# Hubert Strassl

Hubert Straßl (24 May 1918 – 8 July 1943) was an Austrian-born German fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe and fought during World War II. He was credited with 67 aerial victories—that is, 67 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft—claimed in 221 combat missions. He was "ace-in-a-day" four times, shooting down five or more aircraft on a single day. On 8 July 1943, during the Battle of Kursk, Straßl was killed in aerial combat with Soviet fighters near Ponyri.

## Career

Straßl was born on 24 May 1918 at Linz, Austria. Following completion of flight and fighter pilot training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) in late 1941.
On 5 July 1943, he became a triple-ace in a day when he shot down 15 enemy aircraft in four missions south of Orel in Russia during the Battle of Kursk. Over the course of the three days, Straßl shot down 30 enemy aircraft. He was forced to bail out of his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-4 (Werknummer 2351—factory number) following combat with a Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 south of Ponyri on 8 July. His parachute failed to fully deploy and he fell to his death. On 12 November 1943, Straßl was awarded a posthumous Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes).

## Summary of career
### Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Straßl was credited with 67 aerial victories. Spick also lists Straßl with 67 enemy aircraft shot down, claimed in 221 combat missions, all of which on the Eastern Front. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 67 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 47722". 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 Strassl 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 |
| – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 – Eastern Front — 1 May 1942 – 3 February 1943 ||||||||||
| 1 | 6 July 1942 | 06:35 | Pe-2 | | 8 | 19 August 1942 | 18:37 | Pe-2 | PQ 47722 5 km (3.1 mi) southwest of Rzhev |
| 2 | 4 August 1942 | 12:25 | Il-2 | PQ 37832 45 km (28 mi) northeast of Bely | 9 | 19 August 1942 | 18:40 | Pe-2 | PQ 47762 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Zubtsov |
| 3 | 4 August 1942 | 17:07 | Pe-2 | 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Bely | 10 | 19 August 1942 | 18:41 | Pe-2 | PQ 47762 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Zubtsov |
| 4 | 5 August 1942 | 11:58 | LaGG-3 | PQ 57782 40 km (25 mi) southeast of Zubtsov | 11 | 26 August 1942 | 06:10 | LaGG-3 | PQ 47824 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Zubtsov |
| 5 | 12 August 1942 | 09:45 | Pe-2 | PQ 47561 15 km (9.3 mi) north of Rzhev | 12 | 2 September 1942 | 08:50 | Il-2 | east-northeast of Sychyovka |
| 6 | 13 August 1942 | 09:40 | Pe-2 | PQ 47562 15 km (9.3 mi) north of Rzhev | 13 | 26 November 1942 | 12:27 | Il-2 | PQ 46132 20 km (12 mi) north of Konaja |
| 7 | 19 August 1942 | 18:35 | Pe-2 | PQ 47583 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Rzhev | | | | | |
| – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 – Eastern Front — 4 February – June 1943 ||||||||||
| 14 | 30 May 1943 | 16:15 | Pe-2 | PQ 35 Ost 64183 5 km (3.1 mi) southeast of Belyov | 17 | 2 June 1943 | 04:02 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63883 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Zolotukhino |
| 15 | 1 June 1943 | 16:40 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ot 63854 20 km (12 mi) east-southeast of Zolotukhino | 18 | 2 June 1943 | 04:10 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63782 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Zolotukhino |
| 16 | 1 June 1943 | 16:42 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63851 20 km (12 mi) east-southeast of Zolotukhino | 19 | 2 June 1943 | 07:35 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 62133 25 km (16 mi) north-northeast of Kursk |
| – 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 – Eastern Front — June – 8 July 1943 ||||||||||
| 20 | 6 June 1943 | 14:55 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63884 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Zolotukhino | 44♠ | 5 July 1943 | 10:36 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 63544 10 km (6.2 mi) south-southeast of Trosna |
| 21 | 6 June 1943 | 14:58 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 63842 5 km (3.1 mi) southeast of Zolotukhino | 45♠ | 5 July 1943 | 10:42 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 63542 10 km (6.2 mi) south-southeast of Trosna |
| 22♠ | 8 June 1943 | 10:47 | Il-2 m.H. | PQ 35 Ost 63573 20 km (12 mi) south-southeast of Trosna | 46♠ | 5 July 1943 | 10:46 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 63551 15 km (9.3 mi) west of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 23♠ | 8 June 1943 | 10:50 | Il-2 m.H. | PQ 35 Ost 63721 20 km (12 mi) west of Zolotukhino | 47♠ | 5 July 1943 | 10:49 | Boston | PQ 35 Ost 63564 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 24♠ | 8 June 1943 | 10:51 | Yak-1 | PQ 35 Ost 63722 20 km (12 mi) west of Zolotukhino | 48♠ | 5 July 1943 | 10:51 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 63532 15 km (9.3 mi) west of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 25♠ | 8 June 1943 | 19:04 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 64722 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Telchje | 49♠ | 5 July 1943 | 18:24 | Il-2 m.H. | PQ 35 Ost 63562 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 26♠ | 8 June 1943 | 19:06 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 64751 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Oryol | 50♠ | 5 July 1943 | 18:27 | Il-2 m.H. | PQ 35 Ost 63621 15 km (9.3 mi) east-northeast of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 27♠ | 8 June 1943 | 19:17 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 63171 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Zmiyekka | 51♠ | 5 July 1943 | 18:31 | Il-2 m.H. | PQ 35 Ost 63551 15 km (9.3 mi) west of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 28 | 11 June 1943 | 10:58 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 64352 20 km (12 mi) south-southeast of Belyov | 52♠ | 5 July 1943 | 18:33 | Il-2 m.H. | PQ 35 Ost 63522 20 km (12 mi) west-northwest of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 29 | 11 June 1943 | 11:05 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 64354 20 km (12 mi) south-southeast of Belyov | 53 | 6 July 1943 | 12:34 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 63654 15 km (9.3 mi) east-southeast of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 30 | 11 June 1943 | 11:11 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 64382 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Bolkhov | 54 | 6 July 1943 | 12:37 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63652 15 km (9.3 mi) east-southeast of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 31 | 14 June 1943 | 08:12 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 64383 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Bolkhov | 55 | 6 July 1943 | 12:40 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 63653 15 km (9.3 mi) east-southeast of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 32 | 20 June 1943 | 18:12 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 64643 10 km (6.2 mi) north of Mtsensk | 56 | 6 July 1943 | 19:35 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63582 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 33 | 28 June 1943 | 07:06 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 635571 20 km (12 mi) south-southeast of Trosna | 57♠ | 7 July 1943 | 04:20 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63751 20 km (12 mi) west-southwest of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 34 | 28 June 1943 | 07:08 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63581 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Maloarkhangelsk | 58♠ | 7 July 1943 | 04:25 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 63527 20 km (12 mi) west-northwest of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 35 | 28 June 1943 | 07:15 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63592 15 km (9.3 mi) south-southwest of Maloarkhangelsk | 59♠ | 7 July 1943 | 09:10 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 63561 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 36 | 30 June 1943 | 06:25 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 54121 20 km (12 mi) south-southwest of Sukhinichi | 60♠ | 7 July 1943 | 09:24 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 63583 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 37 | 3 July 1943 | 17:38 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 64521 15 km (9.3 mi) north of Telchje | 61♠ | 7 July 1943 | 09:26 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 63573 20 km (12 mi) south-southeast of Trosna |
| 38♠ | 5 July 1943 | 03:48 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63651 15 km (9.3 mi) east-southeast of Maloarkhangelsk | 62♠ | 7 July 1943 | 18:36 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 63714 vicinity of Zalegoshch |
| 39♠ | 5 July 1943 | 03:50 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63631 25 km (16 mi) east-northeast of Maloarkhangelsk | 63♠ | 8 July 1943 | 12:20 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63387 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 40♠ | 5 July 1943 | 07:18 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63651 15 km (9.3 mi) east-southeast of Maloarkhangelsk | 64♠ | 8 July 1943 | 12:25? | Boston | PQ 35 Ost 63675 |
| 41♠ | 5 July 1943 | 07:25 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63613 5 km (3.1 mi) northeast of Maloarkhangelsk | 65♠ | 8 July 1943 | 17:35 | LaGG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63584 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 42♠ | 5 July 1943 | 07:28 | MiG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63652 15 km (9.3 mi) east-southeast of Maloarkhangelsk | 66♠ | 8 July 1943 | 17:50 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 63582 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 43♠ | 5 July 1943 | 10:34 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 63543 10 km (6.2 mi) south-southeast of Trosna | 67♠ | 8 July 1943 | 17:51 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 63582 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Maloarkhangelsk |

### Awards

* Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
* Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold
* Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (22 July 1943)
* German Cross in Gold on 16 August 1943 as Feldwebel in the 8./Jagdgeschwader 51
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 12 November 1943 (posthumously) as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 8./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"