Heinz Knoke was a World War II Luftwaffe flying ace.
26 Facts About Heinz Knoke
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Heinz Knoke is credited with 33 confirmed aerial victories, all claimed over the Western theatre of operations, and claimed a further 19 unconfirmed kills in over 2,000 flights.
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Heinz Knoke's total included 19 heavy bombers of the United States Army Air Forces.
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On 6 July 1938, whilst watching an air display, Heinz Knoke made his first flight, a fifteen-minute joy ride in an old transport aircraft and took the preliminary examination for entry into the Luftwaffe.
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On 15 November 1939, Heinz Knoke underwent flight training at No 11 Flying Training Regiment Schonwald, near Berlin and in August 1940 attended Jagdfliegerschule 1 under instructor Flight Sergeant Kuhl, an experienced operational pilot who had already seen action in both the invasions of Poland and France.
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In early 1941 Heinz Knoke received his first combat posting, joining Jagdgeschwader 52.
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On 28 August 1941 Heinz Knoke married Elisabeth "Lilo" Makowski in Schieratz.
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On 14 February 1942 Heinz Knoke was detached to Jagdgruppe Losigkeit, where he was charged with the air protection of these ships over the Norway coast.
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In October 1942 Heinz Knoke became Commanding officer of 2nd Staffel, JG 1.
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Heinz Knoke thus became the first of very few fighter pilots in aviation history to destroy an enemy aircraft with a bomb.
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Heinz Knoke belly landed near Bonn, his Bf 109G-6 was written off.
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On 27 September 1943, Heinz Knoke shot down a B-17, Elusive Elcy, of the 94th Bomb Group using Werfer-Granate 21 unguided rockets launched from modified mortar tubes.
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Heinz Knoke was then shot down by other P-47s and had to bail out.
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Heinz Knoke was rescued two hours later by a lifeboat.
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From 15 to 20 April 1944, Heinz Knoke was attached to the Experimental Station at Lechfeld in Bavaria, where he flew the Messerschmitt Me 262A jet fighter for the first time.
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Heinz Knoke was promoted to the rank of Hauptmann, on 28 April 1944, for "bravery in the face of the enemy", and made Gruppenkommandeur of II.
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At 23 years of age Heinz Knoke was, at the time, the youngest Gruppenkommandeur in the Luftwaffe.
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Heinz Knoke was shot down on 29 April in action against the P-47 of Captain James Cannon of the 354th Fighter Group and was hospitalised until August 1944 with severe concussion and related injuries.
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Heinz Knoke claimed to have had some friendly interactions with Cannon before both were picked up by German forces.
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Still recovering from his wounds, Heinz Knoke was then transferred on 13 August 1944 to command III.
21.
In March 1945, while still on crutches, Heinz Knoke became the officer commanding at Jever air base.
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Heinz Knoke oversaw the work on defensive fortifications around Wilhelmshaven.
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Heinz Knoke was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 April 1945.
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In 1951 Heinz Knoke was elected to the legislature of Lower Saxony as a member of the Socialist Reich Party.
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Heinz Knoke retired in October 1972 and in the mid-1980s joined Osnabruck University to study literature and philosophy.
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Heinz Knoke's memoirs show his initial enthusiasm for the war, becoming grimmer and more demoralized at the beginning of 1944.