Otto Kittel
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Otto Kittel (February 21, 1917 - February 14, 1945) was a World War II fighting ace pilot.
[edit] World War II
He was born in Kronsdorf, in the Sudetenland. Fascinated with flight at an early age, he joined the Luftwaffe in 1939 at age 22. After completing his training, he joined the 2nd Staffel of JG 54 with the rank of Unteroffizier in February 1941. On 31 May 1941, he bailed out of his Bf 109 F-2 because of engine trouble, and he landed at Spikeroog, only lightly injured. Kittel scored quickly and shot down an SB-2 and Yak-1 on his first mission, which also happened to be the opening day of Operation Barbarossa, June 22, 1941. By the end of 1941, he had achieved 17 victories. On February 19, 1943, Feldwebel Kittel scored his 39th victory, which was also JG 54's 4,000th of the war. JG 54 Kommodore Hannes Trautloft congratulated Kittel and said the following: "I have instructed that you're no longer to be assigned as wingman. Instead you're to be sent on 'frei Jagd" on your own whenever there's an opportunity."
After achieving his 47th victory on 15 March 1943, Kittel made an emergency landing 60 kilometers behind Russian lines. After landing on an open icy field, he hid in woods before setting out for German lines. Bitterly cold and underclothed, he crossed the frozen Ilmen Lake and after 3 days without food reached German troops. After he returned to his Group on 18 March 1943, he was promoted to Oberfeldwebel and got the German Cross in gold.
He received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 29 October 1943 upon achieving his 123rd victory. And he received the "Oak Leaves" in April 1944.
From November 1943 through January 1944, he was Instructor of the EJGr.Ost, in Biarritz, France. On the 31 December 1943, Kittel started to attack an American bomber formation, but he did not get involved in a prolonged dogfight. . In March 1944, Kittel returned to JG 54 on the Russian Front.
He earned his Schwerter (Swords) on 25 November 1944 after achieving his 239th victory.
Kittel was killed on 14 February 1945 (his 583rd mission), over Courland by an Il-2 Stormovik pilot, who managed to hit Kittel´s Fw 190 with his wing mounted guns.
[edit] Legacy
Otto Kittel flew 583 combat missions and scored 267 kills, 94 of them Il-2's, making him the 4th highest scoring ace of all time. He started the war as Unteroffizier and died as a Staffelkapitan of 2./JG 54.fr:Otto Kittel nl:Otto Kittel
