Gotthard Handrick

Gotthard Handrick
Born	25 October 1908 Zeitz
Died	30 May 1978 (aged 69) Ahrensburg
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1929–45
Rank	Oberst
Unit	JGr 88, JG 26, JG 52, JG 77, JG 5
Commands held	III./JG 52, JG 26, JG 77, JG 5
Battles/wars	Spanish Civil War World War II
Awards	Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords German Cross in Gold

Gotthard Handrick

Gotthard Handrick at the 1936 Olympic Games
Sport
Country	Nazi Germany
Sport	Modern pentathlon
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	1936 Berlin
Medal record Men's Modern pentathlon 1936 Berlin Modern pentathlon

Karl Hermann Gotthard Handrick (25 October 1908 – 30 May 1978) was a German Olympic athlete and German fighter pilot during the Spanish Civil War and World War II.

Career

Gotthard Handrick received his Abitur (diploma) in 1929 and the joined the military service of the Reichswehr.

Medal presentation at the 1936 Berlin Olympic games, Silvano Abbà-Italy (3rd place) Gotthard Handrick-Germany (1st place) Charles Leonard-USA (2nd place)

He won the gold medal in the modern pentathlon at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.^[1][2] As a fighter pilot, he participated in Spanish Civil War and claimed 5 aerial victories while flying for the Legion Condor (including a I-15 on 9 September 1937 and an I-16 on 18 May 1938).

In July 1937 Handrick was appointed to command Jagdgruppe 88 (18 July 1937 – 10 September 1938) and assumed command of I./JG 26 (1 May 1939 – 23 June 1940) after his return from Spain in 1938.^[3] On 24 June 1940 command of Jagdgeschwader 26 was handed over to Major Handrick, who passed command of I./JG 26 to Hpt. Kurt Fischer.^[4] On 22 August 1940 Major Adolf Galland of III./JG 26 replaced Handrick as Geschwaderkommodore of JG 26.

He then became Kommodore of Ergänzungsjagdgruppe 2 briefly before a posting in October to I./JG 28. In June 1941 Handrick was posted to command JG 77. While serving on the Eastern Front he claimed a MiG-3 on 29 September and a Pe-2 on 22 October 1941.

During World War II he claimed another 10 victories^[5] while serving in the German military, earning him the German Cross in Gold on 17 October 1943.^[6]

In May 1942 Oberstlt. Handrick transferred to command JG 5 in Norway and Northern Russia. From June 1943 to June 1944 he was Jagdfliegerführer Ostmark, then as an Oberst. become commanding officer of 8. Jagddivision in Austria until the end of the war.

After the war he worked in Hamburg as a representative of Daimler-Benz.^[7]

Awards

• Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords
• Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class
• German Cross in Gold (17 October 1943)^[6]

References

Citations

1. "Olympics Statistics: Gotthard Handrick". databaseolympics.com. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
2. "Gotthard Handrick Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
3. Caldwell 1991. p. 4.
4. Caldwell 1991. p. 8.
5. Toliver & Constable, page 397
6. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 163.
7. Mandell 1987, online Preface xiii

Bibliography

• Caldwell, Donald L. (1991). JG 26 Top Guns of the Luftwaffe. Ivy Books. ISBN 0-8041-1050-6.
• Forsyth, Robert (2011). Aces of the Legion Condor. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84908-347-8.
• Mandell, Richard D. (1987). The Nazi Olympics. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-01325-5.
• 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.
• Toliver, Raymond F. and Constable, Trevor J. (1998). Das waren die Deutschen Jagdflieger-Asse 1939-1945 (in German). Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-87943-193-0.