Hans-Joachim Birkner was a Luftwaffe 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. Birkner was credited with 117 aerial victories—that is, 117 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft.
On Friday 1 September 1939 German forces had invaded Poland which marked the beginning of World War II, and in June 1941, Germany had invaded the Soviet Union which created the Eastern Front. In late September 1943, III. Gruppe of JG 52 was equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 G and fought in the Battle of the Caucasus and was based at Zaporizhia. In October, III. Gruppe flew combat missions over the right flank of the 1st Panzer Army and the left flank of 6th Army at the Dnieper. Birkner claimed his first aerial victory on 1 October 1943 over a P-39 Airacobra in combat south-southwest of Bolschoj Tokmak. That day, III. Gruppe had claimed 17 aerial victories in an encounter with Ilyushin Il-2ground attack aircraft and their fighter escort. By the end of the year he had claimed 24 victories in total. Over the next few months Birkner often flew as Rottenflieger to the high scoring aces Günther Rall and Erich Hartmann, claiming any of his victories whilst flying with them. On 15 January 1944 Birkner claimed five P-39 fighters shot down. In April, he claimed a further 29 victories, including six in one day on 19 April. In May he claimed 17 victories, including five on 30 May. In June he claimed a United States Army Air ForcesP-51 Mustangescort fighter over Rumania on 24 June for his 92nd victory. Birkner was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 July 1944 for 98 victories. On 1 October 1944, Birkner was appointed Staffelkapitän 9./JG 52. In October Birkner claimed another 18 victories, including his 100th victory on 14 October. He was the 95th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. Birkner was killed on 14 December 1944 when he suffered engine failure landing at Krakau in a Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-14. Hans-Joachim Birkner was credited with 117 victories in 284 missions, and some 121 combats. All his victories were recorded over the Eastern Front. Included in his total are at least 15 Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmoviks.
Summary of career
Aerial victory claims
Matthews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and state that Birkner was credited with 117 aerial victories. This figure includes 116 aerial victories on the Eastern Front and one over the Western Allies. Victory claims were logged to a map-reference, for example "PQ 34 Ost 58842". The Luftwaffe grid map covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about. These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 × 4 km in size.