Reinhard Kollak

Reinhard Kollak (28 March 1915 – 6 February 1980) was a Luftwaffe night fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.

Reinhard Kollak
Born	28 March 1915 Frögenau
Died	6 February 1980(1980-02-06) (aged 64) Bonn
Allegiance	Nazi Germany (to 1945)  West Germany
Service / branch	Army Luftwaffe
Years of service	1933–45 1956–67
Rank	Stabsfeldwebel (Wehrmacht) Hauptfeldwebel (Bundeswehr)
Unit	ZG 1 NJG 1 NJG 4
Battles / wars	World War II Battle of France Defense of the Reich
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Reinhard Kollak was the highest scoring non commissioned Nachtjagd pilot who, together with his Bordfunker Hans Herman, was credited with 49 victories in over 250 missions, all at night.

Career

Kollak was born in East Prussia, in March 1915 and began his military career by joining the Reichswehr. In 1935, Kollak was transferred to the Luftwaffe where he trained as a fighter pilot. Upon completion of his training in the spring of 1940, Kollak was posted to the I./ZG 1 Zerstörergeschwader 1 and participated in the Battle of France and the Battle of Britain. In October 1940 Kollak was posted to the newly formed 1./NJG 1.

Night fighter career

A map of part of the Kammhuber Line. The 'belt' and night fighter 'boxes' are shown.

Following the 1939 aerial Battle of the Heligoland Bight, the majority of RAF attacks shifted to the cover of darkness, initiating the Defence of the Reich campaign.^[1] By mid-1940, Generalmajor (Brigadier General) Josef Kammhuber had established a night air defense ground-controlled interception system (the Kammhuber Line). It consisted of a series of control sectors equipped with radars and searchlights and an associated night fighter. Each sector, named a Himmelbett ("canopy bed"), would direct the night fighter into visual range of target bombers. In 1941, the Luftwaffe started equipping night fighters with airborne radar such as the Lichtenstein radar. This airborne radar did not come into general use until early 1942.^[2]

Kollak claimed his first-night victory while flying as a Feldwebel with I. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1—1st Night Fighter Wing), when he shot down an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley medium bomber in the early hours of 17 June 1941 in the vicinity of Hasselt.^[3] He remained with I./NJG 1 when it was redesignated 7./NJG 4 in May 1942 and on the night of 24/25 August 1942, shot down a Short Stirling heavy bomber as his tenth victory. He was awarded the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 12 April 1943. He received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) following his 29th aerial victory. The presentation was made by General Kammhuber on 29 August 1943 at the St. Trond airfield to both Kollak and Major Walter Ehle, the Gruppenkommandeur of II./NJG 1.^[4]

Kollak was the most successful pilot of III./NJG 4. Hans Herman joined the Luftwaffe in 1938 and served as Kollak's Bordfunker until the war's end.

Post war

After the war, Reinhard found it difficult to adjust to civilian life before he rejoined the newly founded Bundeswehr in 1956, and retired in 1967 as a Hauptfeldwebel. On 6 February 1980, he died at the age of 64 in Bad Godesberg.^[5]

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Aders, Kollak was credited with 49 nocturnal aerial victories.^[6] Foreman, Parry and Mathews, authors of Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 – 1945, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 49 nocturnal victory claims.^[7] Mathews and Foreman also published Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, also listing Kollak with 49 claims.^[8]

Chronicle of aerial victories
Claim	Date	Time	Type	Location	Serial No./Squadron No.
– 1. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –[8]
1	17 June 1941	02:26	Whitley	vicinity of Hasselt[3]
2	26 July 1941	04:22	Whitley	1 km (0.62 mi) west of Courcelles[9]
3	6 August 1941	00:07	Wellington	2 km (1.2 mi) northeast of Maastricht[10]
4	6 August 1941	00:40	Wellington	5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of Marche[10]
5	6 August 1941	01:35	Whitley	5 km (3.1 mi) northeast of Liège[10]
6	7 August 1941	03:38	Wellington	15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Wavre[10]
7	28 September 1941	22:45	Wellington	2 km (1.2 mi) northeast of Malvoisin[11]
8	12 October 1941	21:44	Stirling	35 km (22 mi) south of Charleroi[11]
– 7. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 4 –[8]
9	12 August 1942	01:57	Stirling	20 km (12 mi) east of Namur[12]
10	25 August 1942	01:46	Stirling	Leuze, 27 km (17 mi) northwest of Mons[13]	Stirling W7572/No. 149 Squadron RAF[14]
11	17 September 1942	00:34	Stirling	8 km (5.0 mi) southwest of Gembloux[15]
12	17 September 1942	01:20	Lancaster[15]
13	19 September 1942	22:59	Stirling	6 km (3.7 mi) northeast of Revigny-sur-Ornain[15]
14	10 March 1943	01:59	Lancaster	north of Witry-lès-Reims[16]
15	10 March 1943	02:30	Lancaster	Taguebec[16]
16	11 March 1943	22:00	Halifax	1 km (0.62 mi) west of Malmaison[16]
17	11 April 1943	04:16	Stirling	1 km (0.62 mi) northwest of Sainte-Geneviève[17]
18	15 April 1943	02:11	Lancaster	27 km (17 mi) east of Reims[17]
19	16 April 1943	23:53	Lancaster	1 km (0.62 mi) north of Northeim[17]
– 1. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 –[8]
20	12 June 1943	00:41	Halifax	south of Haamstede[18]
21	12 June 1943	01:00	Wellington	north of Westkapelle[18]	Wellington HZ355/No. 429 Squadron RAF[19]
22	12 June 1943	01:24	Lancaster	3 km (1.9 mi) west of Poortvliet[18]
– 7. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 4 –[8]
23	25 June 1943	01:11	Halifax	2 km (1.2 mi) south of Roermond[20]
24	25 June 1943	01:39	Stirling	9 km (5.6 mi) south of Leuven[20]
25	4 July 1943	00:55	Wellington	9 km (5.6 mi) north of Liège[21]
26	4 July 1943	01:28	Halifax	5 km (3.1 mi) northwest of Liège[21]
27	4 July 1943	02:30	Halifax	22 km (14 mi) southeast of Brussels[21]
– 8. Staffel of Nachtjagdgeschwader 4 –[8]
28	24 August 1943	01:16	four-engined bomber	northwest of Berlin[22]
29	28 August 1943	00:42	Lancaster	15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Verdun[23]
30	28 August 1943	03:46	four-engined bomber	22 km (14 mi) north-northeast of Amiens[24]
31	18 November 1943	21:19	Stirling	northeast of Châlons-sur-Marne[25]
32	18 November 1943	21:40	Stirling	northeast of Châlons-sur-Marne[25]
33	24 February 1944	21:40	Lancaster	southeast of Metz[26]
34	24 February 1944	21:57	Lancaster	Metz[26]
35	24 February 1944	22:10	Lancaster	southeast of Metz[26]
36	26 February 1944	00:28	four-engined bomber	18 km (11 mi) east of Vervins[27]
37	2 May 1944	00:35	Lancaster	3 km (1.9 mi) south of Beaumont[28]
38	2 May 1944	00:41	Lancaster	3 km (1.9 mi) southwest of Châteaudun[29]
39	4 May 1944	00:26		15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Châlons-sur-Marne[29]	550 Sqn, Lancaster LL826 BQ-H
40	8 May 1944	00:36	four-engined bomber	15 km (9.3 mi) northeast of Romorantin-Lanthenay[30]
41	13 June 1944	00:22	four-engined bomber	Formerie[31]
42	13 June 1944	00:35	four-engined bomber	north of Rouen[32]
43	13 June 1944	00:40	four-engined bomber	north of Rouen[32]
44	15 July 1944	01:54	four-engined bomber	Bar-le-Duc[33]
45	15 July 1944	02:05	four-engined bomber	east of Saint-Dizier[33]	Lancaster LL837/No. 550 Squadron RAF[34]
46	19 July 1944	01:30	four-engined bomber	Romilly-sur-Seine[35]
47	19 July 1944	01:49	four-engined bomber	area south of Châlons[35]
48	19 July 1944	01:55	four-engined bomber	Bergères-lès-Vertus[35]
49	19 July 1944	02:05	four-engined bomber	Saint-Dizier[35]

Awards

• Flugzeugführerabzeichen
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold
• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
• Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 28 September 1941 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot^[36]
• German Cross in Gold on 12 April 1943 as Oberfeldwebel in the 7./Nachtjagdgeschwader 4^[37]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 29 August 1943 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 8./Nachtjagdgeschwader 4^{[38][Note 1]}

Notes

1. According to Scherzer as pilot in the 7./Nachtjagdgeschwader 4.^[39]

References

Citations

1. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 9.
2. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 27.
3. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 22.
4. Bowman 2016a.
5. Obermaier 1989, p. 149.
6. Aders 1978, p. 235.
7. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, pp. 22–202.
8. Mathews & Foreman 2015, p. 665.
9. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 26.
10. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 28.
11. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 31.
12. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 54.
13. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 55.
14. Bowman 2016a, p. 94.
15. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 59.
16. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 70.
17. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 74.
18. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 84.
19. Chorley 1996, p. 179.
20. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 89.
21. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 92.
22. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 106.
23. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 107.
24. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 108.
25. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 128.
26. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 151.
27. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 152.
28. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 172.
29. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 173.
30. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 175.
31. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 186.
32. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 187.
33. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 201.
34. Bowman 2016b, p. 114.
35. Foreman, Mathews & Parry 2004, p. 202.
36. Patzwall 2008, p. 121.
37. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 268.
38. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 268.
39. Scherzer 2007, p. 464.

Bibliography

• Aders, Gebhard (1978). History of the German Night Fighter Force, 1917–1945. London: Janes. ISBN 978-0-354-01247-8.
• Bowman, Martin (2016a). Nachtjagd, Defenders of the Reich 1940–1943. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-1-4738-4986-0.
• Bowman, Martin (2016b). German Night Fighters Versus Bomber Command 1943–1945. Barnsley, South Yorkshire: Pen and Sword Aviation. ISBN 978-1-4738-4979-2.
• Chorley, William R (1996). Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War: Aircraft and crew losses: 1943. Midland Counties Publications. ISBN 978-0-90459-790-5.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer [in German] (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Foreman, John; Mathews, Johannes; Parry, Simon (2004). Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939–1945. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-0-9538061-4-0.
• Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2015). Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 2 G–L. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN 978-1-906592-19-6.
• Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.