Hans von Hahn


Hans von Hahn was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. During his career he was credited with 34 aerial victories, 15 on the Western Front and 19 on the Eastern Front.

World War II

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. On 18 September 1939, Hahn was appointed Staffelkapitän of 8. Organization of the [Luftwaffe (1933–1945)#Staffel|Staffel] of Jagdgeschwader 53. He was the first commander of the Staffel which was part of the newly created III. Gruppe of JG 53 under the command of Hauptmann Werner Mölders. Hahn claimed his first aerial victory on 22 December 1939 during "Phoney War". That day, he claimed a Royal Air Force Hawker Hurricane fighter from the No. 73 Squadron.
On 27 August 1940, Hahn was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3. He replaced Oberleutnant Lothar Keller who had temporarily led the Gruppe after its former commander Hauptmann Günther Lützow had been Geschwaderkommodore of JG 3 on 21 August. Command of 8. Staffel of JG 53 was given to Oberleutnant Hans Kunert.

War against the Soviet Union

In preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, the I. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Dub on 18 June 1941. At the start of the campaign, JG 3 was subordinated to the V. Fliegerkorps, under command of General der Flieger Robert Ritter von Greim, which was part of Luftflotte 4, under command of Generaloberst Alexander Löhr. These air elements supported Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt's Heeresgruppe Süd, with the objective of capturing Ukraine and its capital Kiev.
Hahn was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 July for 21 aerial victories.
On 15 January 1942, I. Gruppe was detached from JG 3 and became the newly formed II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 1. In consequence, Hahn commanded this Gruppe until June 1942 when he was temporarily replaced by Oberleutnant Detlev Rohwer.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Hahn was credited with 34 aerial victories claimed in over 300 combat missions. This figure includes 19 claims on the Eastern Front and 15 over the Allies of [World War II|Western Allies]. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 31 aerial victory claims, plus three further unconfirmed claims. This figure of confirmed claims includes 19 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and 12 on the Western Front.

Awards