Dietrich Hrabak

Dietrich "Dieter" Hrabak (born 19 December 1914 in Groß-Deuben, now a part of Böhlen, Saxony, died 15 September 1995 in Pfaffenhofen) was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1935 until the end of World War II on 8 May 1945 and again in the Bundeswehr from 1955 until his retirement on 30 September 1970. A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. During World War II he shot down 125 enemy aircraft achieved in over 1000 combat missions. 109 of his victories were claimed over the Eastern front, with 16 against the Western Allies.

Military career
Hrabak showed an interest in aviation from an early age, but joined the German navy in 1934. Two years later he transferred to the Luftwaffe, and qualified as a pilot. In 1938 Hrabak was posted to the Vienna Jagdgruppe, I./JG 138. This unit was later redesignated I./JG 76 during the Polish Campaign, before becoming II./JG 54 in April 1940.

During the Polish Campaign, Hrabak was shot down (the first of 11 times) on his first mission, making a belly landing. On 13 May 1940, he claimed his first victory, a French Potez 63 and he claimed five more victories before the armistice. During the Battle of Britain, Hrabak was a member of JG 54, becoming Gruppenkommandeur II./JG 54 on 26 August 1940. During the Battle of Britain he added ten victories against Royal Air Force (RAF) fighters and Field Marshal Hermann Göring personally decorated Hrabak with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes).

Hrabak served in the Balkans campaign and when Operation Barbarosa began in the Soviet Union, he flew on the northern front and over Leningrad. In November 1942, he left JG 54 to become Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52&mdash;52nd Fighter Wing). Under Hrabak JG 52 became the highest scoring Geschwader with over 10,000 victories. In August 1943 he got his 100th victory and in November was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross, the 337th soldier to be thus awarded. He had 118 victories. On 20 September 1944, Hrabak scored the last of his 125 victories.

In October 1944 Hrabak returned to JG 54, serving as its last Geschwaderkommodore until the end of the war. His greatest contribution to the Luftwaffe was not his combat record however but his command, tactical and leadership qualities, which endeared him to the men under his command and sealed his reputation within the Luftwaffe leadership.

After the war, he worked in the automotive and chemical industry until 1953 when Chancellor Konrad Adenauer asked him to help form the new German Air Force. In 1956 he commanded the Advanced Pilot Training Center at Fürstenfeldbruck. In 1962 he took charge of the air defense covering northern Germany and the Netherlands. In 1964 he was named NATO's Chief of Air Defense/Central Europe until becoming special manager for the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter programme. As a major general, he commanded the GAF's tactical command. General Hrabak died peacefully 15 September 1995 in Pfaffenhofen.

Quotes
Dietrich Hrabak was famous for saying: "If you return from a mission with a victory, but without your Rottenflieger [Wingman], you have lost your battle."

Awards

 * Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (28 September 1940)
 * Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for fighter pilots in Gold with pennant
 * German Cross in Gold on 10 July 1944 as Oberstleutnant in JG 52
 * Iron Cross (1939)
 * 2nd class (15 September 1939)
 * 1st class (28 May 1940)
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
 * Knight's Cross on 21 October 1940 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the II./JG 54
 * 337th Oak Leaves on 25 November 1943 as Oberstleutnant and Geschwaderkommodore of JG 52
 * Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 3 September 1944