Reinhard Heydrich air victories?

[Douglas Jr.]

Dear folks,

First of all, let me wish you all a Happy New Year!

I was in a discussion yesterday with some friends and Reinhard Heydrich's Luftwaffe service was one of the subjects. For those not familiar with this infamous SS officer, he was head of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) and of the Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA).

During this discussion, a friend of mine told me that he achieved some success as a fighter pilot, something that I told him that is incorrect. I never heard that he had a confirmed kill.

A quick research in Wikipedia showed me that I was right as follows:

"... despite his advanced age, he completed a fighter pilot course in 1940, probably due to reasons of ambition. Heydrich wanted to set an example and show that the members of SS are not "asphalt" soldiers acting behind the front line, but a leading elite of the Third Reich. In April 1940 he flew a Bf109 in the II./JG77 "Herz As" in Norway. The planes flown by Heydrich had an ancient Germanic runic character S (Sieg = victory) painted on the side of the fuselage. On May 13, 1940 he crashed his plane during take-off and was injured. For a short time in May he flew patrol flights over North Germany and the Netherlands. Then, after a new accident, he returned to Berlin. In mid-June 1941, before the German attack on the USSR, he resumed flying, ignoring Himmler's ban. He flew his personal plane Bf 109E-7 again with Group II./JG 77 from Baltsi on the southern Eastern Front, which put the wing commander under pressure due to Heydrich's position and lack of experience. On July 22, 1941, his plane was badly damaged over Yampol by Soviet AA artillery. Heydrich managed to crash-land in no-man's land, and run back to the German lines. After this adventure he was forbidden to fly once again, as it was realized that Heydrich's capture as a POW would be a major security breach for Germany, and he never again returned to active flying. Heydrich was too old and inexperienced for a fighter pilot and he lacked the necessary free time for training flights. But despite his lack of combat success, he was decorated with the Iron Cross Second (1940) and First (1941) Classes. The number of missions flown by Heydrich is not known, it is only recorded that he was shot down, but he was awarded the Frontflugspange (Fighters Clasp) in silver, which usually was awarded after 60 successful combat missions."
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinhard_Heydrich )


However I would like to hear from you guys if there is any further information about any Reinhard Heydrih's claims.

Thanks in advance.

Douglas.

[rob van den nieuwendijk]

Hello,

No knowlegde of any claim made by Heydrich.

On the internet I found:

Heydrich did indeed pilot on several reconnaisance missions during the war (source 'Reinhard Heydrich - The Biography Vol.II/Enigma' by Max Williams, page 25) - some excerpts from this publication :
Quote:


'As soon as war had broken out, Heydrich was impatient to see active service.He obtained permission to fly as a Luftwaffe Reserve Officer with Bomber Group KG55 and first saw action on 12th September 1939 as a gunner.
(...) An ME 110 was also piloted by Heydrich, flying over England and Scotland on reconnaisance missions. During a mission in Norway, he over-flew a shot-up aircraft on landing and crashed, breaking his arm. Both Hitler and Himmler were aware of his sorties as an arm in plaster was difficult to conceal, but he was at pains to show them his duties as Chief of RSHA would not suffer as a result. In doing so, he kept from them the actual number of times he was engaged in skirmishes with the RAF.(...)
On Heydrich's return to SS duty, he was proudly sporting a newly awarded bronze combat mission bar on his left uniform breast.
(..)
Heydrich's next opportunity for aerial combat came during the Russian offensive. He flew numerous times over enemy territory and was engaged in several dogfights behind the lines. It was during one of these flights that he was forced to crash-land behind the Soviet lines, in the vicinity of Berezina. Eventually he was rescued by a German combat patrol. Lina Heydrich describes this incident as follows : "..Reinhard comes home, dirty, unshaven and very upset...He landed behind enemy lines, had hidden for two days and two nights and made his way on foot back to German units". (..) Heydrich was awarded the silver bar for combat missions and the Iron Cross First Class. Hitler noticed the new decorations and was horrified at the thought of his Security Chief being captured by the Russians. From then on, he was strictly forbidden to undertake such dangerous flights again. Luftwaffe Reserve Major Heydrich was grounded.'



Not only with JG 77, but also with I./JG 1 in May 1941 in Holland. Several sources also indicate that he escorted Hess to Scotland.
See:

http://members.aol.com/LeonardIngrams/loneflyer.html


Regards
Rob

[Douglas Jr.]

Rob,

Many thanks for the additional information.
Wishes,

Douglas.

[Dénes Bernád]

I have a pair of original photos that show a tall SS man near a Bf 109. By any cance, could he be 'Major' Reinhard Heydrich?

[klemchen]

Hello,

This is definitely not Heydrich. And the aircraft is an F.

Regards,
klemchen

[Dénes Bernád]

You're right. It's a Friedrich. It looks like it belonged to II./JG 54.
Unfortunately, there is nothing written on the prints' verso.

[Andreas Brekken]

Hello

There are a few photographs of Heydrich and his aircraft.

1. In Norway he flew with 6. /JG 77. The only success he had was not being killed when he overturned his aircraft. The aircraft was coded Yellow 3 + -, thus a standard marking for the unit. I have a few photographs in my collection showing Heydrich with this unit.

2. The SS runes marked aircraft was used while he had a short spell with JG 1, a few photographs exist of this aircraft also, and has been published amongst other places by Ries in his 'Dora Kurfurst und Rote 13' series.

3. The aircraft he used on the eastern front is not known. A photograph showing a bellylanded aircraft with a single SS rune from the unit is not the aircraft flown by Heydrich, but the aircraft of Georg Schirmböck. The rune marking is attributed to his Jungvolk attachment.

Regards,
Andreas B

[VtwinVince]

Eric Mombeek's "Reichsverteidigung" shows a couple of photos of Heydrich's 109, but no mention of any claims.

[emil_e1]

Denes,
the SS officer on your photo belongs to the Panzertruppen. His rank is no higher than Hauptsturmfuehrer.
Regards
emil

[Jan Gazda]

Hi,

can´t add anything to his victory claims but as for the incident when he was shot down there are some details in Ch. Bergström´s Barbarossa: the Air Battle. Seems that Heydrich was shot down either by St.Lt. Aleksandr Pokryshkin or Ml.Lt. Leonid Dyiachenko from 55 IAP who both claimed a Bf 109 in the combat. Pokryshkin and Diyachenko were flying as escort to some Su 2s whose mission was to bomb Dniestr Bridges at Yampol when a pair of Bf 109 attacked the bombers. Only one Messerschmitt was lost though and it was the one piloted by Heydrich who came down in a no man´s land and was later rescued as described by one of the posts above.

Diyachenko was to be killed just three days later , probably in combat with Uffz. Franz Schulte from II./JG 77 (his claim no.2) while Heydrich was assassinated by members of Czechoslovak exile army in May 1942. Pokryshkin went on to claim 59 aerial victories troughout WW2 and become one of the most notorious Soviet aces and 3 x HSU.

Thought some might be interested

Jan