AR banner
Search Tips Advanced Search
Back to Top

Archive Report: Axis Forces
1914-1918   1935-1945

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.


We seek additional information and photographs. Please contact us via the AddInfo button, or send us email from the Helpdesk.

Heinz Knoke - Luftwaffe Ace and Anti-Bomber Specialist


UNDER DEVELOPMENT

Heinz Knoke (24 March 1921 – 18 May 1993) was a World War II Luftwaffe flying ace. He is credited with 33 confirmed aerial victories, all claimed over the Western theatre of operations, and claimed a further 19 unconfirmed kills in over 2,000 flights. His total included 19 heavy bombers of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). As the USAAF daylight bomber offensive increased steadily in intensity throughout 1943, so operations by the defending JG 1 and JG 11 grew in proportion. Knoke destroyed his first 'heavy' on his 164th operation; Maisie, a B-24 Liberator of the 44th Bombardment Group, which he shot down over Zwischenahn on 26 February 1943 - two of the crew survived. Journalist Robert Post who was on the first and last mission of the 'The Writing 69th', was also among those killed.

Born the son of a policeman on 24 March 1921 in Hamelin. On 6 July 1938, whilst watching an air display Knoke made his first flight, a fifteen-minute joy ride in an old transport aircraft and took the preliminary exam for entry into the Luftwaffe. On 15 November 1939 Knoke underwent flight training at No. 11 Flying Training Regiment Schonwald, nr. Berlin and in August 1940 attended Jagdfliegerschule 1 (Werneuchen) under instructor Flight Sergeant Kuhl, an experienced operational pilot who had already seen action in both the invasions of Poland and France.

In early 1941 Knoke received his first combat posting, joining Jagdgeschwader 52. Posted to II Gruppe under Hauptmann Erich Woitke, his comrades included future aces Gerhard Barkhorn, Günther Rall and Walter Krupinski. After initial operations during the invasion of Soviet Russia in June 1941, Knoke was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1) in July 1941. On 28 August 1941 Heinz married Elisabeth 'Lilo' Makowski in Schieratz.

In February 1942, Knoke participated with 3./JG 1 in Operation Donnerkeil, the Channel Dash of the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen.

On 14 February 1942 Knoke was detached to Jagdgruppe 'Losigkeit' (Fritz Losigkeit), charged with the air protection of these boats over the Norway coast. He returned to JG 1 in March 1942. On 5 March 1942 he shared in shooting down a Spitfire of No. 1 Photo Reconnaissance Unit (PRU), RAF. Its pilot, F/L ADM Gunn, was taken prisoner. In October 1942 Knoke became Commanding officer of 2nd Staffel, JG 1. He claimed his solo first kill on 31 October, an Royal Air Force (RAF) Bristol Blenheim.

Heinz Knoke

The problem of attacking heavily armed bombers effectively occupied the minds of the Luftwaffe in early 1943. Oberleutnant Heinz Knoke and his friend, Leutnant Dieter Gerhardt (killed in action against B-24s on 18 March 1943), developed the idea of aerial bombing as a means to break up the tight combat boxes, thereby compromising the defensively strong USAAF bomber formations.

Knoke claimed his fifth victory, a B-24 of the 93rd Bomb Group on 18 March over Helgoland. On 22 March, Knoke successfully downed B-17 Flying Fortress Liberty Bell, of the 91st Bombardment Group, with a 250 kg bomb, intercepting its return flight after attacking Wilhelmshaven. The B-17 fell into the North Sea 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Helgoland. He thus became the first of very few fighter pilots in aviation history to destroy an enemy aircraft with a bomb. All the crew were killed. However, the practice was soon curtailed, as the carriage of bombs severely affected the high altitude performance of the Messerschmitt Bf-109-G and also made these aircraft vulnerable to any escorting fighters.

In April 1943 I./JG 1 became II gruppe of the newly formed Jagdgeschwader 11 (JG 11), Knoke's 2 Staffel becoming 5./JG 11.

During 1943 Knoke claimed some 17 kills, the majority B-17s and B-24s of the USAAF. Another B-17 (of the 95th Bomb Group) was downed on 11 June. Later that month, (on the 25th), Knoke was wounded in the hand by return fire from a bomber, resulting in the amputation of part of his thumb.

On 17 August 1943 while intercepting the raid on Regensburg he was again wounded, this time by shrapnel fragments and his aircraft damaged by bomber return fire. Knoke belly landed near Bonn, his Bf 109 G-6 was written off.

On 27 September 1943 Knoke shot down a B-17, Elusive Elcy, of the 94th Bomb group using Werfer-Granate 21 unguided rockets launched from modified mortar tubes. Encountering the USAAF escort fighters for the first time, he also destroyed a P-47 Thunderbolt of the 56th Fighter Group flown by Lieutenant H.P Dugas, who was killed. Knoke was then shot down by other P-47s and had to bail out.

Knoke was brought down again on 4 October that same year. After shooting down a B-24 of the 392nd Bombardment Group in a frontal attack, he was hit by the dorsal gunner's fire and Knoke bailed out of his damaged fighter into the bitterly cold North Sea. Covered by aircraft of his unit, Knoke managed to climb into an inflatable raft dropped by a Focke-Wulf Weihe. He was rescued two hours later by a lifeboat.

Knoke claimed his 18th victory on 10 October 1943, a B-17, although his 109-G was hit by P-47s and 75% damaged, forcing him to land at Twente in the Netherlands.

Heinz Knoke in Plane

Knoke was again shot down on 4 January 1944. On 10 February Gruppenkommandeur Günther Specht was wounded and Knoke became acting commander of II./JG 11.

On 4 March Knoke was leading II./JG 11, when he was involved in the decimation of the 363rd Fighter Group. In a surprise attack on some 60 P-51 Mustangs over Hamburg, the USAAF lost 12 P-51s in a single action, Knoke claiming one himself.

From 15 to 20 April 1944, Knoke was attached to the Experimental Station at Lechfeld, where he flew the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter for the first time.

Knoke was promoted to the rank of Hauptmann (Captain), on 28 April 1944, for "bravery in the face of the enemy", and made Gruppenkommandeur of II./ JG 11. At 23 years of age Knoke was, at the time, the youngest Gruppenkommandeur in the Luftwaffe.

Knoke was shot down on 29 April in action against the P-47 of Captain James Cannon of the 354th Fighter Group and was hospitalised until August 1944 with severe concussion. Before he bailed out, Knoke managed in turn to shoot down the overshooting 'Jug' piloted by Capt. Cannon, who was taken prisoner.
Normandy 1944

Still recovering from his wounds, Knoke was then transferred on 13 August 1944 to command III./ JG 1. Operating over the Normandy front, Knoke claimed a P-47 over Rânes, southeast of Argentan on 14 August, (of the 358th Fighter Group, piloted by 2nd Lieutenant. S.A. Giamalva, who was killed) and another the next day. On 16 August he claimed a Spitfire near Étampes. A P-38 Lightning of the 31st Photo Squadron (Lieutenant. T.L. Wood, who was killed), was shot down on the 17th, followed by an unconfirmed B-26 Martin Marauder later the same day. Two P-51s were claimed on 18 August.

On 25 August another P-51 of the 354th Fighter Group was claimed, but Knoke was shot down during the engagement. Bailing out behind the fluidly moving front line, Knoke was almost captured by French Maquis forces. Shooting his way clear, Knoke managed to regain the German lines and returned safely to his unit.

By the end of August 1944 III./ JG 1 had almost been wiped out in the air battles over the Western Front; Knoke was ordered to move the unit to Fels am Wagram, prior to its transfer back to Germany for reinforcement and re-equipment.

Given orders to then transfer III./JG 1 to Vienna, Hauptmann Knoke was seriously injured in the legs by a Partisan-planted land mine during a car journey near Prague on 9 October 1944.

In March 1945, while still on crutches, Knoke became the officer commanding at Jever air base. He also oversaw the work on defensive fortifications around Wilhelmshaven.

He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 27 April 1945.

In September 1945 Heinz Knoke returned to civilian life.

I Flew For the Fuhrer

In 1951 Heinz Knoke was elected to the legislature of Lower Saxony as member of the Socialist Reich Party. Although the Supreme Court of Federal Republic of Germany declared this party illegal in 1952, Knoke remained in politics as a member of the parish council of the Gemeinde Schortens (Gemeindeparlament) from April 1954.

For several years he also worked as a Manager with the Jever Pilsener Brauhaus.

He was member of the Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP, Liberal Democratic Party), and was elected for the community parliament/parish parliament at the elections of October 1956, and was returned to office in the March 1961, September 1964, and September 1968 elections.

He retired in October 1972 and in the mid 1980s joined Osnabrück University to study literature and philosophy.

Acknowledgement: this story is based on the Kracker Luftwaffe Archive on this site, on further personal research, extracts from Knoke's book 'I Flew For The Fuhrer', on a Facebook page referring to the Luftwaffe, and on a Military Wiki article

SY 2018-01-09

Acknowledgements: Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and MWO François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
Click any image to enlarge it
Links in this story were correct at the time of writing, but can change.
Please tell us via Helpdesk of any that no longer work.

Do you have more information or corrections to this story? Use our AddInfo facility

Readers Interested In Further Reading:
More personal histories and associated material
Show Research Material

Wer vor der Vergangenheit die Augen verschließt, wird blind für die Gegenwart. Richard von Weizsäcker
All site material (except as noted elsewhere) is owned or managed by Aircrew Remembered and should not be used without prior permission.
© Aircrew Remembered 2012 - 2024
Last Modified: 08 January 2018, 16:55

If you would like to comment on this page, please do so via our Helpdesk. Use the Submit a Ticket option to send your comments. After review, our Editors will publish your comment below with your first name, but not your email address.

A word from the Editor: your contribution is important. We welcome your comments and information. Thanks in advance.
Monitor Additions/Changes?Click to monitor changes to this page. Create account for first monitor, thereafter monitoring is very fast. Click to close without creating monitor