Peter Duttmann German Luftwaffe ace of World War II Date of Birth: 23.05.1923 Country: Germany

Biography of Peter Düttmann

Peter Düttmann was a German Luftwaffe ace during World War II. He achieved a total of 152 aerial victories, all on the Eastern Front, in 398 combat missions. He flew the "Bf-109" aircraft and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. On May 7, 1943, Düttmann joined JG 52 and was assigned to its 5th squadron. He served in this unit until the end of the war and soon became one of the most successful pilots of the squadron, alongside Heinz Ewald and Heinz Sachsenberg.

Düttmann scored his first aerial victory on May 21, 1943, and by the end of the year, he had shot down 25 enemy aircraft. On July 11, 1943, during an attack on a group of Soviet bombers, Düttmann's plane was hit by accurate fire from the tail gunner of one of the enemy aircraft. He managed to escape the battle and performed a forced landing on water. On August 9 of the same year, Düttmann was shot down again, this time having to belly-land his aircraft in a neutral zone. He was declared missing in action but managed to make his way back to his own lines, which took him 17 hours.

In March 1944, Düttmann achieved 18 aerial victories, followed by 22 in April and another 14 in May. On May 7, 1944, he shot down 9 enemy aircraft, bringing his personal tally to 91 victories. Due to his extreme exhaustion, he was sent on leave by the Command, and he returned in September 1944. Düttmann achieved his 100th victory on September 24 of the same year. On November 13, he was shot down by a Soviet IL-2 gunner and had to parachute from his burning aircraft at an altitude of about 300 meters. He landed behind enemy lines but once again managed to make it back to German positions. The same thing happened to him on March 3, 1945, when his plane was shot down by anti-aircraft guns. This time, it took him a day to return to his unit.

On December 23, 1944, Peter Düttmann was appointed commander of the 5th squadron of JG 52. He achieved his last aerial victory on April 26, 1945. In just 2 years of service on the Eastern Front, Düttmann completed 398 combat missions, shot down 152 enemy aircraft (9 in one day), and destroyed 2 Soviet tanks of the Sherman type. His personal victory tally includes 38 IL-2 ground-attack aircraft, 8 Douglas A-20 Boston bombers, 5 Romanian aircraft, and 98 Soviet fighters.

Düttmann was shot down or forced to make emergency landings 17 times but was never wounded. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and was recommended for the Oak Leaves at the end of the war, but for unknown reasons, his nomination was rejected. Peter Düttmann passed away on January 9, 2001, at the age of 77.

Notable awards and decorations: Luftwaffe Honour Goblet (February 8, 1944), German Cross in Gold (April 15, 1944), Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (June 9, 1944) - Lieutenant, Pilot of the 5th squadron of JG 52.