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Victories : 126 ----------------------------- Country : Germany Fought in : WW2 Fought for : Axis Died : 8th April 1944 Knights Cross Oak Leaves Josef Zwernemann initially served in the Kriegsmarine where he completed his basic training. Unteroffizier Zwernemanns' service with 7./JG 52 began on 1 March 1940 and participated in the Battle of France. He claimed his first aerial victory over a Supermarine Spitfire in July 1940. In May 1941 he fought in the Battle of Crete. With the beginning of Operation Barbarossa his tally increased and he became one of the most successful pilots of his Jagdgruppe. By the end of 1941 his score stood at twenty and he was awarded Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe on 12 December 1941. In May 1942 the number of victories had increased to thirty and he was honored with the German Cross in Gold on 25 May 1942. The Oberfeldwebel received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 57 victories on 23 June 1942. In the month of September 1942 he claimed over thirty victories. On 1 October 1942 claimed four victories increasing his score to 103, for which he received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross. He was promoted to Leutnant in the spring of 1943. One of Zwernemanns' wingmen and students was history's top-scoring ace Erich Hartmann. While serving with 9./JG 52, Zwernemann claimed his 113th victory on 15 April 1943 and victory 117 on 7 May 1943. One of his victories on 15 April 1943 was Starshiy Leytenant Dmitriy Glinka, who had already been recommended to be appointed a Hero of the Soviet Union. At the end of May 1943 he was posted to the fighter pilot training school, Ergänzungsgruppe Ost. He returned to combat service in the fall of 1943, this time serving with 3./JG 77 in Italy. From here he was posted to 1./JG 11 on 15 December 1943 serving in Defense of the Reich duties and claimed a further 9 victories. As of 15 December he was acting Staffelkapitän, representing Hauptmann Siegfried Simsch. Zwernemann was promoted to Hauptmann on 1 April 1944. On 8 April 1944 1st Staffel took off from Rotenburg together with I. and II./JG 11 to intercept an inbound B-24 Liberator bomber formation, which was protected by P-51 Mustang escort fighters. JG 11 reported the destruction of 8 bombers and 6 P-51 Mustangs for the loss of 20 fighters. Eleven pilots were killed in action and three wounded in action. Among those killed in action was Josef Zwernemann. His fellow comrades reported that Zwernemann was shot in his parachute. Josef Zwernemann was killed 8 April 1944 near Gardelegen, Altmark after more than 600 combat missions and 126 aerial victories.

Josef Zwernemann

Known Claims : 84

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