Walter_Zellot

Walter Zellot

Walter Zellot

German World War II fighter pilot

Walter Zellot (6 October 1920 – 10 September 1942) was a World War II fighter pilot from Nazi Germany. Zellot is credited with shooting down 86 Allied aircraft in 296 combat missions. Among these 83 were achieved over the Eastern Front.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Career

Zellot was born on 6 October 1920in Spittal an der Drau in Carinthia of the Republic of Austria.[1] In 1941, Tonne was posted Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53—53rd Fighter Wing) where he was assigned to 1. Staffel (1st Squadron).[2] On 6 June. I. Gruppe moved to Mannheim-Sandhofen Airfield.[3] Following a maintenance overhaul of the aircraft, I. Gruppe moved to an airfield named Krzewicza located near Międzyrzec Podlaski, approximately 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Brest, from 12 to 14 June.[4]

Operation Barbarossa and Malta

On 22 June, the Geschwader crossed into Soviet airspace in support of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, which opened the Eastern Front. I. Gruppe took off on its first mission at 3:40 am, escorting Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers.[5] On the second mission of the day which took off at 9:10 am, again escorting Ju 87 dive bombers, Zellot claimed his first aerial victory when he shot down a Polikarpov I-16 fighter.[6] Supporting the German attack, the Gruppe moved to Pruzhany on 25 June, to Baranavichy on 29 June, to Hostynne the next day, reaching Dubno on 5 July.[7] Here, Zellot claimed his second aerial victory on 6 July.[8]

In December 1941, I. Gruppe was moved to Mediterranean air bases at Gela in Sicily where they fought in the aerial battles of the Siege of Malta.[9]

Eastern Front

In early May 1942, I. Gruppe was transferred back to the Eastern Front. Prior to the relocation, the Gruppe received a full complement of 41 factory new Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 aircraft at Schwäbisch Hall before heading for Prague Ruzyne Airfield on 28 May. The following day, I. Gruppe flew to Kursk. There, the Gruppe supported the German 4th Panzer Army in its advance towards Voronezh during Case Blue, the 1942 strategic summer offensive in southern Russia between 28 June and 24 November 1942.[10]

Squadron leader and death

On 19 August 1942, Zellot was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel of JG 53, replacing Hauptmann Klaus Quaet-Faslem who was transferred.[11] On 23 August, German forces launched the Battle of Stalingrad with the 16th Panzer Division, and elements of the 3rd Motorized Infantry Division and 60th Motorized Infantry Division crossing the Don near Vertyachy. That day, Zellot claimed four aerial victories in support of the German attack.[12]

However, earlier on the same day of his appointment on 19 August 1942, his Bf 109 G-2 (Werknummer 14189—factory number) was shot-up by a Soviet fighter,[13] probably the Yakovlev Yak-1 flown by future ace Boris M. Vasilyev (929 IAP).[14] Zellot was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 3 September 1942 following his 75th aerial victory.[15]

On 10 September 1942, Zellot was killed in action while engaged in a low-level attack on Soviet troops northwest of Stalingrad, shot down by anti-aircraft fire.[11] He bailed out at low altitude, insufficient for his parachute to open, and was killed.[16] According to Prien, Zellot may have been shot down by friendly fire. His Bf 109 G-2 (Werknummer 13487) had its tail blown off and crashed 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Vertyachy. At the time oh his death, he was the most successful fighter pilot of I. Gruppe of JG 53.[17] Zellot was temporarily succeeded by Oberleutnant Friedrich-Karl Müller as commander of 2. Staffel. In parallel, Müller who was officially heading 1. Staffel of JG 53.[18]

Summary of military career

Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Zellot was credited with 85 aerial victories.[19] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 84 aerial victory claims, including 81 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and three on the Western Front.[20]

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 49721". 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 km × 4 km (1.9 mi × 2.5 mi) in size.[21]

More information Chronicle of aerial victories, Claim ...

Awards

Notes

  1. [N 1]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 19:30.[2]
  2. [N 2]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Tupolev SB-3.[2]
  3. [N 3]
    This claim is notlisted by Mathews and Foreman.[22]
  4. [N 4]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 12:50.[27]
  5. [N 5]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed as a Polikarpov I-153.[27]
  6. [N 6]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 08:14.[39]
  7. [N 7]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 10:35.[27]
  8. [N 8]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 08:35.[27]
  9. [N 9]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 09:25.[39]
  10. [N 10]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 12:00.[39]
  11. [N 11]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 13:18.[39]
  12. [N 12]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 13:22.[39]
  13. [N 13]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 14:36 over an Ilyushin Il-2.[39]
  14. [N 14]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 08:43.[39]
  15. [N 15]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 15:20.[39]
  16. [N 16]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 15:24.[39]
  17. [N 17]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 14:46.[39]
  18. [N 18]
    According to Mathews and Foreman claimed at 06:13.[39]

References

Citations

  1. [1]
    Obermaier 1989, p. 228.
  2. [2]
    Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1459.
  3. [3]
    Prien 1997, p. 244.
  4. [4]
    Prien 1997, p. 252.
  5. [5]
    Prien 1997, p. 260.
  6. [6]
    Prien 1997, p. 262.
  7. [7]
    Prien et al. 2003, p. 98.
  8. [8]
    Prien 1997, p. 272.
  9. [9]
    Prien 1997, p. 333.
  10. [10]
    Prien 1998, p. 410.
  11. [11]
    Weal 2007, p. 75.
  12. [12]
    Prien 1998, p. 420.
  13. [13]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 41.
  14. [14]
    Bykov 2008, p. [page needed].
  15. [15]
    Prien 1998, p. 423.
  16. [16]
    Weal 2001, p. 54.
  17. [17]
    Prien 1998, pp. 425, 433.
  18. [18]
    Prien 1998, p. 427.
  19. [19]
    Zabecki 2014, p. 1614.
  20. [20]
    Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1459–1461.
  21. [21]
    Planquadrat.
  22. [22]
    Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1459–1460.
  23. [23]
    Prien et al. 2003, p. 107.
  24. [24]
    Prien et al. 2003, p. 110.
  25. [25]
    Prien et al. 2003, p. 108.
  26. [26]
    Prien et al. 2003, p. 111.
  27. [27]
    Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1460.
  28. [28]
    Prien et al. 2004, p. 66.
  29. [29]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 21.
  30. [30]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 27.
  31. [31]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 23.
  32. [32]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 24.
  33. [33]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 28.
  34. [34]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 25.
  35. [35]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 29.
  36. [36]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 26.
  37. [37]
    Mathews & Foreman 2015, pp. 1460–1461.
  38. [38]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 31.
  39. [39]
    Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 1461.
  40. [40]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 32.
  41. [41]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 30.
  42. [42]
    Prien et al. 2006, p. 33.
  43. [43]
    Dixon 2023, p. 230.
  44. [44]
    Patzwall 2008, p. 223.
  45. [45]
    Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 528.
  46. [46]
    Fellgiebel 2000, p. 456.
  47. [47]
    Scherzer 2007, p. 803.

Bibliography

  • Bergström, Christer [in Swedish]. "Bergström Black Cross/Red Star website". Identifying a Luftwaffe Planquadrat. Archived from the original on 22 December 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  • Bykov, Mijail Yurevich (2008). Асы Великой Отечественной Войны. Самые результативные лётчики 1941-1945 гг. (Asy Velikoy Otechestvennoy Voyny. Samye rezultativnye liotchiki 1941-45 gg) (in Russian). Moscow.: Yauza-EKSMO. ISBN 978-5-699-20526-4.
  • Dixon, Jeremy (2023). Day Fighter Aces of the Luftwaffe: Knight's Cross Holders 1939–1942. Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-52677-864-2.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer [in German] (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [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] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
  • Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 4 S–Z. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-21-9.
  • Mijail Yurevich Bykov (2008). Асы Великой Отечественной Войны. Самые результативные лётчики 1941-1945 гг. (Asy Velikoy Otechestvennoy Voyny. Samye rezultativnye liotchiki 1941-45 gg), Yauza-EKSMO, Moscow.
  • Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3.
  • Prien, Jochen (1997). Jagdgeschwader 53 A History of the "Pik As" Geschwader March 1937 – May 1942. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7643-0175-9.
  • Prien, Jochen (1998). Jagdgeschwader 53 A History of the "Pik As" Geschwader May 1942 – January 1944. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7643-0292-3.
  • Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2003). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/II—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/II—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN 978-3-923457-70-0.
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  • Weal, John (2001). Bf 109 Aces of the Russian Front. Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 37. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-084-1.
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  • Zabecki, David T., ed. (2014). Germany at War: 400 Years of Military History. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. ISBN 978-1-59884-981-3.
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