Helmut Grollmus

Helmut Grollmus (8 January 1918 – 19 June 1944) was a Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Helmuth Grollmus was credited with 75 aerial victories during World War II. In 1944 he was killed in action during a dogfight over Finland.^[2]

Career

Grollmus was born on 8 January 1918 in Lissa, at the time in the Province of Posen, a province of the Kingdom of Prussia. Today Lissa is Leszno in western Poland. Following flight training, Grollmus was posted to the Ergänzungsjagdgruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing), a supplementary training group, in November 1941.^[3] On 9 March 1942, the Ergänzungsgruppe of JG 54 was disbanded and the pilots were transferred to I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 54.^[4] In consequence, Grollmus was transferred to 2. Staffel of JG 54.^[5] As part of a Luftwaffe plan to exchange fighter units operating on the Eastern Front with fighter units flying on the Western Front, Grollmus was assigned to 12. Staffel of JG 54 in July 1943 which had been newly formed from elements of 7. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) and 4. Staffel of JG 54 and was subordinated to II. Gruppe of JG 54.^[6]

Grollmus was killed in action over Viipuri, Finland 19 June 1944.^[7][1] He was shot down in his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-6 (Werknummer 470075—factory number) during aerial combat with Petlyakov Pe-2 bombers and Bell P-39 Airacobra fighters in a position 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Viipuri.^[8] Grollmus parachuted out safely but was killed by ground fire. He is buried in the Helsinki-Hietaniemi Cemetery.^[5]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Grollmus was credited with 75 aerial victories.^[9] Spick also lists him with 75 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number missions on the Eastern Front.^[7] Heaton, Lewis, Olds and Schulze also list him with 75 aerial victories.^[10] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 68 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.^[11]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 10163". The Luftwaffe grid map (Jägermeldenetz) covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about 360 square miles (930 km²). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 by 4 km (1.9 by 2.5 mi) in size.^[12]

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class^[34]
• Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 1 November 1943 as Unteroffizier and pilot^[35]
• German Cross in Gold on 12 December 1943 as Feldwebel in the 12./Jagdgeschwader 54^[36]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 October 1944 as Leutnant and pilot in the II./Jagdgeschwader 54^{[37]["Note" 13]}

Notes

1. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman, this claim is dated 28 January 1943.^[28]
2. ^ This claim is not listed by Mathews and Foreman.^[11]
3. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman, this claim is dated 21 July 1943.^[28]
4. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman, this claim is dated 23 July 1943.^[28]
5. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3.^[28]
6. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 07:06.^[28]
7. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 18:31.^[28]
8. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 13:18.^[28]
9. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Yakovlev Yak-9.^[28]
10. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 13:35.^[28]
11. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 09:18.^[28]
12. ^ According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 14:48.^[38]
13. ^ According to Scherzer as pilot in the 4./Jagdgeschwader 54.^[39]

References

Citations

1. ^ Hannig 2004, p. 127.
2. ^ Weal 2012, p. 180.
3. ^ Obermaier 1989, p. 122.
4. ^ Prien et al. 2005, p. 260.
5. ^ deZeng IV, Henry L. & Stankey, Douglas G. "Career Summaries - Luftwaffe Officers 1935 - 1945". ww2.dk. Michael Holm. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
6. ^ Prien et al. 2012, pp. 223–224, 264.
7. ^ Spick 1996, p. 237.
8. ^ Prien et al. 2022, p. 491.
9. ^ Zabecki 2014, p. 1615.
10. ^ Heaton et al. 2011, p. 236.
11. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 429–431.
12. ^ Planquadrat.
13. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 429.
14. ^ Prien et al. 2005, p. 263.
15. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 429–430.
16. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 89.
17. ^ Prien et al. 2006, p. 98.
18. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 170.
19. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 272.
20. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 276.
21. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 278.
22. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 279.
23. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 274.
24. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 275.
25. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 280.
26. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 281.
27. ^ Prien et al. 2012, p. 282.
28. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 430.
29. ^ Prien et al. 2022, p. 476.
30. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 430–431.
31. ^ Prien et al. 2022, p. 478.
32. ^ Prien et al. 2022, p. 477.
33. ^ Prien et al. 2022, p. 479.
34. ^ Dixon 2023, p. 152.
35. ^ Patzwall 2008, p. 89.
36. ^ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 149.
37. ^ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 204.
38. ^ Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 431.
39. ^ Scherzer 2007, p. 349.

Bibliography

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