page_title: Horst Hannig
section_title: Western Front and death
hierarchical_section_title: Horst Hannig / Career / Western Front and death
caption_attribution_description: English: Focke Wulf Fw 190 A-4 of I./JG 2, flown by Olt. Hanning, spring 1943 Deutsch: Focke Wulf Fw 190 A-4 der I./JG 2, geflogen von Olt. Hanning, Frühjahr 1943
context_page_description: Horst Hannig was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and posthumous recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. Hannig is credited with 98 aerial victories claimed in over 350 combat missions. He was killed in action following combat with Royal Air Force Spitfires on 15 May 1943.
context_section_description: On 27 January, Hannig was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd fighter fing) based in France. He replaced Oberleutnant Christian Eickhoff who had been killed in action the day before. While with 2./JG 2 he achieved another 8 victories, including 1 four-engine United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) heavy bomber shot down on 16 February 1943.
  Hannig was killed in action on 15 May 1943 against Royal Air Force (RAF) operations that targeted Caen-Carpiquet Airdrome and Poix Airdrome. He was shot down in his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-4 (Werknummer 0734—factory number) near the airfield at Rocquancourt. His victor was Squadron Leader J. Charles leading Yellow Section of No. 611 Squadron. He had managed to bail out but his parachute failed to open. Hannig was posthumously awarded the 364th Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 3 January 1944 and posthumously promoted to Oberleutnant (first Lieutenant). He was interred at the Saint-Désir-de-Lisieux German war cemetery.
caption: Focke Wulf Fw 190 A-4 of I./JG 2, flown by Leutnant Hannig, early 1943
exif: {}