Fritz Losigkeit

Fritz Losigkeit (17 November 1913 – 14 January 1994) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during the Spanish Civil War and wing commander during World War II. As a fighter ace, he is credited with 68 aerial victories in approximately 750 combat missions. This figure includes 13 aerial victories over the Western Allies, the remaining victories were claimed over the Eastern Front.

In June 1943, he was given command of III. Gruppe, Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) which was fighting on the Eastern Front. In April 1944, Losigkeit was appointed Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of JG 51. A year later, he was appointed the last Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing) and received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Losigkeit was born on 17 November 1913 in Berlin-Tegel and joined the Prussian State Police (preußischen Landespolizei) in 1934. A year later, he transferred to the Reichswehr as a Fahnenjunker (officer candidate) and was eventually selected for flight training. After graduation, he was assigned to Jagdgeschwader 132 "Richthofen" (JG 132—132nd Fighter Wing) on 1 October 1936. In late January 1938, Losigkeit was invited to an international winter sports event in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The event was hosted by the Reichssportführer Hans von Tschammer und Osten and bobsledder Werner Zahn who was also a pilot. Other Luftwaffe officers attending this event included Günther Lützow, Walter Oesau, Karl-Heinz Greisert, Günter Schultze-Blank and Urban Schlaffer.

During the Spanish Civil War, Losigkeit volunteered for service in the Condor Legion. On 25 March 1938, he was assigned to 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of Jagdgruppe 88, at the time headed by Oberleutnant Horst Lehrmann and based at Zaragoza Airfield. On 31 May 1938, during the second mission of the day, Oberleutnant Werner Mölders led a Schwarm on a ground attack mission. Attacking a truck, Losigkeit was shot down by 20 mm anti-aircraft guns and taken prisoner of war. He spent eight months in captivity in Valencia and Barcelona before returning to Germany in February 1939. For his actions in Spain, he was awarded the Spanish Cross in Silver with Swords (Spanienkreuz in Silber mit Schwertern) on 14 April 1939. Lossigkeit was assigned to 2. Staffel, a squadron of I. Gruppe (1st Group), of Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) on 1 April. At the time, 2. Staffel was commanded by Hauptmann Walter Kienitz while I. Gruppe was headed by Major Gotthard Handrick.

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. On 23 September 1939, Losigkeit was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel of JG 26, replacing Kienitz who was transferred. He claimed his first victory on 28 May 1940 during the Battle of Dunkirk, as part of the Battle of France, over a Royal Air Force (RAF) Supermarine Spitfire between Dover and Ostend. On 1 June, the fighting over the beachhead at Dunkirk continued. In combat with RAF fighters from No. 19 Squadron, No. 222 Squadron and No. 616 Squadron, Losigkeit shot down a Spitfire near Dunkirk, his last during the Battle of France. The Armistice of 22 June 1940 ended the Battle of France and JG 26 began its relocation back to Germany for a period of rest and replenishment. Two days later, Handrick was appointed Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of JG 26 while command of I. Gruppe was handed to Hauptmann Kurt Fischer. On 26 June, the Gruppe arrived at Bönninghardt.

As the air war turned to England, I. Gruppe was moved to France again on 15 July and subordinated to Luftflotte 2 (Air Fleet 2). Losigkeit claimed his first aerial victory during the Battle of Britain on 28 August. On a bomber escort mission, he shot down a Hawker Hurricane from No. 79 Squadron north of Folkestone. Two days later, on a mission attacking 11 Group airfields, he claimed a Spitfire shot down southeast of Littlestone. On 15 September, on a mission to London, Losigkeit claimed his fifth aerial victory of the war and last during the Battle of Britain. Southeast of London, he claimed a No. 92 Squadron Spitfire destroyed.

On 17 June 1941, Losigkeit was replaced by Oberleutnant Martin Rysavy as Staffelkapitän of 2. Staffel of JG 26. Losigkeit had been transferred to take a position with the staff of the military attaché in Japan. Until January 1942 he advised on German air combat tactics with Imperial Japanese Army Air Service pilots flying the Nakajima Ki-44 against several examples of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter shipped to Japan for evaluation. Wanting to rejoin the European war, he made the 23,300 nautical miles (26,800 miles) voyage back to Germany via the German blockade runner MSS Elsa Essberger. In January 1942, Elsa Essberger and the escorting German submarine U-373 came under attack by British aircraft flying from Gibraltar, forcing Elsa Essberger to make for repairs at Ferrol in Spain.

Following his return from Japan, Losigkeit joined the staff with the General der Jagdflieger (Inspector of Fighters), an office held by Oberst Adolf Galland. Fearing a British invasion of Norway, Adolf Hitler had ordered the Oberkommando der Marine (OKM—German Navy high command) to return the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen from Brest in Brittany to German bases. The Kriegsmarine transferred the ships on 11–13 February 1942 in Operation Cerberus, also known as the Channel Dash. Further Kriegsmarine vessels were ordered to Norway to combat the convoys heading to the Soviet Union. To protect these naval units from aerial attacks, Galland instructed Losigkeit with the creation of a fighter unit on 14 February. This unit, dubbed Jagdgruppe Losigkeit (Fighter Group Losigkeit), was made up of three Staffeln. 1. Staffel was created from 8. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1–1st Fighter Wing) and commanded by Hauptmann Rolf Strössner. 2. Staffel was based on 2. Staffel of JG 1 and led by Hauptmann Werner Dolenga. The Einsatzstaffel of Jagdfliegerschule 1 under Oberleutnant Friedrich Eberle formed 3. Staffel of Jagdgruppe Losigkeit. Losigkeit chose Leutnant Heinz Knoke from 2. Staffel of JG 1 as his adjutant.