Heinrich Alexander Prince Zu Sayn Wittgenstein. The Sayn Princesses and their "Prince Charmings"

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Last public execution in the United States, 1936

Boxing match at Yankee Stadium, 1923

Gym aboard the Titanic, 1912

In 1955, Princess Marianne Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sain took a photograph she called “Princess Yvonne and Prince Alexander.” This photo is quite popular, after all, for 1955, a drinking girl and a smoking boy is a kind of nonsense, unlike today. Especially some princes. So, in the photograph, Princess Marianne is the descendants of the famous dynasty of Sayn and Wittgenstein, which dates back to 1145 from the imperial county of the same name in German Westphalia. The full name of the smoking boy is Heinrich Alexander Sayn-Wittgenstein, the girls' full name is Philippa Sayn-Wittgenstein.

Crew member of the B-24 Liberator bomber (American heavy bomber during World War II). Such ammunition was necessary to survive at an altitude of 7620 m in Germany in 1943-1945.

Cinema, 1921

John F. Kennedy's coffin under the Capitol dome, November 1963

Autopsy room at a medical school in Bordeaux, France, 1890

The destruction of bison in the United States since the 1830s, sanctioned by the local authorities, was intended to undermine the economic way of life of Indian tribes and doom them to starvation.

Mass suburban settlement, USA, 1950

A soldier inspects valuables selected by the Nazis and prepared for export to the city of Ellingen, Germany, April 24, 1945

This is what the famous Mount Rushmore should have looked like if funding had not run out in 1941

Inside the old New York City Metropolitan Opera House, 1937

The crew of the US Coast Guard ship USS Spencer hit the German submarine U-175 with a torpedo, 1943.

"Football team". Circa 1895-1910

The US government developed a series of photographs of how Hitler could change his appearance (1940s).

Sein-Witgenstein Heinrich Alexander zu (14.8.1916, Copenhagen, Denmark - 21.1.1944, near Hohengohrener and Ktitsa, Lubers district), prince, night fighter, aviation major (1943). From an ancient aristocratic family; son of a diplomat. In 1932 he joined the Hitler Youth, commander of the 113th group. In 1936 he entered the 17th Bavarian Reiter Regiment, and in October. 1937 transferred to Luftwaffe. In June 1938 he was promoted to lieutenant and enlisted in the 40th assault squadron. Participated in the occupation of the Sudetenland. In 1939 he was transferred to the 254th Bomber Squadron. He flew a Ju.88 bomber and made approx. 150 combat missions. Since Aug. 1941 transferred to night fighter aircraft, continuing to fly the same aircraft. From Jan. 1942 served in the 11th squadron of the 2nd night fighter squadron. He won his first victory on May 7, 1942, shooting down the English Blenheim. He proved himself to be a brave and experienced pilot. On November 2, 1942, when he had 22 victories to his name, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. From Sep. 1942 commander of the 9th squadron of the 2nd night fighter squadron, from Dec. 1942 - 4th group of the 5th night fighter squadron. In June 1943 he was transferred to the Eastern Front to develop tactics for night air battles. Night bomber units were secretly deployed across railways, carried out a series of attacks over several nights, after which they were transferred to another section of the front. In battles in the Kursk Bulge area he shot down 23 Soviet aircraft, incl. 3 in 15 minutes. From August 1, 1943, commander of the 1st group of the 100th night fighter squadron, and from August 15. - 2nd group of the 3rd squadron. On 31 August 1943, after 64 victories, he received oak branches for the Knight's Cross. On Dec. 1943 again transferred to the West as commander of the 2nd group of the 2nd night fighter squadron. On New Year's Eve 1944 he shot down 6 British planes. From 1/1/1944 commander of the 2nd squadron. He was shot down in battle when he attacked a group of British bombers and shot down 6 of them, but was himself shot down by a fighter-bomber. Posthumously awarded oak branches and swords to the Knight's Cross on January 23, 1944. During the fighting he shot down 83 aircraft (all at night). There is some evidence that in Jan. 1944 N.-E. spoke critically of the Nazi regime.

Materials used book: Who was who in the Third Reich. Biographical encyclopedic dictionary. M., 2003

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Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

Last name and first name of the pilot: zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, Heinrich Alexander

Rank: Major

Squadron: KG51, NJG3, NJG5, NJG100, NJG2

Victories: 83

Heinrich Alexander Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein

Born on August 14, 1916 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He came from a family of German aristocrats, and his full name was Heinrich Alexander Ludwig Peter Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. Among his ancestors was Field Marshal of the Russian Army P.H. Wittgenstein, who distinguished himself during the war with Napoleon and Russian- Turkish war 1828 Young Heinrich was first brought up in a boarding school in Bavaria, and then studied at a gymnasium in Freiburg and was a member of the Hitler Youth. Wittgenstein began his military career in 1936 as part of the 17th Bavarian Reiter Regiment. He then transferred to the Luftwaffe and, after completing flight training in June 1938, arrived at SchGr.40 with the rank of lieutenant. In the winter of 1939, he was transferred to bomber aviation and included in the headquarters unit of KG254 (from 05/01/1939 - KG54). Wittgenstein participated in the campaign in France, the Battle of Britain and in the battles of Eastern Front and, flying the Ju-88A, made 150 combat missions. In August 1941, he achieved a transfer to night fighter aircraft and, after undergoing retraining, was assigned to 11./NJG2 in January 1942. On the night of May 7, Wittgenstein won his first victory, shooting down the British Blenheim. His account began to grow rapidly. So, on the night of June 6, already flying with Erg.Staffel/NJG2, he shot down two Wellingtons, and on the night of June 17 - a Wellington and a Liberator. At the beginning of July, Oberleutnant Wittgenstein was appointed commander of 9./NJG2. On the night of August 1, Hamiden, Halifax and Wellington became its victims, and on the evening of September 10 - Stirling, Halifax and Liberator. On August 21 he was awarded DK-G, and then on October 2 - RK. Having completed 40 night combat missions by that time, he scored 22 victories. At the same time, everyone who knew Wittgenstein noted his extreme ambition and individualism. Having poor health from birth, he had an uncontrollable desire to fly and become the best night ace. There is a known case when he once rose into the air in alarm wearing only his boot. When Wittgenstein jumped out of the car to climb aboard the Ju-88Q, which was ready for takeoff, his boot got caught on something. Not wanting to linger for a second, he simply pulled his foot out of his boot, and, taking a seat in the cockpit, immediately took off. He spent four hours in the air, and all this time his foot was on the rudder pedal in only one silk sock. If we consider that the temperature in the Junkers cabin was not comfortable, and it was not for nothing that the crews wore fur overalls, then it becomes clear that only a person with an iron will, who had absolute self-control, could withstand this. In December, Hauptmann Wittgenstein was appointed commander of the newly formed IV./NJG5. In the spring of 1943, the group operated from an airfield in East Prussia, and between April 16 and May 1 it shot down five Soviet bombers: four DB-3s and a B-25. Then, at the end of June, already over Holland, he recorded five British aircraft, including on the night of June 25 - two Stirlings, a Lancaster and a Wellington. After this, two squadrons led by Wittgenstein were transferred to airfields in Bryansk and Orel to cover Wehrmacht units participating in the offensive in the Kursk area. During July 11–19, he shot down six DB-3s, Pe-8s, B-25s and Bostons. On the night of July 20, he first shot down another DB-3, and then in the evening of the same day, within 47 minutes, three Pe-8s, two B-25s and a DB-3. In one day, Wittgenstein scored seven night victories—no Luftwaffe night fighter had ever achieved such success. Then, on the night of August 21, the B-25 became its victim, in the evening of August 22 - the Pe-8, and in the evening of July 31 - the Li-2. On August 1, his group was transformed into I./NJG100. The number of his victories continued to grow. On the evening of the same August 1, Wittgenstein shot down two biplanes R-5 and Li-2, the next evening - another R-5, on the evening of August 3 - three DB-3s, on the evening of August 5 - B-25, and on the evening of August 8 - DB again -3F. Then on 15 August he was appointed commander of II./NJG3, based in northern Germany. On the night of August 24, he shot down a Halifax, and on August 31, for 64 night victories, he was awarded the RK-EL (Nr.290). In December, Major Wittgenstein first headed II./NJG2, and already on 01/01/1944 he became commander of the entire NJG2. On the night of January 2, he achieved another great success, shooting down six bombers at once. Then, on the night of January 21, 1944, he shot down three Lancasters and finally surpassed Major Lent in the number of victories and at that time took first place among night fighters. However, this mission almost ended tragically for Wittgenstein and his crew when their Ju-88 collided with a bomber that had just been shot down. The fighter lost two meters of the right wing tip and one of the four right propeller blades, and also received a hole about a meter long in the upper part of the fuselage directly behind the pilot's cockpit. Despite this, Wittgenstein was still able to reach the airfield and land safely. On the evening of January 21, he was already on another plane - Ju-88C-6 W.Nr.750467 "R4 + XM" - again took to the dark sky and shot down five more Lancasters. However, then his own Junkers was shot down. Wittgenstein ordered radio operator Sergeant Major Friedrich Ostheimer and flight mechanic non-commissioned officer Kurt Matzuleit to jump out by parachute, and he himself tried to reach the Stendal airfield. However, approximately 12 km northeast of the airfield, in the area between the villages of Klitz and Hohengorener-Damm, the plane crashed into the ground. The next morning, a local peasant found Wittgenstein's lifeless body two hundred meters from the wreckage of the fuselage. According to one version, he was shot down by a Mosquito night fighter from 131 Sqdn. RAF, and on the other - the tail gunner of a Lancaster from 156 Sqdn. RAF. In total, he completed 170 night combat missions and shot down 83 aircraft, 33 of them on the Eastern Front. On January 21 he was posthumously awarded RK-S (Nr.44). On January 29, Wittgenstein’s remains were buried in a military cemetery near Deelen airfield, 9 km north of Arnhem, Holland, where his squadron was then based, and then in 1948. moved to a German military cemetery near the village of IJsselstein, 8 km southwest of Utrecht, Holland. In the fall of 1992, after the unification of East and West Germany, a memorial stone was erected at the site of Wittgenstein's death.

Last name and first name of the pilot: Streib, Werner

Rank: Oberst

Squadron: ZG1, NJG1

Victories: 65

Werner Streib

Born on June 13, 1911 in Pforzheim. After graduating from high school, Werner Streib worked as a bank employee for three years. He began his military career in August 1934 as a private in the 14th Wehrmacht Infantry Regiment. Then in March 1935 he transferred to the newly created Luftwaffe and, after completing flight training, was assigned to reconnaissance aircraft. Streib flew He-45 and He-46 biplanes as part of 1.(H)/Aufkl.Gr.113. Then in 1938 he was transferred to 4./JG132 (from 11/01/1938 - 1./JG141, from 01/01/1939 - 1./ZG141, and from 05/01/1939 - 1./ZG1) . In September 1939, Lieutenant Streib took part in the Polish campaign, and in April 1940 - in the occupation of Denmark and on April 9, together with other pilots of his group, destroyed two Fokker C.VE biplanes on the ground. He won his first aerial victory on May 10, shooting down a British Blenheim. On June 6, Oberleutnant Streib was appointed commander of 2./ZG1, which the following month was reorganized into 2./NJG1. On the night of July 20, he scored his first night victory, shooting down a Whitley bomber near Munster. At the same time, this was only the second victory in the overall record of the Luftwaffe night fighters. The number of his victories began to grow. So, on the morning of July 22, another “Whitley” became his victim, on the night of August 31 – “Wellington” and “Whitley”, and in the evening of September 30 – two “Wellingtons” and “Hampden”. On October 6, Hauptmann Streib, after seven night victories, was awarded the RK. On the night of October 15, he shot down another Hampden, and the next night three more British bombers. On October 18, he took charge of I./NJG1. In 1941, the number of his victories continued to increase. So, on the evening of March 10, he shot down a Hampden, on the evening of March 14, a Wellington, on the evening of April 10, two more Hampdens, on the night of July 16, two Wellingtons, and on the night of August 7, a Whitley. , reaching the milestone of 20 victories. Then on the night of August 17 he recorded Lancaster and Whitley, and on the evening of December 27 - Wellington and Whitley. 02/26/1942 Streib received the DK-G. His tally grew steadily throughout the year and, having shot down 11 Wellingtons, two Whitleys, a Halifax, a Stirling and a Blenheim, he then reached the 40-win mark on the night of 17 September. Having shot down two Lancasters on the evening of 02/02/1943, Major Streib increased his tally to 45 victories and on February 26 he was awarded the RK-EL (Nr.197). On the evening of April 3, three Halifaxes became his victims, and on the evening of April 9, he scored his 50th victory, shooting down a Lancaster. In the summer, his headquarters unit received prototypes of the new He-219 night fighter for military testing, since Streib himself was an ardent supporter of the speedy adoption of this aircraft for service. On the night of June 12, he, together with radio operator non-commissioned officer Helmut Fischer, took off in the prototype He-219V-2 W.Nr.219002 “G9+FB”. In just over an hour he shot down four Halifaxes and a Lancaster. However, when the engine of one of the downed bombers exploded, the windshield of the Heinkel cockpit was completely splashed with oil. Therefore, during landing, Streib was unable to correctly determine the distance to the ground and maintain the rate of descent. At a speed of about 240 km/h, the fighter hit the concrete runway and broke into four pieces. After this, the cabin with Streib and Fischer inside drove on the ground for about 45 meters, but both of them escaped with only minor damage. On July 1, Streib was appointed commander of NJG1. On the night of July 26, he shot down two Lancasters, a Stirling and a Halifax, breaking the 60-kill mark. On the night of December 4, two more Lancasters became victims of Streib, and this was his last success. On 03/01/1944, with the rank of Oberst-Leutnant, he was appointed inspector of night fighter aircraft and remained in this post until the end of the war. On March 11 he was awarded RK-S (Nr.54). In total, he completed about 150 combat missions and scored 66 victories. After the war, having successfully married, Streib became a successful grocery store owner. However, then in 1956 he joined the newly created Bundesluftwaffe of the Federal Republic of Germany and later was the head of the aviation school in Landsberg. He retired on March 31, 1966 with the rank of brigadier general. After this, Streib lived in Munich, where he died on June 15, 1986.

Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves

Last name and first name of the pilot: Becker, Ludwig

Rank: Hptm.

Squadron: LG1, ZG1, NJG1

Victories: 46

Ludwig Becker

Born on August 22, 1911 in Aplerbeck, eastern region Dortmund. In 1934, Ludwig Becker joined the Luftwaffe and met the outbreak of World War II with the rank of lieutenant in 14.(Z)/LG1. Then on 07/01/1940 he was transferred to the newly formed 3./NJG1, which was then renamed 4./NJG1 on September 7. Becker became one of the developers of night fighter tactics and later received the nickname “professor of night combat.” On the night of October 3, he won his first victory when, using a Do-17Z-10, he intercepted and shot down a British Wellington over Holland. At the same time, this was the first victory of Luftwaffe night fighters using the so-called “dark interception” (“Dunaja”) tactics, that is, when the fighter pilot was guided to the target by a ground-based radar operator. Then on the evening of October 16, Lieutenant Becker had another Wellington on his account. In 1941, he took part in combat tests of the first samples of airborne radars. On the night of August 9, he shot down over North Sea"Wellington". This was the first German night fighter victory achieved using airborne radar. At that time, Chief Corporal Wilhelm Gönsler, who later became a radio operator in the crew of the best night ace Heinz Schnaufer, flew in his crew as a flight mechanic. Becker's account gradually grew. So, on the night of August 13, “Manchester” became his victim, on the night of August 15 – “Whitley”, on the night of August 18 – “Hampden”, on the evening of September 6 – “Whitley”, on the evening of September 29 – “Wellington”, and in the early morning of November 8 - another "Whitley". In the autumn he was appointed commander of 6./NJG2. As 1942 rolled around, Becker's score continued to grow. So, on the evening of January 20, he shot down a Wellington from 12 Sqdn. RAF, on the night of March 3 - "Manchester" from 83 Sqdn. RAF, evening of March 12 - "Whitley" from 58 Sqdn. RAF, evening of March 25 - "Manchester" from 106 Sqdn. RAF, and on the evening of March 28 - Stirling from 7 Sqdn. RAF, after which his number of victories reached 17. Then on April 24 he was awarded DK-G. When airborne radars began to appear in active night fighter units in the summer, Becker, as an instructor, taught pilots their tactics. combat use. At the same time, he himself continued to shoot down bombers. So, during June 4–9, two Wellingtons, Stirling and Manchester, became his victims. His tally reached 25 wins and he received RK on July 1st. Becker's score continued to grow, for example, on the night of September 5, he shot down three Wellingtons at once. On 1 October his squadron was renamed 12./NJG1. On the evening of October 13 he shot down a Stirling, the next night a Wellington, and on the evening of November 9 another Wellington. On the evening of January 17, 1943, two Stirlings became victims of Becker, and on the night of January 31, a Lancaster. Meanwhile, on January 27, B-17s from the US Eighth Air Force made their first daylight raid into Germany, dropping bombs on Wilhelmshaven. To help the daytime fighters from JG1, the Luftwaffe command decided to involve night fighters in repelling daytime raids. It mistakenly believed that, having strong on-board weapons, they would be able to effectively attack heavy bombers even in unusual daylight hours. On the morning of February 26, 12 fighters from IV./NJG1 took off from Leeuwarden airfield, including Hauptmann Becker’s Bf-110G-4 W.Nr.4864 “G9+LZ”. Over the Heligoland Bight they attacked B-24s of the 44th BG, which were returning to England after the raid on Emden. Night fighters shot down seven Liberators, but one aircraft did not return - and this was the Messerschmitt of the commander of 12./NJG1. The exact circumstances of the death of Becker and his radio operator, Oberfeldwebel Josef Staub, remained unknown. According to one version, their fighter over the North Sea was shot down by one of the P-51s that were escorting the bombers. On February 27, Becker was posthumously awarded RK-EL (Nr.198). The senseless death of an experienced pilot was a heavy blow for night fighter aviation. However, the Luftwaffe command never canceled its erroneous order, only clarifying that the best crews may not participate in daytime sorties.

Last name and first name of the pilot: Becker, Martin

Rank: Oblt

Squadron: NJG3, NJG4, NJG6

Victories: 58

Martin Becker

Born on April 12, 1916 in Wiesbaden. After completing flight training, Lieutenant Martin Becker served in reconnaissance aircraft from 1940 and flew 27 combat missions. He then underwent retraining as a night fighter and arrived in early 1943 with 11./NJG4, which was then renamed 2./NJG6 on 1 August. He won his first victory on the evening of September 23, shooting down a Lancaster. On October 17, Lieutenant Becker was appointed commander of 2./NJG6. On the evening of November 18, the Stirling and Halifax became its victims, and on the evening of December 20, within five minutes, a Lancaster and two Halifaxes. Then, on the night of 02/20/1944, in the Celle-Stendal-Leipzig area, he shot down three Halifaxes and a Lancaster, reaching the milestone of ten victories. On the evening of February 25, Becker, flying with radio operator Karl-Ludwig Johanssen, recorded two Lancasters, and on the evening of March 23, in the area northwest of Frankfurt am Main, six bombers at once: three Lancasters " and three "Halifaxes". On the night of March 31, he achieved even greater success. First, within half an hour in the Wetzlar-Fulda area, he again shot down three Lancasters and Halifaxes, and then, landing at Mainz airfield to refuel, he took off again and shot down a Halifax from 429 Sqdn. RCAF, after which his tally reached 26 victories. Becker's successes did not go unnoticed. On April 1, he was summoned to Rastenburg, where Hitler personally handed him the RK. This was a remarkable episode, since the Fuehrer usually handed over only higher degrees this award. Becker's wins continued to increase rapidly. So, on the night of April 27, he reached the 30-victory mark by shooting down three bombers, and the next night he shot down three planes again. On May 25 he received DK-G. On the night of July 29, five Lancasters became his victims, and on the night of August 26, three more Lancasters, and he crossed the 40-victory mark. On October 26, Hauptmann Becker, who had already shot down 43 aircraft, was appointed commander of IV./NJG6. In January 1945, he was credited with five more British bombers. On the evening of March 15, Becker and his radio operator Lieutenant Johanssen set a record by shooting down nine Lancasters in the Erfurt-Naumburg-Jena-Kralsheim area with their Bf-110G-4b/R3 “2Z+BB”. No night fighter aircraft crew has ever achieved such a number of victories in one flight. The next evening, Becker shot down a Lancaster from 103 Sqdn 50 km north of Nuremberg. RAF - it was his 58th, and as it turned out, last victory. On March 20, he was awarded RK-EL (Nr.792), and before that, on March 17, Johanssen also received the RK. In total, Becker flew 83 night combat missions. He died on 02/08/2006.

Last name and first name of the pilot: Drewes, Martin

Rank: Major

Squadron: ZG76, NJG1

Victories: 52

Martin Drewes

Born on October 20, 1918 in Salzgitter. Martin Dreves began his military career in October 1937 as part of the 6th Tank Regiment. Promoted to lieutenant, he transferred to the Luftwaffe and, after completing flight training, arrived at 4./ZG76 in early February 1941. In May of the same year, a squadron of the so-called Fliegerführer Irak was transferred to Iraq as part of providing military assistance to the pro-German government of Rashid Ali el-Galani. At noon on May 20, Dreves scored his first victory by shooting down a British Gladiator. At the end of May, after the defeat of Rashid Ali's forces, the German pilots left Iraq and then returned to Europe. On the morning of August 29, Dreves achieved a second success by shooting down a Spitfire. At the beginning of November of the same year 41, his squadron was reorganized into 7./NJG3. As a night fighter, he could not achieve success for a long time. Lieutenant Dreves won his first night victory only on the evening of January 17, 1943, when he shot down a Stirling that took part in a raid on Berlin. Then on the evening of March 14, Halifax was on his account. At the beginning of June he was transferred to 11./NJG11 and then on August 1 he was appointed its commander. During June 26 - September 27, four Halifaxes and a Lancaster became its victims. On the evening of October 3, Dreves' Bf-110 was shot down by a Stirling gunner. His radio operator, Sergeant Major Hradchowina, and gunner, Sergeant Major Georg Petz, jumped out by parachute, but Dreves’ canopy jammed and he was unable to leave the burning fighter. There were no more than 800 meters left to the ground, and Tree had no choice but to try to land. At a speed of 380 km/h, he landed directly on a garden growing on the side of a hill. The right wing of the Messerschmitt was torn off, while the right engine flew over the fuselage and crashed into the left wing, the fuselage was torn in several places. Wood managed to get out of the cockpit through the side window, but one of his fur flight boots got stuck, and he had to simply pull his foot out of it. Dreves managed to run about twenty meters before the wreckage of the plane exploded. The only injuries to the pilot were bruises on his hand, which he used to cover his face when he touched the ground, and a small bruise on his forehead. Shortly after noon on January 5, 1944, he shot down a B-24 over the North Sea, reaching the milestone of ten victories. Then on January 11, again during a daylight mission, he recorded two B-17s. On February 24, Dreves was awarded DK-G, and on March 1 he took charge of III./NJG1. On the night of March 23, he shot down three Lancasters, on the night of March 31 - three more, and then on the night of April 19 - two Lancasters, reaching the bar of 20 victories. During April 21 - May 2, Hauptmann Dreves, flying a Bf-110G-4 together with radio operator Sergeant Major Erich Handke, shot down seven more Lancasters. His score continued to grow. On the night of May 4, five such bombers fell victim to him, on the night of May 13 - three Lancasters, and on the night of May 22 - again five Lancasters, and he reached the milestone of 40 victories. Then, on the night of June 17, a pair of Lancasters became victims of Dreves, and on the night of June 22, another pair. On the night of July 21, he again shot down two Lancasters over Holland, but at the same time his Bf-109G-4 W.Nr.720410 “G9+MD” was hit by return fire from the rear gunners. All crew members - Dreves, Handke and gunner Oberfeldwebel Petz - were injured, but were still able to jump out safely by parachute. On July 27, Dreves and Handke were simultaneously awarded the RK. His account gradually grew further. So, on the night of September 12, he shot down one bomber, and on the night of March 3, 1945, another Lancaster. On April 17, Major Dreves was awarded RK-EL (Nr.839). In total, he completed 235 combat missions and scored 52 victories. After the war he went to Brazil. Having then returned to Germany, Dreves served in the German Bundesluftwaffe from 1956 and retired with the rank of Oberst-Lieutenant.

Last name and first name of the pilot: Frank, Hans-Dieter

Rank: Major

Squadron: ZG1, NJG1

Victories: 55

Hans-Dieter Frank

Born 07/08/1919 in Kiel. In 1937, Hans-Dieter Frank joined the Luftwaffe and met the outbreak of World War II as part of I./ZG1. He took part in the Polish and French campaigns, but was never successful. In the summer of 1940 his group was reorganized into I./NJG1, and Lieutenant Frank became a night fighter. In the spring of 1941, he was included in the group's headquarters. He won his first victory on the evening of April 10, shooting down Hampden. Then, on the night of June 12, “Whitley” became his victim, on the night of August 17, “Wellington” and “Whitley,” and on the night of August 25, another “Whitley.” In the fall, Oberleutnant Frank was appointed commander of 2./NJG1. His tally grew rather slowly, and within a year - until September 1942 - he shot down four bombers: two Halifaxes, a Whitley and a Wellington. On November 27 he was awarded DK-G. On the evening of January 17, 1943, Hauptmann Frank reached the milestone of ten victories by shooting down a Lancaster. Then the number of his victories began to increase rapidly. So, on the evening of February 2, “Stirling” became his victim, on the night of February 22 – six bombers at once, and on the evening of April 3 – “Halifax”, “Lancaster” and “Stirling”, after which Frank reached the bar of 20 victories. On the night of May 5, he won his 30th victory, shooting down another Stirling. On the night of May 13 he shot down a Wellington and a Stirling, the next night another Wellington, and on the night of June 15 three Lancasters. On June 20, Frank received RK. On the night of June 22, he achieved great success, shooting down five Halifaxes and a Lancaster in just over an hour. He then chalked up two more Wellingtons, Halifax and Lancaster, before the end of June. Then on July 1 Frank was appointed commander of I./NJG1. Having shot down two bombers on the night of July 26, he reached the milestone of 50 victories. On the evening of August 23, he shot down a Lancaster, and on the night of August 31, in 17 minutes, he shot down a Stirling, Wellington, and a Lancaster. On the night of September 6, Frank shot down another Lancaster - this was his 55th and last victory. On the night of September 28, during landing approach, his He-219 W.Nr.190055 “G9+CB” in the area of ​​Celle collided with the Bf-110G-4 of the commander of 1./NJG6 Hauptmann Gerhard Friedrich. Frank managed to activate his ejection seat. A strong jerk followed, and the pilot, who probably forgot to disconnect the cord of the throat recorder and headphones, was simply strangled by it. His radio operator, Chief Sergeant Major Erich Gotter, also had problems leaving the plane. He was found dead on the ground, while his ejection seat, with its safety harness undone, was found inside the wreckage of the plane that crashed 25 northwest of Celle. Then on 03/02/1944 Frank was posthumously awarded RK-EL (Nr.417) and given the rank of major.

Last name and first name of the pilot: Frank, Rudolf

Rank: Lt.

Squadron: NJG3, NJG1

Victories: 45

Rudolf Frank

Born on August 19, 1920 in Grünwinkel, southwestern district of Karlsruhe. After completing flight training, non-commissioned officer Rudolf Frank arrived at 1./NJG3 in early March 1941. He made his first combat mission on May 9, and won his first victory on the night of July 4, shooting down a Wellington, after which he was awarded the EKII. Then on the evening of January 21, 1942, he had Whitley on his account, and on the evening of January 26, Hampden. On 1 May Frank shot down a fourth bomber and received an EKI. Subsequently, his account gradually grew. So, on the night of July 3, Frank shot down two Wellingtons. In the spring of 1943 he was transferred to 2./NJG1. On the night of June 15, the Lancaster became its victim, on the night of June 17 - three such bombers, and on the night of June 22 - the Wellington. Then, on June 30, his Bf-110 was shot down, and Frank and his radio operator, non-commissioned officer Hans-Georg Schierholz, had to bail out. On the night of July 4, he shot down the Halifax, after which his tally reached 15 victories. From August Frank flew with 2./NJG3 and during August 24 – October 8 he shot down five Halifaxes, two Lancasters, two Wellingtons and a Stirling. On October 17, Sergeant Major Frank was awarded the DK-G. In December, he carried out combat missions already in 6./NJG3, and on the evening of December 16, the Lancaster became his victim, and on the evening of December 20, the Halifax. In February 1944, Frank was transferred once again - this time to 3./NJG3. On the evening of February 15, he scored two Wellingtons, and on the night of February 20, three Lancasters and two Halifaxes, breaking the mark of 30 victories. Then on the evening of March 22, Chief Sergeant Frank shot down two four-engine aircraft, on the night of March 25 - three, and on the night of March 31 - three more. He exceeded the 40-win mark and received RK on April 6th. On the night of April 23, he shot down a Lancaster, and then in the evening of the same day - again one bomber. On the night of April 27, Frank again shot down a Lancaster from 12 Sqdn. RAF - this was his 45th and final victory. A few moments later, his Bf-110G-4 W.Nr.720074 “D5+CL” collided with a downed bomber and crashed near Endhoven, Holland. Radio operator Sergeant Major Schierholz and gunner Schneider managed to jump out by parachute, and Frank died. In total, he completed 183 combat missions. Then on July 20 he was posthumously awarded RK-EL (Nr.531) and given the rank of lieutenant.

Last name and first name of the pilot: Geiger, August

Rank: Hptm

Squadron: NJG1

Victories: 53

August Geiger

Born on May 6, 1920 in Uberlingen, on the shores of Lake Constance, 28 km northwest of Friedrichshafen. After completing flight training, August Geiger arrived in 8./NJG1 with the rank of lieutenant. He achieved his first success on the night of June 26, 1942, shooting down two Wellingtons within ten minutes. Then, until September 11, he had four more Wellingtons and two Whitleys on his account. On the night of 03/02/1943, he shot down a Halifax and a Lancaster, reaching the milestone of ten victories. Just before noon, Geiger shot down an American B-17 over the Dutch coast—his first and only victory of the day. In March he was appointed commander of 7./NJG1. On the evening of March 29, during the repulse of a raid on Berlin, two Wellingtons first became its victims, and then during the next flight, in the early morning of March 30, two Lancasters and a Halifax. On the night of May 5, Lieutenant Geiger shot down a Halifax, scoring his 20th victory, and on the night of May 13, two more Halifaxes and a Lancaster. On May 22 he was awarded RK. His account grew quickly. So, on the night of May 24, he shot down two Lancasters, on the night of June 23, two Wellingtons, and on the night of June 26, two Lancasters and a Stirling. On August 31, Hauptmann Geiger received the DK-G. On the night of September 28, he shot down two Halifaxes, and his tally reached 53 victories, but, as it turned out, this was his last success. On the night of September 30, British bombers raided the city of Bochum, and Geiger on the Bf-110G-4 W.Nr.5477 “G9+ER” took to the skies again. In the IJsselmeer Bay area of ​​Holland, his fighter was intercepted and shot down by a Beaufighter Mk.IVF night fighter piloted by the best British night ace - the commander of 141 Sqdn. RAF Wing Commander John R. D. Bracham. Geiger was able to leave the cockpit, but the parachute canopy caught on the falling plane. Together with his Messerschmitt, the pilot fell into the bay and drowned. Then on 03/02/1944 he was posthumously awarded RK-EL (Nr.416).

Last name and first name of the pilot: Gildner, Paul

Rank: Oblt.

Squadron: ZG1, NJG1, NJG2

Victories: 44

Paul Gildner

Born on 02/01/1914 in the town of Nimpcz, 45 km south of Breslau (now Niemcza and Wroclaw, respectively, Poland). Non-commissioned officer Paul Gildner began his flying career with 6./JG132. Then on 11/01/1938 his squadron was renamed 3./JG141, which then on 01/01/1939 received the designation 3./ZG141, and on May 1 of the same year - 3./ZG1. At the end of June 1940, the squadron was reorganized into 3./NJG1, and Sergeant Major Gildner became a night fighter. He won his first victory on the night of September 3, shooting down a Whitley near the German-Dutch border. Then, on the night of September 19, two Hampdens became his victims. In the spring of 1941, the account of Chief Sergeant Gildner, who had already flown in 4./NJG1, began to grow. So, during March 1 - May 9, he shot down three Whitleys, two Blenheims and two Wellingtons. On the night of June 19, two more Wellingtons and Whitley became his victims, and he surpassed the mark of ten victories. On the night of 9 July, Guildner shot down a Hampden and was awarded the RK that same day. He became the third Luftwaffe night fighter to receive this award. His count continued to increase. So, on the night of July 17, “Wellington” became his victim, in the early morning of August 15 – “Whitley”, in the early morning of October 13 – another “Whitley”, and in the evening of October 30 – “Wellington” and “Whitley”. In November 1941, his squadron was renamed 5./NJG2, and re-equipped with Ju-88C. On the night of 03/09/1942, Lieutenant Gildner shot down a Manchester from 83 Sqdn. RAF, on the evening of March 26 - Blenheim, and on the night of April 23 - Hampden. Then on 05/18/1942 he received the DK-G. At the end of the year, with the rank of lieutenant, he headed 3./NJG1 and began flying the Bf-110 again. On the evening of 02/14/1943, Gildner scored Wellington and B-17, breaking the 40-victory mark. On the evening of February 19, he shot down two Halifaxes - as it turned out, this was his last success. On the evening of February 24, during an attack by a group of British bombers in the area of ​​Wilhelmshaven on his Bf-110G-4 W.Nr.4876 “G9+HH”, the left engine suddenly failed. With the engine burning, Gildner was able to reach the Giltze-Rijn airfield, 12 km southeast of Breda, Holland, but it was closed by fog. Gildner ordered radio operator Heinz Huhn to jump out by parachute, but he himself did not have time to do the same and crashed along with the plane. In total, he completed about 160 combat missions and scored 44 victories, two of them during the day. On February 26 of the same 43rd year, Gildner was posthumously awarded RK-EL (Nr.196).

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Alexander zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sain
German Alexander zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
Prince Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sain with his wife
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Spouse:	Gabriella von Schönborn-Wiesentheid
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Excerpt characterizing Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sain, Alexander

And grandfather’s “businessman”, unfortunately, was absolutely disastrous... And very soon the woolen factory, which he, with his grandmother’s “light hand”, owned, was put on sale for debts, and grandmother’s parents did not want to help him anymore, so how this was already the third time when grandfather completely lost everything they donated.
My grandmother (my mother’s mother) came from a very rich Lithuanian noble family, the Mitrulevicius, who, even after “dekulakization,” still had a lot of land. Therefore, when my grandmother (against the wishes of her parents) married my grandfather, who had nothing, her parents (in order not to lose face) gave them a large farm and a beautiful, spacious house... which, after some time , grandfather, thanks to his great “commercial” abilities, lost. But since at that time they already had five children, naturally, grandmother’s parents could not stay away and gave them a second farm, but with a smaller and not so beautiful house. And again, to the great regret of the whole family, very soon the second “gift” was gone too... The next and last help from my grandmother’s patient parents was a small woolen factory, which was superbly equipped and, if used correctly, could generate a very good income , allowing the entire grandmother’s family to live comfortably. But grandfather, after all the troubles he had experienced in life, by this time was already indulging in “strong” drinks, so the almost complete ruin of the family did not have to wait too long...
It was precisely this careless “economic management” of my grandfather that put his entire family in a very difficult financial situation, when all the children had to work and support themselves, no longer thinking about studying in higher schools or institutes. And that is why, having buried her dreams of becoming a doctor one day, my mother, without much choice, went to work at the post office, simply because there was a free position there at that time. So, without any special (good or bad) “adventures”, in simple everyday worries, the life of the young and “old” Seryogin family passed for some time.
Almost a year has passed. Mom was pregnant and was about to expect her first child. Dad literally “flyed” with happiness, and told everyone that he would definitely have a son. And he turned out to be right - they really had a boy... But under such terrifying circumstances that even the sickest imagination could not have imagined...
Mom was taken to the hospital one Christmas day, literally before the New Year. At home, of course, they were worried, but no one expected any negative consequences, since my mother was young, strong woman, with a perfectly developed body of an athlete (she has been actively involved in gymnastics since childhood) and, by all accounts general concepts, the birth should have been easy. But someone up there, “high up”, for some unknown reasons, apparently really didn’t want the mother to have a child... And what I will tell you next does not fit into any framework of philanthropy or a medical oath and honor. The Remake doctor who was on duty that night, seeing that the mother’s labor had suddenly “stalled dangerously” and that it was getting harder for the mother, decided to call the chief surgeon of the Alytus Hospital, Doctor Ingelevičius... who had to be pulled out that night right from the festive table. Naturally, the doctor turned out to be “not entirely sober” and, having quickly examined my mother, immediately said: “Cut!”, apparently wanting to quickly return to the “table” that had been so hastily abandoned. None of the doctors wanted to contradict him, and my mother was immediately prepared for the operation. And then the most “interesting” thing began, from which, listening to my mother’s story today, my long hair stood on end on my head....

Heinrich Alexander Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (Heinrich Alexander zu Sayn- Wittgenstein)

Heinrich zu Sayn-Wittgenstein came from an ancient German family. For the first time the name of Counts von Sayn (von Sayn) is mentioned in documents dating from 1079. Their domains flourished and constantly grew in size, reaching the height of their prosperity around 1250. They extended from north to south from Cologne to Koblenz and from west to east from Dill to the Moselle. Count Heinrich von Sayn (1202 - 1246), or Count HeinrichIII, took part in the fifth crusade. Inquisitor Konrad von Marburg (Konrad von Marburg) he was accused of heresy, but was able to “purify” himself and was acquitted by Pope Gregory IX. When von Marburg later passed through von Sainow's lands, Heinrich IIIcaptured and killed him.

In the middle XIVcentury Count Salentin von Sayn (Salentin von Sayn) married Crown Countess Adelheid von Wittgenstein (Adelheid von Wittgenstein). The possessions of both families were united, and the lands of the Wittgensteins in the area of ​​the Lahn and Eder rivers were added to the lands of the Counts of Sayn. And from now on all their descendants bore the title of Count von Sayn-Wittgenstein (The Wittgenstein family traced its origins back to Count Eberhard Sponheim (Ebergard Schponheim), who died in 1044. ).

The von Sayn-Wittgensteins also left their mark on Russian history. A member of this family, Count Christian Ludwig Casimir zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (Christian Ludwig Kasimir zu Sayn- Wittgenstein) in 1761 was captured by Russian troops. He joined the Russian army and eventually reached the rank of lieutenant general. In 1768, his son Ludwig Adolf was born in Kyiv.

At the age of 12, Pyotr Christianovich Wittgenstein, as Ludwig Adolf zu Sayn-Wittgenstein became known in Russia, was enlisted as a soldier. At 24 he was already a major. Wittgenstein took part in military operations against Poland, then transferred to Count Zubov’s corps in the Caucasus and participated in the capture of Derbent. For his bravery, he was prematurely promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In 1801, Major General Wittgenstein was appointed commander of the Elizavetgrad Hussar Regiment, at the head of which he received the 3rd degree George in the 1805 campaign for the battle of Amsteten. In 1806, Wittgenstein took part in the Turkish War. Then in 1807 he again participated in the war against Napoleon and distinguished himself in the battle of Friedland.

Emperor AlexanderIappointed Lieutenant General Wittgenstein commander of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment. At the start Patriotic War In 1812, he was entrusted with the 1st Corps, which, during the retreat of the armies from Drissa to Smolensk, was ordered to cover the routes to St. Petersburg. While both main Russian armies were retreating, Wittgenstein inflicted several defeats on Macdonald's and Oudinot's units ( Napoleon in his memoirs spoke of Wittgenstein as “the most capable of all Russian generals.” In Russia itself, not everyone shared this opinion, considering Wittgenstein a rather mediocre military leader). After the capture of Polotsk (October 7), they began to call him “the defender of Petrov’s City.” The nobility of the St. Petersburg province presented Wittgenstein with an address, and the merchants of St. Petersburg presented him with 150,000 rubles. At the same time, a ribbon with the words “I will not give my honor to anyone” and an image of the sword of St. George with the same inscription, but in Latin, appeared on the Wittgenstein coat of arms.Honorem meum nemini dabo».

In 1813, when Russian troops entered Prussia, Wittgenstein occupied Berlin and thereby saved it from the attack of the French. After Kutuzov's death, despite the fact that three generals were senior to Wittgenstein in rank, he was appointed commander-in-chief. Having received the army before the Battle of Lucen, not being sufficiently informed about the state of affairs, embarrassed by the presence of the allied monarchs, Wittgenstein, both in this battle and then in the Battle of Bautzen, was not up to the task and asked to be relieved of his post as commander-in-chief. Remaining in the army, he was seriously wounded in the battle of February 15, 1814 at Barsyur-Oba.

In 1818, Wittgenstein was appointed commander-in-chief of the 2nd Army and a member of the State Council. Emperor Nicholas Iawarded him the rank of field marshal and at the beginning of the Turkish War in 1828 appointed him commander-in-chief of the Russian troops in European Turkey. Under the leadership of Wittgenstein, the fortresses of Isakcha, Machin and Brailov were taken.

In 1829, Wittgenstein was dismissed from the post of commander-in-chief and retired from all affairs. In 1834, the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IIIelevated Wittgenstein to the dignity of His Serene Highness, and the adoption of this title was allowed to him by Emperor NicholasI. Peter Christianovich Wittgenstein (Ludwig Adolf zu Sayn-Wittgenstein) died in 1842. (In Russia he had two sons. Princes Peter and Evgeniy Alexandrovich Wittgenstein are recorded in part 5 of the genealogy book of the St. Petersburg province. In 1834, Prince Pyotr Alexandrovich Wittgenstein married Princess Leonilla Ivanovna Baryatinskaya. She was born in 1816 and was one of the most beautiful and educated women in St. Petersburg. Princess Wittgenstein was a fan of France and therefore soon moved to Paris. During the revolution of 1848 she moved to Berlin. There she, along with her friend Empress Augusta, tried to fight German Chancellor Bismarck to prevent Franco-Prussian war. Widowed at the age of 50, Leonilla von Wittgenstein settled in Switzerland. There she was involved in charitable work and died in 1918 at the age of 102. Two portraits of her have survived, one of them by Horace Berne (Horace Vernet), the second is the work of Franz Xavier Winterhalter (Franz Xaver Winterhalter) )

Another member of the von Sayn-Wittgenstein family served in Russia - Emil Karl (Emil Karl zu Sayn- Wittgenstein). He was born in 1824, in 1845 he accompanied Prince Alexander of Hesse to the Caucasus, and in 1848 he took part in the war against Denmark. Then, under the name of Emilius Ludwigovich Wittgenstein, he entered the Russian service. Soon he was appointed adjutant of Prince Vorontsov and until 1852 he participated in military operations in the Caucasus. In 1862, Wittgenstein was in Warsaw under the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich. During the Russian-Turkish campaign of 1877-78. he was in the emperor's retinue. Lieutenant General Emilius Ludwigovich Wittgenstein died in 1878.

Heinrich Alexander Ludwig Peter Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, and that was his full name, was born on August 14, 1916. in Copenhagen. He was the second of three boys born into the family of diplomat Gustav Alexander zu Sayn-Wittgenstein ( Born in 1880, died in 1953. He was the grandson of Prince Peter Alexandrovich Wittgenstein and his wife Leonilla Ivanovna Baryatinskaya) and his wife Walpurga, née Baroness von Friesen (Walpurga von Friesen) (Born in 1885, died in 1970.). Heinrich's older brother's name was Ludwig, his younger brother's name was Alexander ( Ludwig, like Heinrich, died during the war. Alexander died after the war as a result of a car accident).

In 1919, after the defeat of the Kaiser's Germany in World War I, his father left diplomatic service and moved to Switzerland with his family. From 6 to 10 years old, Heinrich studied at home, studying with specially hired teachers. However, in the end, the parents realized that they could not cope with Heinrich and his older brother Ludwig. In 1926, their parents sent them to boarding school in Neubören (Neubeuren) in Upper Bavaria.

Heinrich spent 6 years in Neubören, until 1932. During these years, his studies were interrupted only twice. Heinrich spent part of 1927 due to health problems at the Swiss resort of Davos, and in 1929 he briefly studied at a private school in Montreux (Montreux) in France. Henry, who was not in good health, was the weakest among his comrades, but, thanks to his strong and uncompromising character, he quickly won their respect. His authority among his students became almost limitless, and he even had his own bodyguards.

His mother said: “Henry told me: “You know, mammy, I can go up to the big one and hit him on the cheek. He thinks he can do whatever he wants to me. At this moment I only have to make a sign and others will join me.”

In 1932, Heinrich moved to a gymnasium in Orenburg, which he graduated from on December 17, 1935. Immediately after moving to Freiburg, he joined the Hitler Youth and by 1935 became the leader of the 113th group of this organization.

Heinrich tried to participate in all sports competitions. He was especially attracted to technical sports. Heinrich was an excellent cyclist, and later became a motorcyclist and racing driver.

Princess Walpurga zu Sayn-Wittgenstein recalled: “He had entire notebooks filled with drawings of various machines. Many of them were of his own design, with huge, elegant radiators, and they were always raced. The sound of an airplane during breakfast or during school would instantly draw him to the window. And absolutely nothing could be done about it. When we were once at a doctor’s appointment about some childhood illness, the doctor told me: “The boy must be very difficult. I see it. Let it grow and don't try to interfere with it. Then everything will be fine. He can't act differently." Subsequently, I followed this advice, and what else could I do.”

Deciding to buy his own motorcycle, Heinrich began saving the money his parents sent him. He never bought himself sweets and walked or rode his bike almost everywhere. He traveled by train only when it was no longer possible to continue the journey on foot or by bicycle. Heinrich once covered 300 kilometers on a bicycle without spending a single pfennig. When asked where he spent the night, there was a laconic answer: “Somewhere in the forest.” “What did you eat?” - “I took a couple of pieces of bread with me.”

Eventually, his personal savings grew to such an extent that Heinrich was able to buy a used lightweight motorcycle that did not require a driver's license. During the summer holidays, he traveled on it from Freiburg to the north of Germany to the North Sea coast. His mother later recalled: “I specifically asked him not to go in the Hitler Youth uniform.” Unfortunately, he could not resist the temptation, by that time he was already the leader of the 113th group, and a terrible thing happened. Someone shot him from behind the trees, and the bullet lodged in the suitcases tied behind him. We didn’t hear anything about it then and only found out by chance a year and a half later.”

At the same time, Henry’s academic achievements were rather modest. For example, in 1928, in one of his letters home, he wrote that his Latin was rated between two and three, and according to French for one exercise he received two, and for another one. Wittgenstein's certificate of graduation from the gymnasium did not contain a single excellent grade; in seven subjects he had a "good" grade, and in six - "satisfactory".

Heinrich Wittgenstein, like many of his peers, grew up an ardent and boundless patriot of Germany. He firmly decided to devote himself to a military career, becoming an officer. Knowing how difficult it was then to join the Wehrmacht, and even more so understanding how weak his health was, Heinrich from that moment subordinated his entire life and behavior to the achievement of this goal. He began to train systematically and avoided everything that could in any way affect his well-being. He did not smoke or drink alcohol and was generally extremely modest in his needs. It is safe to say that he led an ascetic lifestyle. Henry found it completely intolerable for anyone to inquire about his health. In one of his letters to his mother, he wrote: “I hate it when people around me constantly act as if I am weak and sick.”

In 1936, Heinrich zu Sayn-Wittgenstein began his military career as a member of the 17th Bavarian Reiter Regiment, stationed in Bamberg (As part of this regiment in 1928-38. Ernst Kupfer served first as a private and then as a squadron commander (Ernst Kupfer). Doctor of Law Ernst Kupfer joined the Luftwaffe in 1938 and in four years went from an ordinary pilot to a commander StG2. He became one of the best attack pilots and had 636 combat missions. 09/09/1943 Kupfer became the first commander of attack aircraft. He died on 11/06/1943 when the He-111N-6 he was flying crashed into a mountainside 60 km north of Thessaloniki, Greece. On April 11, 1944, Oberst Kupfer was posthumously awarded the Swords to the Knight's Cross (Nr.62). Besides him, in the 17th Reitar Regiment he began military career another famous German officer is Oberst Klaus Schenck Count von Stauffenberg (Klaus Schenk von Schtauftenberg), who committed the famous assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1943 ). He then transferred to the Luftwaffe and in October 1937 was sent to flight school in Braunschweig.

In June 1938, Wittgenstein was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He was appointed to theSchGr.40. Flying as a rear gunner on the He-45 of Lieutenant Werner Röll (Werner Roell) (Born 02/08/1914 in Ayly-sur-Noah (Ailly- sur- Noye) in France. In April 1934 he joined Navy, and in 1935 he transferred to the Luftwaffe. In 1937, Lieutenant Röll arrived in I./StG 165, then served inSch. Gr.40. In 1942 he received the rank of Hauptmann and became commander of the headquarters squadronStG77. On May 25, 1943, after 440 combat missions, Röll was awarded the Knight's Cross. On 12/01/1943, Major Röll was transferred to Berlin to the Luftwaffe Academy. At the very end of the war he served inJV44 under the command of Lieutenant General Galland. In total, Röll completed 477 combat missions, with several bridges destroyed and one aircraft shot down. In 1948-52. Röll worked at a German school in Santiago, Chile. In 1953 he returned to Germany and began working as an engineer. As a reservist, Röll underwent retraining and received the rank of Oberst-Leutnant. In 1973, his book about Heinrich zu Sayn-Wittgenstein entitled “Flowers for Prince Wittgenstein” (“Flowers for Prince Wittgenstein”) was published in Germany.Blumen fiir Prinz Wittenstein») ), Wittgenstein took part in the occupation of the Sudetenland.

In the winter of 1938-39, Wittgenstein was transferred to Bomber Aviation and assigned to headquartersKG 254 (Formed on November 1, 1938 in Fritzlar (Fritzlar). 05/01/1939 was renamed toKG 54 ) as a navigator. Karl-Theodor Hulshoff (Karl- Theodor Hulshoff) (From 01.11.1941, graduated engineer Oberst-Leutnant Hülshoff was the commander N.J.G.2, and it was he who was replaced in this post by Major Wittgenstein on December 31, 1943. From 06/01/1944 to 03/25/1945 Hulshoff served as commander N.J.G. 102 ), who was then a technical support officer KG54, recalled: “I saw the effort he made over the next few months to qualify as a pilot as quickly as possible. I remember how proud he was when he told me that he had flown an Ag-66 on his own. At that time, no one could match his desire to fly.”

Hulshoff first met Wittgenstein at a ski instructor course in Kitzbüchel (Kitzbuhel) in February-March 1938. He later talked about his first impressions of him: “Henry was a modest and self-possessed officer who performed his duties with discipline and goodwill. At first glance it seemed a little soft. It seemed to me that he was critical of many things, but due to his character he was reserved, preferring to wait and see. He never expressed his opinion out loud, and only an ironic smile sometimes appeared on his lips. Due to his quiet nature, he was very popular among his comrades."

Included KG54 Wittgenstein first participated in battles in France and in the so-called. the Battle of England, and then on the Eastern Front. Total as a pilot Ju-88 he flew 150 combat missions.

However, flying a bomber could not bring him satisfaction. Hans Ring (Hans Ring), who knew Wittgenstein well, wrote: “He could not reconcile himself with the bomber and always wanted to go into fighter aviation to become a night fighter pilot. In this he saw the realization of his concept of a soldier in its purest form. Not to be an attacker, but to be a defender!” Princess von Wittgenstein said: “He switched to night fighters because he realized that the bombs he dropped were causing suffering to the civilian population.” Henry himself then admitted to his mother: “Night battle is the most difficult, but it is also the highest point in the art of flight.”

In August 1941, Wittgenstein was able to transfer to night fighter aircraft. He was sent to the flying school in Echterdingen (Echterdingen) in the Stuttgart area, training there should have taken a long time, but chance helped him. In the fall, Wittgenstein met with Hulshoff again and asked him to help him quickly get into the combat squadron.

Hulshoff helped Wittgenstein, and in January 1942 he was sent to 11./N.J.G.2. From the very first days, Wittgenstein began intensive training flights, establishing interaction with ground guidance operators. And if the latter were surprised and amazed by the tireless newcomer, then his mechanics, forced to constantly prepareJu-88 for flights, were much less enthusiastic.

Wittgenstein won his first victory on the night of May 6-7, 1942, shooting down the English Blenheim.

By mid-September the commander had 9./N.J.G.2 Chief Lieutenant Wittgenstein already had 12 victories, including the English “Fulmar” (“Fulmar"), shot down by him on July 27.

On October 2, 1942, Wittgenstein was awarded the Knight's Cross. By this time, he already had 22 victories, which he won during 40 combat missions.

Wittgenstein's main goal was to become the best night fighter pilot. He was constantly fighting for first place with Lent and Streib. Oberst Falk later recalled about him:

“Wittgenstein was a very capable pilot, but he was extremely ambitious and a great individualist. He was not the type of born commander. He was neither a teacher nor an educator for his subordinates. Nevertheless, he was an outstanding personality and an excellent combat pilot. He had some kind of sixth sense - intuition, which gave him the opportunity to see where the enemy was. This feeling was his personal radar. In addition, he was an excellent aerial gunner.

One day I was summoned to Berlin to the Ministry of Aviation. As it turned out later, Wittgenstein also went there at the same time as me, since the next day Goering was to present him with the Knight's Cross. Surprisingly, we ended up on the same train, in the same carriage and in the same compartment.

I was glad to have this fortunate opportunity to discuss calmly the various problems of using night fighters. Wittgenstein was very nervous and his hands were shaking. At that moment, only one or two victories separated him from Lent and Streib. As I understand it, he was very afraid that while he was sitting on the train and doing nothing, they would be able to break away even further from him in terms of the number of victories. This thought haunted him."

Former commander N.J.G.2 Oberst-Lieutenant Hulshoff spoke about Wittgenstein: “One night the British attacked all the night fighter airfields located in Holland. He took off among exploding bombs, without lighting, in complete darkness, right across the airfield. An hour later he landed and was beside himself with anger because his guns jammed and for this reason he shot down “only” two planes.”

Wittgenstein's desire to fly and achieve new victories was uncontrollable. Military correspondent Jürgen Clausen (Jurgen Clausen) (He survived Wittgenstein by only one month and died on the night of 02/19/20/1944 during a combat mission together with Hauptmann Erhard Peters (Erhard Peters). Peters had 23 victories ), who made several combat missions with Wittgenstein, told the story of how he once took off in alarm wearing only one boot. As Wittgenstein jumped out of the car to board his plane, which was ready for takeoff, one of his boots got caught on something. Not wanting to linger for a second, he simply pulled his foot out of his boot and, taking his place in the cockpit, immediately took off. Wittgenstein returned back only after four hours, and all this time his foot was on the rudder pedal in only one silk sock. Considering that the temperature in the cabin Ju-88 was by no means comfortable, it was not for nothing that the crews wore fur overalls, then it will become clear that only a person with an iron will, who had absolute self-control, could withstand this.

In December 1942, Hauptmann Wittgenstein was appointed commander of the newly formedIV./ N.J.G. 5 (Then in Lechfeld and Leipheim (Leipheim) group headquarters were formed, 10. and 11./N.J.G. 5. 12./ N.J.G.5 was formed in April 1943 on the basis of 2./N.J.G. 4 ). Wittgenstein's poor health, despite all his efforts, still made itself felt. So, in February-March 1943, he was even forced to go to the hospital for a short time.

In April, Wittgenstein arrived at Instenburg airfield in East Prussia, where 10. and 12./N.J.G.5 (They were transferred there back in January 1943 with the task of stopping night raids by Soviet bombers. In April 1943, DVA aircraft made 920 combat missions, dropping 700 tons of bombs on various targets in East Prussia). Between April 16 and May 2, 1943, he shot down 4 DB-3s and one B-25 over East Prussia. After this, he was recalled to Holland and by June 25 shot down 5 British bombers, 4 of them in one night.

At the end of June 1943 10. and 12./N.J.G.5, led by Wittgenstein, were transferred to airfields in Bryansk and Orel and then in July took part in battles in the so-called area. Kursk Bulge. On the night of July 24-25, in the area east of Orel, Wittgenstein shot down 7 twin-engine bombers at once. On July 25, a report from the Wehrmacht High Command reported: “Last night, Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein and his crew successfully shot down 7 Russian aircraft. By now this is the most big number planes shot down in one night." In total, Wittgenstein won 28 victories in the Kursk region. During this period he used two flightsJu-88 C-6 - « C 9+ A.E." And " C 9+ DE" Both aircraft had the same number of victories on the fin and the same camouflage ( All Wittgenstein aircraft from October 1942 had the same camouflage. The lower surfaces of the fuselage, planes and engine nacelles were dark gray, almost black, and all upper surfaces were light gray with spots of neutral gray.), but had significant design differences ("S9+AE" was one of the firstJ.U.-88 C-6, equipped with the so-calledSchrage Music and radar FuG 212. On " C 9+ DE» a lantern was installed withJu-88 C-4, the armor protection of the cabin was strengthened, and an additional 20-mm cannon was mounted in the bowMG 151. On " C 9+ DE"Wittgenstein primarily flew on clear, moonlit nights, and it was on this aircraft that he achieved most of his victories in July 1943. ).

During one of his inspection trips to the Eastern Front, Oberst Falk visited Wittgenstein's group. He recalled: “I saw him shoot down 3 Soviet planes within 15 minutes, but that was not enough for him. He was constantly afraid that pilots in the west achieved more victories than he did here. He was truly envious. It was very difficult for me to work with him as a subordinate because of his incredible ambition."

On August 1, 1943, a newI./ N.J.G.100. Its headquarters was created on the basis of the headquartersIV./ N.J.G. 5 (08/09/1943 in Brandiz (Brandis) a new 1 was formedV./ N.J.G.5 under the command of Hauptmann Wolfgang von Nibelschutz (Wolfgang von Niebelschutz). Major von Nibelschutz died on January 2, 1944. In total, he had 11 victories ), 1./ N.J.G. 100 - based on 10./ N.J.G. 5, 3./ N.J.G.100 - based on 10. and 12./ZG1. However, already on August 15, Wittgenstein was appointed commander II./ N.J.G. 3 (Commander instead I./ N.J.G.100 commander was appointedI 1./ N.J.G.5 Hauptmann Rudolf Schönert ) instead of Major Günther Radusch, who became commanderN.J.G. 5.

On August 31, 1943, after his 64th victory, Wittgenstein was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross (Nr.290). Of these 64 victories, he won 33 on the Eastern Front in the Kursk region and in East Prussia.

In December 1943, Major Wittgenstein was transferred to the position of commanderII./ N.J.G. 2 (Commander instead II./ N.J.G.3 Hauptmann Paul Zameitat was appointed (Paul Szameitat). 12/14/1943 Zameitat was transferred to the position of commanderI./ N.J.G.3. He died during a combat mission on the night of January 1–2, 1944. His J.U.-88 C-6 was hit by a gunner from the Lancaster, and Zameitat himself was seriously wounded. During an emergency landing on a forest near Bukenburg, the plane crashed. AwardedRKposthumously. In total, he had 29 victories, incl. 5 for one night 03/04/12/1943 ) instead of Hauptmann Herbert Sewing (Herbert Sewing) (Was the commander of 11./N.J.G.2 from 02/07/1943. Then from 02/07/1944 to 02/27/1945, Major Sewing served as commanderN.J.G. 101 ). Radio operator sergeant major Friedrich Ostheimer (Friedrich Ostheimer), replacing sergeant-major Herbert Kümmirtz in Wittgenstein’s crew (Herbert Kummirtz) (Together with Wittgenstein he won 43 victories. Kümmirtz was a highly qualified radio operator; even before the war, he received special training at Telefunken in Berlin. At the end of the war, consisting of 10./N.J.G.11 Kümmirtz flew as a radio operator on the Me-262B-1a fighter jet/U 1 ), recalled:

“A few more weeks and 1943 will be a thing of the past. Prince Wittgenstein, who was the commander of the group, received a new assignment. We and our plane were transferred to the airfield in Rechlin, where it was planned to create an experimental unit of night fighters. Non-commissioned officer Kurt Matiuleit (Kurt Matsuleit), our flight engineer and gunner and I were taken by surprise. Within a few hours we were cut off from our circle - in Rechlin we knew no one and often sat completely alone. At this time, Wittgenstein often traveled to Berlin and spent a lot of time in the Ministry of Aviation, discussing one thing or another.

Our main job was to keep the aircraft always ready to fly. There were no night fighter units at the airfield in Rechlin, and it often took me hours to collect by telephone all the radio and navigation information available at that time. A railway sleeping car served as a temporary home for us. During the approximately three weeks we spent in Rechlin we made several missions to the Berlin area, and I particularly remember two of them.

In the flight control building we had a small room at our disposal. When a message came about an enemy bomber raid, we waited there for an order for a possible flight. One evening it looked as if the bombers were going to target Berlin. Wittgenstein said that we should take off soon. Having taken off, we headed in a south-easterly direction towards Berlin.

The distance from Rechlin to Berlin is about a hundred kilometers. A female commentator on the communication frequency of German fighters continuously transmitted information about the location, course and altitude of enemy bombers. Thus, all our fighters always accurately navigated the situation in the air. Meanwhile, Berlin was finally identified as the target, and the order was transmitted on the fighter frequency: "All units to "Bur» ( Zone code name "Konaja» around Berlin ).

We were already flying at the same altitude as the bombers, approximately 7000m. Continuing to fly in a south-easterly direction, we wanted to wedge ourselves into the stream of bombers. My radar was on and scanning the airspace around us as far as its range would allow. Soon I saw the first target on the screen and told the pilot over the intercom: “Straight ahead, a little higher.” We very quickly caught up with the four-engine bomber, as almost always, it was a Lancaster. Wittgenstein gave one line of "Schrage Music" and he began to fall.

Ahead, spotlights appeared across the night sky. Anti-aircraft fire became more intense as British Pathfinders began dropping strings of flare bombs as a guide for approaching bombers. On the radar I already saw a new target, the distance to it was rapidly decreasing. The difference in speed made it clear that it could only be a bomber. Suddenly, the distance to him began to rapidly decrease, while the target mark went down. I only had enough time to shout: “Down, down, he’s coming straight at us!” A few moments later, a large shadow flashed directly above us on a collision course. We felt an oncoming air wave, and the plane, possibly another Lancaster, disappeared into the darkness of the night behind us. The three of us sat in our chairs as if paralyzed. The tension subsided when Matsuleit said out loud: “That was pretty close!” Once again luck smiled on us.

Next goal. The approach to it was almost complete. The pilot and gunner were about to see the enemy aircraft when a strong vibration began in the right engine. It began to lose speed, and finally its propeller stopped altogether. Wittgenstein immediately brought the plane down to maintain its speed while using the rudder to balance the remaining engine. While Wittgenstein was working on our car, the Lancaster disappeared into the darkness. Perhaps we could have done better that night. However, now with one engine we had only one goal - to return to Rechlin.

I called the ground guidance center and requested a heading. The left engine was working, and we were slowly, losing altitude, but still approaching Rechlin. I also reported to the ground that one engine had stopped and that we only had one attempt to land. Every pilot knows how difficult and dangerous such a landing in the dark is. Wittgenstein decided to perform a normal landing and lowered the landing gear, although in such cases this was actually prohibited. It was believed that if the approach was unsuccessful, the aircraft with one engine would not be able to go around. The car and the lives of the crew were at stake.

However, Wittgenstein was our pilot and crew commander, and the final decision was his. To help us land, bright signal flares began to be launched from the airfield. When we reached the airfield, we first flew around it in a wide arc to get on the desired landing course. Wittgenstein was forced to do this because the plane could only be turned to the left. Turning towards a stopped engine could easily lead to disaster. When approaching the ground, we were guided by radio beacon signals, which was quite a good help then. The landing was precise, the plane touched the runway, and a stone fell from our hearts. Kurt and I were naturally full of gratitude to our pilot and felt like we had earned a short break.

A few days later the engine was replaced and the plane was ready for new flights. Enemy bombers again appeared in the Berlin area, and we took to the air again. The weather was good, only at medium altitudes there was a small layer of fog, but higher up there was a cloudless sky. I turned on the radio on the Reich fighter frequency ( This refers to the fighters that were part of the Reich air fleet.), and we received information about the general situation in the air. Everything pointed to a raid on the capital.

By this point, large areas of Berlin were heavily damaged, with entire streets turned to sand. An unimaginable sight. I once saw a night raid from the ground. I stood in a crowd of other people in an underground metro station, the ground shook with every bomb explosion, women and children screamed, clouds of smoke and dust penetrated the mines. Anyone who has not experienced fear and horror must have a heart of stone.

We reached bomber approach altitude and, like Lancasters, flew through a barrage of anti-aircraft fire over the city. British "pathfinders", which we called "masters of ceremonies" ("Zeremonienmeister"), have already dropped cascades of lights. Over the city there was a picture that can hardly be described. The beams of the spotlights illuminated the layer of fog hanging above, and it looked like frosted glass lit from below, from which a large aura of light spread further upward. We could now see the bombers, almost as if it was day. Unique picture!

Wittgenstein pointed our Junker slightly to the side. We could now see those who at other times were protected by the darkness of the night. At that moment we didn’t know who to attack first, but we didn’t have time to make a decision. The luminous track flew past us, and Major Wittgenstein threw the car sharply down. As we dived I could see the Lancaster directly above our heads. The shooter of his top turret was shooting at us. Fortunately, he didn't aim very well. True, we received several hits, but the engines maintained their speed, and the crew was unharmed.

We slid into the darkness so as not to lose sight of the Lancaster. For some time we flew parallel to the bomber. The darker it became around, the closer we moved to him. With the light from the searchlights and fires caused by the British raid behind us, we slowly but surely approached the four-engined bomber. The Lancaster was now flying above us and did not expect anything dangerous. Perhaps his crew was already relaxed with the thought that they had happily survived the raid and were now on their way home. Captivated by the excitement of the pursuit, we sat tensely in our cabin, looking up intently. They never found us!

Wittgenstein let us downJu-88 even closer to the huge shadow hanging over us, and, taking careful aim, opened fire from “Schrage Music" 20 mm shells hit the wing between the engines and set fire to the fuel tanks. We immediately turned to the side to get away from the burning Lancaster, which flew on its previous course for some distance. From our position we did not see whether the crew was able to jump out; in any case, there was sufficient time for this. The bomber exploded and, breaking into several parts, fell to the ground. We headed towards Rechlin and landed there without any problems.”

The experimental night fighter unit at Rechlin was never formed, and Wittgenstein received a new assignment. On January 1, 1944, he was appointed commander of allN.J.G. 2 (Commander instead II./ N.J.G.2 a commander was appointedI 1 I./ N.J.G.2nd Major Paul Semrau (Paul Semrau). In June 1943, Semrau was appointed commander of the newly formed V./ N.J.G.6, which at the end of July was renamed III./ N.J.G.2. He died on 02/08/1945 when his plane was shot down by Spitfires during landing. In total, Semrau completed about 350 combat missions and scored 46 victories. 04/17/1945 Semrau was posthumously awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross (Nr.841), and he became the last night fighter pilot to be awarded them ) instead of Oberst-Lieutenant Karl-Theodor Hulshoff.

On the night of January 1–2, 386 British bombers carried out another raid on Berlin, dropping 1,401 tons of bombs. German night fighters were able to shoot down 28 aircraft (6 over the North Sea and 22 in the Berlin area), i.e. 7.3% of the total number of participants in the raid. At the same time, Wittgenstein had 6 bombers on his account.

The next night, Wittgenstein shot down a Lancaster with 550 Sqdn. RAF. Sergeant Jim Donnan (Jim Donnan), who was a radio operator on board this plane, later said:

“We celebrated the New Year, 1944. After a two-day rest, combat missions began again. Our crew was on the list of participants on the next flight. We were supposed to fly on a LancasterD.V. 189 T2.

We waited with great tension for the start of the briefing before departure. When the curtain covering the map was removed, we saw that our destination was Berlin. For the third time in recent years we had to fly to the capital of Germany, but this time the flight route took us over the Dutch coast, through an extremely dangerous area where German night fighters were actively operating.

Unfavorable weather delayed our flight for several hours. However, these hours could not bring relief. I recalled the New Year's Eve, when 40 minutes before midnight the command for takeoff came. The sky was dark and occupied by clouds, through which we rose to a given height and headed east.

Over the Dutch coast we were met by heavy anti-aircraft fire. At the same time, we receive a radio warning about the possible appearance of night fighters. We are flying over Germany, partially hidden by clouds. The intercepted radio communications of the Germans indicate their great activity that night. The entire crew is tensely examining the sky around in order to notice a possible enemy as early as possible. When we reach conditional line Bremen - Hannover, our navigator reports new course, which will lead us to Berlin.

Literally a moment after this, several bursts pass through the floor of the car, and the plane rolls heavily to starboard. I jumped up from my seat and looked out of the astroradome at the top of the cockpit. Both right engines were on fire. I report what I saw over the intercom. A flame appears from below from under the navigator's table, directly behind the pilot, and a second later the fire is already burning with might and main.

The pilot orders to prepare to leave the plane. I grab my parachute and move to the nose of the plane, but the front emergency hatch is jammed and cannot be opened. The flight mechanic hits him with the bomb release lever, trying to unlock the lock. The navigator says the tail gunner reported having the same problem with the turret. He then says that you can only jump out of the back hatch.

We crawl into the tail through a small opening in the bulkhead. On the way, I lose my boot and, turning around, I see that the navigator standing next to the pilot is also ready to leave the plane. The tail gunner had cleared his turret and was heading in our direction; the top gunner was also there. At that moment, when the flames from the right wing spread to the fuselage, we managed to open the emergency hatch. I grabbed the parachute ring with my hand and prepared to jump out.

At that moment I lost consciousness for a moment and do not remember what happened next or how I left the plane. When I woke up, there was a parachute canopy above me, and a frosty wind was blowing over me. It's hard for me to say how long it took me to parachute. Passing through the clouds, I landed on some field.”

For 24 hours, Donnan hid in a nearby forest, but was eventually captured. "Lancaster" fell in the Holtrup area (Holtrup), while hitting the ground detonated the bombs on board. Pilot Officer Bryson (Bryson) and navigator Sergeant Thomas (Thomas), who did not have time to leave the plane, died. The rest of the crew, like Donnan, jumped out by parachute and were then captured.

On the night of January 20-21, 1944, Major Wittgenstein, having shot down 3 Lancasters, finally surpassed Major Lent in the number of victories and took first place among night fighter aces. However, this flight almost ended tragically for him and his crew when they Ju-88 received heavy damage when colliding with a downed Lancaster.

Wittgenstein's radio operator Friedrich Ostheimer recalled:

“At noon on January 20, Kurt Matsuleit and I went to the parking lot where ourJu-88. We were responsible for making sure the plane was ready to take off. Kurt's job was to inspect and test both engines. He started both engines at maximum speed and checked the fuel and oil pressure. Checking the fuel tanks was also part of his job; they had to be filled to the top. My job was to check the navigation and radio equipment; naturally, I had to make sure that the radar station was functioning. It was no longer possible to repair all this equipment in flight; the only thing I could do was replace the fuses.

For various reasons, we were not accommodated with the rest of the crews. As a result, every day I had to worry about the overnight weather forecast and collect the necessary information for navigation and radio communications. The weather forecast for the night of January 20-21 was not very good. Over England there was the so-called.Ruckseitenwetter- a cold weather sector that included sparse clouds and good visibility. At the same time, flights over Holland and Germany were severely hampered by a bad weather front with very low cloud edges and limited visibility. It was ideal weather for British bombers. For some time now RAFhad a device H 2 S « Rotterdam”, which sent radio waves to the ground, and as a result, the terrain over which the planes flew was visible on the device’s screen. The Pathfinders, flying ahead of the main group of bombers, were able to identify a target on the Rotterdam for attack and then mark it with cascades of lights. The worse the meteorological conditions were for us, the better they were for the enemy.

The three senior non-commissioned officers from the ground staff, Matiuleit and I, were waiting in a small hut next to the hangar, to the right of the runway. It was raining outside, it was the end of January, and accordingly it was cold. It was warm and comfortable inside. In such a situation, it was best not to think at all about a possible order to take off. Ours was in the hangar Ju-88. The tanks were filled with 3,500 liters of aviation gasoline, and all weapons had full ammunition. The fuselage, wings and rudders were carefully wiped and polished.

It was not yet very late when the huge radar station "Wassermann", located on an island in the North Sea, spotted the first enemy aircraft. Soon after this, an order came from the command post: “Sitzbereitschaft", i.e. the crews had to take their places in the cockpits and wait for the command to take off. Matiuleit and I immediately went to the plane, the mechanics remained by the phone for some time, but soon joined us. Wittgenstein, our pilot and at the same time commanderN.J.G.2, was usually at the command post to monitor the situation in the air until the last moment. From there he informed us that we should take off soon. We hooked up our starter, which helped start both engines, and the plane was rolled out of the hangar.

Once it finally became clear that the first English planes had taken off and were flying over the English coast towards the North Sea, Wittgenstein could no longer remain in his chair. He raced across the runway in his car, put on his flight suit with the help of mechanics, and quickly climbed up the ramp into the plane. His first order was: “Ostheimer, tell me we’re taking off immediately!” With our call sign "R 4- XM"I announced the launch. The ladder was removed and the hatch was closed. We taxied to the start, and as soon as the controller gave us the green light, the engines roared to full power. We sped along the thin line of runway lights and seconds later we were plunged into the darkness of the night.

Gaining altitude, we headed for Heligoland. Somewhere over the North Sea we had to cross the approach path of enemy bombers. There was absolute blackness all around, and only phosphorescent devices emitted faint light. Special flame arresters were installed on the engines so that we could remain as invisible to the enemy as possible. In such a situation, the flight was carried out exclusively by instruments and the only communication with the ground was messages from the command post in Deelen. We continuously received information regarding the position, course and height of the enemy. Over the intercom, I transmitted data to the pilot so that he could change course if the situation required it.

The weather has improved over the North Sea. Now there was no longer any continuous cloud cover. There were a few stars shining above, and thousands of meters below we could see the surface of the sea. It made me shudder to think about what it would take to survive in such cold water. Fortunately, the flight left little time to contemplate such a grim prospect. In the meantime, we had reached an altitude of 7000 meters and in fact should have been very close to the bombers. I flicked the high voltage switch, turning on the screen. Since we were already at high altitude, I could use my equipment to detect targets up to seven kilometers away, but there was still no one around.

Suddenly, the first beams of searchlights appeared in front of us on the right, scanning the sky. We could see flashes of anti-aircraft shells exploding. Now we knew the position of the stream of bombers. Major Wittgenstein slightly moved the throttle handles forward, and we rushed towards our goal. The tension intensified, the pulse became more frequent. On my search radar, at first hesitantly, but then more clearly, the first target flickered. Naturally, I immediately reported her position and range to the major. A slight course correction - and the target is exactly six kilometers ahead of us.

The tension in the cabin grew stronger and stronger. Only a thousand meters separated us from the British bomber. We talked almost in a whisper, although, of course, the enemy could not hear us in any case. The British pilots were completely unaware of the danger threatening them. In a few seconds we were below the enemy vehicle. It was the Lancaster, hovering above us like a huge cross-shaped shadow. Our nerves were strained to the limit. The flight engineer loaded the guns and turned on the sight on the cabin roof. Our speed was consistent with the speed of the Lancaster, which was flying 50 - 60 meters above us.

Wittgenstein saw the wing of a bomber in his sight. I also looked up. The pilot very gently turned our car to the right and, as soon as the wing between the two engines appeared in his sight, he pulled the guns. The fiery trail stretched towards the bomber. A chain of explosions ruptured the fuel tanks, and the bomber's wing was instantly engulfed in raging flames. After the initial shock, the British pilot threw the plane to the right, and we had to turn away at high speed to get out of the area of ​​fire. A moment later, the bomber, engulfed in flames, flew in a wide arc toward the ground like a comet. A few minutes later, Matsuleit reported that he had crashed and the time it happened. One could only hope that the Lancaster did not fall in a populated area.

For several minutes we flew out of the stream of bombers. Here and there we could see burning planes falling down, so our fighters had some success. Soon two targets appeared on my radar. We chose the closest one. Everything went almost the same as the first time, but due to the anxiety of the enemy and his constant movement we had some difficulties. For our own safety, we approached the target at a lower altitude to avoid suddenly getting into the firing range of his tail gunner.

Just as during the first attack, the tension in the cockpit increased. Wittgenstein approached the Lancaster cautiously. Immediately after the first burst from “Schrdge Music"The Lancaster caught fire. For another moment he flew on the same course, but then he fell to the side and went down. After some time, Matsuleit again reported his fall and explosion. We did not see whether any of the British pilots managed to jump out by parachute.

Within a short period of time, we saw many more burning cars falling down. It was terrible. But I didn't have time to think because I already saw the next target on my radar. Wittgenstein came quite close to Lancaster. Nenova line from "Schrdge Music"made a large hole in his wing, from where fire began to pour out. This time English pilot reacted in a very unusual way: he kept the burning plane under control and dived straight at us. Our pilot also abandoned ourJu-88 at its peak, but the burning monster was getting closer and closer and was already right above our cabin. I only had one thought: “We got it!!” A heavy blow shook our plane, Wittgenstein lost control of the machine, and we, spinning, began to fall into the darkness. If we had not been fastened, we would, of course, have been thrown out of the cabin. We flew about 3000 meters before Wittgenstein was able to regain control of the machine and level it.

We looked around as best we could in the darkness, none of us could say where we were, other than a rough guess that it was somewhere between west and southwest of Berlin. Now I have become the most important person on board. I first tried using Morse code on medium waves to contact several airfields in the area where we might be, but received no response. Wittgenstein was already slightly angry. In my reference book I found the wavelength "Flugsicherungshaupstelle, Koln» ( Aviation Safety Center Cologne). I quickly established contact with him and received the required information about our location - Zaafeld (Saafeld), approximately 100 km southwest of Leipzig. Switching the radio to the appropriate frequency, I transmitted the signal SOSand inquired about the nearest airfield open for night landings. The Erfurt station quickly confirmed reception and gave me an approach course to the airfield.

The weather was as bad as it could be. We were informed that the cloud base was at an altitude of 300 meters. It was good enough for landing. Slowly descending, we entered the clouds. From the ground they said: “The plane is over the airfield.” We turned to in the indicated direction and after turning 225" we began to approach for landing. Coming out of the clouds, we saw an airfield right in front of us with the landing lights on. We were already on the landing course, the landing gear and flaps were extended, the altitude was decreasing, when the plane, for no apparent reason, suddenly began to lean to the right. Wittgenstein increased the throttle, and the plane immediately leveled off. Obviously, the right wing was damaged by the falling bomber.

At an altitude of 800 meters we simulated the landing approach. As soon as the speed decreased, the plane began to roll onto the right wing. Naturally, in the darkness we could not see how serious the damage was. In such a situation, there were only two options: either jump out with parachutes, or try to land at a higher speed than usual. We settled on the second option, which was very risky, and I radioed the solution to the ground. We made a few more circles to give the firefighters and paramedics time to take their positions, and then we went to land.

I found the cockpit canopy release lever and grabbed it with both hands. When lights flashed below us at the edge of the airfield, I pulled the lever towards myself. The air flow tore off the roof of the cabin at one moment, like an explosion. A moment later there was a strong blow. This plane skidded off the runway onto the grass. After one or two more hard jolts, the plane stopped, and I was relieved to unfasten the buckles of the seat belts and parachute. Having climbed onto the wing, I jumped down and threw myself on the grass because the car could explode at any moment. Firefighters and ambulances rushed in, blaring their signals, but, fortunately, everything turned out okay.

With the help of a spotlight, we were finally able to inspect the damage. In the collision with the Lancaster, we lost two meters of the right wing and one of the four blades of the right propeller, in addition, the Englishman left us a large hole of about a meter in the fuselage behind the cockpit. We had to thank our lucky stars that we survived this collision!

We were fed and given the opportunity to sleep. The next day we took another plane back to Deelen in Holland. Kurt Matsuleit and I were eager to make the journey back in the comfort of the train. For us it would be a kind of rest, which we had earned the previous night. But there was no respite. Wittgenstein had come out on top among the night fighters, and he wanted to achieve more. Thus, we landed in Deelen before breakfast.”

“It was barely an hour after breakfast and we had just reached our apartment when the phone rang. I picked up the phone, it was Wittgenstein. He said, “Go with Matsuleit to the parking lot and make sure the car is ready to take off tonight.” The only answer I had was: “Jawohl, Herr Major.” We secretly hoped that for a couple of days, at least until the new plane arrived, we would not have to think about death, war and destruction.

After a short rest we went to the parking lot. As usual, Matiuleit checked the engines, fuel and oil pressure, ignition, fuel and ammunition. I checked the radio equipment and radars to the extent possible on the ground. In conclusion, we reported to the commander that the vehicle was ready for battle.

That evening we again sat in a small house near the hangar and waited to see what would happen next. It was raining again and it was cold, in such weather a good owner would not throw his dog out into the street. We were beginning to think that the Tommy's would also prefer to stay warm. Having spread out my overalls, I lay down in another room. I recalled how a few days ago Wittgenstein invited me, Matsuleit and the senior non-commissioned officers from our ground staff to lunch. In a large park immediately adjacent to our airfield at Deelen, Wittgenstein shot a wild sheep. There was fried meat and wine.

I was very tired and fell asleep almost immediately, but when I woke up, I could not fall back to sleep. A variety of thoughts wandered through my head. They were mainly around my friends, with whom we had been sitting here a few days ago, ready to take off, and who had “disappeared” after a night flight. They will probably never be among us again. I wondered if this terrible war would ever end. Matiuleit brought me out of my thoughts by shouting: “Sitzbereitschaft! I immediately stood up, shaking off the remnants of sleep and throwing sad thoughts out of my head.

I took the navigator's bag and headed towards the plane. From my experience I knew that Wittgenstein was always in a hurry to get into the air. I remember the night from January 1 to January 2, 1944, when I reported the first victory even before all the planes of our air group had time to take off. It was the same today. I was listening to the radio when Wittgenstein climbed into the cockpit. "Everything is fine?" - was his first question. “Yawol, Herr Major” was my answer. Matsuleit rose after him, and one of the mechanics immediately closed the hatch behind him. Now all that remained was to put on the helmets, set the laryngophones in the working position and put on the oxygen masks. The latter were only required at high altitudes, but we used them already on the ground, as we believed that it improved our night vision. We taxied to the starting line, the engines roared, and after a short run the car (Ju-88 C-6 "4 R+ XM» W. Nr.750467 ) rose into the air.

We tried not to think about the dangers that awaited us in the darkness ahead. According to reports from the ground, the bombers were flying at an altitude of 8,000 meters. The first contact appeared on my radar screen. After a slight course correction, we soon saw a bomber to the right and slightly higher. The previous night's encounter was still very much in front of us, so we approached it at a much lower altitude. The shadow of the enemy aircraft slowly covered the sky above us, and from the silhouette it became clear that it was a Lancaster. After a single line of "Schrage MusicHis left wing was quickly engulfed in flames. The burning Lancaster first went into a dive and then into a tailspin. The fully loaded bomber crashed into the ground and there was a huge explosion. This happened between 22.00 and 22.05.

At this moment, six marks appeared on the radar screen at once. We quickly performed two course-changing maneuvers, and soon our next target was in front of us - another Lancaster. After a short burst, it first caught fire, and then, turning over the left wing, fell down. Soon I saw a flash of fire on the ground. This was followed by a series of powerful explosions, possibly detonating bombs on board. It was 22.20 on the clock.

After a short pause, the next Lancaster appeared in front of us. Having received hits, he caught fire and fell to the ground. This happened somewhere between 22.25 and 22.30, I can’t say more precisely. We soon discovered another four-engine bomber. After our first attack, it caught fire and fell down. This happened at 22.40.

A new target appeared on my radar. After several changes of course we again saw and attacked the Lancaster. Flames appeared from its fuselage, but after a few moments it went out, forcing us to launch a second attack. Major Wittgenstein was just about to open fire when sparks suddenly flew inside our aircraft and there was a strong explosion. The left wing was engulfed in flames and the plane began to fall. The canopy came off the fuselage and flew right over my head. Over the intercom I heard Wittgenstein shout: “Outside!” ("Raus!"). I barely had time to disconnect the headset and oxygen mask when a stream of air literally tore me out of the chair. After a few seconds my parachute opened and after about 15 minutes I landed east of Hohengoehrener Damm (Hohengdhrener Damm) in the Schönhausen area ( Friedrich Ostheimer survived the war and then became a dentist)».

Having ordered Ostheimer and Matsuleit to abandon the plane, Wittgenstein himself apparently decided to try to “reach” the airfield at Stendhal, which was often used for refueling or emergency landings of night fighters. He was able to fly only about 10 - 15 kilometers, during which the Junker constantly lost altitude. Wittgenstein probably could no longer hold the plane, and its wheels touched the ground twice. The landing gear broke from the second impact, the plane crashed into the ground and caught fire. Wreckage Ju-88 were scattered around at a great distance. This happened between the towns of Hohengohrener and Klitz (Klitz) in Lubers County (Lubers).

Early on the morning of January 22, one of the local peasants telephoned Dr. Gerhard Kaiser (Gerhard Kaiser), who worked at a nearby military plant "Deutsche Sprengchemie Klietz”, and said that a plane crashed not far from them at night. The Kaiser went to the crash site and found the lifeless body of Major Wittgenstein about two hundred meters from the place where the charred remains of the fuselage lay. After the war, Kaiser became the head of the orthopedic clinic at the Humboldt University in East Berlin. On July 20, 1990, the now 80-year-old Dr. Kaiser wrote down from memory:

“As far as I remember, I received a phone call between five and six o’clock in the morning. I immediately got up, got dressed and left the house. I didn't see the plane itself. A lot of debris was scattered around, and it took me half an hour before I found the prince's body. It lay among the trees west of the Hohengohrener - Klitz road and was not mutilated. There were large bruises on his face, but no serious injuries. I didn't find any bullet wounds or blood. Then the civilian population was allowed to examine the military only if they showed signs of life. In this case, it was clear that several hours had already passed since death. For this reason I buttoned up his overalls and left the deceased in the place where I found him. In my opinion, he jumped out of the plane, but I did not see a parachute ( Ostheimer believed that Wittgenstein jumped out with a parachute, but, having hit his head on the wing or stabilizer, lost consciousness and was unable to open it). Now it was a job for Wehrmacht pathologists, who had to establish the cause of the prince’s death. I went to the Klitz police and reported what I saw. Then they told me that soldiers soon appeared at the scene. The next day at noon the Swedish ambassador arrived from Berlin to meet me. He said that he was a friend of Wittgenstein's family and asked me to tell the details of his death so that he could communicate them to his family."

Wittgenstein's death certificate was drawn up by the commander of a Luftwaffe ambulance squadron (Luftwaffe Sanitats- Staffel) staff physician Dr. Peter (Peter). It said the cause of death was “fractures of the skull in the vertex and face.” Who exactly shot downJu-88 Wittgenstein, it is not known for sure. According to one version, it could be an English night fighter "Mosquito"DZ 303 of 131 Sqdn. RAF, which at 23.15 between Berlin and Magdeburg was fired upon by a German night fighter (Interestingly, the pilot of this Mosquito, Sergeant Snap (D. Snape) and radio operator Officer Fowler (L. Fowler) in their report did not claim at all that they shot down a German plane ). According to another version - a tail gunner from a Lancaster from 156 Sqdn. RAF, who, after returning, announced that he had shot down a German night fighter in the Magdeburg area.

On January 23, 1944, Major Wittgenstein was posthumously awarded the Swords to the Knight's Cross (Nr.44) (Commander instead N.J.G.2 Oberst Günther Radusch was appointed ). In total, he completed 320 combat missions, incl. 170 as a night fighter pilot. He had 83 victories, of which 23 were on the Eastern Front.

On January 29, Wittgenstein was buried in the military cemetery in Deelen. In 1948, the remains of Major Wittgenstein were reburied in the German military cemetery in Jsselstein (Ijsselstein) in North Holland, where 30 thousand German soldiers and officers found their last refuge.

In conclusion, one important thing should be noted regarding the possible future fate Wittgenstein, if he had remained alive on the night of January 21-22. Of course, it would be wrong to say that he would have become a direct and active participant in the anti-Hitler Resistance, but, nevertheless, there is some evidence that by the end of January 1944, Wittgenstein was already critical of the existing regime.

His mother, recalling that period, said: “He grew up in Switzerland. Therefore, he loved and idealized the German people as if from afar. Having become a member of the Hitler Youth, he saw Hitler as someone who believed in Germany. From that time on, he devoted his youth, his health and all his strength to a single goal - the victory of Germany. However, gradually, with his sober and critical mind, he realized the true state of affairs. In 1943, he began to think about eliminating Hitler ( Princess Maria Vasilchikova wrote about this in her Berlin Diaries. She was a close friend of Wittgenstein and worked in the German Foreign Office during the war.). However, these sensations were, as it were, outside of his combat missions. Heinrich continued to fight, trying to catch up with Major Lent in the number of aircraft shot down.”

In the fall of 1992, after the unification of East and West Germany, a memorial stone was solemnly erected in the Schönhausen area at the site of Wittgenstein’s death. On it there is a laconic inscription “Major Heinrich Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. 14.8.1916 - 21.1.1944", above it is carved the image of the Iron Cross and the inscription in Latin "One of many" (" 14.jpg