Berthold Korts


Berthold Korts was a World War II Luftwaffe fighter ace and was credited with 113 aerial victories—that is, 113 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Career

Korts military career began with the artillery before he began his pilot training in the summer of 1940. In June 1942, holding the rank of Feldwebel, he was transferred to 9. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 on the Eastern Front. At the time, this squadron was under the command of Hauptmann Hermann Graf and one of three squadrons subordinated to the III. Gruppe of JG 52 commanded by Major Hubertus von Bonin.
In early August 1942, III. Gruppe was based at an airfield near the Yegorlyk River, approximately west-southwest of Salsk. The Gruppe supported the 1st Panzer Army in its advance towards Maykop and Grozny. There, Korts claimed his first aerial victory over a Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighter on 6 August. On 10 August, III. Gruppe was moved to Armavir and 9. Staffel was ordered to a makeshift airfield at Plastunowskaja where it supported the attack of the 17th Army across the Kuban River on Novorossiysk. The next day, Korts claimed two Douglas A-20 Havoc, also referred to as “Boston” bombers, shot down.
In spring of 1943, he served with the Stab of JG 52. Over the Kuban bridgehead he achieved his 23rd–26th aerial victory on 15 April 1943, 36th–40th on 27 May 1943 and the 50th on 2 June 1943. He was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 12 July 1943.

Squadron leader

Promoted to an officers rank, Korts was appointed Staffelkapitän of 9. Staffel, also referred to as the Karaya-Staffel of JG 52, on 27 July 1943. He replaced Oberleutnant Rudolf Trepte who was transferred to the Stab of III. Gruppe. At the time, III. Gruppe was based at Ivanovka and engaged in the fighting near Oryol during Operation Kutuzov. On 28 July, the Bryansk Front, supported by ground attack aircraft, attacked the German forces at Oryol. During the course of the day, Korts claimed a LaGG-3 fighter shot down west of Bolkhov.
The 75th aerial victory was claimed by him on 3 August 1943. On 4 August, strong Soviet forces breached the right defensive flank of the 4th Panzer Army. In defense of this attack, III. Gruppe was engaged in combat near Tomarovka, northwest of Belgorod. In total, the Gruppe claimed 42 aerial victories that day, including nine of which by Korts. This made him an "ace-in-a-day" for the third time.
He reached the century mark on 17 August 1943 when he shot down two LaGG-3 fighters in the vicinity of Izium. He was the 50th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. The announcement that he had been awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was received by his unit on the day he went missing in action.
Korts, flying Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 and his wingman Unteroffizier Hans-Otto Müller in Bf 109 G-6 were last seen in combat with Soviet P-39 Airacobra fighters on 29 August 1943 in the vicinity of Amvrosiivka. He was succeeded by Erich Hartmann as Staffelkapitän of 9. Staffel.

Summary of career

Aerial victory claims

Authors Obermaier and Spick list Korts with 113 aerial victories. Matthews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 108 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front. The authors Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock indicate that additional five aerial victories have been claimed by Korts, two of which end of June or early July 1943, and further three on 5 August 1943.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference, for example "PQ 0516". 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.

Awards