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Victories : 131 ----------------------------- Country : Germany Fought in : WW2 Fought for : Axis Died : 4th December 1943 Knights Cross Oak Leaves Wilhelm Lemke was born on 27 September 1920 at Arnswalde in Neumark. By November 1939, Lemke was serving in the Luftwaffe with the rank of Fahnenjunker. In spring 1941, Lemke was serving with JG 3, based on the Eastern front. Oberfähnrich Lemke was assigned to 8./JG 3. He claimed two Russian bombers shot down on 26 June for his first victories Lemke had recorded 15 victories, when he was shot down in combat with Russian bombers, sustaining an abdominal injury on 26 August. He made an emergency landing in Bf 109 F-2 “Black 7” but the injuries received in this incident required a long stay in hospital. He returned to his unit in mid-February 1942. On 31 March, Lemke recorded his 20th victory. His 30th victory was achieved on 24 June. He claimed four victories on 29 July to take his victory total to 42. On 19 September, Leutnant Lemke was awarded the Knight’s Cross for 59 Victories. However, he was shot down the same day by enemy flak necessitating an emergency landing in Bf 109 F-4 “Yellow 1” with 60% damage 4km west of Gumrak. He was uninjured in the incident. On 11 August 1942, Lemke had been appointed Staffelkapitän of 9./JG 3. By the end of 1942, he had recorded 90 victories, including a Russian LaGG-3 fighter by ramming on 27 December 1942, necessitating an emergency landing at Morosowskaja with Bf 109 G-2 “Yellow 7” sustaining 50% damage, and numerous tanks and military vehicles in ground attacks. He claimed his 100th victory on 16 March 1943. Lemke was afforded two months leave in May 1943. On his return, he recorded his 125th victory on 28 July. In August 1943, III./JG 3 was transferred to the Western front to undertake Reichsverteidigung duties. Lemke shot down two USAAF P-47 fighters on 17 August. On 4 November, Lemke was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 3. Hauptmann Lemke was awarded the Eichenlaub on 25 November. He recorded his 131st, and last, victory on 30 November when he shot down a P-47. On 4 December 1943, Lemke was shot down and killed in aerial combat with P-47s of 487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, USAAF. His Bf 109 G-6 crashed at Dodewaard, 18km west Nijmegen. Wilhelm Lemke is credited with 131 victories. He recorded 125 victories over the Eastern Front, including 28 Il-2 Sturmovik ground attack aircraft. Of his six Western front victories, three were four-engine bombers.

Wilhelm Lemke

Aircraft for : Wilhelm Lemke
A list of all aircraft associated with Wilhelm Lemke. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name.
Squadron	Info
Me109 Click the name above to see prints featuring Me109 aircraft. Manufacturer : Messerschmitt Production Began : 1937 Retired : 1945 Number Built : 33984	Me109 Willy Messerschmitt designed the BF109 during the early 1930s. The Bf109 was one of the first all metal monocoque construction fighters with a closed canopy and retractable undercarriage. The engine of the Me109 was a V12 aero engine which was liquid-cooled. The Bf109 first saw operational service during the Spanish Civil War and flew to the end of World War II, during which time it was the backbone of the Luftwaffe fighter squadrons. During the Battle of Britian the Bf109 was used in the role of an escort fighter, a role for which it was not designed for, and it was also used as a fighter bomber. During the last days of May 1940 Robert Stanford-Tuck, the RAF ace, got the chance to fly an Me109 which they had rebuilt after it had crash landed. Stanford-Tuck found out that the Me109 was a wonderful little plane, it was slightly faster than the Spitfire, but lacked the Spitfire manoeuvrability. By testing the Me109, Tuck could put himself inside the Me109 when fighting them, knowing its weak and strong points. With the introduction of the improved Bf109F in the spring of 1941, the type again proved to be an effective fighter during the invasion of Yugoslavia and during the Battle of Crete and the invasion of Russia and it was used during the Siege of the Mediteranean island of Malta. The Bf109 was the main fighter for the Luftwaffe until 1942 when the Fw190 entered service and shared this position, and was partially replaced in Western Europe, but the Me109 continued to serve on the Eastern Front and during the defence of the Reich against the allied bombers. It was also used to good effect in the Mediterranean and North Africa in support of The Africa Korps. The Me109 was also supplied to several German allies, including Finland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovakia. The Bf109 scored more kills than any other fighter of any country during the war and was built in greater numbers with a total of over 31,000 aircraft being built. The Bf109 was flown by the three top German aces of the war war. Erich Hartmann with 352 victories, Gerhard Barkhorn with 301 victories and Gunther Rall with 275 kills. Bf109 pilots were credited with the destruction of 100 or more enemy aircraft. Thirteen Luftwaffe Aces scored more than 200 kills. Altogether this group of pilots were credited with a total of nearly 15,000 kills, of which the Messerschmitt Bf109 was credited with over 10,000 of these victories. The Bf109 was the most produced warplane during World War II, with 30,573 examples built during the war, and the most produced fighter aircraft in history, with a total of 33,984 units produced up to April 1945. Bf109s remained in foreign service for many years after World War II. The Swiss used their Bf109Gs well into the 1950s. The Finnish Air Force did not retire their Bf109Gs until March 1954. Romania used its Bf109s until 1955. The Spanish Hispanos flew even longer. Some were still in service in the late 1960s.

Known Claims : 130

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