Herbert Kaminski

Herbert Kaminski

Born	(1909-05-24)24 May 1909 Wujaken, East Prussia
Died	16 July 1971(1971-07-16) (aged 62) Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1935–1945
Rank	Major
Unit	ZG 26 JG 53 ZG 76
Commands held	I./ZG 26 I./JG 53 II./ZG 76
Battles/wars	Spanish Civil War World War II Battle of France Battle of Britain Invasion of Yugoslavia Battle of Greece Battle of Crete Operation Barbarossa Siege of Malta Defence of the Reich
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Herbert Kaminski (24 May 1909 – 16 July 1971) was a German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Career

Kaminski was born 24 May 1905 in Ohmswalde (Polish: Wujaki). In 1935 he joined the police force before transferring to the Luftwaffe. Kaminski served during the Spanish Civil War in 1937 and 1938. Returning to Germany, he retrained as a fighter pilot, and was posted as Staffelkapitän, to 2./ Zerstörergeschwader 26.

He claimed his first victory during the French campaign; he flew extensively during the Battle of Britain, claiming two more fighters. On 18 August his Messerschmitt Bf 110 was crippled during combat with Hawker Hurricanes, and he was forced to ditch the aircraft in the Channel. He and his Bordfunker (radio operator) were rescued by a German minesweeper.

Kaminski led 2./ZG 76 in the 1941 Balkans campaign. He was again shot down over Serbia and was captured and imprisoned for 11 days before being freed by advancing German forces. Over Crete, he claimed a Gloster Gladiator. On 22 May 1941 Hauptmann Kaminski was appointed Gruppenkommandeur, I./ZG 26, and led the unit during the invasion of Russia. The Gruppe claimed 51 Soviet aircraft destroyed on the ground, and 11 aircraft in aerial combat. Kaminski was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 August 1941 for five victories.

Kaminski (front row 2nd left) during Werner Mölders funeral on the Invalids' Cemetery, 28 November 1941.

Kaminski briefly served with the staff of the General der Jagdflieger and in November 1941 he was appointed Gruppenkommandeur I./Jagdgeschwader 53 based in Sicily. He shot down a Hurricane over Malta on 20 December.

In May 1942 I./JG 53 was posted to the Eastern Front. Kaminski claimed a LaGG-3 fighter on 28 June. In July, Kaminski forced landed his Bf 109 G-2, resulting in crash injuries that hospitalised him for some time. On his recovery, Kaminski was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./ZG 76 in October 1943 and led the Gruppe on Reichsverteidigung (defense of the Reich) operations until August 1944, claiming a B-17 bomber shot down during this time. In December 1944 Kaminski was appointed Kommandeur of Flugzeugführerschule A/B 41 near Frankfurt, until the end of the war.

Kaminski was credited with seven aerial victories in over 300 missions. He was killed on 16 July 1971 in an automobile accident in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Awards

Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (8 June 1940) & 1st Class (28 August 1940)
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 6 August 1941 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Zerstörergeschwader 26 "Horst Wessel"^[1]

References

Citations

↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 205.

Bibliography

Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (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.
Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.

Military offices
Preceded by Hauptmann Wilhelm Makrocki	Commander of I./Zerstörergeschwader 26 May 1941 – August 1941	Succeeded by Hauptmann Wilhelm Spies
Preceded by Hauptmann Ignaz Prestele	Commander of I./Jagdgeschwader 53 1 November 1941 – August 1942	Succeeded by Hauptmann Walter Spies
Preceded by Hauptmann Max Oskar Gehring	Commander of II./Zerstörergeschwader 76 5 October 1943 – 9 August 1944	Succeeded by Unknown

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipients of Zerstörergeschwader 26

Georg Christl Rudi Dassow Helmut Haugk Joachim-Friedrich Huth Herbert Kaminski Johannes Kiel Eduard Meyer Ralph von Rettberg Theodor Rossiwall Johann Schalk Wilhelm Spies (Oak Leaves) Werner Thierfelder Eduard Tratt¹ (Oak Leaves)

¹ Knight's Cross with Zerstörergeschwader 1

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