Klaus Quaet-Faslem


Klaus Quaet-Faslem 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. On 30 January 1944 he was killed in a flying accident due to bad weather. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross on 9 June 1944. During his career he was credited with 49 aerial victories.

Early life and career

Quaet-Faslem was born on 5 September 1913 in Kiel, at the time in the Province of Schleswig-Holstein, a province of the Kingdom of Prussia. Following flight training, Quaet-Faslem was posted to 3. Staffel of Küstenfliegergruppe 106, a naval aerial reconnaissance unit, in 1936. In 1939, he was transferred to 1. Staffel of Lehrgeschwader 2.

World War II

In preparation for the German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, I./LG 2 under command of Hauptmann Hanns Trübenbach had been ordered to airfields at Lottin, where the Gruppenstab, 2. and 3. Staffel where based, and to Malzkow near Stolp, where 1. Staffel had been sent. On 4 September, I./LG 2 flew two combat missions over the combat area of the German 4. Armee, the first from 12:02 to 13:05 and the second from 17:35 to 18:37 with 1. Staffel for the first time encountering Polish Air Force fighter aircraft. Depending on source, Quaet-Faslem claimed his first aerial victory that day, it may have been a PZL P.11 or a PZL P.24. Irrespectively of type, the claim was not confirmed. Following the German advance, I./LG 2 relocated to Lauenburg, near Bromberg on 9 September in support the 4. Armee.
On 20 October 1940, Quaet-Faslem was transferred from Jagdfliegerschule 1 at Werneuchen to III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 53 where he assumed the position of adjutant. At the time, III. Gruppe was commanded by Hauptmann Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke.

Operation Barbarossa

In preparation of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, JG 53 arrived in Mannheim-Sandhofen on 8 June 1941 where the aircraft were given a maintenance overhaul. On 12 June, the Geschwader began its relocation east, with III. Gruppe moving to Suwałki in northeastern Poland. Two days later, III. Gruppe transferred to a forward airfield at Sobolewo.
On 21 November 1941, Quaet-Faslem was appointed Staffelkapitän of 2. Staffel of JG 53, succeeding Oberleutnant Ignaz Prestele who was transferred.
On 19 August 1942, Quaet-Faslem was transferred and was succeeded by Leutant Walter Zellot as commander of 2. Staffel of JG 53. On 31 August, he took command of I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet", succeeding Hauptmann Georg Michalek.

Defense of the Reich and death

In March 1943, I. Gruppe had assembled at Döberitz, located approximately west of Staaken, for a period of rest, replenishment and preparation for defense of the Reich missions. In early April, the Gruppe was ordered to Mönchengladbach after it had received 37 factory new Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-4 fighter aircraft equipped with a pair of 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons installed in conformal gun pods under the wings. There, the pilots trained formation flying, operating in Staffel and Gruppen strength, required to combat the United States Army Air Forces heavy bomber formations. A few of the more experienced fighter pilots were sent to Brandenburg-Briest for additional training on Y-Control for fighters, a system to control groups of fighters intercepting USAAF bomber formations. In early May, the Gruppe had completed its training period and was subordinated to Stab of JG 3 which was under control of 3. Jagd-Division.
On 17 August 1943 during the Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission, Quaet-Faslem claimed his 48th aerial victory when he shot down a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. Following aerial combat on 24 October, Quaet-Faslem made a forced landing in his Bf 109 G-6 at Lille.
On 30 January 1944, Quaet-Faslem was killed in a flying accident when his Bf 109 G-6 crashed in bad weather at Langeleben near Helmstedt. Following his death, Hauptmann Joachim von Wehren temporarily assumed command of the Gruppe before Hauptmann Josef Haiböck officially took command on 8 February. His grave is located on the cemetery Mönchengladbach-Holt, next to the grave of Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke.

Summary of military career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Quaet-Faslem was credited with 49 aerial victories, of which 41 were claimed on the Eastern Front, one over Poland and seven over the Western Allies, including two four-engine heavy bombers. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 49 aerial victory claims, plus one further unconfirmed claim. This figure includes 42 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and seven on the Western Front, including two four-engine heavy bombers and one de Havilland Mosquito fighter bomber.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference, for example "PQ 4939". 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