# Otto Würfel

Otto Würfel (3 December 1920 – 22 December 1944) was a former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Würfel was credited with 79 arial victories all over the Eastern Front (World War II). In 1944 his aircraft had a mid air collision with another Luftwaffe aircraft over the Rogachev–Zhlobin offensive and he was captured by the Russians and died in a POW camp.

## Career

On 10 March 1939, Würfel was assigned to 9. Staffel (9th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). In the fall of 1943, Würfel was briefly transferred to Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, a fighter pilot training unit for pilots destined for the Eastern Front, as an instructor.
On 23 February 1944, Würfel was piloting his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5 (Werknummer 2599—factory number) over Rogachev when he Luftwaffe pilot, Oberfeldwebel Heinrich Dittlmann flying Fw 190 A-5 (Werknummer 2555) were involved in a mid-air collision. Following the collision, Dittlmann was reported as missing in action while Würfel bailed out over Soviet held territory. Taken prisoner of war, he contracted Typhus and died on 22 December 1944 at Camp 280/5 near Stalino. On 4 May 1945 while in Soviet captivity, Würfel had been awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) for his 79 aerial victories claimed.

## Summary of career
### Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Würfel was credited with 79 aerial victories. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found documentation for 77 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 47731". 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 Würfel 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, Balke, Bock, Mathews and Foreman. ||||||||||
| Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location | Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location |
| – 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" – Eastern Front — September 1942 – March 1943 ||||||||||
| 1 | 2 September 1942 | 08:45 | LaGG-3 | southwest of Karmanovo | 5 | 9 September 1942 | 17:07 | Il-2 | PQ 47731 5 km (3.1 mi) southeast of Rzhev |
| 2 | 3 September 1942 | 06:20 | LaGG-3 | southwest of Karmanovo | 6 | 10 September 1942 | 07:13 | Il-2 | PQ 47734 5 km (3.1 mi) southeast of Rzhev |
| 3 | 3 September 1942 | 10:30 | LaGG-3 | southeast of Zubtsov | 7 | 28 January 1943 | 13:48 | Pe-2 | PQ 46251 25 km (16 mi) northeast of Konaja |
| 4 | 4 September 1942 | 17:35 | Pe-2 | south of Zubtsov | 8 | 18 March 1943 | 08:12 | LaGG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 53 64 |
| – 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" – Eastern Front — September – 31 December 1943 ||||||||||
| 9 | 5 September 1943 | 15:15 | Pe-2 | Seredyna-Buda | 32 | 19 October 1943 | 13:51 | Yak-7 | Chernihiv |
| 10 | 10 September 1943 | 15:07 | Il-2 m.H. | 13 km (8.1 mi) southeast of Starodub | 33 | 20 October 1943 | 11:21 | Yak-7 | over Loyew |
| 11 | 10 September 1943 | 15:09 | Il-2 m.H. | 27 km (17 mi) southeast of Starodub | 34 | 21 October 1943 | 07:38 | Yak-7 | over Loyew |
| 12? | 11 September 1943 | 14:32 | LaGG-3 | south of Kirov | 35 | 21 October 1943 | 07:43 | Yak-7 | Loyew |
| 13 | 11 September 1943 | 14:35 | LaGG-3 | 22 km (14 mi) southeast of Kirov | 36 | 21 October 1943 | 07:47 | Yak-9 | 6 km (3.7 mi) south of Loyew |
| 14 | 12 September 1943 | 11:32 | MiG-3 | 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Kirov | 37 | 22 October 1943 | 12:04 | Yak-9 | Loyew |
| 15 | 12 September 1943 | 11:33 | Il-2 m.H. | 12 km (7.5 mi) southwest of Kirov | 38 | 22 October 1943 | 12:23 | Yak-7 | 5 km (3.1 mi) northeast of Loyew |
| 16 | 15 September 1943 | 09:52 | Il-2 m.H. | 6 km (3.7 mi) southeast of Yelnya | 39 | 25 October 1943 | 15:42 | LaGG-3 | Loyew |
| 17 | 15 September 1943 | 09:56 | Il-2 m.H. | 9 km (5.6 mi) southeast of Yelnya | 40 | 25 October 1943 | 15:46 | LaGG-3 | Gomel |
| 18 | 15 September 1943 | 12:20 | La-5 | 15 km (9.3 mi) north of Yelnya | 41 | 28 October 1943 | 15:02 | P-39 | Rechytsa |
| 19 | 15 September 1943 | 16:37 | Yak-9 | 10 km (6.2 mi) northwest of Yelnya | 42 | 28 October 1943 | 15:05 | P-39 | Gomel |
| 20 | 17 September 1943 | 17:32 | La-5 | Yelnya | 43 | 30 October 1943 | 13:22 | Yak-7 | Radul |
| 21 | 27 September 1943 | 16:07 | Il-2 m.H. | Surazh | 44 | 5 November 1943 | 14:15 | Yak-9 | southeast of Nevel |
| 22 | 7 October 1943 | 15:21 | Yak-7 | southeast of Nevel | 45 | 6 November 1943 | 07:12 | Yak-7 | Orsha |
| 23 | 10 October 1943 | 17:40 | LaGG-3 | southeast of Nevel | 46 | 6 November 1943 | 12:31 | P-51 | Nevel |
| 24 | 11 October 1943 | 09:07 | Yak-9 | northwest of Velizh | 47 | 10 November 1943 | 11:32 | Yak-7 | 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Nevel |
| 25 | 13 October 1943 | 11:05 | Yak-7 | 57 km (35 mi) east of Orsha | 48 | 11 November 1943 | 11:32 | Il-2 m.H. | east of Vitebsk |
| 26 | 13 October 1943 | 11:06 | Yak-7 | 55 km (34 mi) southeast of Orsha | 49 | 11 November 1943 | 11:58 | La-5 | east of Vitebsk |
| 27 | 14 October 1943 | 06:50 | LaGG-3 | 62 km (39 mi) east of Orsha | 50 | 11 November 1943 | 12:02 | La-5 | east of Vitebsk |
| 28 | 14 October 1943 | 07:07 | La-5 | 50 km (31 mi) east of Orsha | 51 | 22 November 1943 | 08:30 | Yak-7 | 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Gomel |
| 29 | 14 October 1943 | 07:08 | La-5 | east of Orsha | 52 | 22 November 1943 | 08:34 | Yak-7 | 25 km (16 mi) southeast of Gomel |
| 30 | 15 October 1943 | 07:34 | Yak-7 | Orsha | 53 | 12 December 1943 | 10:58 | La-5 | PQ 25 Ost 96655 |
| 31 | 19 October 1943 | 13:39 | Yak-9 | Chernihiv | | | | | |
| – 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" – Eastern Front — 1 January – 23 February 1944 ||||||||||
| 54 | 13 January 1944 | 14:34 | Yak-9 | PQ 25 Ost 93483 | 67 | 9 February 1944 | 14:53 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 06544 |
| 55 | 16 January 1944 | 12:31 | LaGG-3 | PQ 25 Ost 93523 | 68 | 12 February 1944 | 10:13 | La-5 | PQ 25 Ost 96655 |
| 56 | 24 January 1944 | 10:17 | Yak-7 | PQ 25 Ost 93445 | 69 | 12 February 1944 | 13:40 | Yak-7 | PQ 25 Ost 96698 |
| 57 | 24 January 1944 | 10:22 | Yak-7 | PQ 25 Ost 93483 | 70 | 12 February 1944 | 13:44 | Yak-7 | PQ 25 Ost 96636 |
| 58 | 6 February 1944 | 07:40 | Il-2 | PQ 25 Ost 96667 | 71♠ | 21 February 1944 | 11:50 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 04779 |
| 59 | 6 February 1944 | 07:45 | Il-2 | PQ 25 Ost 96656 | 72♠ | 21 February 1944 | 11:51 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 04789 |
| 60 | 6 February 1944 | 12:27 | Yak-9 | PQ 25 Ost 96656 | 73♠ | 21 February 1944 | 15:16 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 04568 |
| 61 | 6 February 1944 | 14:51 | LaGG-3 | PQ 25 Ost 96656 | 74♠ | 21 February 1944 | 15:17 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 04567 |
| 62 | 7 February 1944 | 07:44 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 06785 | 75♠ | 21 February 1944 | 15:31 | Yak-9 | PQ 35 Ost 03176 |
| 63 | 7 February 1944 | 10:39 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 06881 | 76♠ | 21 February 1944 | 15:42 | Yak-7 | PQ 35 Ost 03118 |
| 64 | 7 February 1944 | 10:46 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 06788 | 77 | 22 February 1944 | 11:20 | Pe-2 | PQ 35 Ost 03119 |
| 65 | 7 February 1944 | 15:15 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 06768 | 78 | 22 February 1944 | 13:31 | Yak-9 | PQ 25 Ost 93267 |
| 66 | 9 February 1944 | 14:47 | La-5 | PQ 25 Ost 96668 | | | | | |

### Awards

* Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class
* Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe (13 December 1943)
* German Cross in Gold on 26 December 1943 as Feldwebel in the 8./Jagdgeschwader 51
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 4 May 1944 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"