Paul Semrau
German officer and fighter pilot during World War II / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Paul Semrau (12 November 1915 – 8 February 1945) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and wing commander during World War II. As a night fighter ace, he is credited with 46 aerial victories claimed in 350 combat missions.[Note 1] All of his victories were claimed over the Western Front against the Royal Air Force's (RAF) Bomber Command.[1]
Paul Semrau | |
---|---|
Born | (1915-11-12)12 November 1915 Deutsch Eylau, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire |
Died | 8 February 1945(1945-02-08) (aged 29) near Fliegerforst Twente, Twente, German-occupied Netherlands |
Buried | |
Allegiance | Nazi Germany |
Service/ | Luftwaffe |
Years of service | 1936–45 |
Rank | Major (major) |
Unit | KG 30, NJG 2, NJG 6 |
Commands held | 3./NJG 2, V./NJG 6, III./NJG 2, NJG 2 |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Born in Deutsch Eylau, Semrau grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. He joined the military service of the Luftwaffe in 1936. Following training, he was posted to Kampfgeschwader 30 (KG 30—30th Bomber Wing) and flew the Junkers Ju 88 as a bomber pilot during the Norwegian Campaign. In June 1940, Semrau transferred to the night fighter force where he was posted to I. Gruppe of Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 (NJG 2—2nd Night Fighter Wing). He claimed his first aerial victory on the night of 10/11 February 1941 and in December 1941, he was appointed squadron leader of 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of NJG 2. In January 1944, he was given command of I. Gruppe and in November 1944 overall command of NJG 2. On 8 February 1945, Semrau and his crew were killed in action when they were shot down during a daytime maintenance flight by a RAF fighter aircraft. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 17 April 1945.