| Theo Osterkamp | |
| Birth Date: | 15 April 1892 |
| Birth Place: | Düren, Rhine Province, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
| Death Place: | Baden-Baden, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany |
| Birth Name: | Paul Louis Theodor Osterkamp |
| Nickname: | Onkel (Uncle) |
| Branch: | Luftwaffe |
| Serviceyears: | 1914–1944 |
| Rank: | Generalleutnant (major general) |
| Commands: | JG 51 |
| Battles: | |
Theodor "Theo" Osterkamp (15 April 1892 – 2 January 1975) was a German fighter pilot during World War I and World War II. A flying ace, he achieved 32 victories in World War I. In World War II, he led Jagdgeschwader 51 up to the Battle of Britain and claimed a further six victories during World War II, in the process becoming one of only a few men to score victories and become an ace in both world wars.
Osterkamp was born in Rölsdorf near Düren, West Germany, and grew up in Aschersleben, modern day Saxony-Anhalt. He was born in 1892 as the second son of the factory owner Hermann Osterkamp and Anna Wilhelmine née Blank. Osterkamp received his Abitur from the Gymnasium in Dessau. His schoolmates in Dessau included the future pilots Oswald Boelcke and Gotthard Sachsenberg.
When the First World War started he was studying forestry but decided to enlist in the German Army. He was rejected for service due to his "slight build" and he instead enlisted in the Marinefliegerkorps in August 1914. He then flew with the 2. Marine-Fliegerabteilung in Flanders. During 1915–1916, he served as an air observer, and became the first German pilot to fly a land-based aircraft to England on a reconnaissance-mission. Osterkamp claimed his first (but unconfirmed) kill on 6 September 1916 as an observer to pilot Leutnant zur See Wilhelm Mattheus in a LVG C.II two-seater aircraft. In March 1917, he joined the Kampffliegerschule (Combat pilot school) in Putzig and then joined Marine Feld Jagdstaffel 1 on the 14th of April 1917 On 21 March 1917, Leutnant Osterkamp took command of Marine Feld Jagdstaffel 2 He scored a total of 32 victories during the war, and was awarded the Prussian military order Pour le Mérite on 2 September 1918, and was one of the last individuals to receive it.
Osterkamp joined the new Luftwaffe on 1 August 1933 with the rank of Hauptmann. He also participated in the second, third and fourth FAI International Tourist Plane Contest Challenge 1930 (11th place), Challenge 1932 (12th place) and Challenge 1934 (5th place). On 1 April 1935, Osterkamp was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 4. Staffel (4th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 132 "Richthofen" (JG 132—132nd Fighter Wing), the first commander of this newly created Staffel. On 15 March 1936, Osterkamp transferred command of 4. Staffel to Hauptmann Clemens Graf von Schönborn-Wiesentheid. Osterkamp was then appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 134 "Horst Wessel" (JG 134—134th Fighter Wing). He held this position until November 1937 when he was transferred to the Jagdfliegerschule Werneuchen, later (JFS 1).
World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. On 19 September, Oberst Osterkamp was appointed Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). During the Battle of France, he claimed four victories. During the Kanalkampf period of the Battle of Britain in July 1940, he claimed a further two victories, (a Bristol Blenheim on 1 June and a Spitfire on 13 July 1940) bringing his total to six. He was replaced as commander of JG 51 by Werner Mölders on 23 July with the latter formally taking command on the 27 July. Promoted to Generalmajor, Osterkamp was awarded his Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 22 August 1940. Following his replacement in JG 51, Osterkamp was appointed Jagdfliegerführer 2, the commander of fighter aircraft in Luftflotte 2.[1]
On 1 August 1942, he was transferred to Luftgaustab z.b.V. Afrika. On 5 April 1943, he was appointed Jagdfliegerführer Sizilien and served until replaced on 15 June by Adolf Galland. He then served in a number of staff positions until being appointed Inspekteur der Luftwaffen-Bodenorganisation (Inspector of Luftwaffe ground organisation) in 1944. His criticism of the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (Luftwaffe High Command) led to his dismissal from service in December 1944.
In 1960, he was appointed honorary chairman of the Gemeinschaft der Jagdflieger, the Association of Fighter Pilots.[2]
Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 31 aerial victory claims, plus six further unconfirmed claims during World War I and three further unconfirmed claims during World War II. This number includes 29 claims during the World War I and two on the Western Front of World War II.
| Chronicle of aerial victories | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location | Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location |
| World War I | |||||||||
| – Marine Feld Jagdstaffel 1 – April – September 1917 | |||||||||
| 1 | 30 April 1917 | Nieuport | Oostkerke | 4 | 11 July 1917 | 21:45 | Sopwith 1½ Strutter | north of Veurne | |
| 2 | 12 May 1917 | Sopwith Triplane | Ostend | 5 | 12 July 1917 | 21:00 | Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 | Zandvoorde | |
| 3 | 5 June 1917 | Sopwith Camel | Nieuwpoort | 6 | 24 September 1917 | SPAD S.VII | west of Westrozebeke | ||
| – Marine Feld Jagdstaffel 2 – March – September 1918 | |||||||||
| 7 | 16 March 1918 | 15:55 | Sopwith Camel | 3km (02miles) south of Pervijze | 20 | 12 August 1918 | 20:50 | Sopwith Camel[3] | Ramskapelle |
| 8 | 26 March 1918 | Sopwith Camel | Avekapelle | 12 August 1918 | 20:50 | Sopwith Camel | Diksmuide | ||
| 9 | 23 April 1918 | Sopwith Camel | north of Ostend | 12 August 1918 | 21:00 | Martinsyde G.100 | north of Oostkerke | ||
| 10 | 25 April 1918 | SPAD S.VII | Pervijze | 15 August 1918 | Martinsyde G.100 | Ostend | |||
| 11 | 11 May 1918 | 17:02 | Sopwith Camel[4] | over sear near Bredene | 21 | 16 August 1918 | Airco DH.9[5] | Blankenberge | |
| 5 June 1918 | SPAD S.VII | Pervijze | 22 | 21 August 1918 | 14:00 | Airco DH.9 | over sea near Bredene[6] |-| 12| 7 June 1918| 13:10| Sopwith Camel| Ramskapelle| style="border-left: 3px solid grey;" | 23| 23 August 1918| 12:10| Sopwith Camel| Pervijze|-| 13| 12 June 1918| 11:50| Airco DH.4| southwest of Pervijze| style="border-left: 3px solid grey; background:#e3d9ff;" | | 30 August 1918| 14:40| Airco DH.9| Ostend|-| style="background:#e3d9ff;" | | 12 June 1918| | Sopwith Camel| De Panne| style="border-left: 3px solid grey;" | 24| 16 September 1918| | Sopwith Camel| Koksijde|-| 14| 27 June 1918| | Sopwith Camel| over sea near Wenduine| style="border-left: 3px solid grey;" | 25| 16 September 1918| | Sopwith Camel| Koksijde|-| 15| 28 June 1918| 20:55| Sopwith Camel| southwest of Lake Blankaat| style="border-left: 3px solid grey;" | 26| 20 September 1918| | Sopwith Camel[7] | Praatbos|-| 16| 29 June 1918| | Bristol F.2 Fighter| southeast of Pervijze| style="border-left: 3px solid grey;" | 27| 28 September 1918| 12:30| Sopwith Camel| Woumen|-| 17| 20 July 1918| 10:25| Sopwith Camel[8] | east of Nieuport| style="border-left: 3px solid grey;" | 28| 28 September 1918| 18:10| Bréguet 14| Pierkenshoek|-| 18| 25 July 1918| 20:53| Sopwith Camel| south of Nieuwpoort| style="border-left: 3px solid grey;" | 29| 29 September 1918| | Bréguet 14| west of Zarren|-| 19| 29 July 1918| | Airco DH.4[9] | south of Oudekapelle| style="border-left: 3px solid grey;" ||||||-! colspan="10" | World War II|-|-! colspan="10" | – Stab of Jagdgeschwader 51 – Battle of France — 10 May – 25 June 1940|-| 1| 12 May 1940| | Fokker G.I| Soesterberg| style="border-left: 3px solid grey; background:#e3d9ff;" | | 31 May 1940| | Hawker Hurricane| Dunkirk|-| style="background:#e3d9ff;" | | 22 May 1940| | Hawker Hurricane| Roubaix| style="border-left: 3px solid grey; background:#e3d9ff;" | | 1 June 1940| | style="background:#faecc8" | Bristol Blenheim?| Dunkirk|-! colspan="10" | – Stab of Jagdgeschwader 51 – At the Channel and over England — 26 June – 23 July 1940|-| 2| 13 July 1940| | Supermarine Spitfire| Dover| style="border-left: 3px solid grey;" ||||||} Awards and decorations
Publications
ReferencesBibliography
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