# Walter Zellot

Walter Zellot (6 October 1920 – 10 September 1942) was a World War II fighter pilot from Nazi Germany. Zellot is credited with shooting down 86 Allied aircraft in 296 combat missions. Among these 83 were achieved over the Eastern Front.

## Career

Zellot was born on 6 October 1920in Spittal an der Drau in Carinthia of the Republic of Austria. In 1941, Tonne was posted Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing) where he was assigned to 1. Staffel (1st Squadron). On 6 June. I. Gruppe moved to Mannheim-Sandhofen Airfield. Following a maintenance overhaul of the aircraft, I. Gruppe moved to an airfield named Krzewicza located near Międzyrzec Podlaski, approximately 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Brest, from 12 to 14 June.

### Operation Barbarossa and Malta

On 22 June, the Geschwader crossed into Soviet airspace in support of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, which opened the Eastern Front. I. Gruppe took off on its first mission at 3:40 am, escorting Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers. On the second mission of the day which took off at 9:10 am, again escorting Ju 87 dive bombers, Zellot claimed his first aerial victory when he shot down a Polikarpov I-16 fighter. Supporting the German attack, the Gruppe moved to Pruzhany on 25 June, to Baranavichy on 29 June, to Hostynne the next day, reaching Dubno on 5 July. Here, Zellot claimed his second aerial victory on 6 July.
In December 1941, I. Gruppe was moved to Mediterranean air bases at Gela in Sicily where they fought in the aerial battles of the Siege of Malta.

### Eastern Front

In early May 1942, I. Gruppe was transferred back to the Eastern Front. Prior to the relocation, the Gruppe received a full complement of 41 factory new Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 aircraft at Schwäbisch Hall before heading for Prague Ruzyne Airfield on 28 May. The following day, I. Gruppe flew to Kursk. There, the Gruppe supported the German 4th Panzer Army in its advance towards Voronezh during Case Blue, the 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia between 28 June and 24 November 1942.

### Squadron leader and death

On 19 August 1942, Zellot was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel of JG 53, replacing Hauptmann Klaus Quaet-Faslem who was transferred. On 23 August, German forces launched the Battle of Stalingrad with the 16th Panzer Division, and elements of the 3rd Motorized Infantry Division and 60th Motorized Infantry Division crossing the Don near Vertyachy. That day, Zellot claimed four aerial victories in support of the German attack.
However, earlier on the same day of his appointment on 19 August 1942, his Bf 109 G-2 (Werknummer 14189—factory number) was shot-up by a Soviet fighter, probably the Yakovlev Yak-1 flown by future ace Boris M. Vasilyev (929 IAP). Zellot was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 3 September 1942 following his 75th aerial victory.
On 10 September 1942, Zellot was killed in action while engaged in a low-level attack on Soviet troops northwest of Stalingrad, shot down by anti-aircraft fire. He bailed out at low altitude, insufficient for his parachute to open, and was killed. According to Prien, Zellot may have been shot down by friendly fire. His Bf 109 G-2 (Werknummer 13487) had its tail blown off and crashed 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Vertyachy. At the time oh his death, he was the most successful fighter pilot of I. Gruppe of JG 53. Zellot was temporarily succeeded by Oberleutnant Friedrich-Karl Müller as commander of 2. Staffel. In parallel, Müller who was officially heading 1. Staffel of JG 53.

## Summary of military career
### Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Zellot was credited with 85 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 84 aerial victory claims, including 81 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and three on the Western Front.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 49721". 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$^2$). 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 Zellot 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 Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Bock, Mathews and Foreman. ||||||||||
| Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location | Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location |
| – 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 – Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 7 August 1941 ||||||||||
| 1 | 22 June 1941 | 09:45 | I-16 | | 7 | 18 July 1941 | 04:50 | Pe-2 | south of Vasylkiv |
| 2 | 6 July 1941 | 15:25 | Pe-2 | 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Proskuriv | 8 | 26 July 1941 | 11:00 | V-11 (Il-2) | |
| 3 | 10 July 1941 | 15:30? | SB-3 | | 9 | 27 July 1941 | 15:00 | I-16 | north of Bila Tserkva |
| 4 | 11 July 1941 | 11:10 | SB-2? | | 10 | 31 July 1941 | 19:20 | I-16 | north of Novomyrhorod |
| 5 | 11 July 1941 | 11:20 | DB-3? | | 11? | 2 August 1941 | 05:10 | I-16 | 12 km (7.5 mi) southeast of Novomyrhorod |
| 6? | 11 July 1941 | 19:37 | I-16 | | 12 | 5 August 1941 | 18:15 | Pe-2 | southeast of Kyiv |
| – 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 – Mediterranean Theater — 15 December 1941 – 30 April 1942 ||||||||||
| 13 | 27 December 1941 | 12:07 | Hurricane | 30 km (19 mi) east of Malta | 15 | 21 April 1942 | 12:45 | Spitfire | near Malta |
| 14 | 20 April 1942 | 18:05 | Spitfire | near Malta | | | | | |
| – 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 – Eastern Front — 28 May 1942 – 18 August 1942 ||||||||||
| 16 | 4 June 1942 | 14:37 | I-61 (MiG-3) | | 37 | 6 August 1942 | 07:05 | Il-2 | PQ 49721 30 km (19 mi) northeast of Aksal |
| 17 | 2 July 1942 | 07:10 | MiG-1 | | 38 | 6 August 1942 | 07:10 | MiG-1 | PQ 49721 30 km (19 mi) northeast of Aksal |
| 18 | 3 July 1942 | 18:20 | LaGG-3 | 4 km (2.5 mi) east of Sossne-Olynn | 39 | 7 August 1942 | 05:45 | Pe-2 | PQ 4959 45 km (28 mi) east-northeast of Aksal |
| 19 | 6 July 1942 | 07:50 | LaGG-3 | 30 km (19 mi) east of Livny | 40 | 7 August 1942 | 05:47 | Il-2 | PQ 4959 45 km (28 mi) east-northeast of Aksal |
| 20 | 9 July 1942 | 11:15 | Il-2 | | 41 | 7 August 1942 | 05:50 | Il-2 | west of Zarza |
| 21 | 11 July 1942 | 13:50 | R-5 | | 42 | 8 August 1942 | 12:53? | LaGG-3 | PQ 4953 35 km (22 mi) south of Stalingrad |
| 22 | 12 July 1942 | 06:03 | Pe-2 | | 43 | 9 August 1942 | 05:30 | Er-2 | PQ 4942 30 km (19 mi) east-southeast of Stalingrad |
| 23 | 25 July 1942 | 09:00 | Il-2 | | 44 | 9 August 1942 | 13:32 | Il-2 | southwest of Kalach-na-Donu |
| 24 | 25 July 1942 | 09:12 | Il-2 | | 45 | 9 August 1942 | 13:32 | Il-2 | southwest of Kalach-na-Donu |
| 25 | 26 July 1942 | 08:56 | MiG-1 | | 46 | 9 August 1942 | 13:36 | Il-2 | PQ 3944 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Kalach-na-Donu |
| 26 | 27 July 1942 | 18:30 | I-16 | 8 km (5.0 mi) southwest of Budennovskaya | 47 | 10 August 1942 | 17:14 | MiG-3 | northeast of Bereska |
| 27 | 27 July 1942 | 18:36 | I-16 | 3 km (1.9 mi) southwest of Budennovskaya | 48 | 10 August 1942 | 18:00 | MiG-3 | PQ 4984 20 km (12 mi) east of Aksal |
| 28 | 31 July 1942 | 13:00 | I-15? | 3 km (1.9 mi) north of Kalach-na-Donu | 49 | 12 August 1942 | 04:15 | LaGG-3 | southwest of Bereska |
| 29 | 31 July 1942 | 15:35 | Il-2 | 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Katschalinskaja | 50 | 12 August 1942 | 04:30 | Il-2 | PQ 3977 35 km (22 mi) north-northwest of Kotelnikovo |
| 30 | 1 August 1942 | 07:00 | LaGG-3 | north of Kalach-na-Donu | 51♠ | 13 August 1942 | 06:15 | I-153 | PQ 4911 15 km (9.3 mi) north-northeast of Pitomnik Airfield |
| 31 | 1 August 1942 | 07:05 | LaGG-3 | PQ 39332 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Kalach-na-Donu | 52♠ | 13 August 1942 | 06:17 | I-153 | PQ 4911 15 km (9.3 mi) north-northeast of Pitomnik Airfield |
| 32 | 1 August 1942 | 07:16 | LaGG-3 | northeast of Kalach-na-Donu | 53♠ | 13 August 1942 | 17:48 | Il-2 | PQ 3941 10 km (6.2 mi) southeast of Kalach-na-Donu |
| 33 | 2 August 1942 | 05:35 | Il-2 | PQ 39223 25 km (16 mi) northwest of Pitomnik Airfield | 54♠ | 13 August 1942 | 18:05 | LaGG-3 | PQ 3933 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Kalach-na-Donu |
| 34 | 2 August 1942 | 05:50 | MiG-1 | southeast of Wertjatschij | 55♠ | 13 August 1942 | 18:10 | LaGG-3 | PQ 3941 10 km (6.2 mi) southeast of Kalach-na-Donu |
| 35 | 2 August 1942 | 05:55 | MiG-1 | PQ 39234 20 km (12 mi) north of Pitomnik Airfield | 56 | 14 August 1942 | 17:40 | LaGG-3 | PQ 4922 |
| 36 | 4 August 1942 | 16:35 | MiG-1 | PQ 38259 20 km (12 mi) south of Shutow | 57 | 17 August 1942 | 15:16 | Yak-1 | northeast of Kotluban railway station |
| – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 – Eastern Front — 19 August – 10 September 1942 ||||||||||
| 58 | 19 August 1942 | 08:35 | LaGG-3 | PQ 30853 25 km (16 mi) northwest of Pitomnik Airfield | 73 | 30 August 1942 | 16:14 | I-180 (Yak-7) | PQ 49392 25 km (16 mi) south of Stalingrad |
| 59 | 20 August 1942 | 17:30 | MiG-3 | PQ 49533 30 km (19 mi) south of Stalingrad | 74 | 1 September 1942 | 08:15? | LaGG-3 | PQ 49394 25 km (16 mi) south of Stalingrad |
| 60 | 21 August 1942 | 04:55 | LaGG-3 | PQ 49674 50 km (31 mi) south-southeast of Stalingrad | 75 | 2 September 1942 | 17:14 | LaGG-3 | PQ 49173 45 km (28 mi) east of Stalingrad |
| 61 | 22 August 1942 | 10:30? | I-16 | PQ 49473 30 km (19 mi) south-southeast of Stalingrad | 76 | 3 September 1942 | 06:45 | Yak-1 | PQ 49293 35 km (22 mi) east of Stalingrad |
| 62 | 23 August 1942 | 08:25? | MiG-3 | PQ 49124 15 km (9.3 mi) north of Gumrak | 77 | 3 September 1942 | 09:15? | Il-2 | PQ 49361 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Stalingrad |
| 63 | 23 August 1942 | 08:52 | LaGG-3 | PQ 49131 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Grebenka | 78 | 3 September 1942 | 12:10? | LaGG-3 | PQ 49174 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Grebenka |
| 64 | 23 August 1942 | 13:35 | MiG-3 | PQ 49271 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Stalingrad | 79 | 4 September 1942 | 13:11? | LaGG-3 | PQ 49282 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Stalingrad |
| 65 | 23 August 1942 | 13:43 | MiG-3 | PQ 49243 10 km (6.2 mi) northeast of Stalingrad | 80 | 4 September 1942 | 13:33? | LaGG-3 | PQ 49254 10 km (6.2 mi) northeast of Stalingrad |
| 66 | 24 August 1942 | 08:25 | Yak-4 | PQ 49261 35 km (22 mi) east of Stalingrad | 81 | 6 September 1942 | 15:35? | Pe-2? | PQ 49252 25 km (16 mi) east of Stalingrad |
| 67 | 27 August 1942 | 08:37 | I-180 (Yak-7) | PQ 49211 35 km (22 mi) east of Stalingrad | 82 | 8 September 1942 | 11:30 | Il-2 | PQ 49124 15 km (9.3 mi) north of Gumrak |
| 68 | 27 August 1942 | 08:42? | I-180 (Yak-7) | PQ 49263 35 km (22 mi) east of Stalingrad | 83 | 8 September 1942 | 15:30? | La-5 | PQ 49334 5 km (3.1 mi) south of Stalingrad |
| 69 | 28 August 1942 | 05:40 | LaGG-3 | PQ 49432 30 km (19 mi) southeast of Stalingrad | 84 | 8 September 1942 | 15:34? | La-5 | PQ 49321 25 km (16 mi) east of Stalingrad |
| 70 | 28 August 1942 | 14:40 | LaGG-3 | PQ 50792 80 km (50 mi) east-northeast of Stalingrad | 85 | 9 September 1942 | 14:34 | Yak-1 | PQ 40882 50 km (31 mi) north of Gumrak |
| 71 | 28 August 1942 | 14:48? | MiG-1 | PQ 50783 65 km (40 mi) northeast of Stalingrad | 86 | 10 September 1942 | 06:03? | La-5 | PQ 49254 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Bassargino |
| 72 | 29 August 1942 | 12:44 | P-40 | PQ 49222 25 km (16 mi) northeast of Stalingrad | | | | | |

### Awards

* Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
* Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 31 August 1942 as Leutnant and pilot
* German Cross in Gold on 15 October 1942 as Leutnant in the I./Jagdgeschwader 53
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 3 September 1942 as Leutnant and pilot in the I./Jagdgeschwader 53