Global InformationSiegfried Simsch information
Siegfried Simsch | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 September 1913 Posen |
| Died | 8 June 1944 (aged 30) Rennes, France |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service/ |  Luftwaffe |
| Rank | Hauptmann (captain) |
| Unit | JG 52, JG 11 |
| Commands held | 5./JG 52, 10./JG 11, I./JG 11 |
| Battles/wars | See battles World War II
|
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Siegfried Simsch (6 September 1913 – 8 June 1944) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 54 aerial victories, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front, achieved in approximately 400 combat missions.
Born in Posen and half Jewish, Simsch joined the military service in the Luftwaffe. Following flight training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 134 "Horst Wessel" (JG 134—134th Fighter Wing) before World War II. In late 1940, Simsch was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) and fought against the Royal Air Force (RAF). During Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, he claimed his first aerial victory on 22 June 1941. In September 1941, he was made Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 5. Staffel (5th squadron) of JG 52. Simsch was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 1 July 1942. In November of that year, he was severely wounded in a flight accident, grounding him for a year. In November 1943, Simsch was transferred to Jagdgeschwader 11 (JG 11—11th Fighter Wing), a unit fighting in Defense of the Reich. On 1 June 1944, he was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe of JG 11. One week later, and two days after the Normandy landings, Simsch was shot down and killed in action on 8 June 1944 over Rennes, France.