Hans Schleef

Hans Schleef (19 July 1920 – 31 December 1944) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. He is one of the two pilots that most probably shot down the famous Soviet female fighter pilot, Lydia Litvyak.

During the war
Schleef was born in Groß Börnecke, today part of Hecklingen, in the Province of Saxony, a province of the Free State of Prussia. In late 1940, Unteroffizier Schleef was posted to 7./JG 3 (7th staffel of Jagdgeschwader 3) then flying over the Channel front. He claimed his first victory on 5 February 1941, when he shot down a Hurricane over St Omer. His second claim was on 31 May, a Bristol Blenheim. Transferring with the unit to the Eastern Front, Schleef claimed 14 victories in July and on 4 August, he then claimed three Russian I-16 'Ratas' downed.

From November, over the winter, III./JG 3 was rotated from the front for recuperation, and including a short stint in Italy in January before returning to the Eastern Front in February. Quickly re-acclimatising to the Russian conditions, Hans scored 13 victories in March 1942 and two more unconfirmed.

On 7 April Schleef was shot down in combat and managed to bale out safely behind enemy lines. He evaded capture, and returned to his unit four days later. Feldwebel Schleef was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 9 May 1942 for 41 victories. He was then transferred to Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost as an instructor in May 1942.

Now commissioned, Leutnant Schleef returned to 7./JG 3 in January 1943, and in April recorded his 60th victory, his 70th following on 2 June. For Operation Zitadelle, the attack on the Kursk salient, III./JG 3 was stationed at Bessonovka supporting the southern flank. On 5 July, the opening day, he shot down a Lavochkin La-5 at 6:30am in the morning, but was forced to make a crash-landing in the German lines. However, he got back to his unit and later that same day he shot down another three enemy aircraft. The next day, Schleef claimed his 80th and 81st victories. But within a week, his unit was transferred and fighting defensive battles in the Ukraine. He achieved his 90th on 30 July. Two days later, on August the 1st, he claimed his final victory on the Mius Front - a LaGG-3 that was, most probably, the Yak-1 flown by Soviet female ace, Lydia Litvyak. A few days after that, in early August 1943, 7./JG 3 was transferred to Germany to fly anti-bomber sorties in the Defense of the Reich. Hans Schleef arrived in Germany with 93 victories to his name.

He shot down his first B-17 bomber on 12 August, though he himself was shot down on 17 August (Bf 109G-6 "White 4" Werknummer 20444—factory number). On 15 October 1943, Oberleutnant Schleef was appointed Staffelkapitän of 3./JG 3. On 23 March, Schleef inadvertently taxied his Bf 109G-5 "Yellow 4" (Werknummer 110215) into the slipstream of an Heinkel He 177 just as it was taking off, which flipped Schleef’s aircraft over; Schleef was rescued with only minor injuries.

On 21 July 1944 Schleef was transferred as Staffelkapitän of 8./JG 5 in August, which was redesignated as 16./JG 4 in October 1944. Schleef was killed in aerial combat with Royal Air Force Spitfires near Bad Durkheim in his Bf 109 G-10 "Blue 4" (Werknummer 490758) on 31 December 1944.

Hans Schleef was credited with 99 victories (and at least 2 more unconfirmed) in over 500 missions. He recorded 91 victories over the Eastern front, including 15 Il-2 Sturmoviks. Of his eight victories recorded over the Western front, 2 were four-engine bombers.

Awards

 * Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (23 September 1941)
 * German Cross in Gold (4 May 1942)
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 May 1942 as Feldwebel and pilot in the 7./Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet"