Leutnant (later Major) Alfred Lindenberger was a World War I flying ace credited with twelve aerial victories. He also scored four victories during World War II while serving as commander of a fighter group.[1][2]
Alfred Lindenberger | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 April 1897 Stuttgart |
| Died | 30 June 1973 (aged 76) Nürtingen |
| Allegiance | Germany |
| Service | Imperial German Air Service, Luftwaffe |
| Rank | Leutnant (later Major) |
| Unit | FA 234, Jagdstaffel 2 |
| Other work | Commanded JG 300 of the Luftwaffe during World War II |
World War I military service
editWhile Lindenberger was a gunner in FA 234, he shot down a Spad with pilot Vizfeldwebel Breitenstein on 29 May 1917. Then he was teamed with ace pilot Vizfeldwebel Karl Jentsch, and they scored two more SPADs in October. After pilot training, in May 1918 Lindenberger was posted to Jagdstaffel 2. Between 30 May and 1 November 1918, he downed nine more enemy planes, seven flying the Fokker D.VII.[1][2] He also flew Fokker D.VI serial number 4453/18 upon occasion. It was marked with black and yellow stripes around the fuselage.[3]
Aerial victories
edit| No. | Date | Foe | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 May 1917 | SPAD | Cerny | Lindenberger's pilot was Vizfeldwebel Breitenstein |
| 2 | 2 October 1917 | SPAD | North of Soupir | Lindenberger's pilot was Karl Jentsch |
| 3 | 21 October 1917 | SPAD | Braucourt-Fresnes | Lindenberger's pilot was Karl Jentsch |
| 4 | 30 May 1918 | Breguet 14 | Villers-Cotterêts | |
| 5 | 1 June 1918 | Breguet 14 | Priez | |
| 6 | 18 June 1918 | Breguet 14 | Moulin-sous-Touvent | |
| 7 | 20 August 1918 | AR2 | West of Champs | |
| 8 | 31 August 1918 | Royal Aircraft Factory RE.8 | Haynecourt | |
| 9 | 3 September 1918 | Bristol F.2b | Combles | Victim from No. 20 Squadron RAF |
| 10 | 6 September 1918 | Sopwith Camel | Lagnicourt | Victim from No. 208 Squadron RAF |
| 11 | 30 October 1918 | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a | Harchies | Victim from No. 32 Squadron RAF |
| 12 | 1 November 1918 | Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a | Southwest of Harchies | Victim from No. 32 Squadron RAF[1][2] |
Between the Wars
editAlfred Lindenberger joined the Luftwaffe and rose to the rank of major.[4]
World War II military service
editIn June 1944, Major Lindenberger served with JG 3 and then flew air defense sorties with JG 300 over Germany until February 1945. He was made II./ JG 300 Gruppenkommandeur in October 1944. Owing to his age and inexperience with modern fighters he flew most sorties as a wingman. On 28 September 1944 he claimed a B-17 over Hildesheim and a P-51 Mustang near Quedlinburg before he was shot down by P-51s[citation needed] and wounded, bailing out over Halberstadt.[5] Lindenberger then claimed two US B-24 four-engined bombers on 17 December 1944 during a 15th Air Force raid over Poland, (JG 300 claimed 22 B-24s downed).[6]
He thus scored four World War II victories in total, making his lifetime tally sixteen aerial victories.[1]
Sources of information
edit- ^ a b c d Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918. pp. 155–156.
- ^ a b c The Aerodrome website 98http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/lindenberger.php Retrieved on 15 April 2010.
- ^ Aces of Jagdgeschwader, unpaginated text.
- ^ Oswald Boelcke: Germany's First Fighter Ace and Father of Air Combat, p. 167.
- ^ 479th Fighter Group: ‘Riddle’s Raiders’ (Aviation Elite Units), p. 74.
- ^ Luftwaffe Sturmgruppen (Aviation Elite Units), pp. 75, 106—107.
References
edit- Mückler, Jörg (November–December 2019). "Au combat dans deux guerres mondiales: l'as Alfred Lindenberger" [In Combat in Two World Wars: The Ace Alfred Lindenberger]. Avions (in French) (232): 4–19. ISSN 1243-8650.
- 479th Fighter Group: ‘Riddle’s Raiders’ (Aviation Elite Units). John Stanaway. Osprey Publishing, 2009. ISBN 1846034205, ISBN 978-1846034206
- Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps 1914 - 1918. Norman L. R. Franks, et al. Grub Street, 1993. ISBN 0-948817-73-9, ISBN 978-0-948817-73-1.
- Aces of Jagdgeschwader Nr. III. Greg vanWyngarden. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2016. ISBN 1472808452, ISBN 9781472808455
- Luftwaffe Sturmgruppen (Aviation Elite Units). John Weal. Osprey Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1841769088, ISBN 978-1841769080
- Oswald Boelcke: Germany's First Fighter Ace and Father of Air Combat. R. G. Head. Grub Street, 2016. ISBN 1910690236, ISBN 978-1910690239.