Heinz-Gerhard Vogt

Gerhard Vogt
Born	29 November 1911 Raudten near Lüben, German Empire
Died	14 January 1945 (aged 33) near Cologne, Nazi Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1939–45
Rank	Oberleutnant
Unit	JG 26
Battles/wars	World War II Western Front
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Gerhard Vogt (29 November 1911 – 14 January 1945) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Gerhard Vogt scored 48 victories in 174 missions. All of his victories were recorded over the Western Front, and included eight four-engined bombers.

Military career

He claimed his first victory when he shot down a RAF Supermarine Spitfire fighter over Calais on 6 November 1941. On 15 June 1944, Leutnant Vogt took command of 7./JG 26 when Oberleutnant Waldemar Radener was seriously wounded in aerial combat. Vogt was appointed Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 26 on 14 August 1944, replacing Hauptmann Walter Matoni. Vogt led 5./JG 26 during Operation Bodenplatte, the attack on the Allied airfields in the Netherlands and Belgium on 1 January 1945 by United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) fighters. Vogt was shot down and killed by USAAF P-51 Mustangs of the 78th Fighter Group in his FW 190 D-9 near Cologne.^[1]

In his combat career Vogt shot down two prominent Allied fighter aces, Australian Tony Gaze (12.5 confirmed, 4 probable and 5 damaged victories) and Claude Weaver (12.5 confirmed and 3 probable victories). Vogt himself was shot down by enemy pilots six times.

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (28 September 1940)^[2]
• German Cross in Gold on 20 March 1944 as Feldwebel in the 7./JG 26^[3]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 25 November 1944 as Leutnant and Staffelführer of the 5./JG 26 "Schlageter"^[4]

References

Citations

1. Caldwell 1991, p. 328.
2. Obermaier 1989, p. 218.
3. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 488.
4. Scherzer 2007, p. 761.

Bibliography

• Caldwell, Donald (1991). JG 26 Top Guns of the Luftwaffe, New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 0-8041-1050-6.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.