Johannes Steinhoff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Johannes Steinhoff
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Steinhoff in 1966
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| Chairman of the NATO Military Committee | |
| In office 1971–1974 |
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| Preceded by | Sir Nigel Henderson |
| Succeeded by | Sir Peter Hill-Norton |
| Inspector of the Air Force | |
| In office 1966–1970 |
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| Preceded by | Werner Panitzki |
| Succeeded by | Günther Rall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 September 1913 Bottendorf, Province of Saxony, Prussia, Germany |
| Died | 21 February 1994 (aged 80) Wachtberg-Pech, Northrhine-Westphalia, Germany |
| Resting place | Cemetery in Villip, Wachtberg |
| Spouse | Ursula Steinhoff |
| Relations | Ludwig Hahn (brother-in-law) Michael Bird (son-in-law) |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic American Legion of Merit French Legion of Honour |
| Nickname | Macky |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany (to 1945) West Germany |
| Branch/service |  Luftwaffe Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1934–45 1955–74 |
| Rank | Oberst (Wehrmacht) General (Bundeswehr) |
| Unit | JG 26, JG 52, JG 77, Kommando Nowotny, JG 7 and JV 44 |
| Commands | II./JG 52, JG 77 and JG 7 |
| Battles/wars | |
Johannes "Macky" Steinhoff (born September 15, 1913 – died February 21, 1994) was a famous German pilot during World War II. He was known as a "fighter ace" because he shot down many enemy planes. Steinhoff was one of the few pilots who flew throughout the entire war, from 1939 to 1945. He was severely injured in a plane crash near the end of the war.
Steinhoff was one of the top-scoring pilots, with 176 victories. He was also among the first to fly the Messerschmitt Me 262, which was a new jet fighter. After the war, he became a German general and an important official for NATO. He helped rebuild the German Air Force during the Cold War. Steinhoff received many awards for his bravery and service, including the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. He also wrote popular books about his experiences.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Johannes Steinhoff was born in Bottendorf, Germany, on September 15, 1913. His father worked at an agricultural mill. Johannes had two brothers, Bernd and Wolf, and two sisters, Greta and Charlotte. His sister Charlotte married Ludwig Hahn.
Steinhoff went to the Klosterschule Roßleben school. There he studied classic subjects and languages like French, English, Latin, and Greek. From 1932 to 1934, he studied languages and literature at the University of Jena. He had to stop his university studies because he ran out of money.
In 1934, Steinhoff joined the Kriegsmarine, which was the German navy. He served there for one year as a naval flying cadet. In 1936, he transferred to the newly formed Luftwaffe, the German air force. He was promoted to second lieutenant on April 1, 1936.
On April 29, 1939, Steinhoff married Ursula. They had a son named Wolf and a daughter named Ursula. His daughter Ursula later married Michael Bird, an economics professor. On January 1, 1939, Steinhoff was promoted to first lieutenant.
In the summer of 1939, the Luftwaffe started trying out new ways to fly fighter planes at night. On August 1, Steinhoff became a squadron leader. His squadron was the 11th (Night Fighter) Squadron of Lehrgeschwader 2. They first flew Arado Ar 68 planes, then switched to Messerschmitt Bf 109 D-1 fighters.
World War II Service
World War II began on September 1, 1939, when Germany invaded Poland. Steinhoff was moved to Jagdgeschwader 26, a fighter wing. He became the leader of a new night fighter unit. This unit was based near Bonn and flew Bf 109 D planes.
On December 18, 1939, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) attacked German warships. Steinhoff shot down two British Vickers Wellington bombers. These were his first confirmed aerial victories.
In February 1940, Steinhoff's unit became part of Jagdgeschwader 2. They moved to Aalborg Airfield to help with the German attack on Denmark and Norway. Then they returned to Germany to prepare for the Battle of France. On May 10, Steinhoff claimed two more bombers near The Hague and Düsseldorf.
In August 1940, Steinhoff moved to the 4th Squadron of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52). This unit was fighting the RAF during the Battle of Britain. On September 30, he shot down a Supermarine Spitfire fighter over Dorking, which was his fifth victory. His unit then moved to Mönchengladbach for rest. They later flew patrols along the Dutch North Sea coast.
Fighting on the Eastern Front
Before the German invasion of the Soviet Union, called Operation Barbarossa, Steinhoff's unit moved to airfields in Poland. On June 22, 1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union. Steinhoff's group supported the German armies. That day, he shot down a Soviet Polikarpov I-153 fighter.
On August 29, 1941, Steinhoff achieved his 35th aerial victory. For this, he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. This was a very important military award.
In January 1942, Steinhoff's unit returned to Germany for rest. On March 1, Steinhoff became the commander of the II. Gruppe of JG 52. His unit received many new Bf 109 F-4 planes. In April, they were ordered back to the Eastern Front.
On August 31, Steinhoff achieved his 100th aerial victory near Stalingrad. He shot down two LaGG-3 fighters. He was the 18th Luftwaffe pilot to reach this milestone. On September 2, Steinhoff received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. This was an even higher honor.
In December 1942, during the Battle of Stalingrad, Steinhoff's plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire. He had to make an emergency landing.
Leading a Fighter Wing
On April 1, 1943, Steinhoff became the commander of Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77). This unit was fighting in the North African campaign. On April 4, he shot down a Spitfire, his only victory in North Africa. The next day, his plane was shot down by a Spitfire, but he survived.
In June 1943, Steinhoff's unit was involved in defending against American bombers over Sicily. He managed to shoot down a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber.
Steinhoff was promoted to lieutenant colonel on April 1, 1944. On July 28, 1944, he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. This was one of the highest awards for bravery.
In November 1944, Steinhoff left JG 77. He had flown 100 combat missions and claimed eleven victories with this unit. He then met with Hermann Göring, the head of the Luftwaffe. Steinhoff was asked if he wanted to command the first jet fighter unit.
Flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 Jet
Steinhoff was chosen to be the first commander of Jagdgeschwader 7 (JG 7). This was the world's first operational jet fighter wing. JG 7 flew the Messerschmitt Me 262, a very fast and powerful jet aircraft. Steinhoff picked some of the best pilots to join his unit.
Later in the war, Steinhoff and other fighter leaders disagreed with the Luftwaffe's high command. They felt that the leadership was not doing a good job. Because of this, Steinhoff was removed from his command.
After a short time, Steinhoff joined Jagdverband 44 (JV 44). This was a special unit of jet fighter experts led by his friend Adolf Galland. Steinhoff helped recruit other experienced pilots to join this unit. He scored six more confirmed kills with JV 44.
Steinhoff survived nearly 1,000 combat missions. However, his flying career ended on April 18, 1945. His Me 262 jet crashed during takeoff from München-Riem airfield. His flight leader's plane had a tire blow out, causing it to crash into Steinhoff's plane. This ruptured his fuel tanks. Steinhoff was severely burned across most of his body. He spent two years in the hospital and had many reconstructive surgeries. A British surgeon helped rebuild his eyelids after the war.
During the war, Steinhoff was credited with destroying 176 aircraft. Most of these were on the Eastern Front. He was shot down 12 times but only used his parachute once. He preferred to land his damaged planes if possible.
Later Life and Service
With the German Air Force and NATO
After the war, Steinhoff was asked to help rebuild the German Air Force within NATO. He rose to the rank of full general. In 1960, he became the German Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee. He also served as the Acting Commander of Allied Air Forces Central Europe in NATO from 1965 to 1966. From 1966 to 1970, he was the Inspector of the Air Force. Finally, he was the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 1971 to 1974.
Steinhoff received many honors for his work in rebuilding the German Air Force and integrating it into NATO. These included the Order of Merit with Star from Germany, the American Legion of Merit, and the French Légion d'honneur.
One of Steinhoff's important contributions was solving the high accident rate of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter planes. He realized the problem was not the aircraft itself, but that pilots needed better training for that specific plane. He introduced an intensive training program, and the accident rate dropped significantly.
After retiring from NATO in 1974, Steinhoff became a popular author. He wrote books about German military aviation during the war and the experiences of the German people. He also became a watercolor painter and chairman of Germany's Dornier Aviation company.
Death
Johannes Steinhoff died on February 21, 1994, in a hospital in Bonn, Germany. He was 80 years old. He passed away from complications after a heart attack he had in December.
Awards and Honors
- Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (August 18, 1941)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
- Knight's Cross on August 30, 1941
- Oak Leaves on September 2, 1942
- Swords on July 28, 1944
- German Federal Cross of Merit with Star (July 4, 1972)
- Legion of Merit (1970)
- Légion d'honneur (March 1972)
In 1990, a former Royal Air Force base in Berlin Gatow was named General Steinhoff Kaserne in his honor. On September 18, 1997, the Jagdgeschwader 73 (Fighter Wing 73) of the German Air Force was named "Steinhoff." He is one of only a few pilots to be honored in this way.
Images for kids
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Hahn (right), with his wife Charlotte and Steinhoff (centre).
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Map indicating Operation Barbarossa's attack plan
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Galland and Lützow, Sicily 25 June 1943
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Johannes Steinhoff at NATO
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A former Luftwaffe F-104 Starfighter at Le Bourget.
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Graves of Ursula and Johannes Steinhoff in Villip, Wachtberg.
