Friedrich Körner (24 January 1921 – 3 September 1998) was a World War II Luftwaffe Flying ace. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Körner was credited with 36 victories in over 250 missions. All of his victories were scored whilst flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109.

Military career

Körner was born on 24 January 1921 in Schwerte, in the Province of Westphalia of the Weimar Republic. He joined the Luftwaffe on 15 November 1939. Following flight and fighter pilot training, Körner was posted to I. Gruppe (1st group) of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) in North Africa on 4 July 1941. At the time, the Gruppe was based at Ayn al-Ġazāla and equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-7 fighter aircraft. Körner claimed his first victory on 12 October near Sallum when he shot down a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. In June 1942 he scored 20 kills, five on the 26 June making him an "ace-in-a-day", Körner's most successful day. On 4 July 1942, a year to the day of his arrival, he was shot down whilst scrambling to intercept a Royal Air Force (RAF) bomber formation over the front line near El Alamein in his Bf 109 F-4/Trop (Werknummer 8696—factory number) "Red 11". His victor was Lieutenant Lawrence Waugh of 1 Squadron SAAF. Körner was captured and sent to a prisoner of war camp in Canada, and released in 1947.

After the war

In January 1956, Körner joined the West German Air Force, at the time referred to as the Bundesluftwaffe, holding the rank of Oberleutnant. Initially serving as a flight instructor, he later received general staff training. He retired from military service on 30 June 1979, having reached the rank of Brigadegeneral. Following his retirement, Körner and his wife lived in Paris. He died on 3 September 1998 at the age of 77 in Bailly north-central France.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Körner was credited with 36 aerial victories claimed in approximately 250 combat missions, all of which over North Africa. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 36 aerial victory claims, all of which over North Africa.

Awards

Citations