Erbo Graf von Kageneck


Erbo Graf von Kageneck was a German fighter pilot during World War II. A flying ace, he was credited with 67 aerial victories and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany.

Early life

Kageneck was born in Bonn, one of five sons of Generalmajor Karl Graf von Kageneck and Freiin Maria von Schorlemer, daughter of Clemens Freiherr von Schorlemer, an Imperial Secretary of Agriculture. His brothers included Clemens-Heinrich Graf von Kageneck, a captain in the army, and August von Kageneck, a lieutenant in the army, later a journalist and writer.

World War II

Kageneck joined the German air force, the Luftwaffe, in 1936. At the outbreak of World War II, he served with Jagdgeschwader 1. In September 1940, he transferred as squadron leader of Staffel 9, Jagdgeschwader 27. In 1941, during the invasion of the Soviet Union, JG 27 was tasked with neutralising the Soviet air force. Kageneck shot down more than 20 Soviet aircraft in less than four weeks. For that he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 30 July 1941 and also was promoted to Oberleutnant. By October 1941, Kageneck had recorded 48 Soviet victories and — with his total now at 65 — was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 26 October 1941.
In December 1941, Kageneck was transferred back to the Mediterranean theatre with Staffel 9, JG 27 and gained his last two victories against British Commonwealth fighters over the deserts of North Africa. On 24 December, Kageneck was seriously wounded in combat with several Desert Air Force Tomahawks, and Hurricanes south of Agedabia. Both Sergeant Maxwell and Pilot Officer Thompson made claims for a fighter shot down in the same action. Many years later, some sources, including Kageneck's brother, August von Kageneck, claimed that the shots which hit Erbo were fired by the pre-eminent Australian ace of the war, Clive Caldwell. The main reason for this was that Caldwell favoured attacks from beneath his opponents, which was precisely the fashion in which Kageneck's wounds were sustained.
Although he suffered severe injuries to his stomach, abdomen and groin, Kageneck managed to fly his crippled fighter back to his base at El Magrun and make an emergency landing. He was immediately evacuated, first to a hospital in Athens, and then to another in Naples where, despite intensive care, he died of his wounds on 12 January 1942 at the age of 23. He was posthumously promoted to Hauptmann.

Awards