Anton Andorfer

Anton Andorfer
Born	23 December 1919 Linz, Austria
Died	11 April 1945 (aged 25) Cottbus
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1939–45
Rank	Hauptmann
Unit	StG 77 SG 77
Battles/wars	World War II Siege of Sevastopol (1941-1942) Battle of Stalingrad Battle of Kursk Battle of the Oder-Neisse †
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Anton Andorfer (23 December 1919 – 11 April 1945) was a highly decorated Hauptmann in the Luftwaffe during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Career

After his training Andorfer joined I./StG. 77 (Sturzkampfgeschwader 77) in the winter of 1941-42, flying the Junkers Ju 87. He became a Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) in July 1943, and had flown 726 operations by March 1944 when he was awarded the Ritterkreuz. After conversion to the ground-attack version of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, he flew a further 200 sorties on the Eastern Front with 2./SG 77. Promoted to Hauptmann, Andorfer flew in the Battle for Berlin and was shot down and killed by Soviet Anti-Aircraft guns near Cottbus.

During his wartime career he flew 900 missions, during which he was credited with the destruction of 45 tanks, 50 guns, 6 anti-aircraft batteries, and 10 marine vessels with a total of 13,000 BRT.^{[Notes 1]}

Awards and decorations

• Flugzeugführerabzeichen
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant "900"
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe on 22 September 1942 as Leutnant and pilot^[1]
• German Cross in Gold on 17 May 1943 as Leutnant in the I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 26 March 1944 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 2./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77^[3]

Notes

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

References

Citations

1. Patzwall 2008, p. 42.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 15.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 100.

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.
• 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.
• 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

• Anton Andorfer @ Ritterkreuztraeger 1939–1945