Johann-Hermann Meier


Johann-Hermann Meier was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a fighter ace credited with 77 enemy aircraft shot down in 305 combat missions. All of his victories were claimed over the Eastern Front.
On 15 March 1944, Meier was killed in a takeoff accident after his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 collided with another Fw 190 while taxiing at the Luftwaffe base in Florennes, Belgium. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 16 December 1944.

Early life and career

Meier was born on 10 June 1921 in Kronprinzenkoog, at the time in the Province of Schleswig-Holstein within the Weimar Republic. He joined the military of service of the Luftwaffe and following flight and fighter pilot training in October 1942, Meier was posted to 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 fighting on the Eastern Front. The Staffel was subordinated to I. Gruppe and had moved to Pitomnik Airfield, approximately west of Stalingrad, on 22 September. At the time, his commanding officer of 1. Staffel was Oberleutnant Friedrich Bartels while the Gruppe was headed by Hauptmann Helmut Bennemann.

World War II

World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. On 6 December 1942, II. Gruppe of JG 52 had reached an airfield at Rossosh on the Eastern Front. Here on 18 December, Meier claimed his first aerial victory when he shot down an Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft. Meier claimed his second aerial victory almost one and a half month later. The Gruppe had moved to an airfield at Kursk on 26 January 1943. Here on 1 February 1943, Meier claimed another Il-2 ground-attack aircraft destroyed.
The Gruppe was moved to the combat area of the Kuban bridgehead on 5 April 1943 where it was based at an airfield at Taman where Meier claimed his third aerial victory on 28 April, a Yakovlev Yak-1 fighter. Following the German defeat at Stalingrad and Soviet advance in Voronezh–Kharkov offensive, I. Gruppe was moved to Anapa located on the northern coast of the Black Sea near the Sea of Azov on 16 May. For his achievements as a fighter pilot, Meier was awarded the both classes of the Iron Cross.
On 10 June 1943, the Staffelkapitän of 3. Staffel of JG 52 was killed in action. In consequence, Meier was transferred from 1. Staffel and temporarily given command of 3. Staffel until Hauptmann Erich Schreiber assumed command on 15 July. In preparation for Operation Citadel, I. Gruppe was moved to Bessonovka, a makeshift airfield located approximately on 4 July. The next during the Battle of Kursk, Meier became an "ace-in-a-day", claiming six Soviet aircraft shot down. Among his six claims of the day were three Il-2 ground-attack aircraft from the 17th Air Army shot down after 18:20. On 7 July, Meier claimed a Lavochkin La-5 fighter followed by another Il-2 ground-attack aircraft two days later. Meier was awarded the Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 31 August.
On 2 September, I. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Stalino, present-day Donetsk. Here on 5 September, Meier shot down two Il-2 ground-attack aircraft. By end September 1943, Meier had increased his number of aerial victories claimed to 45, which placed him third in I. Gruppe behind Hauptmann Josef Haiböck and Oberleutnant Paul-Heinrich Dähne at the time. Meier was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 27 October. On 7 December, I. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Mala Vyska where they stayed until 3 January 1944. Here, Meier claimed his 66th aerial victory on 17 December, a Bell P-39 Airacobra fighter, making him fifth most successful active fighter pilot of the Gruppe at the time. In January 1944, Meier claimed eleven further aerial victories, increasing his total to 77 by 17 January. This 77th aerial victory over an Il-2 ground-attack was also his last and made him the second most successful fighter pilot of I. Gruppe after Major Johannes Wiese at the time.

With ''Jagdgeschwader'' 26 "Schlageter" and death

Meier was transferred to I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" in February 1944 fighting on the Western Front flying the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter. At the time, the Gruppe was based at Florennes Airfield and commanded by Hauptmann Karl Borris. There, Meier was appointed Staffelkapitän of 1. Staffel on 29 February. He replaced Leutnant Leberecht Altmann who was transferred.
On 15 March, the United States Army Air Forces attacked Braunschweig with a force of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers. Defending against this attack, I. and II. Gruppe of JG 26 was scrambled. During takeoff, Meier in his Fw 190 A-6 collided with his wingman Unteroffizier Hans Ruppert. Both aircraft caught fire, while Ruppert escaped, Meier was killed in the accident. According to an eyewitness report, Meier was drunk at the time. For his 77 aerial victories claimed with JG 52, Meier was awarded a posthumous Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Meier was succeeded by Oberleutnant Kurt Kranefeld as Staffelkapitän of 1. Staffel. He is buried at the Lommel German war cemetery.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Meier was credited with 77 aerial victories. Spick also lists him with 77 aerial victories, 76 of which on the Eastern Front and one on the Western Front, claimed in 305 combat missions. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces: Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 76 aerial victory claims, all of which were claimed on the Eastern Front.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference, for example "PQ 62322". 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