Heinz Golinski


Heinz Golinski was a German fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Career

Golinski was born on 11 July 1919 in Nordstemmen and was posted as an Unteroffizier to 3./Jagdgeschwader 53 in the autumn of 1941, operating over the German Bight and over Malta. He then served as a test pilot with Messerschmitt. In August 1942, Golinski joined I./JG 53 on the Eastern Front. He claimed his first victory on 28 July 1942, an R-5 biplane. During August, he claimed 17 victories. Golinski claimed 27 victories in September. In late September, I./JG 53 transferred to the Mediterranean.

Malta and death

In October 1942, I. Gruppe of JG 53 relocated from the Eastern Front to Comiso Airfiled in Sicily where they arrived on 10 October. On 16 October, Golinski claimed a Supermarine Spitfire fighter shot down in a location south of Ħal Far. His Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 trop was then shot down south of Ħal Far, killing Golinski. It is thought Golinski was the victim of the Canadian fighter pilot F/L Henry Wallace "Wally" McLeod of No. 1435 Squadron RCAF. Prior to flying this fighter escort mission for seven Junkers Ju 88 bombers, Golinski had sprained an ankle and was unable to walk nor able to fly. When he reported this to his superior, he was accused of cowardice in the face of the enemy and forced to fly. Golinski's casualty report noted that after his Bf 109 was hit, it was observed that he made a half-role, then his right undercarriage came down before it went straight down and crashed. Posthumously, Golinski was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 5 November and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 30 December.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 47 aerial victory claims plus. With the exception of a single aerial victories claimed over the Western Allies, all other aerial victories were claimed on the Eastern Front.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference, for example "PQ 1762". The Luftwaffe grid map covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about. These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area in size.

Awards