Alois Wosnitza

Alois Wosnitza
Born	17 November 1914 Gleiwitz
Died	13 December 1982 (aged 68) Schweinfurt, Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1940–45
Rank	Oberfeldwebel
Unit	StG 77 SG 77 SG 10
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of France Battle of Britain Invasion of Yugoslavia Battle of Greece Battle of Crete Operation Barbarossa Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942) Battle of Kursk
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Alois Wosnitza (17 November 1914 – 13 December 1982) was a highly decorated Oberfeldwebel and ground-attackpilot in the Luftwaffe during World War II.^{[Notes 1]} He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. During his career he flew 1217 missions of which about 150 were flown with the Focke Wulf Fw 190. He was credited with the destruction of 104 tanks, two armoured trains, 12 bridges, one freighter, one troop transport and several landing crafts. He also claimed two aerial victories and he had been nominated for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub), which was never approved.^[1]

Awards and decorations

• Flugzeugführerabzeichen
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant "1200"
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Crimea Shield
• German Cross in Gold
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 26 March 1944 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 6./Schlachtgeschwader 77^[2]

Notes

1. For a list of Luftwaffe ground attack aces see List of German World War II Ground Attack aces

References

Citations

1. Obermaier 1976, p. 212.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 367.

Bibliography

• Brütting, Georg (1992) [1976]. Das waren die deutschen Stuka-Asse 1939 – 1945 [These were the German Stuka Aces 1939 – 1945] (in German) (7th ed.). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch. ISBN 978-3-87943-433-6.
• 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 (1976). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe 1939–1945 Band II Stuka- und Schlachtflieger [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe 1939–1945 Volume II Dive Bomber and Attack Aircraft] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-021-3.
• 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.

External links

• World War 2 Awards.com
• Luftwaffe 1939-1945 History