Erich Woitke Erich Woitke ( 29 January 1912 – 24 December 1944 ) was a fighter pilot ' ace ' serving in the German Luftwaffe during World War II . Early life . Woitke was born 29 January 1912 in Mülheim , near Duisberg . A gifted all - round athlete , he represented Germany in the Decathlon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics . Military career . " Leutnant " Woitke served with the fighter unit 1 . / J 88 of the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War . He recorded his first victory on 27 September 1939 , claiming a Republican I - 16 " Rata " . He claimed 3 more victories , all " Ratas " before returning to Germany . From the early stages of his career until his death , Woitke was considered outspoken , and anti - authoritarian , and his attitude to authority would lead him into conflict with his superiors on numerous occasions . He is reputed to have received the German Cross in Gold from Hermann Göring in person , only to hurl the award on the floor while making disparaging remarks ! World War II . In February 1940 , " Oberleutnant " Woitke was made " Staffelkapitän " , 6 . / JG 3 , leading the unit through the Battle of France . On 31 May 1940 , he shot down a Royal Air Force ( RAF ) Bristol Blenheim and then claimed a French Morane - Saulnier M . S . 406 near Compigne on 3 June . Operating during the Battle of Britain , Woitke claimed 7 victories . On 1 October 1940 , Woitke was appointed " Gruppenkommandeur " of II . / JG 3 . He was then appointed " Gruppenkommandeur " II . / JG 52 in late November . He recorded his next victory ( his 14th in total ) on 14 February 1941 , a Spitfire over Maidstone . Woitke led II . / JG 52 east in May 1941 for the invasion of Russia . He claimed two victories on 22 June 1941 , the opening day of Operation Barbarossa . The severity of the Russian winter of 1941 – 42 was such that Luftwaffe operations were virtually halted . By January the pilots and ground personnel of II . / JG 52 were pressed into service as infantry to protect their airfields from the sudden Soviet counter offensive in the Rzhev sector . As commander , Woitke was warned of a Soviet incursion on the night of 20 January and was advised by local army commanders to alert the airfield ' s defensive positions . He apparently ignored the advice and consequently several pilots and ground crew were killed and wounded , including the gruppe adjutant , Oberleutnant Carl Hartmann . Woitke was therefore court - martialled , removed from command and demoted . In October 1942 , Woitke was back in front line service , with II . / JG 27 in Africa . He claimed a USAAF P - 39 Airacobra on 9 October over El Daba as victory number 23 . By January 1943 , he was serving with Stab . JG 77 in Tunisia , claiming a Curtiss P - 40 on 14 January . By October 1943 , Woitke was part of 2 . / JG 11 on " Reichsverteidigung " ( Defense of the Reich ) duties . He claimed his 25th kill , a B - 17 , on 9 October . He was then transferred to II . / JG 300 in early 1944 , and shot down a B - 24 bomber on 21 February . In May 1944 , Woitke was appointed as Gruppenkommandeur III . / JG 1 . After the D - Day landings , III . / JG 1 was sent to Beauvais as part of the counter to the Allied aerial operations over the beaches in Normandy . On 18 June , Woitke was shot down in aerial combat with a P - 38 near Pont Laverne , and although he bailed out of his Bf 109 G - 6 , he dislocated both shoulders . His injuries hospitalised him until October 1944 . On his recovery , Woitke returned to III . / JG 1 which now based at Anklam . On 24 December 1944 , Woitke was shot down and killed in aerial combat near Aachen in a dogfight with Spitfire s . He was credited with 30 victories , eight on the Russian front , two in Africa , and the rest on the Western Front , including three heavy bombers . His victory total includes four victories claimed in the Spanish Civil War .