Franz Dörr


Franz Dörr was a German fighter ace during World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. During World War II Franz Dörr was credited with 128 victories in over 437 combat missions. All but six of his victories were claimed over the Eastern Front, including 16 Il-2s.

Biography

Franz Dörr was born on 10 February 1913 in Mannheim. During Invasion of Poland and Battle of France Dörr served as a reconnaissance pilot. In spring 1941, he was transferred to 1./Jagdgeschwader 3, based in the Netherlands. The first time he shot down an aircraft was on 29 September 1941, when he shot down a Royal Air Force Vickers Wellington twin-engine bomber.

War on the Arctic Front

On 29 December 1941, Ergänzungsjagdgruppe 3 received the order from the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe that it would be detached from JG 3 on 31 December and was renamed to 7. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 5 and subordinated as an autonomous Staffel to Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen. On 24 April, 7. Staffel arrived in Pechenga, also referred to as Petsamo, where it was subordinated to III. Gruppe of JG 5 under the command of Hauptmann Günther Scholz. On 9 May 1942, 7. Staffel took at 18:00 to patrol the front along the Zapadnaya Litsa River. Approximately east of Pechenga, the flight encountered eight Hawker Hurricane and six Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk fighters flying at low altitude. In this engagement, the Germans claimed two Hurricanes shot down, including one by Dörr. According to Soviet records, only one Hurricane was lost, its pilot Senior Lieutenant Lewtschuk from 197 IAP bailed out. By the end of 1942, Dörr claimed to have had twelve aerial victories.
On 12 July 1943, Dörr lost his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 over sea, officially due to engine trouble. Mombeek speculates that in fact the aircraft was lost in a mid-air collision with another Bf 109 G-2 piloted by Unteroffizier Richard Steinbach. Both pilots bailed out south of Vardø and were picked up by a Räumboot and then flown in a Dornier Do 24 to a hospital at Vardø.

Squadron leader

Dörr claimed his 20th victory on 18 August 1943. He was appointed Staffelkapitän of 7. Staffel of JG 5 on 1 September 1943. Dörr succeeded Oberleutnant Theodor Weissenberger in this position who was given command of 6. Staffel. JG 5 flew multiple missions from Pechenga and Kirkenes in protection of a German convoy on 14 September. At 17:03, a Rotte of Bf 109 G-2s sighted and reported an enemy formation consisting of Douglas A-20 Havoc, also known as Boston bombers, Ilyushin Il-2 ground attack aircraft, as well as Bell P-39 Airacobra and Hurricane fighters. At 18:15, 9. Staffel was scrambled at Pechenga and 5. Staffel at Svartnes. A bit later further Bf 109s from 4., 7. and 5. Staffel took off. The Germans intercepted the Soviet formation east of Ekkerøy over the Varangerfjord. In this aerial engagement, Dörr claimed the destruction of two Il-2s and one Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk fighter.
On 25 November, following ten days of relative quiet, the Soviet Air Forces conducted a coordinated attack on Titovka, and the airfields Høybuktmoen at Kirkenes and Luostari near Pechenga. Titovka was attacked by sixteen Il-2s and six P-40s, escorted by six Yakovlev Yak-1 and four Yakovlev Yak-9. Høybuktmoen was hit by twelve Petlyakov Pe-2 escorted by twelve P-39s and six Yak-9. The Luostari airfield was struck by sixteen Il-2 and six P-40, protected by fourteen Yak-1 and six Hurricanes. That day, Dörr claimed a P-40 and an Il-2 ground attack aircraft, taking his total to 31 aerial victories.
Flying out of Pechenga on 2 April 1944, Dörr claimed two Yak-9 fighters shot down. These were his 32nd and 33rd aerial victories. Parts of III. Gruppe were ordered to relocate from Pechenga to Svartnes at 17:17 on 25 May 1944. At 21:00, 19 Bf 109s under the leadership of Gruppenkommandeur Major Heinrich Ehrler were scrambled from Svartnes to fend of approximately 80 Soviet aircraft attacking a German convoy. During this encounter, III. Gruppe claimed 33 aerial victories, including twenty "Boston" bombers, eight P-40s and five P-39s. However, Soviet records only account for five losses that day. Dörr claimed four aerial victories in this aerial combat. The next day, Ehrler again led 19 Bf 109s from III. Gruppe in defense of the German convoy. This time the Germans reported combat with approximately 100 Soviet aircraft and claimed 40 aerial victories, among them five by Dörr. Again, Soviet records do not match this figure, they document the loss of nine aircraft.
On 1 June 1944, 9. Staffel was officially detached from III. Gruppe and subordinated to II. Gruppe which had left Finland in April 1944 and fought in Reichsverteidigung. Not every pilot of 9. Staffel was impacted by this order. Some pilots stayed in Pechenga and formed a newly created Kommandostaffel, later renamed to Eismeerstaffel.

Group commander

On 1 August, Geschwaderkommodore of JG 5, Oberstleutnant Günther Scholz was given the position of Jagdfliegerführer Norwegen. In consequence of this decision, Major Ehrler was appointed the new Geschwaderkommodore and Dörr replaced Ehrler as Gruppenkommandeur of III. Gruppe while Leutnant Walter Schuck was given command of 7. Staffel, redesignated to 10. Staffel on 6 August 1944.
On 17 August, eight Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter aircraft of the 6th Fighter Aviation Division, accompanied by fourteen Bell P-39 Airacobra fighter aircraft, attacked the Luostari/Pechenga airfield. In parallel, further Soviet aircraft, including a number of Douglas A-20 Havoc "Boston" bombers, attacked the harbor at Kirkenes. First elements of III. Gruppe were scambled at 09:25, resulting in various aerial encounters. In this combat, Dörr claimed three victories. Two days later, Dörr was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and promoted to Hauptmann. The presentation of the Knight's Cross was made by Geschwaderkommodore Ehrler. He claimed six further aircraft shot down on 23 August 1944, among them his 100th victory, taking his total to 106 aerial victories. He was the 88th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.
In October 1944, Dörr claimed to have shot down 22 Russian aircraft, including six on 9 October and five on 21 October. On 9 October, the XIX. Gebirgs-Armeekorps was on the retreat and threatened from encirclement and Soviet forces have breached the German defenses south of the Petsamo airfield, also known as Pechenga, during the Petsamo–Kirkenes Offensive. That day, Dörr led III. Gruppe and claimed six aerial victories.

Sinking of the ''Tirpitz''

On 12 November 1944 the RAF sank the battleship Tirpitz. Avro Lancaster bombers from No. 617 and No. 9 squadrons were sent to Håkøya, a little west of Tromsø, where the Tirpitz was based. At the time, JG 5 was based at the Bardufoss airfield with 12 operational Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-3s. Neither Dörr nor his Geschwaderkommodore Ehrler knew the exact location of the battleship and were told she was based near Tromsø. At no time was the Geschwaderkommodore informed his unit's sole responsibility was the protection of the ship.
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The command and control center at Bardufoss was informed shortly before 08:00 that three Lancasters had been sighted at 07:39 in the vicinity of Mosjøen heading east. Shortly later, a second bulletin informed that a further Lancaster was sighted heading northeast. The reason for this delay in communication was that the message had been routed from Mosjøen to Fauske and then to the Luftwaffe headquarters at Narvik. The communication officer in charge, Leutnant Leo Beniers, immediately forwarded this information to Tromsø. At 08:18 the Luftwaffe fighter control center was informed which issued an air alarm for the area of Bodø. At 08:34 further four Lancasters were reported but plotted in the wrong Planquadrat of the Luftwaffe grid map. Due to this error, neither Ehrler nor Dörr were informed of the approaching bombers.
That day, Ehrler had preemptively ordered 9. Staffel of JG 5 at Bardufoss airfield on three-minute readiness while the Kommandostaffel was still undergoing training and had been placed on 15-minute readiness. Ehrler, who had planned to fly to Alta, entered his command post at 08:50, unaware of the unfolding events. As he was just about to leave the command post, Tirpitz signaled that they heard aircraft engine noise of unknown origin and altitude, Tirpitz did not report approaching enemy bombers. At 09:18, Ehrler ordered cockpit readiness for 9. Staffel and placed the Kommandostaffel on three-minute readiness. The situation remained unclear for Ehrler until 09:21–09:23 when a second aircraft noise message arrived. He then at 09:23 sounded the alarm and scrambled 9. Staffel. In parallel, Dörr who was alarmed by the fighters taking off, arrived at the command post and took charge of the Kommandostaffel. Ehrler was airborne at 09:25 while takeoff of 9. Staffel was delayed by five minutes due to a landing Junkers Ju 52. Adding to the confusion, while the British aircraft were detected by the German air defence staff at Tromsø and they asked the airfield command if any fighter aircraft were ready for takeoff. The question was affirmed, but the JG 5 staff thought the enquiry concerned the flight to Alta. The naval officers on board Tirpitz were notified Erhler was airborne before the British began their attack at 09:38.
When it finally became clear that the target was the Tirpitz, it was too late for the fighters to intercept, and the Tirpitz was destroyed with much loss of life. 9. Staffel also did not find the bombers and returned to Bardufoss airfield. Dörr and Ehrler were both made responsible for the loss and tried before the Reichskriegsgericht on 17, 18 and 20 December 1944. While Ehrler was found guilty, Dörr was acquitted from all charges.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

According to Obermaier, Dörr was credited with 128 victories claimed in 437 combat missions. Matthews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 122 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.

Awards