Oblt/Hptm Karl-Heinrich Matern

[Chris Goss]

Can anyone help with a good photo of this pilot who commanded II./ZG 1 until his death in action 8 Oct 43? Just the one in the RK book and one on the WWW

[VtwinVince]

Hi Chris,

I have some material on Matern, including unpublished photos and one of his Flugbuecher. If you could forward me your email via PM, I will dig the stuff out.

[Chris Goss]

Vince-Thanks; I have emailed you assuming your email has not changed

[Chris Goss]

Thanks to Vince, a little more on him. Pre-war he trained as a Beobachter, wounded by Flak with Stab II./SKG 210 on 29 Aug 41 near Iwanowskoje. On 20 Dec 42, now with 6./ZG 1, he landed to pick up a crew that had crash-landed behind Soviet lines (Ofw Wilhelm Dibowski and Uffz Kurt Maier?). Credited with 12 air combat victories but I can only find 2 on 30 Oct 42, 31 Oct 42, 1 Nov 42, 5 Nov 42, 18 Dec 42. No PERS 6 file on him at BAMA

[Chris Goss]

Thanks to John M and Sebastian Remus, I now has a copy of his PERS 6 file (which includes photos of him). He was a pre-war Flak officer with I./Flak Regt 11 before starting flying training in December 1939, being posted to II./ZG 76 in Feb 41. He then flew with II./SKG 10 (flying with Stab and 6 Staffel) which became II./ZG 1 in Jan 42

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Just for curiosity, is it known how may combat sorties (FF) he completed before being shot down? Some 150-200+ FF? Or more than 250 FF? Do you happen to know, Chris ?

[Chris Goss]

Sorry nothing in his files

[Johannes]

Hi Guys

I have him Staffelkapitän of 4./ZG 1 from 25th December 1942 until 3rd August 1943 when he became the Kommandeur of II./ZG 1. No claims with 4./ZG 1, therefore any earlier claims had to be prior to 13th July 1942 over Russian opponents.

Could we be enlightened please as to the period his flugbuch covers, and any additional claims confirmed or otherwise. It is perfectly possible he made claims in Russia 1941-1942 in addition to the six listed, or others unconfirmed amongst the six listed :-

30th October 1942 MiG-3 1435 hrs 2000 metres
30th October 1942 MiG-3 1438 hrs 2000 metres
31st October 1942 MiG-3 1443 hrs 1200 metres
1st November 1942 MiG-3 1112 hrs 800 metres
5th November 1942 I-16 0815 hrs 200 metres
18th December 1942 La-5 0605 hrs 1000 metres

I would suggest his Ritterkreuz was for his grounds-attacks.

Kind Regards

Johannes

[Chris Goss]

It was not his Flugbuch but someone else with the same name but a Beobachter. He is a bit of an enigma:


II./ZG 1's new Kommandeur 24 year-old Karl-Heinrich Matern was a very experienced Bf 110 pilot. A pre-war Flak officer, he began flying training in December 1939 and was posted to II./ZG 76 in February 1941before moving to II./Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 (II./SKG 210) later that year. He flew many ground attack missions in Russia with II./SKG 210 (which in January 1942 became II./ZG 1) before moving to the Mediterranean in April1943 by which time he had been promoted to Hauptmann, shot down 12 aircraft (his only known claims two on 30 October 1942 and then one on 31 October, 1 November, 5 November and 18 December 1942) and destroyed countless ground targets. He had been wounded on 29 August 1941 with Stab II./SKG 210 when his Bf 110E-1 was damaged by Flak and on 20 December 1942, now commanding 6./ZG 1, he landed under heavy Soviet shellfire to successfully rescue the crew of a Bf 110C-2, believed to be Ofw Wilhelm Dibowski and Uffz Kurt Maier, who had been shot down near Gramoslawka.


He took over from Heinz Nacke who had been injured in an accident 2 Aug 43 and was awarded RK day after his death

[Johannes]

Hi Chris

I have a suspicion that Matern may be the name I have yet not identified making a claim on 22nd September 1941 1655 hrs MiG-3 with St.II./SKG 210, I'll search out my mikrofilms and look into it.

Kind Regards

Johannes