page_title: Karl Borris
section_title: Operation Bodenplatte and defeat
hierarchical_section_title: Karl Borris / World War II / Operation Bodenplatte and defeat
context_page_description: Karl Borris was a World War II Luftwaffe military aviator and test pilot. As a flying ace, he is credited with 43 victories, all of them over the Western Front, for which he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. Borris was involved in the introduction of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 to front line service. Borris and 30 other pilots, technicians and engineers extensively tested the Fw 190 and their input was used in the decision to continue the project.
context_section_description: On 24 November 1944, Priller with his Geschwaderstab of JG 26 and Borris with his I. Gruppe moved to an airfield near Handrup and Fürstenau. The next day, two pilots of JG 26 were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), Borris for 41 aerial victories, and Leutnant Heinz-Gerhard Vogt from 5. Staffel for 46 aerial victories. The presentation of the Knight's Cross was made by Oberst Hannes Trautloft, at the time Inspekteur der Tagjäger (Inspector of Day Fighters), at Fürstenau airfield on 5 December. Following the presentation, Borris led a flight of five Fw 190s against a formation of B-17s bombing Berlin and managed to shoot down a straggler from the 452d Bombardment Group west of Lingen. At Fürstenau airfield, the Gruppe was equipped with the Fw 190 D-9 aircraft and flew twelve combat missions in support of the Ardennes Counteroffensive, also known as the Battle of the Bulge. In these missions, Borris lost eight pilots killed in action, five were wounded and further four pilots were taken prisoner of war (POW).
  On 31 December, 20 Fw 190 aircraft from III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) under the command of Oberleutnant Hans Dortenmann arrived at Fürstenau in preparation for Operation Bodenplatte. Bodenplatte was an attempt at gaining air superiority during the stagnant stage of the Battle of the Bulge. That evening, Borris briefs the pilots of the mission, which is the Grimbergen Airfield. Led by Priller and Borris, 47 aircraft from the Geschwaderstab and I. Gruppe, and further 17 aircraft from III. Gruppe of JG 54 took off at 08:14 on 1 January 1945. Flying at an altitude of approximately 50–150 metres (160–490 feet), the attack force sustained losses during the approach to the target area, largely due to anti-artillery fire. The airfield at Gimbergen was almost completely abandoned, the damage inflicted was minimal, and the losses sustained where significant. III. Gruppe of JG 54 suffered five pilots killed or missing in action, plus four further taken prisoner of war, Borris lost six pilots either killed or missing in action, making the mission a total failure.
  Borris claimed his 43rd and last areal victory on 14 January and German forces were on the retreat in the Ardennes. At 15:25, Borris led a flight of 31 Fw 190 D-9s from Fürstenfeld, three Fw 190 had to abord the mission prematurely, on mission to protect the German jet bomber airfields in the vicinity of Rheine-Hopsten. Borris and his flight of 28 aircraft encountered Spitfires of the Second Tactical Air Force with the two Norwegian squadrons No. 331 and No. 332 Squadron. In this encounter, Borris claimed a Spitife shot down at 15:45 in the vicinity of Ibbenbüren.
  Based at Flensburg Airfield, Borris surrendered I. Gruppe to British forces on 6 May 1945. He and his men were taken to a makeshift POW nearby.
caption: A Fw 190 D-9 of 10./JG 54, piloted by Leutnant Theo Nibel, downed by a partridge which flew into the nose radiator.[37]
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