Wolfgang Lippert (pilot)
Wolfgang Lippert (14 September 1914 – 3 December 1941) was a World War II Luftwaffe Flying ace. Lippert was credited with 30 victories, five of which were scored in the Spanish Civil War. Military career. Luftwaffe career. Lippert joined the Luftwaffe and after pilot training, was posted to I./Jagdgeschwader 134 "Horst Wessel". In March 1937 Leutnant Lippert was transferred to I./Jagdgeschwader 53 at Wiesbaden. Lippert gained his first aerial victories during the Spanish Civil War flying with the Condor Legion with 3. "Staffel" of Jagdgruppe 88. He claimed five victories from mid-1938 until March 1939, receiving the award  of the Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords. He claimed his first victory of World War II on 30 September 1939, a French Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 over Wissembourg. During the Battle of France he destroyed eight Allied aircraft. Group commander. On 4 September 1940, "Hauptmann" Lippert was appointed "Gruppenkommandeur" (group commander) of II. "Gruppe" of "Jagdgeschwader" 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing). He thus succeeded "Oberleutnant" Ernst Düllberg who had temporarily replaced "Hauptmann" Werner Andres after his transfer. During the Battle of Britain, a further seven kills were claimed, including Royal Air Force ace S/L Archie McKellar flying a No . 605 Squadron Hurricane Mk 1, shot down on 1 November 1940. He was awarded the "Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes" on 24 September after 13 World War II victories. In 1941 Lippert participated with II./JG 27 in Operation Barbarossa, scoring four victories against Soviet aircraft. Later that year the unit was transferred to North Africa where he destroyed a further five Allied aircraft. Death. On 23 November 1941 Lippert was shot down over Allied lines near Bir el Gubi, probably by Flight Lieutenant Clive Caldwell of No. 250 Squadron. As Lippert bailed out of his Bf 109 F-4 ("Werknummer" 8469—factory  number), he hit the tailplane. He was hospitalised in Cairo and his legs were amputated. However, his legs were infected by gangrene and he died on 3 December. Summary of career. Aerial victory claims. Matthews and Foreman, authors of "Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims", researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 29 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim. This number includes five claims during the Spanish Civil War, three on the Eastern Front and further 21 over the Western Allies of World War II.