Adolf Glunz

Adolf Glunz

Adolf Glunz
Born (1916-06-11)11 June 1916
Mecklenburg
Died 1 August 2002(2002-08-01) (aged 86)
Lüdenscheid
Allegiance  Nazi Germany
Service/branch Luftwaffe
Years of service 1939–45
Rank Oberleutnant
Unit JG 52, JG 26, EJG 2, JG 7
Commands held 5./JG 26
Battles/wars

World War II

Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Adolf Glunz (11 June 1916 – 1 August 2002) was a World War II flying ace in the Luftwaffe (German Air Force). Glunz is credited with 71 aerial victories achieved in 574 combat missions. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat.[1] He engaged the enemy on 238 occasions and claimed all but three victories over the Western Front.

Military career

Glunz was born 11 June 1916 at Bresegard in Mecklenburg, at the time in the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, a federated state of the German Empire. He joined the Luftwaffe in September 1939 and after training posted as a Gefreiter to 4 Staffel, Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) in November 1940.

Six men all wearing military uniforms and decorations standing in row. The third man from the far right is shaking hands with another man.
Friedrich Lang, Erich Hartmann and Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer receive the Oak Leaves with Swords, Horst Kaubisch, Eduard Skrzipek and Adolf Glunz the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross from Adolf Hitler

His first victory claim was a Spitfire on 7 May and a second on 19 May. He then claimed 3 victories on the Eastern Front, and two tanks destroyed. Glunz then was posted to II./Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) based in France in July 1941. By the end of 1942 he had some 23 victories. On 28 March, Glunz intercepted six Mosquito bombers near Dunkirk at low level. He succeeded in shooting 2 bombers within one minute for his 28th and 29th victories. In August 1943, he became the only Non-commissioned officer in JG 26 to receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). Oberfeldwebel Glunz became Staffelkapitän (squadron leader), 5./JG 26 in January 1944. On 22 February 1944, he claimed 6 victories in a day, including five four-engined bombers. He was commissioned as a Leutnant in April 1944.

In March 1944, Glunz was appointed Staffelkapitän of 6./JG 26. Operating over the Invasion front in June 1944, Glunz claimed 3 P-47 fighters shot down on 10 June. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 24 June 1944 after 65 victories. The award was officially presented at the Führerhauptquartier at Rastenburg on 2 August 1944.

This Boeing B-17F was shot down by Glunz on 12 August 1943 after it was damaged by Johannes Naumann.

He recorded his 71st and last victory, a Spitfire, on 1 January 1945. He is credited with 5 ground victories during Operation Bodenplatte. In March 1945, Glunz was transferred to the III./Ergänzungs-Jagdgeschwader 2 (EJG 2—2nd Replacement Training Unit) for conversion training for the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet. Assigned to Jagdgeschwader 7 (JG 7—7th Fighter Wing) he served the remainder of the war with this unit. However he never flew the Me 262 in combat.[2]

Although continuously in action until 1945, "Addi" Glunz was never shot down or wounded in aerial combat. He was wounded once on the ground when he was showered with glass fragments during a bombing raid on Abbeville airfield in April 1942. The nearest he came to losing an aircraft was on 13 October 1944, when a broken oil pipe caused his engine failure while in combat with P-47 Thunderbolts.[3]

Awards

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Spick 1996, pp. 3–4.
  2. ↑ Spick 1996, p. 188.
  3. ↑ Spick 1996, p. 187.
  4. 1 2 Thomas 1997, p. 201.
  5. ↑ Patzwall 2008, p. 85.
  6. ↑ Obermaier 1989, p. 66.
  7. ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 139.
  8. 1 2 Scherzer 2007, p. 337.
  9. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 197.
  10. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 84.

Bibliography

  • Caldwell, Donald L. (1991). JG 26 Top Guns of the Luftwaffe. Ivy Books. ISBN 0-8041-1050-6.
  • Caldwell, Donald L. (1994). JG 26 Photographic History of the Luftwaffe's Top Gun. Motorbooks International Publishers & Wholesalers. ISBN 0-87938-845-5.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. 
  • Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7. 
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. 
  • Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3. 
  • Schaulen, Fritjof (2003). Eichenlaubträger 1940 – 1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe I Abraham – Huppertz [Oak Leaves Bearers 1940 – 1945 Contemporary History in Color I Abraham – Huppertz] (in German). Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 978-3-932381-20-1. 
  • Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. 
  • Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9. 
  • Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1. 

External links

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