Hans-Joachim Marseille

Article Talk

Hans-Joachim Marseille (German pronunciation:

[hans ˈjoːaxɪm maʁˈsɛːj]; 13 December 1919 – 30
September 1942) was a German Luftwaffe fighter
pilot and flying ace during World War II. He is
noted for his aerial battles during the North African
Campaign and his Bohemian lifestyle. One of the
most successful fighter pilots, he was nicknamed
the "Star of Africa". Marseille claimed all but seven
of his 158 victories against the British
Commonwealth's Desert Air Force over North
Africa, flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter for
his entire combat career. No other pilot claimed as
many Western Allied aircraft as Marseille.

Hans-Joachim Marseille

Portrait of Marseille mid-1942

Nickname(s) Stern von Afrika (Star of

Africa) to the Germans[1]

Born 13 December 1919

Berlin, Weimar Republic

Died 30 September 1942

(aged 22)
near Sidi Abdel Rahman,
Egypt

Buried Heroes Cemetery in

Derna
Memorial Gardens at
Tobruk (reinterred)

Allegiance Nazi Germany

Service / branch Luftwaffe

Years of service 1938–1942

Rank Hauptmann (Captain)

Unit LG 2, JG 52 and JG 27

Commands 3./JG 27

Battles / wars See battles [show]

Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron

Cross with Oak Leaves,
Swords and Diamonds
Gold Medal of Military
Valor

Signature

Marseille, of French Huguenot ancestry, joined the

Luftwaffe in 1938. At the age of 20, he graduated
from one of the Luftwaffe's fighter pilot schools
just in time to participate in the Battle of Britain,
without notable success. A charming person, he
had such a busy nightlife that sometimes he was
too tired to be allowed to fly the next morning. As a
result of poor discipline, he was transferred to
Jagdgeschwader 27 (Fighter Wing 27, JG 27),
which relocated to North Africa in April 1941.

Under the guidance of his new commander, who

recognised the latent potential in the young officer,
Marseille quickly developed his abilities as a fighter
pilot. He reached the zenith of his fighter pilot
career on 1 September 1942, when during the
course of three combat sorties he claimed 17
enemy fighters shot down, earning him the
Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub, Schwertern und
Brillanten (Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves,
Swords, and Diamonds). Only 29 days later,
Marseille was killed in a flying accident, when he
was forced to abandon his fighter due to engine
failure. After he exited the smoke-filled cockpit,
Marseille's chest struck the vertical stabiliser of his
aircraft. The blow either killed him instantly or
incapacitated him so that he was unable to open
his parachute.

Early life and career

World War II

In propaganda and popular

culture

Attitude toward Nazism

Memorials

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Main article: List of aerial victories claimed by Hans-
Joachim Marseille

Marseille was transferred to his first combat

assignment with the I.(Jagd)/Lehrgeschwader 2 at
the time stationed at Calais-Marck on Sunday 10
August 1940. Two days later he arrived at this unit
on 12 August 1940. He was assigned to the 1.
Staffel of this Gruppe. Staffelkapitän was
Oberleutnant Adolf Buhl. One of the
Schwarmführer was Oberfeldwebel Helmut
Goedert, to whom Marseille was assigned as
wingman. Marseille flew his first combat mission
on the next day, Wednesday 13 August 1940 and
claimed his first aerial victory on 24 August 1940.
In over little more than two years he amassed
another 157 aerial victories.[126][127] His 158 aerial
victories were claimed in 382 combat missions.
[128]

Claims and effectiveness

Bf 109 G-2 painted with markings of

Marseille's aircraft on display at the
Museu TAM in São Carlos, Brazil

Some serious discrepancies between Allied

squadron records and German claims have caused
some historians and Allied veterans to question the
accuracy of Marseille's official victories, in addition
to those of JG 27 as a whole.[129] Attention has
often focused on the claims from two days in
particular: 1 and 15 September 1942.

A USAF historian, Major Robert Tate, found that

Marseille's career can be corroborated 65–70 per
cent; as many as 50 of his claims may not have
actually been kills.[Note 7][130]

Of 26 claims made by JG 27 on 1 September 1942,

17 were claimed by Marseille alone. Tate points out
that Allied military sources and historians, for many
years, had not acknowledged the loss of any
aircraft in North Africa on that date. However,
according to Tate, the Allies did lose "more than 17
aircraft that day ... in the area that Marseille
operated."[131] Tate found that 20 RAF/SAAF
single-engined fighters and one twin-engine
fighter were destroyed and several others severely
damaged, as well as one USAAF P-40 shot down.
[31]
Christopher Shores and Hans Ring also support
Tate's conclusions.[132] British historian Stephen
Bungay gives a figure of 20 Allied losses that day.
[133]

The claims for 15 September 1942 are in serious

doubt, following the first detailed scrutiny of the
records of individual Allied squadrons by Australian
historian Russell Brown. Brown gives three
occasions on which Marseille could not have
downed as many aircraft as claimed.[129][134]
Christopher Shores et al say that Marseille over-
claimed on occasion, particularly in September
1942.[135] They concluded Marseille had
developed such a supreme confidence in his ability
his mentality dictated, "If I fire at it, it must go
down." They estimate two-thirds to three-quarters
of his claims were aircraft that were destroyed,
crash-landed or at least were heavily damaged.
[135]

Axis fighter pilots, including Marseille, destroyed

very few bombers over North Africa.[Note 8] By
mid-1942, Allied bombers were having a highly
damaging effect on Axis ground units and convoy
routes reducing the flow of vital fuel. Bungay
pointed out the relatively low military value of
shooting down Allied fighters, rather than bombers
saying that "most of the pilots of JG 27 milled
about watching in awe as Marseille exhibited his
graceful if gory skills".[133][Note 9] Referring to 1
September 1942, Bungay points out that assuming
Marseille shot down 15 of the 17 he claimed that
day, "all the rest of the 100 or so German fighter
pilots[Note 10] between them only got five. The
British [sic] lost no bombers at all..." and that
"internal rivalry over star status took precedence
over military effectiveness."[133] During this period
the DAF lost only a few bombers; all to anti-aircraft
defences and evidence shows that Rommel was
forced onto the defensive because of the losses
inflicted by bombers.[137]

Decorations

1 February 1940: Aviator badge[138]

9 September 1940: Iron Cross Second Class
for two air victories.[139]
17 September 1940: Iron Cross First Class for
fourth air victory.[139]
3 November 1941: Honour Goblet of the
Luftwaffe.[138]
24 November 1941: German Cross in Gold[140]
(the first German pilot to
receive this award in
Africa.) for 25 victories.
After returning from a
combat mission having just
claimed his 35th and 36th
victory, the Award was
presented to Marseille by
Field Marshal Albert
Kesselring on 17
December 1941.[43][141]
22 February 1942: 416th Knight's Cross of
the Luftwaffe as Leutnant
and pilot in the
3./JG 27[141][142] for
reaching 46 victories.[143]
By the time the award was
officially processed and
handed out to him his
score stood at 50
victories.[22][144]
Kesselring presented the
award.[145] Also awarded
near this date was the
Italian Silver Medal for
bravery (Silver Medal of
Military Valor).[138]
6 June 1942: Becomes the 97th
recipient of the Oak
Leaves to the Knight's
Cross as Oberleutnant and
pilot in the 3./JG 27[141]
[146]
for 75 victories. The
Oak Leaves were never
presented to Marseille
because a few days later
he had already received
the Swords and Oak
Leaves.[147]
18 June 1942: 12th recipient of Swords to
the Knight's cross with
Oak Leaves as
Oberleutnant and
Staffelkapitän of the
3./JG 27[141][148]
(presented by Hitler in the
Wolfsschanze in
Rastenburg).[149]
August 1942: Awarded the Combined
Pilots-Observation Badge
in Gold with Diamonds,
(presented by
Reichsmarschall Hermann
Göring).[150]
August 1942 Benito Mussolini presented
Hans-Joachim Marseille
the Gold Medal of Military
Valour (Medaglia d'oro al
Valore Militare) in Rome,
Italy.[151]
3 September 1942: Becomes only the fourth
German serviceman to be
awarded the Diamonds to
the Knight's Cross with
Oak Leaves and Swords as
Oberleutnant and
Staffelkapitän of the
3./JG 27.[141][152]
16 September 1942: Early promotion to
Hauptmann – Youngest
captain in the Luftwaffe.
[153]

30 November 1962: The Italian Minister of

Defence Giulio Andreotti
paid the relatives of
Marseille an honorary one-
time pension of 1,500 DM.
[154]

Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with

Pennant "300"[155]

Sometime in the early 1990s, one of Marseille's

biographers, Robert Tate, visited the former
Marseille-Kaserne base and Museum to see and
photograph Marseille's medals. When he arrived,
Tate was informed the Knights Cross, Oak Leaves,
Swords and Diamonds belonging to Marseille had
been stolen.[156]

Dates of rank

Marseille joined the military service in Wehrmacht

on 7 November 1938. His first station was
Quedlinburg in the Harz region where he received
his military basic training as a Luftwaffe recruit.
[157]

7 November
Flieger[157][158]
1938:
13 March
Fahnenjunker (officer cadet)[157][158]
1939:
1 May 1939: Fahnenjunker-Gefreiter[157][158]
1 July 1939: Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier[157][158]
1 November
Fähnrich (officer candidate)[157][158]
1939:
1 March 1941: Oberfähnrich[157][158]
Leutnant (second lieutenant),
16 June 1941:
effective as of 1 April 1941[157][158]
Oberleutnant (first lieutenant)
8 May 1942:
effective as of 1 April 1942[157][158]
19 September Hauptmann (captain) effective as of
1942[Note 11]: 1 September 1942[157][158]

Notes

References

External links

Last edited 15 days ago by MisterBee1966

RELATED ARTICLES

James Francis Edwards

Royal Canadian Air Force officer (1921–
2022)

Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt
German World War II fighter pilot

List of aerial victories claimed by

Hans-Joachim Marseille

Content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0 unless

otherwise noted.

Privacy policy • Contact Wikipedia •

Code of Conduct • Developers • Statistics •
Cookie statement • Terms of Use • Desktop