# Fritz Dinger

Fritz Dinger (20 August 1915 – 27 July 1943) was born into an aristocratic German family. Fritz enlisted into the German Luftwaffe in 1939 and would later end up becoming an ace. Fritz was a 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.

## Career

Dinger was born on 20 August 1915 in Ottweiler in the Kingdom of Prussia within the German Empire. Following flight and fighter pilot training, Dinger was posted to the 4. Staffel (4th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing). At 14:45 on 16 August 1940 during the Battle of Britain, Dinger was shot down in aerial combat with the Royal Air Force (RAF) and crashed his Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-1 into the sea in a location 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Cherbourg.
The bulk of the Geschwader's air elements were moved via Jever, in northern Germany, to Mannheim-Sandhofen on 8 June 1941. There the aircraft were given a maintenance overhaul prior to moving east. The II. Gruppe was transferred to Neusiedel in East Prussia, present-day Malomožaiskojė in Kaliningrad Oblast in Russia, between 12–14 June.

### Operation Barbarossa

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.
Following aerial combat on 5 October 1941, Dinger made a forced landing in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 (Werknummer 7187—factory number) at Sologubovka, located 70 kilometers (43 miles) southeast of Saint Petersburg. That day, his unit had flown its final missions in the area of Shlisselburg. The Gruppe then relocated to the Western Front where it arrived at Leeuwarden in the Netherlands on 12 October. While based at Leeuwarden, Dinger claimed his twelfth aerial victory when he shot down a RAF Bristol Blenheim bomber on 27 October. On 2 December 1941, II. Gruppe moved to the Mediterranean theater and where then based at Comiso airfield during the siege of Malta.

### Squadron leader and death

In October 1942, Dinger was transferred to take command of 4. Staffel of JG 53. He succeeded Oberleutnant Wilhelm Hobirk who had led the Staffel for two months after its former commander, Oberleutnant Gerhard Michalski had been transferred in August.
On an early morning mission flown on 27 July 1943, Dinger claimed his 67th aerial victory. Following this mission, the airfield at Scalea came under an Allied bombing attack. Dinger was hit in the back of his head by shrapnel, killing him instantly. In consequence, Hauptmann Willi Krauss replaced him as commander of 4. Staffel.

## Summary of career
### Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Dinger was credited with 67 aerial victories. Obermaier also list him with 67 aerial victories, 41 of which on the Eastern Front and 25 over the Western Allies in the Mediterranean theater, claimed in over 600 combat missions. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found documentation for 64 aerial victory claims. This number includes 37 claims on the Eastern Front and 27 over the Western Allies, including one four-engined heavy bomber.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 49442". 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 # (hash mark) indicates those aerial victories listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock without an explicit sequence number.  This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Balke, Bock, Mathews and Foreman. ||||||||||
| Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location | Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location |
| – 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 – Operation Barbarossa — 22 June – 4 October 1941 ||||||||||
| # | 4 July 1941 | 16:46 | SB-3 | | # | 7 July 1941 | 10:45? | SB-3 | |
| # | 4 July 1941 | 16:48 | SB-3 | | # | 10 July 1941 | 09:03 | SB-3 | |
| According to Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock, Dinger claimed two undocumented aerial victories in the timeframe 22 June to 10 October 1941. These two claims are not listed by Mathews and Foreman. ||||||||||
| 6 | 25 August 1941 | 13:42 | I-18 (MiG-1) | | 9 | 29 August 1941 | 18:46 | I-16 | |
| 7 | 29 August 1941 | 15:57 | I-16? | | 11 | 28 September 1941 | 16:09 | Pe-2 | |
| 8 | 29 August 1941 | 16:22 | V-11 (Il-2) | | | | | | |
| – 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 – Netherlands — 12 October – 15 December 1941 ||||||||||
| 12 | 27 October 1941 | 15:08 | Blenheim | 6 km (3.7 mi) northwest of Texel | | | | | |
| – 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 – Mediterranean Theater — 25 November 1941 – July 1942 ||||||||||
| 13 | 22 February 1942 | 12:05 | Hurricane | | 16 | 7 July 1942 | 06:56 | Spitfire | |
| 14 | 22 April 1942 | 10:30 | Hurricane | | 17 | 10 July 1942 | 10:41 | Spitfire | |
| 15 | 15 June 1942 | 18:25 | Spitfire | 50 km (31 mi) southwest of Gozo | 18 | 13 July 1942 | 13:30 | Spitfire | 5–10 km (3.1–6.2 mi) south of Kalafrana |
| ? | 2 July 1942 | 07:48 | Spitfire | 15 km (9.3 mi) northeast of La Valletta | | | | | |
| – Stab I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 53 – Eastern Front — August – 27 September 1942 ||||||||||
| 19 | 18 August 1942 | 17:23 | Il-2 | west of Schintow | | | | | |
| According to Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock, Dinger claimed two undocumented aerial victories in the timeframe August to September 1942. These two claims are not listed by Mathews and Foreman. ||||||||||
| # | 19 August 1942 | 11:30 | Pe-2 | east of Kusserow | # | 10 September 1942 | 14:03 | LaGG-3 | PQ 49442 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Stalingrad |
| # | 19 August 1942 | 11:31 | LaGG-3? | east of Kusserow | # | 11 September 1942 | 14:43 | Yak-1 | 5 km (3.1 mi) northeast Kotluban train station |
| # | 19 August 1942 | 17:47 | Il-2 | PQ 40774 25 km (16 mi) northwest of Gumrak | # | 13 September 1942 | 06:40 | I-180 (Yak-7) | PQ 49432 35 km (22 mi) east of Stalingrad |
| # | 21 August 1942 | 17:30 | LaGG-3 | PQ 4074 35 km (22 mi) north-northwest of Gumrak | # | 13 September 1942 | 06:58 | I-180 (Yak-7) | PQ 49273 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Stalingrad |
| # | 25 August 1942 | 11:06 | MiG-1 | PQ 49252 25 km (16 mi) east of Stalingrad | # | 15 September 1942 | 09:36 | Il-2 | PQ 49243 10 km (6.2 mi) northeast of Stalingrad |
| # | 30 August 1942 | 08:11 | I-180 (Yak-7) | PQ 49533 30 km (19 mi) south of Stalingrad | # | 15 September 1942 | 09:37 | Il-2 | PQ 49212 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Stalingrad |
| # | 30 August 1942 | 08:58 | Il-2 | PQ 49164 vicinity of Grebenka | # | 16 September 1942 | 09:45 | La-5 | PQ 4945 30 km (19 mi) southeast of Stalingrad |
| # | 30 August 1942 | 09:00 | Il-2 | PQ 49162 vicinity of Grebenka | # | 23 September 1942 | 06:40 | La-5 | PQ 4072 35 km (22 mi) north of Grebenka |
| # | 31 August 1942 | 09:00 | Il-2 | PQ 49473 30 km (19 mi) south-southeast of Stalingrad | # | 23 September 1942 | 16:40 | Yak-1 | PQ 4064 55 km (34 mi) north-northeast of Grebenka |
| # | 3 September 1942 | 09:43 | Il-2 | PQ 49422 25 km (16 mi) east of Stalingrad | # | 24 September 1942 | 07:06 | MiG-1 | PQ 4075 30 km (19 mi) north of Gumrak |
| # | 3 September 1942 | 15:10 | Yak-1 | PQ 40701 40 km (25 mi) north of Gumrak | 46 | 25 September 1942 | 10:48? | MiG-1 | PQ 4924 10 km (6.2 mi) northeast of Stalingrad |
| # | 6 September 1942 | 10:15? | LaGG-3 | PQ 5933 55 km (34 mi) east of Stalingrad | 47 | 25 September 1942 | 10:52 | Il-2 | PQ 4087 |
| # | 7 September 1942 | 11:24 | Il-2 | PQ 40751 30 km (19 mi) north of Gumrak | 48 | 25 September 1942 | 16:32 | Yak-1 | PQ 4052 65 km (40 mi) north of Gumrak |
| # | 7 September 1942 | 15:54 | Il-2 | PQ 40782 20 km (12 mi) north of Gumrak | | | | | |
| – 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 – Mediterranean Theater — October 1941 – 31 December 1942 ||||||||||
| 49 | 16 October 1942 | 08:25 | Spitfire | 3–5 km (1.9–3.1 mi) east of Żonqor Tower | 52 | 4 December 1942 | 15:52 | Boston | 30 km (19 mi) southwest of Mateur |
| 50 | 4 December 1942 | 11:31 | P-38 | 2 km (1.2 mi) south Ferryville | 53 | 5 December 1942 | 12:31? | B-25 | 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Cap Blanc |
| 51 | 4 December 1942 | 15:50 | Boston | 30 km (19 mi) southeast of Mateur | | | | | |
| – 4. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 53 – Mediterranean Theater — 1 January – 27 July 1943 ||||||||||
| 54 | 22 March 1943 | 13:55 | Boston | PQ 13 Ost 0873 Cape San Vito | 61 | 7 July 1943 | 17:18 | P-40 | 35 km (22 mi) west of Marsala |
| 55 | 5 April 1943 | 09:13 | P-38 | 40 km (25 mi) north of Zembra 40 km (25 mi) north of Feccabra | 62 | 8 July 1943 | 12:25 | B-17 | 20 km (12 mi) south of Agrigento |
| 56 | 18 April 1943 | 19:02 | P-40 | 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Ras el Almas | 63 | 8 July 1943 | 16:18 | P-40 | west of Sciacca |
| 57 | 19 April 1943 | 15:57 | Spitfire | 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Zembra | 64 | 9 July 1943 | 07:43 | P-40 | 3 km (1.9 mi) north-northeast of Sciacca |
| 58 | 25 April 1943 | 13:59 | Spitfire | 30 km (19 mi) south of Hammamet | 65? | 18 July 1943 | 07:45 | Spitfire | Catania |
| ? | 22 May 1943 | 18:44 | Spitfire | | 66 | 24 July 1943 | 12:55 | B-26 | 30 km (19 mi) northeast of Stromboli |
| 59 | 4 June 1943 | 07:56 | Spitfire | 20 km (12 mi) north of La Valetta | 67 | 27 July 1943 | 09:25 | P-40 | 2 km (1.2 mi) east of Cesarò |
| 60 | 6 July 1943 | 15:22 | Spitfire | 1 km (0.62 mi) west Pozallo | | | | | |

### Awards

* Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
* Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 26 October 1942 as Leutnant and pilot
* German Cross in Gold on 5 November 1942 as Leutnant in the I./Jagdgeschwader 53 "Pik As"
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 23 December 1942 as Oberleutnant and Staffelführer of the 4./Jagdgeschwader 53