Heinrich Setz
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Setz was a German
World War II
Luftwaffe
138 victories Flying ace
and recipient of the coveted Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator
credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft
during aerial combat. 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.
(JG 77) in July 1940 and claimed his first aerial victory over a Royal Air Force
(RAF) aircraft over Norway's west coast.For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organization
In July 1941 he was appointed Staffelkapitän
(squadron leader) of the 4./JG 77 (4th squadron), which he led until November 1942. During Operation Barbarossa
, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, he claimed 41 aerial victories. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
(Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 31 December 1941 for 45 aerial victories.
Oberleutnant
(First Lieutenant) Setz was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 23 June 1942 for 76 aerial victories. The award was presented at the Führerhauptquartier at Rastenburg on 28 and 29 June 1942.
Hauptmann
(Captain) Gerhard Homuth
surrendered command of I./Jagdgeschwader 27
(JG 27) to Hauptmann Setz in November 1942. Setz, who had previsously led 4./JG 77 on the Eastern front took over command in Bari
, Italy on 20 November 1942. Setz transferred the group from Italy to Krefeld
where they arrived on 28 November 1942. After a brief period of recreation the group began preparations for a transfer to France on 2 January 1943. The Stab
(headquarter unit), 1st and 3rd Staffel transferred to Evreux
on 31 January 1943 The remaining groups followed and new pilots and new Bf 109 G-4 joined the group. Setz had the entire group conduct training flights and reported operational readiness on 20 February 1943. He was killed in action
on his 274th combat mission in a midair collision with a Supermarine Spitfire
on 13 March 1943 after shooting down three Spitfires.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
138 victories Flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
and recipient of the coveted Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
during aerial combat. 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.
Military career
Heinrich Setz joined II./Jagdgeschwader 77Jagdgeschwader 77
Jagdgeschwader 77 Herz As was a Luftwaffe fighter Geschwader during World War II. It served in all the German theaters of war, from Western Europe to the Eastern Front, and from the high north in Norway to the Mediterranean.All three gruppen within the Geschwader operated variants of the...
(JG 77) in July 1940 and claimed his first aerial victory over a Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) aircraft over Norway's west coast.For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Luftwaffe Organization
Luftwaffe Organization
Between 1933 and 1945, the organization of the Luftwaffe underwent several changes. Originally, the German military high command decided to use an organizational structure similar to the army and navy, treating the branch as a strategic weapon of war...
In July 1941 he was appointed Staffelkapitän
Staffelkapitän
Staffelkapitän is a position in flying units of the German Luftwaffe that is the equivalent of RAF/USAF Squadron Commander. Usually today a Staffelkapitän is of Oberstleutnant or Major rank....
(squadron leader) of the 4./JG 77 (4th squadron), which he led until November 1942. During Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, he claimed 41 aerial victories. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
(Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 31 December 1941 for 45 aerial victories.
Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
(First Lieutenant) Setz was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 23 June 1942 for 76 aerial victories. The award was presented at the Führerhauptquartier at Rastenburg on 28 and 29 June 1942.
Hauptmann
Hauptmann
Hauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
(Captain) Gerhard Homuth
Gerhard Homuth
Major Gerhard Homuth was a German World War II Luftwaffe fighter ace. He scored all but two of his 63 victories against the Western Allies whilst flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109, and was one of the top scoring aces in the North African campaign.- Military career :Homuth initially served in the...
surrendered command of I./Jagdgeschwader 27
Jagdgeschwader 27
Jagdgeschwader 27 Afrika was a World War II Luftwaffe Geschwader. It was most famous for service in the North African Campaign, supporting the Deutsches Afrikakorps.- Formation:...
(JG 27) to Hauptmann Setz in November 1942. Setz, who had previsously led 4./JG 77 on the Eastern front took over command in Bari
Bari
Bari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
, Italy on 20 November 1942. Setz transferred the group from Italy to Krefeld
Krefeld
Krefeld , also known as Crefeld until 1929, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its centre lying just a few kilometres to the west of the River Rhine; the borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine...
where they arrived on 28 November 1942. After a brief period of recreation the group began preparations for a transfer to France on 2 January 1943. The Stab
Stab (Luftwaffe designation)
During World War II, the suffix Stab was used in the German Luftwaffe to designate a headquarters unit. This applied to subordinate units in each Gruppe or Geschwader — the equivalent units to wings and groups in other air forces.These command units used the green colour of their aircraft...
(headquarter unit), 1st and 3rd Staffel transferred to Evreux
Évreux
Évreux is a commune in the Eure department, of which it is the capital, in Haute Normandie in northern France.-History:In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named Mediolanum Aulercorum, "the central town of the Aulerci", the Gallic tribe then inhabiting the area...
on 31 January 1943 The remaining groups followed and new pilots and new Bf 109 G-4 joined the group. Setz had the entire group conduct training flights and reported operational readiness on 20 February 1943. He was killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
on his 274th combat mission in a midair collision with a Supermarine Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
on 13 March 1943 after shooting down three Spitfires.
Awards
- Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
(1939)- 2nd Class (12 September 1940)
- 1st Class (18 October 1940)
- Front Flying Clasp of the LuftwaffeFront Flying Clasp of the LuftwaffeThe Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe was awarded in Bronze, Silver, and Gold with upgrade possible to include diamonds. Pennants suspended from the clasp indicated the number of missions obtained in a given type of aircraft...
for fighter pilots - German CrossGerman CrossThe German Cross was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 17 November 1941 as an award ranking higher than the Iron Cross First Class but below the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross respectively ranking higher than the War Merit Cross First Class with Swords but below the Knight's Cross of the War Merit...
in Gold on 21 August 1942 as OberleutnantOberleutnantOberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
in the II./JG 77 - Knight's Cross with Oak LeavesKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
- Knight's Cross on 31 December 1941 as Oberleutnant and StaffelkapitänStaffelkapitänStaffelkapitän is a position in flying units of the German Luftwaffe that is the equivalent of RAF/USAF Squadron Commander. Usually today a Staffelkapitän is of Oberstleutnant or Major rank....
of the 4./JG 77 - 102nd Oak Leaves on 23 June 1942 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 4./JG 77
- Knight's Cross on 31 December 1941 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän