Johann Pichler

Pichler was born on 15 December 1912 in Oberschweinbach in the Kingdom of Bavaria within the German Empire.{{sfn|Obermaier|1989|p=179}} In November 1934, Pichler joined the military service of the Wehrmacht, initially serving in the Army.{{sfn|Dixon|2023|p=147}} In 1938, he was transferred to the Luftwaffe and following flight and fighter pilot training,{{refn|Flight training in the Luftwaffe progressed through the levels A1, A2 and B1, B2, referred to as A/B flight training. A training included theoretical and practical training in aerobatics, navigation, long-distance flights and dead-stick landings. The B courses included high-altitude flights, instrument flights, night landings, and training to handle the aircraft in difficult situations.{{sfn|Bergström|Antipov|Sundin|2003|p=17}}|group="Note"}} Pichler was posted to Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing) in August 1940.{{sfn|Dixon|2023|p=147}}{{sfn|Scutts|1994|p=80}} There, Pichler was assigned to the 7. Staffel (7th squadron) commanded by Oberleutnant Wolf-Dietrich Huy. The Staffel had just been newly formed and initially received twelve captured Curtiss P-36 Hawk fighters. Pichler was one of the pilots chosen on 15 September to pick up the P-36 aircraft at Berlin Tempelhof Airport to shuttle them Döberitz. On this flight, his P-36 suffered engine failure resulting in a forced landing.{{sfn|Prien|1992|p=434}}

World War II in Europe had begun on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland. In support for Operation Marita, the German invasion of Greece, III. Gruppe of JG 77 was moved to Deta in western Romania on 4 April 1941.{{sfn|Prien|1992|pp=482–483, 487}} On 27, Pichler and Huy scored hits on a freighter off Nauplio claimed to be {{GRT|20000|link=off}}, probably the {{SS|Slamat||6}} of {{GRT|11636|link=off}} which was later sunk.{{sfn|Prien|1992|pp=543–547}}

In preparation for the Battle of Crete, III. Gruppe was ordered to Molaoi on 11 May.{{sfn|Prien|1992|p=560}} On 16 May, Pichler claimed his first aerial victory, a Hawker Hurricane fighter, during an attack on Maleme Airfield.{{sfn|Prien|1992|p=574}}{{Refn|Shores, Cull and Malizia date his first aerial victory on 19 April over a Hawker Hurricane fighter.{{sfn|Shores|Cull|Malizia|2008|p=263}}|group="Note"}} On 22 May, Huy led 7. Staffel of JG 77 which attacked the British battleship {{HMS|Warspite|03|6}} between 12:13 and 12:48. Oberleutnant Huth, Feldwebel Heinz Furth and Unteroffizier Pichler each had hit the Warspite and damaged her. The pilots had misidentified the ship and had reported an attack on {{HMS|Valiant|1914|6}}.{{sfn|Prien|1992|p=595}}{{sfn|Shores|Cull|Malizia|2008|p=357}}{{sfn|Rohwer|Hümmelchen|1968|p=128}} On 1 June, III. Gruppe was withdrawn from this theater of operations and began transferring to Vienna where they arrived on 4 June. Here, the Gruppe was equipped with the Bf 109 F-4, retaining a few older Bf 109 E aircraft.{{sfn|Prien|1992|pp=618–619}}

In preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, III. Gruppe was moved to Bucharest and was located in the sector of Heeresgruppe Süd (Army Group South). III. Gruppe arrived in Bucharest on 16 June.{{sfn|Prien|1993|p=628}} Four days later, III. Gruppe moved to Roman.{{sfn|Prien|1993|p=630}}

On 23 October 1942, the British Eighth Army launched the Second Battle of El Alamein. Preceding this attack, the Luftwaffe had already planned to replace Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing), which had been fighting in North African theater, with JG 77.{{sfn|Prien|1994|p=1293}} In preparation for this rotation, III. Gruppe of JG 77 was moved to Munich on 19 October where it was equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2/trop. On 23 and 24 October, the Gruppe moved to Bari in southern Italy.{{sfn|Prien|1994|p=1296}} The Gruppe then relocated to Tobruk Airfield on 26 October.{{sfn|Prien|1994|p=1298}} The following day, the Gruppe moved to an airfield at Tanyet-Harun.{{sfn|Prien|1994|p=1301}}

On 24 June 1943, Pichler claimed a Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter shot down, his 35th aerial victory in total.{{sfn|Stanaway|2014|p=74}} On 14 July, Pichler was shot down and wounded during aerial combat with Supermarine Spitfire fighters northwest of Lentini, he bailed out of his Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 18151—factory number).{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Rodeike|Bock|2011|p=540}} On 28 July 1944, Pichler was again shot down and severely wounded. Following aerial combat in the area of Pitești, he bailed out of his Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 165685) near Titu.{{sfn|Prien|Stemmer|Bock|Balke|2021|p=441}} Taken to a hospital, Pichler was captured and taken prisoner of war by advancing Soviet forces on 30 August. He was released from Soviet captivity in January 1950. Upon his return to Germany, he was informed that he had been awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross ({{lang|de|Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes}}) on 19 August 1944.{{sfn|Dixon|2023|p=148}}

Pichler died on 16 February 1995 at the age of {{age|1912|12|15|1995|2|16}} in Oberschweinbach, Germany.{{sfn|Dixon|2023|p=148}}

According to Spick, Pichler was credited with 75 aerial victories claimed in approximately 700 combat missions. This number includes 29 claims on the Eastern Front and 45 claims over the Western Allies, including sixteen heavy bombers.{{sfn|Spick|1996|p=237}} Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 39 aerial victory claims, and one further unconfirmed claim. This figure includes 16 aerial victory over the Western Allies, including ten heavy bombers, and 23 on the Eastern Front.{{sfn|Mathews|Foreman|2015|pp=966–967}}

Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 3787". The Luftwaffe grid map ({{lang|de|Jägermeldenetz}}) 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 {{Convert|360|sqmi|sqkm}}. These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area {{Convert|3|x|4|km|mi|abbr=on|sp=us}} in size.{{sfn|Planquadrat}}

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class{{sfn|Dixon|2023|p=147}}
• Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 25 June 1943 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot{{sfn|Patzwall|2008|p=161}}
• German Cross in Gold on 18 March 1943 as Oberfeldwebel in the 7./Jagdgeschwader 77{{sfn|Patzwall|Scherzer|2001|p=351}}
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 19 August 1944 as Fahnenjunker-Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 7./Jagdgeschwader 77{{sfn|Fellgiebel|2000|pp=338, 499}}{{refn|According to Scherzer as Oberfeldwebel who received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross as pilot in the III./Jagdgeschwader 77.{{sfn|Scherzer|2007|p=594}}|group="Note"}}

{{Reflist|group="Note"}}

{{Reflist|25em}}

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{{refend}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite journal

|last1=Martin

|first1=Pierre|title=Les as de la Luftwaffe: Johann Pichler

|journal=Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire

|date=January 1998

|issue=58

|pages=13–17

|trans-title=Aces of the Luftwaffe: Johann Pichler

|language=fr

|issn=1243-8650

|ref=none

}}

{{refend}}

{{Knight's Cross recipients of JG 77}}

{{Subject bar

| portal1=Aviation

| portal2=Biography

}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pichler, Johann}}

Category:1912 births

Category:1995 deaths

Category:People from Fürstenfeldbruck (district)

Category:Military personnel from the Kingdom of Bavaria

Category:Luftwaffe pilots

Category:German World War II flying aces

Category:Recipients of the Gold German Cross

Category:Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Category:German prisoners of war in World War II held by the Soviet Union

Category:Military personnel from Bavaria