Amazing moments from the past. Interesting historical photos

Heinrich Alexander Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (Heinrich Alexander zu Sayn- Wittgenstein)

Heinrich zu Sayn-Wittgenstein came from an ancient German family. For the first time the name of the Counts von Sayn (von Sayn) is mentioned in documents dated 1079. Their dominions prospered and steadily grew in size, reaching their peak around 1250. They stretched from north to south from Cologne to Koblenz and from west to east from Dill to Moselle. Count Heinrich von Sayn (1202 - 1246), or Count HeinrichIII, took part in the fifth crusade. Inquisitor Konrad von Marburg (Konrad von Marburg) he was accused of heresy, but was able to "purify" himself and was acquitted by Pope Gregory IX. When von Marburg later passed through the lands of Saynow, Heinrich IIIcaptured and killed him.

In the middle XIVcentury Count Salentin von Sayn (Salentin von Saynlisten)) married Crown Countess Adelheid von Wittgenstein (Adelheid von Wittgenstein). The possessions of both families were united, the lands of the Wittgensteins in the area of ​​the Lahn and Eder rivers were added to the lands of the counts von Sayn. And from now on, all their descendants bore the title of Count von Sayn-Wittgenstein (The Wittgenstein family descended from Count Eberhard Sponheim (Ebergard Schponheim), who died in 1044. ).

Von Sayn-Wittgenstein left their mark on the history of Russia. A member of this clan, Count Christian Ludwig Casimir zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (Christian Ludwig Kasimir zu Sayn- Wittgenstein) in 1761 was taken prisoner by Russian troops. He joined the Russian army and eventually reached the rank of lieutenant general. In 1768, his son Ludwig Adolf was born in Kyiv.

At the age of 12, Peter Khristianovich Wittgenstein, and so in Russia they began to call Ludwig Adolf zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, was enlisted as a soldier. At 24, he was already a major. Wittgenstein took part in hostilities against Poland, then transferred to the corps of Count Zubov in the Caucasus and participated in the capture of Derbent. For his bravery, he was advanced to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In 1801, Major General Wittgenstein was appointed commander of the Elizavetgrad Hussar Regiment, at the head of which he received George 3rd degree for the battle of Amshteten in 1805. In 1806 Wittgenstein took part in Turkish war. Then in 1807 he again participated in the war against Napoleon and distinguished himself in the battle of Friedland.

Emperor AlexanderIappointed Lieutenant General Wittgenstein commander of the Life Guards Hussars. At the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812, he was entrusted with the 1st Corps, which, when the armies retreated from Drissa to Smolensk, received an order to cover the path to St. Petersburg. While both main Russian armies were retreating, Wittgenstein inflicted several defeats on MacDonald's and Oudinot's units ( Napoleon in his memoirs spoke of Wittgenstein as "the most capable of all Russian generals." In Russia itself, not everyone was of this opinion, considering Wittgenstein a rather mediocre military leader.). After the capture of Polotsk (October 7), he began to be called the "defender of Petrov Castle." The nobility of the St. Petersburg province gave Wittgenstein an address, and the merchants of St. Petersburg gave him 150,000 rubles. At the same time, a ribbon appeared on the coat of arms of the Wittgensteins with the words “I will not give up my honor to anyone” and the image of the sword of St. George with the same inscription, but in Latin “Honorem meum nemini dabo».

In 1813, when Russian troops entered Prussia, Wittgenstein occupied Berlin and thereby saved it from a French attack. After Kutuzov's death, despite the fact that the three generals were older than Wittgenstein in rank, he was appointed commander in chief. Having accepted the army before the battle of Lutzen, not being sufficiently aware of the state of affairs, embarrassed by the presence of allied monarchs, Wittgenstein, both in this battle and later in the battle of Bautzen, was not at the height of the situation and asked to be relieved of his post as commander in chief. Remaining in the army, he was seriously wounded in the battle on February 15, 1814 at Barsyur-Aube.

In 1818 Wittgenstein was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the 2nd Army and a member state council. Emperor Nicholas Iawarded him the rank of field marshal and at the beginning of the Turkish war in 1828 appointed him commander in chief of Russian troops in European Turkey. Under the leadership of Wittgenstein, the fortresses of Isakcha, Machin and Brailov were taken.

In 1829, Wittgenstein was dismissed from the post of commander in chief and retired from all affairs. In 1834 the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm IIIelevated Wittgenstein to the dignity of the Most Serene Prince, and the adoption of this title was allowed to him by Emperor NicholasI. Peter Khristianovich Wittgenstein (Ludwig Adolf zu Sayn-Wittgenstein) died in 1842. (In Russia, he had two sons. Princes Peter and Evgeny Alexandrovich Wittgenstein are recorded in the 5th part of the genealogical book of the St. Petersburg province. In 1834, Prince Peter Alexandrovich Wittgenstein married Princess Leonilla Ivanovna Baryatinsky. She was born in 1816 and was one of the most beautiful and educated women in St. Petersburg. Princess Wittgenstein was a fan of France and therefore soon moved to Paris. During the revolution of 1848 she moved to Berlin. There she, along with her friend Empress Augusta, tried to fight German Chancellor Bismarck in order to prevent Franco-Prussian War. Widowed at the age of 50, Leonilla von Wittgenstein settled in Switzerland. There she was engaged in charitable work and died in 1918 at the age of 102. Two portraits of her have survived, one of them by Horace Bernet (Horace Vernet), the second - the work of Franz Xavier Winterhalter (Franz Xaver Winterhalter) )

Another member of the von Sayn-Wittgenstein family, Emil Karl, served in Russia (Emil Karl zu Sayn- Wittgenstein). He was born in 1824, in 1845 he accompanied Prince Alexander of Hesse to the Caucasus, and in 1848 he took part in the war against Denmark. Then, under the name of Emil Ludwigovich Wittgenstein, he entered the Russian service. Soon he was appointed adjutant of Prince Vorontsov and until 1852 he participated in hostilities in the Caucasus. In 1862, Wittgenstein was in Warsaw under Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich. In the Russian-Turkish campaign of 1877-78. he was in the retinue of the emperor. Lieutenant General Emilius Ludwigovich Wittgenstein died in 1878.

Heinrich Alexander Ludwig Peter Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, and that was his full name, was born on August 14, 1916. in Copenhagen. He was the second of three boys born to the diplomat Gustav Alexander zu Sayn-Wittgenstein ( Born in 1880, died in 1953. He was the grandson of Prince Peter Alexandrovich Wittgenstein and his wife Leonilla Ivanovna Baryatinsky) and his wife Walpurga, née Baroness von Friesen (Walpurga von Friesen) (Born in 1885, died in 1970.). The older brother of Heinrich was called Ludwig, the younger Alexander ( Ludwig, like Heinrich, died during the war. Alexander died after the war as a result of a car accident.).

In 1919, after the defeat of Kaiser Germany in the 1st World War, his father left diplomatic service and moved to Switzerland with his family. From the age of 6 to 10, Heinrich studied at home, studying with specially hired teachers. However, in the end, the parents realized that they could not cope with Heinrich and his older brother Ludwig. In 1926, their parents sent them to a boarding school in Neubören (Neubeuren) in Upper Bavaria.

Heinrich spent 6 years in Neuberen - until 1932. During these years, his studies were interrupted only twice. Due to health problems, Heinrich spent part of 1927 in the Swiss resort of Davos, and in 1929 he studied for a short time at a private school in Montreux (Montreuax) in France. Heinrich, not distinguished by good health, was the weakest among his comrades, but, thanks to his strong and uncompromising character, he quickly won their respect. His authority among the students became almost limitless, and he even got his own bodyguards.

His mother said: “Heinrich told me: “You know, mammy, I can go up to the big one and give him a cheek. He thinks he can do whatever he wants with me. At that moment, all I have to do is make a sign and others will join me.”

In 1932, Heinrich moved to a gymnasium in Orenburg, from which he graduated on December 17, 1935. Immediately after moving to Freiburg, he joined the Hitler Youth and by 1935 became the head of the 113th group of this organization.

Heinrich tried to participate in all sports competitions. He was especially attracted technical types sports. Heinrich was an excellent cyclist and later became a motorcyclist and racing driver.

Princess Walpurga zu Sayn-Wittgenstein recalled: “He had entire notebooks filled with drawings of various machines. Many of them were of his own design with huge, elegant radiators, and they were always raced. The sound of an airplane during breakfast or during class at school instantly drew him to the window. And absolutely nothing could be done about it. When one day we were at the doctor's office about some childhood illness, the doctor said to me: “The boy must be very difficult. I see it. Let him grow and don't try to stop him. Then everything will be fine. He can't do otherwise." Subsequently, I followed this advice, and what else could I do.

Deciding to get his own motorcycle, Heinrich began to save money that his parents sent him. He never bought himself sweets and walked or cycled almost everywhere. He traveled by train only when it was no longer possible to continue the journey on foot or by bicycle. Heinrich once covered 300 kilometers on a bicycle without spending a single pfennig. When asked where he spent the night, there was a laconic answer: "Somewhere in the forest." "What did you eat?" - "I took a couple of pieces of bread with me."

Eventually, his personal savings grew to such an extent that Heinrich was able to buy a used light motorcycle that did not require a driver's license. During the summer holidays, he traveled on it from Freiburg to northern Germany to the coast of the North Sea. His mother later recalled: “I specifically asked him not to go in the form of the Hitler Youth. Unfortunately, he could not resist the temptation, by then he was already the leader of the 113th group, and a terrible thing happened. Someone fired at him from behind the trees, and the bullet lodged in the suitcases tied behind him. We didn’t hear anything about it then, and only a year and a half later accidentally found out.”

At the same time, Henry's academic achievements were rather modest. For example, in 1928, in one of his letters home, he wrote that his Latin was estimated between two and three, and French for one exercise he received two, and for another one. In Wittgenstein's certificate of graduation from the gymnasium, there was not a single excellent rating, in seven subjects he was rated "good", and in six - "satisfactory".

Heinrich Wittgenstein, like many of his peers, grew up as an ardent and boundless patriot of Germany. He firmly decided to devote himself to a military career, becoming an officer. Knowing how difficult it was then to join the Wehrmacht, and even more so understanding how weak his health was, Heinrich from that moment subordinated his whole life and behavior to the achievement of this goal. He began to train systematically and avoided everything that could somehow affect his well-being. He neither smoked nor drank alcohol and was generally extremely modest in his needs. It is safe to say that he led an ascetic life. Heinrich found it absolutely unbearable when someone was interested in his health. In one of his letters to his mother, he wrote: "I hate it when people around me constantly behave as if I am weak and sick."

In 1936, Heinrich zu Sayn-Wittgenstein began his military career as part of the 17th Bavarian Reiter Regiment stationed in Bamberg (As part of this regiment in 1928-38. Ernst Kupfer served first as a private, and then as a squadron commander (Ernst Kupfer). Dr. jurisprudence Ernst Kupfer in 1938 moved to the Luftwaffe and in four years went from an ordinary pilot to a commander STG2. He became one of the best attack pilots, and on his account there were 636 sorties. 09/09/1943 Kupfer became the first commander of attack aviation. He died on 11/06/1943 when the He-111H-6 he was flying crashed into a mountainside 60 km north of Thessaloniki, Greece. 04/11/1944 Oberst Kupfer was posthumously awarded the Swords to the Knight's Cross (No..62). In addition to him, another well-known German officer began his military career in the 17th Reiter Regiment - Oberst Klaus Schenk Count von Staufenberg (Klaus Schenk von Schtauftenberg), who committed the famous assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler on July 20, 1943 ). He then moved to the Luftwaffe and in October 1937 was sent to a flying school in Braunschweig.

In June 1938, Wittgenstein was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. He was appointed to theSchgr.40. Flying as a gunner on the Non-45 Lieutenant Werner Röll (Werner Roell) (Born on 02/08/1914 in Islay-sur-Noa (Ailly- sur- noye) in France. In April 1934 he joined the navy and in 1935 transferred to the Luftwaffe. In 1937, Lieutenant Röll arrived in I./StG 165, then served inSch. Gr.40. In 1942, he received the rank of Hauptmann and became commander of the headquarters squadron.STG77. 05/25/1943, after 440 sorties, Röll was awarded the Knight's Cross. On December 1, 1943, Major Röll was transferred to Berlin to the Luftwaffe Academy. At the end of the war, he served inJV44 under the command of Lieutenant General Galland. In total, Röll completed 477 sorties, on his account there were several destroyed bridges, as well as one downed aircraft. In 1948-52. Röll worked in German school in Santiago in Chile. In 1953 he returned to Germany and began working as an engineer. As a reservist, Röll underwent retraining and received the rank of Oberst Lieutenant. In 1973, his book about Heinrich zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was published in Germany under the title “Flowers for Prince Wittgenstein” (“Blumen fiir Prinz Wittenstein») ), Wittgenstein took part in the occupation of the Sudetes.

In the winter of 1938-39, Wittgenstein was transferred to bomber aviation and sent to the headquartersKG 254 (Formed 11/01/1938 in Fritzlar (Fritzlar). 05/01/1939 was renamed toKG 54 ) as a navigator. Karl-Theodor Hülshoff (Karl- Theodor Hulshoff) (From 11/01/1941, a certified engineer, Oberst Lieutenant Hulshoff, was commander NJG2, and it was him on 12/31/1943 that Major Wittgenstein replaced him in this post. From 06/01/1944 to 03/25/1945, Hulshoff served as commander NJG 102 ), who was then a maintenance officer KG54, recalled: “I saw how much effort he made over the next few months to qualify as a pilot as soon as possible. I remember how proud he was when he told me that he flew the Ag-66 on his own. At that time, no one could compare with him in the desire to fly.

Hülshoff first met Wittgenstein at a ski instructor course in Kitzbüchel (Kitzbuhel) in February-March 1938. He then spoke about his first impressions of him: “Heinrich was a modest and restrained officer who performed his duties with discipline and good will. At first glance, he seemed a little soft. It seemed to me that he was critical of many things, but due to his character he was reserved, preferring to wait and watch. He never expressed his opinion aloud, and only an ironic smile sometimes appeared on his lips. Due to his quiet nature, he was very popular with his comrades."

As part of KG54 Wittgenstein first participated in the battles in France and in the so-called. battle for England, and then on the Eastern Front. Total as a pilot Ju-88 he made 150 sorties.

However, flying in a bomber could not bring him satisfaction. Hans Ring (Hans Ring), who knew Wittgenstein well, wrote: “He could not reconcile himself with the bomber and always wanted to go into fighter aviation to become a night fighter pilot. In this he saw the realization of his concept of a soldier in its purest form. Be not an attacker, but be a defender!” Princess von Wittgenstein said: "He switched to night fighters because he realized that the bombs he dropped caused suffering to the civilian population." Heinrich himself later confessed to his mother: "The night battle is the most difficult, but it is also the highest point in the art of flight."

In August 1941, Wittgenstein was able to transfer to night fighter aviation. He was sent to the aviation school in Echterdingen (Echterdingen) in the Stuttgart area, training there should have taken a long time, but a case helped him. In the fall, Wittgenstein met with Hülshoff again and asked him to help him quickly get into the fighting squadron.

Hülshoff helped Wittgenstein, and in January 1942 he was sent to 11./NJG2. From the very first days, Wittgenstein began intensive training flights, establishing interaction with ground guidance operators. And if the latter were surprised and amazed by the tireless beginner, then his mechanics, forced to constantly prepareJu-88 to flights were much less enthusiastic.

Wittgenstein won his first victory on the night of May 6-7, 1942, shooting down the English Blenheim.

By mid-September, the commander of 9./NJG2 Lieutenant Wittgenstein already had 12 victories, including the English "Fulmar" ("Fulmar”), shot down by him on July 27.

October 2, 1942 Wittgenstein was awarded the Knight's Cross. By this time, he already had 22 victories on his account, which he won during 40 sorties.

Wittgenstein's main goal was to become the best night fighter pilot. He constantly fought for first place with Lent and Streib. Oberst Falk later recalled him:

“Wittgenstein was a very capable pilot, but he was extremely ambitious and a great individualist. He did not belong to the type of born commanders. He was neither a teacher nor an educator for his subordinates. However, he was outstanding personality and an excellent combat pilot. He had some kind of sixth sense - an intuition that gave him the ability to see where the enemy was. This feeling was his personal radar. In addition, he was an excellent aerial shooter.

Once I was called to Berlin to the Air Ministry. As it turned out later, Wittgenstein went there at the same time as me, because the next day Goering was supposed to present him with the Knight's Cross. Surprisingly, we ended up in the same train, in the same car and in the same compartment.

I was glad to be able to calmly discuss the various problems of using night fighters. Wittgenstein was very nervous and his hands were trembling. At that moment, only one or two victories separated him from Lent and Streib. As I understand it, he was very afraid that while he was sitting on the train and doing nothing, they would be able to break away from him even more in terms of number of victories. This thought haunted him."

Former commander NJG2 Oberst Lieutenant Hülshoff spoke about Wittgenstein: “One night the British attacked all night fighter airfields located in Holland. He took off among the exploding bombs, without lighting, in complete darkness, right across the airfield. An hour later he landed and was beside himself with anger because his guns jammed and for this reason he shot down "only" two aircraft.

Wittgenstein's desire to fly and win new victories was irresistible. Military correspondent Jurgen Clausen (Jurgen Clausen) (He survived Wittgenstein by only one month and died on the night of February 19/20, 1944 during a sortie along with Hauptmann Erhard Peters (Erhard Peters). Peters had 23 wins. ), who made several sorties with Wittgenstein, told the story of how he once, on alarm, took to the air in only one boot. As Wittgenstein was jumping out of his car to board his plane, which was already ready to take off, one of his boots caught on something. Not wanting to linger for a second, he simply pulled his foot out of his boot and, taking his place in the cockpit, immediately took off. Wittgenstein returned only four hours later, and all this time his foot was on the pedal of the rudders in only one silk sock. Considering that the temperature in the cabin Ju-88 was by no means comfortable, because it was not in vain that the crews put on fur overalls, it will become clear that only a man with an iron will who was absolutely in control of himself could withstand such a thing.

In December 1942, Hauptmann Wittgenstein was appointed commander of the newly formedIV./ NJG 5 (Then in Lechfeld and Leipheim (Leipheim) group headquarters were formed, 10. and 11./NJG 5. 12./ NJG5 was formed in April 1943 on the basis of 2./NJG 4 ). Wittgenstein's poor health, despite all his efforts, still no-no and made itself felt. So, in February-March 1943, he was even forced to go to the hospital for a short time.

In April, Wittgenstein arrived at the Instenburg airfield in East Prussia, where 10. and 12./NJG5 (They were transferred there back in January 1943 with the task of stopping the night raids of Soviet bombers. In April 1943, DVA aircraft made 920 sorties, dropping 700 tons of bombs on various targets in East Prussia.). Between April 16 and May 2, 1943, he shot down over East Prussia 4 DB-3 and one V-25. After that, he was recalled to Holland and until June 25 he shot down 5 British bombers, 4 of them during one night.

At the end of June 1943 10. and 12./NJG5, led by Wittgenstein, were transferred to the airfields in Bryansk and Orel, and then in July they took part in the battles in the area of ​​the so-called. Kursk Bulge. On the night of July 24-25, in the area east of Orel, Wittgenstein shot down 7 twin-engine bombers at once. On July 25, a summary of the Wehrmacht High Command reported: “Last night, Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein and his crew successfully shot down 7 Russian aircraft. By now, this is the most big number planes shot down in one night. In total, Wittgenstein won 28 victories in the Kursk region. During this period, he flew twoJu-88 C-6 - " C 9+ AE" and " C 9+ DE". Both aircraft had the same number victories on the keel and the same camouflage ( All Wittgenstein aircraft from October 1942 had the same camouflage pattern. The lower surfaces of the fuselage, planes and engine nacelles were dark gray, almost black, and all upper surfaces were light gray with neutral gray spots.), but had significant design differences (C9+AE was one of the firstJU-88 C-6 equipped with so-called.Schrage Music and radar FuG 212. On " C 9+ DE» a lantern was installed withJu-88 C-4, the armor protection of the cockpit was strengthened, and an additional 20-mm cannon was mounted in the bowMG 151. On " C 9+ DE» Wittgenstein mostly flew in clear, moonlit nights and it was on it that he scored most of his victories in July 1943. ).

During one of his inspection trips to the Eastern Front, Oberst Falk visited Wittgenstein's group. He recalled: “I saw how he shot down 3 Soviet aircraft within 15 minutes, but this was not enough for him. He constantly feared that pilots in the west were achieving more victories than he was here. He was truly envious. It was very difficult for me to work with him as a subordinate because of his incredible ambition.”

On August 1, 1943, in Bryansk, under the command of Hauptmann Wittgenstein, a newI./ NJG100. Its headquarters was created on the basis of the headquartersIV./ NJG 5 (08/09/1943 in Brandize (Brandis) a new 1 was formedV./ NJG5 under the command of Hauptmann Wolfgang von Nibelschütz (Wolfgang von Niebelschutz). Major von Nibelshütz died on 01/02/1944. In total, he had 11 victories. ), 1./ NJG 100 - based on 10./ NJG 5, 3./ NJG100 - based on 10. and 12./ZG1. However, already on August 15, Wittgenstein was appointed commander II./ NJG 3 (Instead, the commander I./ NJG100 commander was appointedI 1./ NJG5 Hauptmann Rudolf Schönert ) instead of Major Günter Radush, who became commanderNJG 5.

On August 31, 1943, after his 64th victory, Wittgenstein was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross (No..290). Of these 64 victories, 33 he won on the Eastern Front in the Kursk region and in East Prussia.

In December 1943, Major Wittgenstein was transferred to the post of commanderII./ NJG 2 (Instead, the commander II./ NJG3 Hauptmann Paul Zameitat was appointed (Paul Szameitat). 12/14/1943 Zameitat was transferred to the post of commanderI./ NJG3. He died during a sortie on the night of January 1-2, 1944. His JU-88 C-6 was hit by a gunner from the Lancaster, and Zameitat himself was seriously wounded. During an emergency landing in a forest near Buckenburg, the plane crashed. awardedRKposthumously. In total, he had 29 victories, incl. 5 during one night 03/04.12.1943 ) instead of Hauptmann Herbert Sewing (Herbert Sewing) (Was commander of 11./NJG2 from 02/07/1943. Then from 02/07/1944 to 02/27/1945, Major Sewing served as commanderNJG 101 ). Radio operator sergeant major Friedrich Ostheimer (Friedrich Osteimer), who replaced Sergeant Major Herbert Kümmirtz in Wittgenstein's crew (Herbert Kummirtz) (Together with Wittgenstein, he won 43 victories. Kümmirtz was a highly qualified radio operator, even before the war he received special training at the Telefunken firm in Berlin. At the end of the war, as part of 10./NJG11 Kümmirtz flew as a radio operator on a jet fighter Me-262V-1a /U 1 ), recalled:

“A few more weeks and 1943 will be a thing of the past. Prince Wittgenstein, who was the commander of the group, received a new task. We were transferred with our aircraft to the airfield in Rechlin, where it was planned to create an experimental unit of night fighters. Non-commissioned officer Kurt Mathiuleit (Kurt Matzuleit), our flight engineer and gunner and I were taken by surprise. For several hours we were torn away from our circle - in Rechlin we did not know anyone and often sat completely alone. During this time, Wittgenstein traveled frequently to Berlin and spent a lot of time in the Air Ministry, discussing this and that.

Our main job was to keep the plane in constant readiness for takeoff. There were no night fighter units at the airfield at Rechlin, and it often took me hours to collect by telephone all the information in force at that time for radio communications and navigation. We used a railroad sleeping car as our temporary home. During the approximately three weeks we spent in Rechlin, we made several flights to the Berlin area, and I remember two of them in particular.

We had a small room at our disposal in the mission control building. When the news came of an enemy bomber raid, we waited there for an order for a possible sortie. One evening it looked as if Berlin was to be the target of the bombers. Wittgenstein said that we should leave soon. After taking off, we headed in a southeasterly direction towards Berlin.

The distance from Rechlin to Berlin is about a hundred kilometers. The female commentator on the communication frequency of German fighters continuously transmitted information about the location, course and height of enemy bombers. Thus, all our fighters were always accurately guided in the situation in the air. In the meantime, Berlin was finally identified as a target, and the order was transmitted on the frequency of the fighters: "All units to"Bur» ( Zone code name "Konaja» around Berlin ).

We were already flying at the same altitude as the bombers, about 7000m. Continuing to fly in a southeasterly direction, we wanted to wedged into the stream of bombers. My radar was turned on and scanned the airspace around us as far as its range allowed. Soon I saw the first target on the screen and informed the pilot via intercom: "Directly on course, a little higher." We very quickly caught up with the four-engined bomber, as almost always, it was a Lancaster. Wittgenstein gave one burst of "Schrage Music' and he began to fall.

Ahead, beams of searchlights appeared across the night sky. Anti-aircraft fire intensified as the British pathfinders began dropping strings of flare bombs as a guide for the approaching bombers. On the radar, I already saw a new target, the distance to it was rapidly decreasing. From the difference in speed, it was clear that it could only be a bomber. Suddenly, the distance to him began to rapidly decrease, while the target mark went down. I only had enough time to shout: "Down, down, he's flying right at us!" A few moments later, a large shadow swept right over us on a collision course. We felt an oncoming air wave, and the plane, perhaps another Lancaster, disappeared into the darkness of the night behind us. We three sat in our chairs, as if paralyzed. The tension subsided when Matzuleit said aloud:. "That was pretty close!" Once again, luck smiled upon us.

Next target. The approach to it was almost completed. The pilot and gunner were about to see the enemy aircraft when a strong vibration began in the right engine. He began to lose momentum, and in conclusion his propeller stopped altogether. Wittgenstein immediately steered the plane down to maintain speed while balancing the remaining engine with the rudder. While Wittgenstein was busy with our machine, the Lancaster disappeared into the darkness. Perhaps we could have done better that night. However, now with one engine, we had only one goal - to return to Rechlin.

I called the ground guidance center and requested a heading. The left engine was working, and we were slowly losing altitude, but still approaching Rechlin. I also reported to the ground that one engine had stopped and that we had only one attempt to land. Every pilot knows how difficult and dangerous such a landing in the dark is. Wittgenstein decided to make a normal landing and extended the landing gear, although in such cases this was actually prohibited. It was believed that if the landing approach was unsuccessful, a single-engine aircraft would not be able to go around. The car and the life of the crew were at stake.

However, Wittgenstein was our pilot and crew leader, and the final decision was his. Bright flares were fired from the airfield to help us land. When we reached the airfield, we first circled it in a wide arc in order to get on the desired landing course. Wittgenstein was forced to do this, as the plane could only be turned to the left. Turning towards a stalled engine could easily lead to disaster. When approaching the ground, we were guided by the signals of the radio beacon, which then was a pretty good help. The landing was accurate, the plane touched the runway, and the stone fell from our hearts. Kurt and I were naturally grateful to our pilot and felt like we had earned a short respite.

A few days later the engine was replaced and the plane was ready for new flights. Enemy bombers reappeared in the Berlin area, and we took to the air again. The weather was good, only at medium altitudes there was a small layer of fog, but above there was a cloudless sky. I turned on the radio on the frequency of the Reich fighters ( This refers to the fighters that were part of the Reich air fleet.), and we received information about the general situation in the air. Everything pointed to a raid on the capital.

By this point, large areas of Berlin were badly damaged, entire streets turned to sand. An unimaginable spectacle. I once saw a night raid from the ground. I stood in a crowd of other people in an underground metro station, the ground trembled with every explosion of bombs, women and children screamed, clouds of smoke and dust came through the mines. Anyone who did not experience fear and horror should have a heart of stone.

We reached bomber approach height and, like Lancasters, we flew through the barrage of anti-aircraft fire over the city. British "pathfinders", which we called "masters of ceremonies" ("Zeremonienmeister”), have already dropped cascades of lights. Above the city was a picture that can hardly be described. The beams of the searchlights illuminated the layer of fog hanging overhead, and it looked like ground glass lit from below, from which a large aura of light spread further upwards. Now we could see the bombers, almost as if it were day. Unique picture!

Wittgenstein steered our Junker slightly to one side. We could now see those who at other times were sheltered by the darkness of the night. At that moment, we did not know whom to attack first, but we did not have time to make a decision. The luminous track flew past us, and Major Wittgenstein threw the car sharply down. As we swooped down, I could see the Lancaster directly over our heads. The gunner of his upper turret fired at us. Luckily, he didn't aim very well. True, we received a few hits, but the engines kept their speed, and the crew was unharmed.

We slipped into the darkness so as not to lose sight of the Lancaster. For some time we flew parallel to the bomber. The darker it got around, the closer we moved to it. As the light from the searchlights and fires caused by the British raid remained behind us, we slowly but surely approached the four-engined bomber. The Lancaster was now flying over us and did not expect anything dangerous. Perhaps his crew were already relaxed by the thought that they had happily survived the raid and were now on their way home. We, caught up in the excitement of the pursuit, sat tensely in our cabin, staring upward. They never found us!

Wittgenstein failed ourJu-88 even closer to the huge shadow looming over us, and carefully aiming, opened fire with «Schrage Music". 20 mm shells hit the wing between the engines and set fire to the fuel tanks. We immediately turned aside to get away from the burning Lancaster, which flew on the same course for some distance. From our position, we did not see if the crew could jump out, in any case, there was enough time for this. The bomber exploded and, falling apart into several parts, fell to the ground. We headed towards Rechlin and landed there without any problems.”

The experimental part of the night fighters at Rechlin was never formed, and Wittgenstein received a new assignment. January 1, 1944 he was appointed commander of the entireNJG 2 (Instead, the commander II./ NJG2 was appointed commanderI 1 I./ NJG2 Major Paul Semrau (Paul Semrau). In June 1943, Semrau was appointed commander of the newly formed V./ NJG6, which at the end of July was renamed to III./ NJG2. He died on 02/08/1945 when his plane was shot down by Spitfires during the landing approach. In total, Semrau completed about 350 sorties and scored 46 victories. 04/17/1945 Semrau was posthumously awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross (No..841), while becoming the last night fighter pilot to be awarded them. ) instead of Oberst Lieutenant Karl-Theodor Hülshoff.

On the night of January 1-2, 386 British bombers made another raid on Berlin, dropping 1,401 tons of bombs. German night fighters were able to shoot down 28 aircraft (6 over the North Sea and 22 in the Berlin area), i.e. 7.3% off total number participating in the raid. At the same time, Wittgenstein had 6 bombers on his account at once.

The next night, Wittgenstein shot down a Lancaster of 550 Sqdn. RAF. Sergeant Jim Donnan (Jim Donnan), who was a radio operator on board this aircraft, then said:

“We celebrated the new, 1944 year. After a two-day rest, sorties began again. Our crew was on the list for the next flight. We were supposed to fly the LancasterDV 189 T2.

With great tension we were waiting for the start of the briefing before departure. When the curtain that covered the map was removed, we saw that our goal was Berlin. For the third time in recent times we were supposed to fly to the capital of Germany, but this time the flight route passed over the Dutch coast, through an extremely dangerous area where German night fighters were active.

Unfavorable weather delayed our flight for several hours. However, these hours could not bring relief. I recalled the meeting of the New Year, when, 40 minutes before midnight, the command to take off was received. The sky was dark and occupied by clouds, through which we rose to a given height and headed east.

We were met by heavy anti-aircraft fire over the Dutch coast. At the same time, we receive a radio warning about the (possible appearance of night fighters. We are flying over Germany, partially hidden by clouds. The intercepted radio communications of the Germans indicate their great activity that night. The entire crew looks around the sky with tension in order to notice a possible enemy as early as possible. When we reach conditional line Bremen - Hannover, our navigator announces a new course that will lead us to Berlin.

Literally a moment after that, several bursts pass through the floor of the car, and the plane rolls heavily to starboard. I jumped up from my seat and peered out of the astro fairing at the top of the cockpit. Both right engines were on fire. I report what I see on the internal communication. From below, from under the navigator's table, directly behind the pilot, a flame appears, and in a second the fire is already burning with might and main.

The pilot orders to get ready to leave the plane. I grab my parachute and move to the nose of the plane, but the front, emergency hatch is jammed and cannot be opened. The mechanic hits him with the bomb release lever, trying to unlock the lock. The navigator says that the tail gunner reported that he had the same problem with the turret. He then says that the only way to jump out is from the rear hatch.

Through a small opening in the bulkhead, we climb into the tail. On the way, I lose my boot and, turning around, I see that the navigator, standing next to the pilot, is also ready to leave the plane. The tail gunner had mastered his turret and was heading in our direction, the top gunner was also there. At that moment, when the flames from the right wing spread to the fuselage, we managed to open the emergency hatch. I grabbed the parachute ring with my hand and prepared to jump out.

At that moment, I lost consciousness for a moment and do not remember what happened next and how I left the plane. When I woke up, there was a parachute canopy above me, and a frosty wind was blowing over me. It's hard for me to say how long I parachuted down. After passing through the clouds, I landed on some kind of field.

For 24 hours, Donnan hid in a nearby forest, but was eventually taken prisoner. "Lancaster" fell in the Holtrup area (Holtrup), while the bombs on board detonated from hitting the ground. Pilot Officer Bryson (bryson) and navigator Sergeant Thomas (Thomas), who did not have time to leave the plane, died. The rest of the crew, like Donnan, jumped out on parachutes, then were taken prisoner.

On the night of January 20-21, 1944, Major Wittgenstein, having shot down 3 Lancasters, finally surpassed Major Lent in terms of the number of victories and came out on top among night fighter aces. However, this sortie almost ended tragically for him and his crew when they Ju-88 was heavily damaged when it collided with a downed Lancaster.

Wittgenstein's radio operator Friedrich Ostheimer recalled:

“At noon on January 20, Kurt Matzuleit and I went to the parking lot where ourJu-88. We were responsible for the readiness of the aircraft for departure. Kurt's job was to inspect and test both engines. He ran both engines at maximum speed, checked the fuel and oil pressures. Checking the fuel tanks was also part of his job, they had to be filled to the top. My job was to check the navigation and radio equipment, naturally, I had to make sure that the radar station was functioning. It was no longer possible to repair all this equipment in flight, the only thing I could do was to replace the fuses.

By different reasons we were not accommodated with the rest of the crews. As a result, every day I had to worry about the weather forecast for the night and collect the necessary information for navigation and radio communications. The weather forecast for the night of January 20-21 was not very good. Over England was the so-called.Ruckseitenwetter- cold weather sector, which assumed rare cloudiness and good visibility. At the same time, flights over Holland and Germany were severely hampered by the front. bad weather with very low cloud edge and limited visibility. It was perfect weather for the British bombers. For some time now RAFhad a device H 2 S « Rotterdam”, which sent radio waves to the ground, and as a result, the area over which the planes flew was visible on the instrument screen. The Patfinders, flying ahead of the main group of bombers, were able to determine the target for attack on the Rotterdam and then mark it with cascades of lights. The worse the meteorological conditions were for us, the better they were for the enemy.

Three senior non-commissioned officers from the ground personnel, Matiuleit and I, were waiting in a small hut next to the hangar, to the right of the runway. It was raining outside, it was the end of January, and it was correspondingly cold. Inside, it was warm and comfortable. In such circumstances, it was best not to think at all about the possible order to take off. In the hangar was our Ju-88. The tanks were filled with 3500 liters of aviation gasoline, all weapons had a full load of ammunition. The fuselage, wings and rudders were carefully rubbed and polished.

It was still not too late when the huge radar station "wassermann”, located on an island in the North Sea, spotted the first enemy aircraft. Shortly thereafter, an order was received from the command post "Sitzbereitschaft”, i.e. the crews had to take their places in the cockpits and wait for the command to take off. Matiuleit and I immediately went to the plane, the mechanics remained by the phone for some time, but soon joined us. Wittgenstein, our pilot and at the same time commanderNJG2, was usually located at the command post in order to monitor the situation in the air until the last moment. From there he informed us that we should take off soon. We hooked up our starter, which helped start both engines, and the plane was rolled out of the hangar.

As soon as it finally became clear that the first English planes had taken off and were flying over the English coast towards the North Sea, Wittgenstein could no longer remain in his chair. In his car, he raced across the runway, with the help of mechanics, put on a flight suit and quickly climbed the ladder into the plane. His first order was: "Ostheimer, tell us we're taking off immediately!" With our callsignR 4- XMI reported the launch. The ladder was removed and the hatch closed. We taxied to the start, and as soon as the controller gave us the green light, the engines roared to full power. We raced along thin line runway lights and seconds later plunged into the darkness of the night.

Gaining altitude, we headed for Helgoland. Somewhere over the North Sea, we had to cross the approach course of enemy bombers. All around was absolute blackness, and only phosphorescent devices emitted a faint light. Special flame suppressors were installed on the engines so that we could remain as invisible to the enemy as possible. In such a situation, the flight was carried out exclusively by instruments and the only communication with the ground was messages from the command post at Deelen. We continuously received information regarding the position, course and altitude of the enemy. I relayed the data to the pilot via intercom so that he could change course if the situation called for it.

The weather improved over the North Sea. Now there was no more cloud cover. A few stars shone above, and thousands of meters below we could see the surface of the sea. It made me shudder to think about what it takes to survive in such cold water. Fortunately, the flight left little time to contemplate such a grim prospect. In the meantime we had reached an altitude of 7000 meters and in fact we should have been very close to the bombers. I flipped the high voltage switch, turning on the screen. Since we were already high altitude, I could use my equipment to detect targets up to seven kilometers away, but there was still no one around.

Suddenly, the first beams of searchlights appeared in front of us on the right, feeling the sky. We could see flashes of anti-aircraft shells. Now we knew the position of the bomber stream. Major Wittgenstein moved the throttles slightly forward, and we rushed to our goal. The tension intensified, the pulse became more and more frequent. On my search radar, at first uncertainly, but then the first target flickered more clearly. Naturally, I immediately reported to the major about her position and range. A slight course correction - and the target is exactly in front of us at six kilometers.

The tension in the cockpit grew stronger and stronger. Only a thousand meters separated us from the British bomber. We spoke almost in whispers, although, of course, the enemy could not hear us anyway. The British pilots were completely unaware of the danger threatening them. In a few seconds we were below the enemy vehicle. It was the Lancaster, hovering above us like a huge cruciform shadow. Our nerves were stretched to the limit. The flight engineer loaded the guns and turned on the sight on the cockpit roof. Our speed was matched to that of the Lancaster, which was flying 50 to 60 meters above us.

Wittgenstein saw the wing of a bomber in his scope. I also looked up. The pilot very gently turned our machine to the right and, as soon as a wing between the two engines appeared in his sight, he pressed the trigger of the guns. The fiery track stretched to the bomber. A chain of explosions tore apart the fuel tanks, and the bomber's wing was instantly engulfed in violent flames. After the first shock, the British pilot threw the plane to the right, and we had to turn away at high speed to get out of the area of ​​​​fire. A moment later, the bomber, engulfed in flames like a comet, flew in a wide arc towards the ground. A few minutes later, Matzuleit reported that he had crashed, and the time when it happened. One could only hope that the Lancaster did not fall in a populated area.

For several minutes we flew out of the flow of bombers. Here and there we could see burning planes crashing down, so our fighters had some success. Soon, two targets appeared on my radar. We have chosen the closest one. Everything went almost the same as the first time, but because of the enemy's restlessness and constant movement, we had some difficulties. For our own safety, we made the approach to the target at a lower altitude to avoid a sudden hit in the sector of fire of his tail gunner.

Just as during the first attack, the tension in the cockpit increased. Wittgenstein cautiously approached the Lancaster. Immediately after the first burst of "Schrdge Music"The Lancaster caught fire. For another moment, it flew on the same course, but then fell to the side and went down. After some time, Matzuleit again reported on its fall and explosion. Whether any of the British pilots managed to jump out by parachute, we did not see.

Within a short time we saw many more burning cars falling down. It was terrible. But I didn't have time to think, because I already saw the next target on my radar. Wittgenstein got pretty close to the Lancaster. Nenova queue from "Schrdge Music” made a large hole in his wing, from where fire began to whip. This time the English pilot reacted very unusually: he kept the burning plane under control and dived right at us. Our pilot also abandoned ourJu-88 at the peak, but the burning monster was getting closer and closer and was already right above our cockpit. I had only one thought: “We got it!!” A heavy blow shook our plane, Wittgenstein lost control of the machine, and we began to spin, falling into darkness. If we had not been fastened, then of course we would have been thrown out of the cab. We flew about 3000 meters before Wittgenstein was able to regain control of the car and level it out.

As best we could, we looked around in the dark, none of us could tell where we were, except for the rough guess that somewhere between the west and southwest of Berlin. Now I have become the most important person on board. First I tried Morse code on medium waves to make contact with several airfields in the area where we may have been, but received no response. Wittgenstein was already a little angry. In my handbook, I found the wavelength "flugsicherungshaupstelle, Koln» ( Aviation Safety Center in Cologne). I quickly established contact with him and received the required information about our location - Saafeld (Saafeld), about 100 km southwest of Leipzig. Switching the radio to the appropriate frequency, I transmitted a signal SOSand inquired about the nearest airfield open for night landing. The station at Erfurt quickly acknowledged the reception and gave me an approach course to the airfield.

The weather was as bad as it could be. We were told that the lower edge of the clouds at an altitude of 300 meters. It was good enough for landing. Slowly descending, we entered the clouds. From the ground they transmitted: "Airplane over the airfield." We turned in the indicated direction and, after a 225" turn, began to land. Coming out of the clouds, we saw the airfield in front of us with the landing lights on. We were already on the landing course, the landing gear and flaps were extended, the height was decreasing when the plane for no apparent reason, suddenly began to roll to the right. Wittgenstein increased the throttle, and the plane immediately leveled off. Obviously, the right wing was damaged by a falling bomber.

At an altitude of 800 meters, we simulated the landing approach. As soon as the speed decreased, the aircraft began to roll to the right wing. Naturally, in the dark, we couldn't see how bad the damage was. In such a situation, there were only two options: either jump out with parachutes, or try to land at a higher speed than usual. We settled on the second option, which was very risky, and I radioed the decision to the ground. We made a few more laps to give the firemen and paramedics time to get into position, and then we went in for landing.

I found the cockpit canopy reset lever and grabbed it with both hands. As the lights on the edge of the airfield flickered below us, I pulled the lever toward me. The air current tore off the roof of the cabin in one moment, like an explosion. A moment later, a strong blow. This plane skidded off the runway onto the grass. After another or two hard jolts, the plane came to a stop, and I undid my seatbelt and parachute buckles with relief. Having got out on the wing, I jumped down and rushed to the grass because the car could explode at any moment. Fire trucks and ambulances rushed in, blaring their horns, but luckily nothing happened.

With the help of a searchlight, we were finally able to inspect the damage. In a collision with the Lancaster, we lost two meters of the right wing and one of the four blades of the right propeller, in addition, the Englishman left us a large hole in the fuselage behind the cockpit about a meter. We had to thank our lucky star for surviving this collision!

We were fed and allowed to sleep. The next day, on another plane, we returned to Deelen in Holland. Kurt Matzuleit and I really wanted to make the trip back in the comfort of a train. For us, it would be a kind of rest, which we earned the previous night. But there was no respite. Wittgenstein came out on top among the night fighters, and he wanted to achieve more. Thus, we landed at Deelen just before breakfast.

“It was barely an hour after breakfast, and we had just reached our apartment when the phone rang. I picked up the phone, it was Wittgenstein. He said, "Go with Matzuleit to the parking lot and make sure the car is ready to take off tonight." The only answer I had was: "Yawohl, Herr Major." We secretly hoped that for a couple of days, at least until the arrival of a new plane, we would not have to think about death, war and destruction.

After a short rest, we went to the parking lot. As usual, Matiuleit checked the engines, fuel and oil pressure, ignition, fuel and ammunition. I checked the radio equipment and radars, as far as it was possible to do on the ground. In conclusion, we reported to the commander that the machine was ready for battle.

That same evening, we again sat in a small house near the hangar and waited for what would happen next. It was raining again, and it was cold, in such weather a good owner would not drive the dog out into the street. We were beginning to think that the Tommys would also prefer to stay warm. I spread out my overalls and lay down in another room. I recalled how, a few days ago, Wittgenstein invited me, Matzuleit, and senior non-commissioned officers from our ground staff to dinner. In a large park immediately adjoining our airfield at Deelen, Wittgenstein shot a wild sheep. There was roasted meat and wine.

I was very tired and almost immediately fell asleep, but when I woke up, I could not fall asleep again. All sorts of thoughts were running through my head. Mostly they were around my friends, with whom we were sitting here a few days ago in readiness for departure and who, after a night flight, "disappeared." They will probably never be among us again. I wondered if this terrible war would ever end. Matiuleit brought me out of my thoughts by shouting: “Sitzbereitschaft!" I immediately got up, shaking off the remnants of sleep and throwing sad thoughts out of my head.

I took my navigation bag and headed to the plane. I knew from experience that Wittgenstein was always in a great hurry to take to the air. I remember the night of January 1-2, 1944, when I reported the first victory even before all the planes of our air group had time to take off. Today was the same. I was listening to the radio when Wittgenstein climbed into the cockpit. "Everything is good?" was his first question. "Yavol, Herr Major" - was my answer. Matzuleit followed him up, and one of the mechanics immediately closed the hatch behind him. Now it remained to put on helmets, install in working position laryngophones and put on oxygen masks. The latter were required only at high altitude, but we used them already on the ground, as we believed that this improved our night vision. We taxied to the start line, the engines roared, and after a short run the car (Ju-88 C-6"4 R+ XM» W. No..750467 ) rose into the air.

We tried not to think about the dangers that await us in the darkness ahead. According to reports from the ground, the bombers were flying at an altitude of 8,000 meters. The first contact appeared on my radar screen. After a slight course correction, we soon saw a bomber on the right and slightly above. The collision last night was still alive before us, so we approached it at a much lower altitude. The shadow of the enemy aircraft slowly covered the sky above us, and it became clear from the silhouette that it was a Lancaster. After a single queue from "Schrage MusicHis left wing was quickly engulfed in flames. The burning Lancaster first went into a dive and then into a tailspin. A fully loaded bomber crashed into the ground, and there was a huge explosion. This happened between 22.00 and 22.05.

At that moment, six marks appeared on the radar screen at once. We quickly completed two course change maneuvers and soon had our next target, another Lancaster. After a short burst, it first caught fire, and then, turning over the left wing, crashed down. Soon I saw a flash of fire on the ground. This was followed by a series of powerful explosions, possibly the bombs detonated on board. The clock was 22.20.

After a short pause, the next Lancaster appeared before us. Having received hits, it caught fire and fell to the ground. It happened somewhere between 22.25 and 22.30, I can't say exactly. Soon we discovered another four-engine bomber. Already after our first attack, it caught fire and fell down. This happened at 22.40.

Appeared on my radar new goal. After several changes of course, we again saw and attacked the Lancaster. Flames appeared from its fuselage, but after a few moments it went out, forcing us to launch a second attack. Major Wittgenstein was just about to open fire when sparks suddenly rained down inside our plane and there was a huge explosion. The left wing was engulfed in flames and the plane began to fall. The cockpit canopy broke off the fuselage and flew right over my head. Over the intercom I heard Wittgenstein shout, "Out!" ("Rous!"). I barely had time to disconnect the headset and oxygen mask, as a stream of air literally tore me out of my chair. A few seconds later my parachute opened and about 15 minutes later I landed east of Hohengöhrener Damm (Hohengdhrener Damm) in the Schönhausen area ( Friedrich Ostheimer Survived the War and Became a Dentist)».

After ordering Ostheimer and Matzuleit to leave the plane, Wittgenstein himself apparently decided to try to “reach out” to the airfield at Stendal, which was often used for refueling or emergency landings of night fighters. He was able to fly only about 10 - 15 kilometers, during which the Junker constantly lost altitude. Wittgenstein was probably no longer able to hold the plane, and he hit the ground twice with his wheels. From the second impact, the landing gear broke, the plane crashed into the ground and caught fire. wreckage Ju-88 were scattered around at a great distance. This happened between the towns of Hohengohrener and Klitz (Klitz) in Lubers County (Lubers).

In the early morning of January 22, one of the local peasants telephoned Dr. Gerhard Kaiser (Gerhard Kaiser), who worked at a nearby military factory "Deutsche Sprengchemie Klietzand said that a plane had crashed near them during the night. The Kaiser went to the crash site and, about two hundred meters from the place where the burnt fragments of the fuselage lay, found the lifeless body of Major Wittgenstein. After the war, Kaiser became head of the Orthopedic Clinic at the Humboldt University in East Berlin. On July 20, 1990, already 80-year-old Dr. Kaiser wrote down from memory:

“As far as I remember, I got a phone call between five and six in the morning. I immediately got up, dressed and left the house. I didn't see the plane. A lot of debris was scattered around, and I spent half an hour before I found the body of the prince. It lay among the trees west of the Hohengehrener - Klitz road and was not mutilated. There were large bruises on his face, but no serious damage. I didn't find any bullet wounds or blood. Then the civilian population was allowed to examine the military only if they showed signs of life. In the same case, it was clear that several hours had passed since death. For this reason, I buttoned up his overalls and left the deceased in the place where I found him. In my opinion, he jumped out of the plane, but I did not see a parachute ( Ostheimer believed that Wittgenstein jumped out with a parachute, but, hitting his head on a wing or stabilizer, he lost consciousness and could not open it). Now it was a job for the pathologists of the Wehrmacht, who were supposed to establish the cause of the death of the prince. I went to the Klitz police and reported what I saw. Then I was told that soldiers soon appeared at the scene. The next day at noon, the Swedish ambassador came from Berlin to meet me. He said that he was a friend of the Wittgenstein family and asked me to tell the details of his death in order to inform his family about them.

Wittgenstein's death certificate was drawn up by the commander of the medical squadron of the Luftwaffe (Luftwaffe Sanitats- Staffel) by the head physician Dr. Peter (Peter). It stated that the cause of death was "fractures of the skull in the region of the crown and face." Who exactly hitJu-88 Wittgenstein, so it is not known exactly. According to one version, it could be the English Mosquito night fighter.DZ 303 out of 131 Sqdn. RAF, which at 23.15 between Berlin and Magdeburg fired on a German night fighter (Interestingly, the pilot of this "Mosquito" Sergeant Snap (D. Snape) and radio operator Officer Fowler (L. Fowler) in their report did not at all claim that they shot down a German plane ). According to another version - the tail gunner from the Lancaster from 156 Sqdn. RAF, who, after returning, announced that he had shot down a German night fighter in the Magdeburg area.

On January 23, 1944, Major Wittgenstein was posthumously awarded the Swords to the Knight's Cross (No..44) (Instead, the commander NJG2 Oberst Günter Radush was appointed ). In total, he completed 320 sorties, incl. 170 as a night fighter pilot. On his account there were 83 victories, 23 of them on the Eastern Front.

On January 29, Wittgenstein was buried in the military cemetery in Deelen. In 1948, the remains of Major Wittgenstein were reburied at the German military cemetery in Jsselstein (Ijsselstein) in North Holland, where 30 thousand German soldiers and officers found their last shelter.

In conclusion, one should note important thing concerning the possible further fate Wittgenstein, if he had survived on the night of January 21-22. Of course, it would be wrong to say that he would have become a direct and active participant in the anti-Hitler Resistance, but, nevertheless, there is some evidence that by the end of January 1944, Wittgenstein was already critical of the existing regime.

His mother, recalling that period, said: “He grew up in Switzerland. So he loved and idealized german people as if from afar. Having become a member of the Hitler Youth, he saw in Hitler someone who believed in Germany. From that time on, he devoted his youth, his health, and all his strength to the sole purpose of German victory. Gradually, however, with his sober and critical mind, he understood the true state of things. In 1943, he had thoughts about eliminating Hitler ( Princess Maria Vassilchikova wrote about this in her Berlin Diaries. She was a close friend of Wittgenstein and worked for the German Foreign Office during the war years.). However, these feelings were, as it were, outside of his combat missions. Heinrich continued to fight, trying to catch up with Major Lent in terms of the number of aircraft shot down.

In the autumn of 1992, after the unification of East and West Germany, a memorial stone was erected in a solemn ceremony at the site of Wittgenstein's death in the Schönhausen region. On it is a laconic inscription “Major Heinrich Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein. 14.8.1916 - 21.1.1944", above it are carved the image of the Iron Cross and the inscription in Latin "One of many" (" 14.jpg

The Radziwills are the richest family in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, in 1547 the first in the state to receive the princely title of the Holy Roman Empire. ( Yeah, given that there are no originals left, we will keep in mind which countries are in the arena.)

.
The Radziwills had huge land holdings in the territory modern Republic Belarus, including the cities and towns of Geraneny, David-Haradok, Kletsk, Koydanovo, Kopys, Lakhvu, Mir, Nesvizh, Chernavchitsy, Shchuchin, in Lithuania the cities of Kedainiai, Dubingiai, Birzhai and many villages. After the Olelkoviches, the Slutsk Principality with Slutsk and Kopyl passed to the Radziwills.

.
In the XVI-XVIII centuries, they had an army of gentry and military people, their own fortresses Slutsk, Nesvizh, Exchanges, Keidany, Mir, Lyubcha. In 1528, the Radziwills, on whose estates there were 18,240 "smoke", put up 760 horsemen in the army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, in 1567 from 28,170 "smoke" - 939 horsemen and 1586 foot soldiers. They played a significant role in political life Commonwealth. Since the 18th century, they have been known as patrons of the arts, collectors of the portrait gallery, founders of manufactories.

.
Publishing house "Belarusian Encyclopedia named after Petrus Brovka" in continuation of the album "Radziwills. Album of Portraits of the 18th-19th Centuries” plans to publish an encyclopedia of the Radziwills.

.
According to the family legend, the family comes from the highest priestly class of pagan Lithuania and its ancestor was the priest Lizdeika, the son of Narimunt. He had a son, Sirputis, who married the princess of Yaroslavl, they had a son, Voishund, who was baptized under the name of Christian, who, together with his father, signed the Union of Vilna-Radom.

In 1518, the Radziwills (in the person of Prince Nicholas, nicknamed amor Poloniae) received the title of princes of the Roman Empire, extended in 1547 to the entire surname.

.
Coat of arms of the Radziwillsfrom the privilege of Ferdinand I, given to Nikolai Radziwill the Black on December 14, 1547, along with the title of prince.
.
The Radziwiłł family is closely related to the Czartoryskis -

.
Anzhelika (Anelya) Radziwill (1781-1808), wife since 1800 of Prince Konstantin Adam Czartoryski (1773-1860) - daughter of Prince Michael Hieronymus Radziwill

.
Her mother, Elena Radziwiłł was a friend of Isabella Czartoryska

.
Dominic Hieronymus, grandfather of Mary, wife of Clovis, was a pupil of Adam Casimir Czartoryski. There is a legend (there is no smoke without fire) that Dominic knew and hid treasures of 60 pounds, which have not yet been found.

-
Do you think Dominic passed on the information about the hidden treasures to his only daughter Stephanie? And that of her daughter Mary, who became the wife of the Chancellor of Prussian Germany Clovis under Wilhelm II?

.
Wittgenstein's second wife was Leonilla. Having an inheritance from the first wife - the Wittgenstein couple I lived in luxury.

Lev Petrovich Wittgnstein (1799-1866)
.

.
Stefania Radziwill in a wedding dress (1828)
.

Here I suspect that Stephanie Radziwill's husband was the Decembrist Wittgenstein, who also died, leaving a legacy to the literary Leonilla. Those. the woman who lived to 102 actually exists and she allegedly wrote a couple of books. But who she really was, we will not be told. However, we follow the advice - "by their deeds you will know them" - This story is invented to justify the wealth that has appeared. If to go way back from the future, i.e. of our days, then the activities of the "relatives" of her husband Stephanie Radziwill -
.
Europa Nostra- a pan-European federation of associations, created with the aim of popularizing and protection cultural heritage and the natural environment of Europe,consists of 250 non-profit non-governmental organizations (that is, not paying taxes) operating in 45 European countries.
.
And in order to protect this heritage, you need to know who it belongs to. No wonder there were so-called hereditary wars, which have no end to this day.

.
Activity history

.
Association founded in 1963 and is headquartered in The Hague. Since 1978, awards have been presented for the maintenance and restoration of cultural sites in European countries. Most of the national associations are mainly active in the field of local cultural heritage protection in cooperation with major institutions such as the European Union, the Council of Europe and UNESCO.

.
In 2002, the European Union initiated the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards program. The aim of this program is:

.
- promoting the establishment of high and strict standards in the field of protection of cultural heritage;

Stimulation of the exchange of experience and competence at the supranational level;

Stimulating the organization of events for the development of cultural heritage.

Those. it can be said that in addition to protecting historical monuments, since 1963, a census of the remaining castles and fortresses was conducted and families were written to whom these castles could belong. Long, long biographical stories were compiled literary heroes. Therefore, in films you can often hear that the coincidence of names and events is accidental. Of course, how can they know what keeps the memory of people.

***

Let's not forget that Leo had the only daughter, Maria, whose picture I placed in my article of November 1, 2015 and which was "successfully" signed with the name of the second alleged wife of Leo Leonilla, a literary character who allegedly gave birth to Leo's sons. And they do not claim the title and other privileges, but he, having bought the ruined castle of Sayn with the money of his first wife Radziwill, received the title, thanks to which his sons from his second marriage with Leonella were admitted to the houses of Prussian Germany, where by that time the daughter's husband served as chancellor Leo, who is the paternal sister of these persons.

In marriage, Leo and Stephanie had a daughter, Maria, and a son, Peter. Peter's page says that he had two more brothers. But there is no information about them. Maybe they were the sons of his father's second wife.

Leonilla Ivanovna Wittgenstein
.

One of the sons of Leonilla

.
Alexander Lvovich (1847-1940), in 1883 renounced the princely title, and took the name of Count von gohenburg(on what basis?), was married three times, including the daughter of the collector of antiques, Duke de Blacas; now the Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn family is headed by his great-grandson Alexander (born 1943).
.

Gohenburg -hachenburg(German Hachenburg listen)) is a city in Germany, in Rhineland-Palatinate.

The lineage of the Counts of von Sayn, mentioned already in 1145, ceased in the male line in 1246, after which the earldom changed hands until it was in the hands of a junior branch of the House of Sponheim. In 1607, the Sponheim family of Sayn-Wittgenstein split into three lines:

• The first one, Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg, splits into three branches.

• The eldest, who retained this name and received a princely title in 1792, belonged to Prince August (1788-1874), since 1852 the first minister of the Duchy of Nassau. His sons Emilius and Ferdinand were in the Russian service. The current head of the family is married to the Danish princess Benedict.


• The second branch is formed by graphs Sayn-Wittgenstein-Carlsburg, the last of whom died in 1806, leaving no direct heir.


• The third branch is made up of graphs Sayn-Wittgenstein-Ludwigsburg, from among which came the Russian field marshal Peter Wittgenstein. His son Leo, thanks to a successful marriage with the last representative of the older branch of the Radziwills, inherited their extensive possessions in Belarus, including the Mir Castle. In 1861 he was granted the title of prince by the Prussian king. Sayn-Wittgenstein-Syn. The current bearers of this title are descended from his marriage to Princess Leonilla Baryatinsky (1816-1918). The older representatives of this genus belong to the morganatic branch and bear the surname von Falkenberg.

• Second main line, Sayn-Wittgenstein-Syn, ceased in the male generation in 1632.


• third main line, Sayn-Wittgenstein-Wittgenstein, later Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein owned the richest lands with the center in Lasfa. In 1804 it was elevated to imperial princely dignity and continues to exist to this day.

.

It is also easy to make heirs by dividing the line into several parts - junior, middle, for example. Some died, the survivors took their property and other valuable things into their hands. This is how all these relatives, fit in the names of villages, you can’t call a city of 5000 people, or? If not by the name of the city, then by the name of the castle - it was at one time "fashionable", opening the doors of rich Pinocchio to those who had some seedy, dilapidated castle, the name of which they attributed to themselves, becoming persons highest rank. Well, or there is some Anka the machine gunner or Anna von Pol Met Chits (Anna von Paul Met Cheets).

The most interesting thing is that of all the branches, it is from the third line that is alive to this day - Sayn-Wittgenstein-Hohenstein. Almost like the Holstein of His Imperial Majesty Kolki Mares. And what? It is not in vain that the people go from "rags to riches". And somehow this thread stretches there, which means closer to Prussia.
.

In the 18th century, the title of Count of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn was continued by the descendants of Count Ludwig von Sayn-Wittgenstein-Neumagen (see above). The last of his direct male descendants died in 1846, and his daughters Elisabeth (1845–1883) and Eleanor (1840–1903) were successively wives of Prince Otto von Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg. Such kindred marriages made it possible to maintain ancestral possessions in the Wittgenstein house.

The rights to the vacant county title were claimed by the Berleburg-Ludwigsburg branch of the family, which in mid-eighteenth century settled in the Russian Empire and in the person of Peter Wittgenstein reached exclusively high position at the Petersburg court. His son Lev Petrovich Wittgenstein, being the heir to the colossal fortune of the Radziwills, in 1848 acquired the ruins of the Sayn family castle in Prussia and built a new residence next to them in the romantic neo-Gothic style. In 1861 the Prussian crown granted him the title of Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn.

The eldest son of Lev Petrovich lived in Russia, but the rest of the sons preferred to spend time in Germany, where in 1894-1900. fast Reich Chancellor occupied them son-in-law of Clovis Hohenlohe.

.
Von Sayn-Wittgenstein left their mark on the history of Russia. A member of this clan, Count Christian Ludwig Casimir zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (Christian Ludwig Kasimir zu Sayn-Wittgenstein) in 1761 was taken prisoner by Russian troops. He joined the Russian army and eventually reached the rank of lieutenant general. In 1768, in Kyiv, his son Ludwig Adolf was born.

.
At the age of 12, Peter Khristianovich Wittgenstein, and so in Russia they began to call Ludwig Adolf zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, was enlisted as a soldier. At 24, he was already a major. Wittgenstein took part in hostilities against Poland, then transferred to the corps of Count Zubov in the Caucasus and participated in the capture of Derbent. For his bravery, he was advanced to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

.
In 1801, Major General Wittgenstein was appointed commander of the Elizavetgrad Hussar Regiment, at the head of which, in the 1805 campaign, he received George 3rd degree for the battle of Amshteten. In 1806 Wittgenstein took part in the Turkish war. Then in 1807 he again participated in the war against Napoleon and distinguished himself in the battle of Friedland.

Emperor Alexander I appointed Lieutenant General Wittgenstein commander of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment. At the beginning of the Patriotic War of 1812, he was entrusted with the 1st Corps, which, when the armies retreated from Drissa to Smolensk, received an order to cover the path to St. Petersburg. While both main Russian armies were retreating, Wittgenstein inflicted several defeats on the units of MacDonald and Oudinot (Napoleon in his memoirs spoke of Wittgenstein as “the most capable of all Russian generals.” In Russia itself, not everyone was of this opinion, considering Wittgenstein a rather mediocre military leader). After the capture of Polotsk (October 7), he began to be called the "defender of Petrov Castle." The nobility of the St. Petersburg province gave Wittgenstein an address, and the merchants of St. Petersburg gave him 150,000 rubles. At the same time, a ribbon appeared on the coat of arms of the Wittgensteins with the words “I will not give my honor to anyone” and the image of the sword of St. George with the same inscription, but in Latin “Honorem meum nemini dabo”.

.
In 1813, when Russian troops entered Prussia, Wittgenstein occupied Berlin and thereby saved it from a French attack. After the death of Kutuzov, despite the fact that the three generals were older than Wittgenstein in rank, he was appointed commander in chief. Having accepted the army before the battle of Lutzen, not being sufficiently aware of the state of affairs, hampered by the presence of allied monarchs, Wittgenstein, both in this battle and later in the battle of Bautzen, was not at the height of the situation and asked to be relieved of his post as commander-in-chief. Remaining in the army, he was seriously wounded in the battle on February 15, 1814 at Barsyur-Aube.

.
In 1818, Wittgenstein was appointed commander in chief of the 2nd Army and a member of the State Council. Emperor Nicholas I awarded him the rank of field marshal and at the beginning of the Turkish war in 1828 appointed him commander-in-chief of Russian troops in European Turkey. Under the leadership of Wittgenstein, the fortresses of Isakcha, Machin and Brailov were taken.

.
In 1829, Wittgenstein was dismissed from the post of commander-in-chief and retired from all affairs. In 1834, the Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm III elevated Wittgenstein to the dignity of the Most Serene Prince, and the adoption of this title was allowed by Emperor Nicholas I. Peter Khristianovich Wittgenstein (Ludwig Adolf zu Sayn-Wittgenstein) died in 1842.

(He had two sons in Russia. Princes Peter and Evgeny Alexandrovich Wittgenstein are recorded in part 5 of the genealogy book of the St. Petersburg province. In 1834, Prince Peter Alexandrovich Witgenstein married Princess Leonilla Ivanovna Baryatinsky. She was born in 1816 and was one of the most beautiful and educated women of St. Bismarck, the German chancellor, to prevent a Franco-Prussian war.After a widow at the age of 50, Leonilla von Wittgenstein settled in Switzerland.There she was engaged in charitable work and died in 1918 at the age of 102. Two portraits of her have been preserved , one of them is the work of Horace Vernet, the second is the work of Franz Xaver Winterhalter))

.
Another member of the von Sayn-Wittgenstein family, Emil Karl zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, served in Russia. He was born in 1824, in 1845 accompanied Prince Alexander of Hesse to the Caucasus, and in 1848 participated in the war against Denmark. Then, under the name of Emil Ludwigovich Wittgenstein, he entered the Russian service. Soon he was appointed adjutant of Prince Vorontsov and until 1852 participated in hostilities in the Caucasus.
.
In 1862, Wittgenstein was in Warsaw under Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich. In the Russian-Turkish campaign of 1877-78. he was in the retinue of the emperor. Lieutenant General Emilius Ludwigovich Wittgenstein died in 1878.

.
Heinrich Alexander Ludwig peter prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, and that was his full name, he was born on August 14, 1916. in Copenhagen. He was the second of three boys born into the family of the diplomat Gustav Alexander zu Sayn-Wittgenstein (Born 1880, died 1953) He was the grandson of Prince Peter Alexandrovich Wittgenstein and his wife Leonilla Ivanovna Baryatinsky) and his wife Walpurga, née Baroness von Friesen (Walpurga von Friesen) (Born 1885, died 1970).
Heinrich's older brother was called Ludwig, the younger brother Alexander (Ludwig, like Heinrich, died during the war. Alexander died after the war as a result of a car accident).

.
In 1919, after the defeat of Kaiser Germany in the 1st World War, his father left the diplomatic service and moved with his family to Switzerland. From 6 to 10 years old, Heinrich studied at home, studying with specially hired teachers. However, in the end, the parents realized that they could not cope with Heinrich and his older brother Ludwig. In 1926, their parents sent them to a boarding school in Neubeuren in Upper Bavaria.

.
Prinzessin Marianne und Prinz Ludwig mit seinen Brüdern, Prinz Heinrich and Prinz Alexander, am Tage ihrer kirchlichen Trauung

Personen, bei denen anstelle des "zu" ein "von" im Namen steht, gehören nicht zu den direkten Nachkommen dieses Adelsgeschlechts. Auch Firmen, die den Namensbestandteil "Fürst von Sayn-Wittgenstein"

.
His ancestor is the Count, from 1836 the most illustrious Prince Peter Khristianovich Wittgenstein(Ludwig Adolf Peter zu Sein-Wittgenstein, December 25, 1768 (January 5, 1769) - May 30 (June 11), 1843, Lviv) - Russian military leader German descent , Field Marshal General (1826). During the Patriotic War of 1812 - the commander of a separate corps in the St. Petersburg direction. Acting in isolation from the main Russian army, he managed to win a number of victories over the Napoleonic marshals. April-May 1813 commander-in-chief of the Russian-Prussian army in Germany; after a series of battles with Napoleon's superior forces and the ensuing retreat, he was demoted. At the beginning Russian-Turkish war 1828 - Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army.

Lua error in Module:CategoryForProfession on line 52: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value).

Alexander zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
German Alexander zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
Prince Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn with his wife
Lua error in Module:Wikidata on line 170: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value).
Name at birth:
Date of Birth:
Citizenship:	Lua error in Module:Wikidata on line 170: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value).
Citizenship:	Lua error in Module:Wikidata on line 170: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value).
The country:	Lua error in Module:Wikidata on line 170: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value).
Date of death:	Lua error in Module:Wikidata on line 170: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value).
Place of death:	Lua error in Module:Wikidata on line 170: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value).
Father:	6th Prince Ludwig zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn
Mother:	Marianne von Mayer-Melnhof
Spouse:	Lua error in Module:Wikidata on line 170: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value).
Spouse:	Gabriella von Schonborn-Wiesenteid
Children:	Heinrich, Alexandra, Casimir, Philippa, Ludwig, Sofia and Peter
Awards and prizes:	Lua error in Module:Wikidata on line 170: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value).
Autograph:	Lua error in Module:Wikidata on line 170: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value).
Website:	Lua error in Module:Wikidata on line 170: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value).
Miscellaneous:	Lua error in Module:Wikidata on line 170: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value).
Lua error in Module:Wikidata on line 170: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value).
[[Lua error in Module:Wikidata/Interproject on line 17: attempt to index field "wikibase" (a nil value). |Artworks]] in Wikisource

Write a review on the article "Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, Alexander"

Notes

Excerpt characterizing Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn, Alexander

And grandfather "businessman", unfortunately, was absolutely disastrous ... And very soon the woolen factory, which he, with his grandmother " light hand”, owned, was put on sale for debts, and grandmother's parents did not want to help him anymore, since this was the third time when grandfather completely lost everything they donated property.
My grandmother (my mother's mother) came from a very wealthy Lithuanian noble family, the Mitrulyavichus, who, even after the "dispossession", had a lot of land left. Therefore, when my grandmother (against the will of her parents) married a grandfather who had nothing, her parents (in order not to lose face) gave them big farm and a beautiful, spacious house ... which, after some time, grandfather, thanks to his great “commercial” abilities, lost. But since at that time they already had five children, naturally, the grandmother's parents could not stand aside and gave them a second farm, but with a smaller and not so beautiful house. And again, to the great regret of the whole family, very soon the second “gift” also disappeared ... The next and last help of my grandmother's patient parents was a small woolen factory, which was superbly equipped and, if used correctly, could bring a very good income. , allowing the entire grandmother's family to live comfortably. But grandfather, after all the troubles experienced in life, by this time was already indulging in "strong" drinks, so the almost complete ruin of the family did not have to wait too long ...
It was this negligent "housekeeping" of my grandfather that put his whole family in a very difficult financial situation, when all the children already had to work and support themselves, no longer thinking about studying in higher schools or institutions. And that is why, having buried her dreams of becoming a doctor one day, my mother, without much choice, went to work at the post office, simply because it turned out to be there at that time free place. So, without any special (good or bad) “adventures”, in simple everyday worries, the life of the young and “old” Seryogin family flowed for some time.
It's been almost a year. Mom was pregnant and was about to expect her first child. Dad literally “flew” with happiness, and kept telling everyone that he would definitely have a son. And he turned out to be right - they really had a boy ... But under such horrific circumstances that even the sickest imagination could not have imagined ...
Mom was taken to the hospital on one of the Christmas days, just before the new year. At home, of course, they were worried, but no one expected any negative consequences since my mother was young, strong woman, with a perfectly developed body of an athlete (she has been actively involved in gymnastics since childhood) and, for all general concepts, childbirth should have been transferred easily. But someone there, “high”, for some unknown reason, apparently really didn’t want my mother to have a child ... And what I will talk about next does not fit into any framework of philanthropy or a medical oath and honor. Doctor Remeika, who was on duty that night, seeing that the birth of my mother suddenly dangerously “stopped” and the mother was getting more and more difficult, decided to call the chief surgeon of the Alytus hospital, Dr. Ingelyavichus ... who had to be pulled out that night right from the festive table. Naturally, the doctor turned out to be “not quite sober” and, having hastily examined my mother, immediately said: “Cut!”, apparently wanting to return to the “table” so hastily left as soon as possible. None of the doctors wanted to argue with him, and my mother was immediately prepared for the operation. And it was here that the most “interesting” began, from which, listening today mother's story my long hair stood on end on my head....

Sein-Wittgenstein Heinrich Alexander zu (August 14, 1916, Copenhagen, Denmark - January 21, 1944, near Hohengöhrener and Ktitsa, Lubers district), prince, night fighter, aviation major (1943). From an ancient aristocratic family; son of a diplomat. In 1932 he joined the Hitler Youth, commander of the 113th group. In 1936 he entered the 17th Bavarian Reiter Regiment, and in October. 1937 transferred to the Luftwaffe. In June 1938 he was promoted to lieutenant and enrolled in the 40th assault squadron. Participated in the occupation of the Sudetenland. In 1939 he was transferred to the 254th bomber squadron. He flew on a Ju.88 bomber and during the "Battle of England" made approx. 150 sorties. From Aug. 1941 transferred to night fighter aviation, continuing to fly the same aircraft. From Jan. 1942 served in the 11th Squadron of the 2nd Night Fighter Squadron. He won his first victory on May 7, 1942, shooting down the English Blenheim. He proved himself to be a brave and experienced pilot. 11/2/1942, when he had 22 victories, he was awarded the Knight's Cross iron cross. From sept. 1942 commander of the 9th squadron of the 2nd night fighter squadron, from Dec. 1942 - 4th group of the 5th squadron of night fighters. In June 1943, he was transferred to the Eastern Front to develop night air combat tactics. Night bomber units were secretly deployed along railways, over the course of several nights, they delivered a series of blows, after which they were transferred to another sector of the front. In battles in the Kursk Bulge area, he shot down 23 Soviet aircraft, incl. 3 in 15 minutes. On August 1, 1943, the commander of the 1st group of the 100th squadron of night fighters, and on August 15. - 2nd group of the 3rd squadron. On August 31, 1943, after 64 victories, he received oak branches to the Knight's Cross. Dec. 1943 was again transferred to the West as the commander of the 2nd group of the 2nd squadron of night fighters. On New Year's Eve 1944 he shot down 6 British aircraft. Since 1/1/1944 commander of the 2nd squadron. He was shot down in action when he attacked a group of British bombers and shot down 6 of them, but was himself shot down by a fighter-bomber. Posthumously on January 23, 1944, he was awarded oak branches and swords to the Knight's Cross. During the fighting he shot down 83 aircraft (all at night). There is some evidence that in Jan. 1944 S.-W. critical of the Nazi regime.

Materials used book: Who was who in the Third Reich. Biographical encyclopedic dictionary. M., 2003

Read here:

The Second World War(chronological table).

Germany in the 20th century(chronological table).

Historical faces of Germany: |