 6 | 24 September 1917 | — | SPAD S.VII | west of Westrozebeke |
| – Marine Feld Jagdstaffel 2 – March – September 1918 ||||||||||
| 7 | 16 March 1918 | 15:55 | Sopwith Camel | 3 km (1.9 mi) south of Pervijze | 20 | 12 August 1918 | 20:50 | Sopwith Camel | Ramskapelle |
| 8 | 26 March 1918 | — | Sopwith Camel | Avekapelle | — | 12 August 1918 | 20:50 | Sopwith Camel | Diksmuide |
| 9 | 23 April 1918 | — | Sopwith Camel | north of Ostend | — | 12 August 1918 | 21:00 | Martinsyde G.100 | north of Oostkerke |
| 10 | 25 April 1918 | — | SPAD S.VII | Pervijze | — | 15 August 1918 | — | Martinsyde G.100 | Ostend |
| 11 | 11 May 1918 | 17:02 | Sopwith Camel | over sear near Bredene | 21 | 16 August 1918 | — | Airco DH.9 | Blankenberge |
| — | 5 June 1918 | — | SPAD S.VII | Pervijze | 22 | 21 August 1918 | 14:00 | Airco DH.9 | over sea near Bredene |
| 12 | 7 June 1918 | 13:10 | Sopwith Camel | Ramskapelle | 23 | 23 August 1918 | 12:10 | Sopwith Camel | Pervijze |
| 13 | 12 June 1918 | 11:50 | Airco DH.4 | southwest of Pervijze | — | 30 August 1918 | 14:40 | Airco DH.9 | Ostend |
| — | 12 June 1918 | — | Sopwith Camel | De Panne | 24 | 16 September 1918 | — | Sopwith Camel | Koksijde |
| 14 | 27 June 1918 | — | Sopwith Camel | over sea near Wenduine | 25 | 16 September 1918 | — | Sopwith Camel | Koksijde |
| 15 | 28 June 1918 | 20:55 | Sopwith Camel | southwest of Lake Blankaat | 26 | 20 September 1918 | — | Sopwith Camel | Praatbos |
| 16 | 29 June 1918 | — | Bristol F.2 Fighter | southeast of Pervijze | 27 | 28 September 1918 | 12:30 | Sopwith Camel | Woumen |
| 17 | 20 July 1918 | 10:25 | Sopwith Camel | east of Nieuport | 28 | 28 September 1918 | 18:10 | Bréguet 14 | Pierkenshoek |
| 18 | 25 July 1918 | 20:53 | Sopwith Camel | south of Nieuwpoort | 29 | 29 September 1918 | — | Bréguet 14 | west of Zarren |
| 19 | 29 July 1918 | — | Airco DH.4 | south of Oudekapelle | | | | | |
| World War II ||||||||||
| – Stab of Jagdgeschwader 51 – Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940 ||||||||||
| 1 | 12 May 1940 | — | Fokker G.I | Soesterberg | — | 31 May 1940 | — | Hawker Hurricane | Dunkirk |
| — | 22 May 1940 | — | Hawker Hurricane | Roubaix | — | 1 June 1940 | — | Bristol Blenheim? | Dunkirk |
| – Stab of Jagdgeschwader 51 – At the Channel and over England — 26 June – 23 July 1940 ||||||||||
| 2 | 13 July 1940 | — | Supermarine Spitfire | Dover | | | | | |

### Awards and decorations

* Kingdom of Prussia:
** Iron Cross 2nd Class & 1st Class
** Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, Knight's Cross with Swords
** Pour le Mérite (2 September 1918)
* German Empire: Imperial Navy Pilot’s Badge
* Weimar Republic: Baltic Cross
* Duchy of Anhalt:
** House Order of Albert the Bear, Knight's Badge 2nd Class with Swords
** Friedrich Cross
* Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg: Hanseatic Cross
* Grand Duchy of Oldenburg: Friedrich August Cross 2nd Class & 1st Class
* Austria-Hungary: Military Merit Cross, 3rd Class with War Decoration
* Nazi Germany:
** Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918 for Combatants
** Combined Pilot/Observer Badge
** Wehrmacht Long Service Award (Luftwaffe) 4th Class
** 1939 Clasp to the Iron Cross 2nd Class & 1st Class
** Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 22 August 1940 as Generalmajor and Jagdfliegerführer of Luftflotte 2

## Publications

* Du oder Ich. Deutsche Jagdflieger in Höhen und Tiefen [You or I. German Fighter Pilots at High and Low Altitude] (in German). Berlin: Nauck. 1938. OCLC 935029409.