Johann Zemsky

Johann Zemsky
Born	11 April 1909 Vienna
Died	28 August 1942 (aged 33) Stalingrad
Allegiance	First Austrian Republic (to 1938)  Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Bundesheer (1928–1938) Luftwaffe (1938–1942)
Years of service	1928–42
Rank	Oberstleutnant
Unit	StG 1
Commands held	II. Gruppe StG 1
Battles/wars	World War II Operation Barbarossa Battle of Stalingrad †
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Johann Raimund Zemsky (11 April 1909 – 28 August 1942) was a highly decorated Major in the Luftwaffe during World War II, and one of only 882 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Johann Zemsky was killed on 28 August 1942 after being shot down during the Battle of Stalingrad. He was posthumously awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross on 3 September 1942.

Youth and early Career

Johann Zemsky joined the Austrian Army in 1928 after graduation from "Bundeserziehungsanstalt in Wien", Wien-Breitensee, one of the successor schools of the Imperial Austrian Corps of Cadets. In that year, there were no vacancies for officer training, so he became an enlisted soldier. He served with a Viennese Artillery Unit (Wiener Artillerie-Abteilung) and was promoted to Corporal (Korporal) in 1930 and Sergeant of Artillery (Feuerwerker) in 1934. An airplane enthusiast since boyhood, he took private flying lessons and -secretly - took a second job to pay for his hobby. He was later selected from the ranks for officer training, an absolute rarity in the very class conscious Austrian Armed Forces, and graduated from Theresianischen Militärakademie in 1936.

Career in the German Wehrmacht

After the German Annexation of Austria in March 1938, Zemsky tried to leave the country, but as an active officer was refused a passport and had to stay. He was transferred to the Luftwaffe (Airforce) and promoted to 1st Lieutenant. After re-training on several German aircraft types, he qualified as a flight instructor and was transferred to dive-bomber and ground attack school (Stukaschule) Insterburg/ Eastern Prussia. Due to his patient teaching style and his fairness, Zemsky was very well liked by his student pilots. His superiors disagreed with his not very formal ways, but respected the quality of pilots he produced. After the beginning of World War II, Zemsky got bored with teaching and repeatedly asked for transfer to a frontline wing, but his requests were denied because of his qualities as an instructor. The buildup for the Battle of France resulted in him finally getting an appointment as a pilot with the battle hardened I./St.G. (Stukageschwader) 76. During the Campaign in the West (Westfeldzug), Zemsky won both Iron Crosses and proved to be an able and daring leader. On 01Sep40, he was promoted to Captain (Hauptmann) and was appointed commanding officer II/St.G 1. Transferred to the Eastern Front, he fought from day one of Operation Barbarossa. After having experienced the enormous spaces of Russia and the masses of Red Army troops the Soviet Union could muster, Zemsky became very pessimistic about the chances of Germany winning the war. On 04Feb42, after 300 combat missions, he was awarded the Knights Cross off the Iron Cross. In July 1942, during the summer battles for Stalingrad, he celebrated his 500th combat mission.

Death

During his 601st mission on 28 August 1942, Zemsky's Stuka was hit by Flak and started to burn. He remained at the controls until his gunner had bailed out safely and then jumped himself. Unfortunately, he was already to low, so his parachute chute did not open completely. Still alive, when German infantry of a unit nearby who had rushed to help, reached him, Zemsky died of his injuries. His friend and gunner survived. He was mourned for by his men and buried with full military honours near the still existing Obliskaya Orthodox Church. On 03Sep42, he was posthumously promoted to Major and awarded the 117th Oak Leaves (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves).

Awards and decorations

• Flugzeugführerabzeichen
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant "600"
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (24 February 1940)^[1]
  • 1st Class (8 May 1941)^[1]
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (30 September 1941)^[1]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 4 February 1942 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of II./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1^[2]
  • 117th Oak Leaves on 3 September 1942 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of II./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1^[3]

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1998, p. 471.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 369.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 54.

Bibliography

• Brütting, Georg (1992) [1976]. Das waren die deutschen Stuka-Asse 1939 – 1945 [These were the German Stuka Aces 1939 – 1945] (in German) (7th ed.). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch. ISBN 978-3-87943-433-6.
• 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 (1976). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe 1939–1945 Band II Stuka- und Schlachtflieger [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe 1939–1945 Volume II Dive Bomber and Attack Aircraft] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-021-3.
• 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.
• Stockert, Peter (2012) [1997]. Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2 [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2] (in German) (4th ed.). Bad Friedrichshall, Germany: Friedrichshaller Rundblick. ISBN 978-3-9802222-9-7.
• Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.

External links

• Lexikon der Wehrmacht