Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär is one of my favorite German Aces: 221 Aerial Victories: 60 Western Front - 96 Eastern Front - 65 Mediterranean Front - 1000+ Combat Sorties in the Bf 109E/F/G - Fw 190A-7/A-8 - Me 262A-1a - Awards: Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

Hauptmann Bär transferred to the Mediterranean and became the Gruppenkommandeur of I/JG 77 "Herzas" on May 1, 1942. Then something caused Bär to be relieved of command and sent home. (Later he becomes a top Me-262 jet ace.)

I've read several different vague accounts of happened to Bar in North Africa, but never the specifics. What, exactly happened to Heinz?? This inquiry is made with all due respect. (I asked this question on another forum and I got a "Wife No. 3 is Still Grieving" response from some guy who claimed to be a distantly-related family member, kinda like we are all related to Atilla the Hun, but this guy is still acting all busted up over the event.)


The various accounts:


1) From Warbirds Resource Group: www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org - Luftwaffe Resource Center - Luftwaffe Aces

"Hauptmann Bär transferred to the Mediterranean Front to become the Gruppenkommandeur of I/JG 77 "Herzas" on May 1, 1942. He flew the Bf 109F and later the Bf 109G models. The strain of constant battle and knowledge of inevitable defeat of Axis forces in the Mediterranean later caused the stressed-out Bär to be relieved from command back to Germany in disgrace."

2) From Wikipedia: Heinrich Bär - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Over North Africa and the Mediterranean theatre, Bär had increased his tally to 179, but, fighting a losing battle against ever-increasing Allied air superiority, Bär lost his fighting spirit, and suffered severe mental and physical exhaustion. After several arguments with JG 77's new Commander Colonel Johannes Steinhoff and Hermann Göring, in the summer of 1943 Bär was transferred to France "for cowardice before the enemy" and demoted to Squadron Leader. He took over command of an operational training unit, Jagdgruppe Süd.[26][27]"

3) The book Luftwaffe Aces describes Bar's great relationship with (and devestation over) Major Joachim Muncheberg's death. And when Major Steinhoff arrived, things changed....

4) From: WW II ACE STORIES

"Soon after this exciting point in the irrivalry, in June of 1942, Bär's JG 77 was moved to MTO area. While leading I./JG 77, 'Pritzl' downed several British fighters over Malta . On 13 October 1942 his victims were three "Spitfires" (two of 185 Sgn and one of 1435 Sqn RAF). Another "Spitfire" was shot down four days later (17 October 1942) near La Valetta. Then Heinz Bär took part in combat missions in the hot African sky. In Tunisia, he scored his next 61 Allied aircraft victories (Nos 118-179). But the density of air activity from the start of the war combined with the hard battle conditions in Africa to seriously undermine Bär's fighting spirit, and exhaust him both physically and mentally. In effect, this famous ace was removed from command and sent back to Germany for 'rehabilitation'."

5) Luftwaffe Fighter Aces has Bar going down to malaria and a stomach ulcer...

I do not believe that this was a "mental breakdown" or "combat fatigue" issue. Major Muncheberg's death and the arrival of Major Steinhoff are central here, something changed, but I don't know what.

But does anyone have specifics on what exactly what was said or exactly what happened?

Thanks!

Bronc

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

you're a funny guy Bronc

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

How about he was just tired of the war? Could you do it as long as he did, and survive?

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

Obermaier notes that he was shot down or crash landed at least 18 times. I recall photos of one of his aircraft in North Africa overturned and mauled (not certain if he was pilot at time). But as previously mentioned, the strain of combat, loss of friends, and the personal danger is sure to make anyone crack.

Don

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

He was "burnt-out" and was almost shot down by two Spitfires in Tunisia (Prein JG-77). After this, he said he would fly no more.

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

Bronc, you havn't a clue if you don't think Bär went through enough to cause a breakdown. Re-read the facts and the posts above

But what happened exactly?
 

I'm sure that Major Bar went through an incredible ordeal. His exploits are amazing.

So just to be clear: I'm not trying to smear or diminish the man. (Quite the opposite.)

I would just like to know the details, or a reference to a source with the details, (or perhaps the primary source) of what happened.

It's for a research project that I'm writing.

Thank you.

Anyone?

Bronc

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

If you read German there might be something in Jochen Priens books of the history of JG77. Franz Kurowski has a book out on him but some of the guys here wonder about the sources for his books.

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

The best way to understand (as best we can 52 years after his death) is to read multiple Luftwaffe books that mention him.

I will say I think he was optimistic in his claims. Some I can substantiate, but I think many others were just damaged. In cases were I have tried to compare his claims against known Allied losses, I have been successful in about 50% of the time.

He was ,undoubtedly, an amazing fighter pilot. Many fighter pilots had given up the cause by war's end, and found safer endeavors,but he kept flying, always with a lot of gallows humor.

Carlos

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

May 1943: ordered to report to Göring at Karinhall. The Reichsmarschall tore a strip a yard wide off his butt and Bär mouthed back at Göring who then charged him with insubordination, relieved him of his command and ordered him shipped off to the Ergänzungseinheiten.

You will only find the truth in his personnel file at BA-MA. Since he has been dead since April 1957, you should be able to get copies. Details and supporting commentary on how to obtain copies of these records can be found in numerous threads on this web site, on AHF and on WAF. All you have to do is SEARCH.

L.

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

With all respect - I am sure the archives are containing only the "official" aspect of any action of these times.
Regarding the timeframe Bär seems to me a very welcomed scapegoat for Göring concerning the menacing defeat in Tunisia.

Regards

Roland

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

Not necessarily, RolandF, especially not if you view his personnel records as a portal for continuing research. Once I had the copies, I would look at his 1942-45 performance evaluation reports for evidence of what happened. I would then look for any reference to a medical or psychological evaluation and, if there, try and obtain copies of his medical and related records from the Krankenbuchlager in Berlin. This can be done if one is tireless, persistent, has the time and is willing and able to spend a few Euros along the way.

But the one thing I would not rely on is the second-, third- and fourth-person "opinion" that fills the published literature as some here have suggested. We have already seen several versions of what happened just in this thread here. So if he relies on the several published accounts, he'll never get to the bottom of it. This is assuming that the "paper" he speaks of is a graduate-level paper and not a 10-page high school theme paper. If it's a 10-pager, then lots of luck.

L.

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

No that I could locate it right now (house in confusion due to work on heating system) but I have seen a PoW report that Bär got busted down to Staffelkapitän because he'd struck a fellow airman. Seems like everyone had a theory ...

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

Right Nick, that's about four now. Stories get around pretty fast and get embellished along the way, I guess. That's human nature. :)

L.

Can this be confirmed? Dear Sweet Mother of God I Hope It Can Be...
 

There is the story that (at some point in time) when Bar was a Gruppe commander, two SS Gestapo agents arrived at his airfield intending to arrest one of his pilots. The pilot (an ace with approximately 20 kills, no less) was to be arrested based solely on his ancestry. Bar is said to have -- e-x-p-l-o-d-e-d -- in anger--was in the process of drawing his sidearm--when other Luftwaffe officers hustled the SS men back into their car with a warning never to return.

Wow-o-wow...would I like to see this story confirmed.

Bronc

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

Prien et al in JG 77 (t.3) goes into some detail on the subject.

Nothing too far out of the ordinary.

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

I don't own Prien's JG 77. What does he say about the incident?

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

This section of Wikipedia is simplified (naturally) but correct.
Overyone can have low points and high points of career. We are not robots.
Let me add that Steinhoff as new Kommodore tried to support Bär when he was "down". But you can´t do it with a subordinated Gruppenkommandeur for ever.

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

Hello Jan
thanks for the clarification

Juha

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

Thanks Jan.

Re: Major Heinz "Pritzl" Bär - What happened exactly?
 

Hello all, new to the forum. Sorry for dredging up an old post but, I to am very interested in the life of Heinz Bar. I was wondering if anyone knew the place of his burial? I have searched online to no avail. Thanks in advance.