{{short description|German World War II fighter pilot (1918–1943)}} {{Infobox military person |name=Josef Kociok |birth_date={{birth date|1918|4|26|df=y}} |death_date={{death date and age|1943|9|26|1918|4|26|df=y}} |image=Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-641-4544-29A, Krim, Josef Kociok, Nachtjäger.jpg |image_size=300 |caption=Feldwebel Josef Kociok in a Bf 110, 1943 |birth_place=Alt Schalkendorf |death_place=Kerch, Crimea |allegiance={{flag|Nazi Germany}} |branch=Luftwaffe |service_years=1940–1943 |rank=Leutnant, Posthumously |unit=ZG 76, SKG 210, ZG 1, NJG 200 |battles= {{tree list}} * World War II **Eastern Front ***Operation Barbarossa {{tree list/end}} |awards=Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |other_work= }}
'''Josef Kociok''' (26 April 1918 – 26 September 1943) was a German ''Luftwaffe'' pilot during World War II and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. He was killed in an air collision.
==Aerial victory claims== Kociok was credited with 33 aerial victories on the Eastern Front, 21 of which were by night, claimed in 200 combat missions.{{sfn|Obermaier|1989|p=147}} His shooting down of four Polikarpov Po-2s of the famed 46th Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment, nicknamed the "Night Witches", (German: ''Nachthexen''), on the night of 31 July 1943, resulted in the entire regiment being grounded for the first time. <ref name=":0" /> For this feat, he was nicknamed ''Hexenjäger'', or "Witch Hunter".
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:right;margin: 1em auto;" |- ! colspan="5" | Chronicle of aerial victories |- !scope="col"| Victory !scope="col" style="width:130px"| Date !scope="col"| Time !scope="col"| Type !scope="col"| Location |- ! colspan="5" | – 4./''Schnellkampfgeschwader'' 210 – |- | 1 | 25/26 July 1941 | {{Center|—}} | SB-2{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=26}} | Russia |- ! colspan="5" | – 10(N)./''Zerstörergeschwader'' 1 – |- | 2 | 25 February 1943 | 09:35 | unknown{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=67}} | |- | 3 | 12 March 1943 | 21:43 | MBR-2{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=71}} | Russia |- | 4 | 12 March 1943 | 21:45 | DB-3{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=71}} | Russia |- | 5 | 26 April 1943 | 22:25 | SB-2{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=76}} | Russia |- | 6 | 26 April 1943 | 22:30 | Yak-4{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=76}} | Russia |- | 7 | 15 May 1943 | 11:34 | PS-84{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=81}} | Russia |- | 8 | 15 May 1943 | 21:41 | PS-84{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=81}} | Russia |- | 9 | 15 May 1943 | 22:05 | SB-2{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=81}} | Russia |- | 10 | 15 May 1943 | 22:54 | PS-84{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=81}} | Russia |- | 11 | 16 June 1943 | 21:00 | Boston{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=86}} | Russia |- | 12 | 16 June 1943 | 21:20 | Boston{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=86}} | Russia |- ! colspan="5" | – 10./''Nachtjagdgeschwader'' 200 – |- | 13 | 27 July 1943 | 21:20 | R-5{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=98}} | Russia |- |14 |31 July 1943 |Night |Po-2<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Нас называли ночными ведьмами : так воевал женский 46-й гвардейский полк ночных бомбардировщиков|last=Rakobolskaya|first=Irina|last2=Kravtsova|first2=Natalya|publisher=University of Moscow Press|year=2005|isbn=5211050088|location=Moscow|pages=336|oclc=68044852}}</ref> |Russia |- |15 |31 July 1943 |Night |Po-2<ref name=":0" /> |Russia |- |16 |31 July 1943 |Night |Po-2<ref name=":0" /> |Russia |- |17 |31 July 1943 |Night |Po-2<ref name=":0" /> |Russia |- ! colspan="5" | – 5./''Nachtjagdgeschwader'' 200 – |- | 18 | 17 September 1943 | 14:00 | Boston{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=114}} | Russia |- | 19 | 17 September 1943 | 14:01 | Boston{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=114}} | Russia |- | 20 | 17 September 1943 | 14:04 | MiG-1{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=114}} | Russia |- | 21 | 18 September 1943 | 10:05 | LaGG{{sfn|Foreman|Mathews|Parry|2004|p=114}} | Russia |}
==Awards== * Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class * Honour Goblet of the ''Luftwaffe'' (''Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe'') on 1 June 1942 as ''Unteroffizier'' and pilot{{sfn|Patzwall|2008|p=121}} * German Cross in Gold on 2 December 1942 as ''Feldwebel'' in the 4./Zerstörergeschwader 1{{sfn|Patzwall|Scherzer|2001|p=240}} * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 31 July 1943 as ''Oberfeldwebel'' and pilot in the 10.(NJ)/Zerstörergeschwader 1{{sfn|Fellgiebel|2000|p=264}}
==References==
===Citations=== {{Reflist|25em}}
===Bibliography=== {{Refbegin}} * {{Cite book |last=Fellgiebel |first=Walther-Peer |author-link=Walther-Peer Fellgiebel |year=2000 |orig-year=1986 |title=Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile |trans-title=The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches |language=de |location=Friedberg, Germany |publisher=Podzun-Pallas |isbn=978-3-7909-0284-6 }} * {{Cite book |last1=Foreman |first1=John |last2=Mathews |first2=Johannes |last3=Parry |first3=Simon |year=2004 |title=Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939–1945 |language=en |location=Walton on Thames |publisher=Red Kite |isbn=978-0-9538061-4-0 }} * {{Cite book |last=Obermaier |first=Ernst |year=1989 |title=Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 |trans-title=The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945 |language=de |location=Mainz, Germany |publisher=Verlag Dieter Hoffmann |isbn=978-3-87341-065-7 }} * {{Cite book |last1=Patzwall |first1=Klaus D. |last2=Scherzer |first2=Veit |year=2001 |title=Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II |trans-title=The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2 |language=de |location=Norderstedt, Germany |publisher=Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall |isbn=978-3-931533-45-8 }} * {{Cite book |last1=Patzwall |first1=Klaus D. |year=2008 |title=Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg |trans-title=The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War |language=de |location=Norderstedt, Germany |publisher=Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall |isbn=978-3-931533-08-3 }} * {{Cite book |last=Scherzer |first=Veit |year=2007 |title=Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives |trans-title=The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives |language=de |location=Jena, Germany |publisher=Scherzers Militaer-Verlag |isbn=978-3-938845-17-2 }}
{{Refend}}
{{Top German World War II night fighter aces}} {{Subject bar | portal1=Aviation | portal2=Biography }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kociok, Josef}} Category:1918 births Category:1943 deaths Category:People from Opole County, Opole Voivodeship Category:Military personnel from the Province of Silesia Category:Luftwaffe personnel killed in World War II Category:German World War II flying aces Category:Luftwaffe pilots Category:Recipients of the Gold German Cross Category:Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross