Oskar Romm

Oskar "Ossi" Romm (18 December 1919 – 1 May 1993) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 92 aerial victories achieved in 283 combat missions, 54 of which were close air support missions. This figure includes 82 aerial victories on the Eastern Front, and further ten victories over the Western Allies, including eight four-engined heavy bombers.

Born in Hejnice, Romm, a half-Jew by the Nuremberg Laws, joined the military service in the Luftwaffe in 1939. Following flight training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) which was fighting in 1942. Flying with this wing, Romm claimed his first aerial victory on 4 December 1942 on the Eastern Front. Following his 76th aerial victory, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 February 1944. He was then transferred to Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) which was fighting in defense of the Reich on the Western Front. Here, he was made Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 12. Staffel (12th squadron) of JG 3 in July 1944. In February 1945, he was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of IV. Gruppe (4th group) of JG 3. He flew his last mission on 24 April when he was wounded in an aircraft crash. Romm died on 1 May 1993 in Waldesch, Germany.

Romm was born on 18 December 1919 in Hejnice, Haindorf in German, within Czechoslovakia. According to Bryan Mark Rigg, Romm was a half-Jew by the Nuremberg Laws who joined the Luftwaffe and served with distinction. He entered the Luftwaffe in October 1939 and following flight and fighter pilot training, In September 1942, Romm was posted to 1. Staffel (1st squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing), a squadron of I. Gruppe (1st group) of JG 51.

World War II in Europe had begun on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland. In June 1941, German forces had launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union. At the time of Romm's posting to JG 51, I. Gruppe was based at Jesau, present-day Juschny, located southeast of Königsberg, for conversion training to the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 radial engine fighter. Following the conversion, the Gruppe was sent to Lyuban on the Eastern Front on 10 September. Here, the Gruppe was subordinated to the Geschwaderstab of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) in the combat area of Army Group North.

On 17 October 1942, I. Gruppe of JG 51 was detached from control of JG 54 began relocation to an airfield at Vyazma, in the combat area of Army Group Centre, where it became fully operational again on 23 October. Here on 22 November, Romm made an emergency landing in his Fw 190 A-3 (Werknummer 0291—factory number) due to engine failure 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) north of Sychyovka. Fighting in the Battle of Velikiye Luki, Romm claimed his first aerial victory on 4 December in support of 9th Army near Rzhev when he shot down an Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft.

On 5 July 1943, German forces launched Operation Citadel, which initiated the Battle of Kursk. The battle began on 5 July 1943 with I. Gruppe of JG 51 supporting the German 9th Army in its northern attack on the Kursk salient. For the first days of the operation, I. Gruppe primary task was to provide fighter escort for the bombers of Kampfgeschwader 4, Kampfgeschwader 51 and Kampfgeschwader 53, as well as for the Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers of Sturzkampfgeschwader 1. That day, Romm claimed two aerial victories, taking his total to ten, an Il-2 ground-attack aircraft and a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 fighter. In the early morning of 8 July, 1. Flieger-Division (1st Air Division) intercepted Soviet radio communication and ordered I. Gruppe of JG 51 to engage a large formation of Il-2 ground-attack aircraft from 299 ShAD (Shturmovaya Aviatsionnyy Diveeziya—Ground Attack Air Division). The Luftwaffe fighters engaged 30 Il-2s, escorted by 15 Soviet fighters, in the area of Fatezh. In this encounter, four Il-2s were shot down, including one by Romm.

In September 1943, Romm was transferred to Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, specialized training unit for new fighter pilots destined for the Eastern Front, as an instructor. During this assignment, he was awarded the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 17 October. He was awarded his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 29 February 1944 when his victory score stood at 76.

By late May 1944, 2. Staffel of JG 51 had been staffed with a full complement of 16 pilots, including Romm. The Staffel was ordered to relocate to the Western Front where it was attached to IV. Sturmgruppe of Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing) as fourth squadron fighting in Defense of the Reich. There, the Staffel was underwent conversion training to the Fw 190 radial engine powered fighter aircraft. At the time, IV. Sturmgruppe was based at Salzwedel and commanded by Hauptmann Wilhelm Moritz.