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Walter Oesau - Pilot Profile - Walter Oesau

Walter Oesau

Victories : 133
-----------------------------
Country : Germany
Fought in : WW2
Fought for : Axis
Died : 11th May 1944

This pilot scored 5 or more victories during the Battle of Britain, 10th July - 31st October 1940.

Awarded the Knights Cross of the Iron CrossAwarded Oak Leaves to the Knights CrossAwarded Swords to the Knights Cross
Knights
Cross		Oak LeavesSwords

Oberst Walter "Gulle" Oesau was born 28 June 1913. He was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1934 until his death in 1944. He rose to command Jagdgeschwader 1, which was named in his honour after his death.

He served with the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War, with 3 Staffel of Jagdgruppe 88 (3./J 88), claiming 8 aircraft during the campaign, becoming one of only 28 people to earn the award of the Spanish Cross in Gold and Diamonds.

At the start of World War II, Oesau was given command of 2 Staffel, Jagdgeschwader 20. The group was moved to the Eastern front at the start of the Invasion of Poland, moving back to the Western Front later as the redesignated III Gruppe, Jagdgeschwader 51 (III./JG 51). After his first victory of WWII in the Battle of France, Oesau operated on both the Western and Eastern Fronts, where he was wounded and received the Silver Wound Badge.

He returned to operations as Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1).

He was killed in action on 11 May 1944 aged 30. JG 1 was given the suffix "Oesau" in his honour.

Battle of Britain

On 10 July 1940, the first major clashes of the Battle of Britain occurred. 20 Bf 109s of III./JG 51 led by Hauptmann Hannes Trautloft and 30 Bf 110 C of I./Zerstörergeschwader 26 escorted 20 Dornier Do 17 bombers of II./Kampfgeschwader 2 attacking a large convoy off Folkstone. Oberleutnant Oesau was leading 7./JG 51.

Trautloft noticed three of a flight of six intercepting Hurricanes of No. 32 squadron higher than the escorts, attempting to intercept the bombers. Soon they were joined by four squadrons of British fighters; No. 56 Squadron, No. 111 Squadron, No. 64 Squadron and No. 74 Squadron. Oesau was able to claim three Spitfires . Two 7./JG 51 aircraft crash landed in France]

On 19 July, III./JG 51 were confronted by Defiants of No. 141 Squadron south of Folkestone. As the German pilots were now aware of Defiant's lack of front armament, they soon gained the advantage in combat and claimed 11 Defiants shot down in 8 minutes. Oesau was credited with one Defiant, taking his score to 19. He was the first one of JG 51 to reach double digits in WWII.

On 18 August 1940, III./JG 51 escorted Dorniers attacking Hornchurch airfield. Intercepted by Hurricanes over Kent, Oesau claimed one Hurricane shot down as his 20th victory, earning him the Knight's Cross two days later, the first pilot of JG 51 to be thus honoured. On 23 August 1940, Trautloft took over as Geschwaderkommodore of JG 54, and Walter Oesau replaced him as Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 51. By October 1940, Oesau had a total score of 48 (including 26 Spitfires).

On 10 November 1940 Oesau succeeded Wilhelm Balthasar as Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 3. With 39 victories he was currently the 4th highest scoring Ace behind Helmut Wick, Werner Mölders and Adolf Galland. On 5 February 1941 he shot down a Hurricane over Desvres, France, his 40th victory. He was awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross next day. It also earned him second entry in the Wehrmachtbericht. In early 1941, JG 3 returned to Germany to replace their Bf 109 'Emils' with the new 'F' variant (Friedrich). They returned to France in May 1941 and Oesau added two more kills on 16 May and 28 May bringing his total to 51.

Walter Oesau


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Known Victory Claims - Walter Oesau

DATE

PILOT

UNIT

JG

CLAIMED

LOCATION

TIME

FRONT

15/07/1938Ltn. Walter OesauStabJ/88Curtiss--Spanish Civil War
17/07/1938Ltn. Walter OesauStabJ/88Curtiss--Spanish Civil War
18/07/1938Ltn. Walter OesauStabJ/88Rata--Spanish Civil War
20/07/1938Ltn. Walter OesauStabJ/88Curtiss--Spanish Civil War
27/07/1938Ltn. Walter OesauStabJ/88SB-2--Spanish Civil War
15/08/1938Ltn. Walter OesauStabJ/88Curtiss--Spanish Civil War
20/08/1938Ltn. Walter OesauStabJ/88Rata--Spanish Civil War
15/10/1938Ltn. Walter OesauStabJ/88Rata--Spanish Civil War
03/11/1938Ltn. Walter OesauStabJ/88Rata--Spanish Civil War
13/05/1940Oblt. Walter Oesau1JG 20CurtissHalsteren19.27Western Front
31/05/1940Oblt. Walter Oesau1JG 20SpitfireNW Dünkirchen18.22Western Front
31/05/1940Oblt. Walter Oesau1JG 20SpitfireNW Dünkirchen18.26Western Front
01/06/1940Oblt. Walter Oesau1JG 20Blenheim20km N. Ostende11.35Western Front
13/06/1940Oblt. Walter Oesau1JG 20Amiot 351SW Les Andelys15.41Western Front
07/07/1940Oblt. Walter Oesau7JG 51Spitfire5km S. Dover14.05Western Front
10/07/1940Oblt. Walter Oesau7JG 51Spitfire5km S. Dover14.39Western Front
10/07/1940Oblt. Walter Oesau7JG 51Spitfire10km S. Dover14.49Western Front
10/07/1940Oblt. Walter Oesau7JG 51SpitfireW. Folkestone15.04Western Front
19/07/1940Oblt. Walter Oesau7JG 51DefiantS. Folkestone13.5Western Front
19/07/1940Oblt. Walter Oesau7JG 51HurricaneS. Dover13.55Western Front
25/07/1940Hptm. Walter Oesau7JG 51Spitfire5km S. Dover15.52Western Front
05/08/1940Hptm. Walter Oesau7JG 51Spitfire10km SW Dover9.59Western Front
14/08/1940Hptm. Walter Oesau7JG 51HurricaneNW Dover13.59Western Front
15/08/1940Hptm. Walter Oesau7JG 51Spitfire5km S. Folkestone12.34Western Front
15/08/1940Hptm. Walter Oesau7JG 51SpitfireS. Folkestone12.32Western Front
16/08/1940Hptm. Walter Oesau7JG 51Spitfire20km NW Cap Gris Nez17.35Western Front
16/08/1940Hptm. Walter Oesau7JG 51Spitfire20km NW Cap Gris Nez17.36Western Front
18/08/1940Hptm. Walter Oesau7JG 51Hurricane8km NW Cap Gris Nez18.5Western Front
18/08/1940Hptm. Walter Oesau7JG 51Hurricane3km S. Canterbury18.37Western Front
04/09/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Spitfire--Western Front
06/09/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Spitfire--Western Front
07/09/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51SpitfireLondon-Western Front
11/09/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Spitfire--Western Front
14/09/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Spitfire--Western Front
14/09/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Spitfire--Western Front
15/09/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Spitfire--Western Front
18/09/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Spitfire5km SE Ashford: 6500m14.3Western Front
27/09/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Hurricane--Western Front
27/09/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Hurricane--Western Front
28/09/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Spitfire--Western Front
29/09/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Spitfire--Western Front
29/09/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Spitfire--Western Front
30/09/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Spitfire--Western Front
05/10/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51SpitfireLondon-Western Front
12/10/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Spitfire--Western Front
15/10/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Hurricane--Western Front
25/10/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Spitfire--Western Front
01/11/1940Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 51Spitfire--Western Front
05/02/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3HurricaneDesvres: 2500m14.05Western Front
16/05/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SpitfireS. Folkestone15.45Western Front
28/05/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3HurricaneN. Calais19.25Western Front
24/06/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3I-18-12.08Eastern Front
24/06/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3I-15-15.15Eastern Front
26/06/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-2-6.42Eastern Front
26/06/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-2-6.45Eastern Front
26/06/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3I-15-12.45Eastern Front
26/06/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-2-12.5Eastern Front
29/06/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3V-11N. Ostrog18.1Eastern Front
30/06/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3V-11-9.2Eastern Front
30/06/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-2-13.3Eastern Front
01/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-2-18.2Eastern Front
01/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-2N. Hoszca18.22Eastern Front
01/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-2N. Hoszca18.24Eastern Front
02/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3DB-3-12Eastern Front
06/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-3-14.42Eastern Front
06/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-2-17.2Eastern Front
06/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3Pe-2-17.24Eastern Front
07/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3Pe-2-5.57Eastern Front
08/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-2-13Eastern Front
08/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-2-13.02Eastern Front
08/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-2NE Miropol13.04Eastern Front
08/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-2-17.15Eastern Front
10/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3V-11-9.07Eastern Front
10/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3I-17-11.5Eastern Front
10/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3Pe-2-12.35Eastern Front
10/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3I-153-15.55Eastern Front
10/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3I-16E. Makarow18.35Eastern Front
11/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3I-16-17.44Eastern Front
11/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-2-18Eastern Front
12/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3V-11-13Eastern Front
12/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3V-11-13.04Eastern Front
12/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3I-16-15.35Eastern Front
12/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3I-16-15.35Eastern Front
12/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-2-15.36Eastern Front
12/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3I-16-15.35Eastern Front
12/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-2-15.37Eastern Front
13/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3DB-3-11.44Eastern Front
15/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3I-153-12.5Eastern Front
15/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3DB-3-12.55Eastern Front
22/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3-16.4Eastern Front
23/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3DB-3-11.2Eastern Front
23/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3SB-2-13.44Eastern Front
23/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3I-15-15.28Eastern Front
23/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3DB-3W. Belaja Zerkow17.22Eastern Front
24/07/1941Hptm. Walter OesauStab III.JG 3DB-3-13.55Eastern Front
10/08/1941Major Walter OesauStabJG 2SpitfireNE Calais14.15Western Front
12/08/1941Major Walter OesauStabJG 2SpitfireNW St. Omer12.54Western Front
12/08/1941Major Walter OesauStabJG 2SpitfireNW St. Omer12.5Western Front
12/08/1941Major Walter OesauStabJG 2SpitfireNNW Calais11.43Western Front
12/08/1941Major Walter OesauStabJG 2Spitfire15km SE Dover13.06Western Front
12/08/1941Major Walter OesauStabJG 2SpitfireSE Dover13.15Western Front
16/08/1941Major Walter OesauStabJG 2Spitfire4km NW Calais19.38Western Front
21/08/1941Major Walter OesauStabJG 2SpitfireW. Calais: 5500m10.23Western Front
21/08/1941Major Walter OesauStabJG 2SpitfireE. Etaples: 6000m15.1Western Front
31/08/1941Major Walter OesauStabJG 2SpitfireRouen20.07Western Front
04/09/1941Major Walter OesauStabJG 2Spitfire-17.35Western Front
13/10/1941Major Walter OesauStabJG 2Spitfire15km SW Boulogne14.32-35Western Front
13/10/1941Major Walter OesauStabJG 2Spitfire-15.28Western Front
26/10/1941Major Walter OesauStabJG 2Spitfire-13.08Western Front
17/04/1942Major Walter OesauStabJG 2LancasterW. Evreux17.1Western Front
05/09/1942Major Walter OesauStabJG 2SpitfirePl.Qu. 0021/05 Ost: 7700-8000m11.45Western Front
20/12/1942Major Walter OesauStabJG 2B-1720km NNW Dieppe: 5000-3500m13.53Western Front
04/04/1943Obstltn. Walter OesauStabJG 2B-17W. St. Pierre-les-Elbeuf: 6500m14.3Western Front
29/05/1943Oberst Walter OesauStabJG 2B-173831/14 West: 7-8000m17.25Western Front
05/01/1944Obstltn. Walter OesauStabJG 1B-24-12Western Front
30/01/1944Oberst Walter OesauStabJG 1B-17-12.2Western Front
30/01/1944Oberst Walter OesauStabJG 1B-17-12Western Front
08/02/1944Oberst Walter OesauStabJG 1P-38PS-QR: 8400-7600m [220° Bad Nauheim]12Western Front
10/02/1944Oberst Walter OesauStabJG 1B-17FO-4: 6000m [S. Coevorden]12.55Western Front
10/02/1944Oberst Walter OesauStabJG 1P-47FM-FN: 4000m [Meppel 270° Kampen]13Western Front
22/02/1944Oberst Walter OesauStabJG 1B-17-15.25Western Front
22/02/1944Oberst Walter OesauStabJG 1B-1710km N. Thier: 1000m [Gütersloh]13.36Western Front
24/02/1944Oberst Walter OesauStabJG 1B-17HT-JT: 7500-6000m [S. Hameln]12.35-40Western Front
25/02/1944Oberst Walter OesauStabJG 1B-1705 Ost S/AR-8 Baden-Baden: 6500m13.05Western Front
25/02/1944Oberst Walter OesauStabJG 1B-1704 Ost S/AQ 2-3 W. Baden-Baden 5000m15Western Front
06/03/1944Oberst Walter OesauStabJG 1P-47Cloppenburg-Vechta: 500-800m12.05-10Western Front
06/03/1944Oberst Walter OesauStabJG 1B-17ER to FR: 3000m [Raum Vechta]12.15-20Western Front
08/05/1944Oberst Walter OesauStabJG 1P-47FS-FT: [Sulinghen-Nienburg]9.45Western Front

Known Claims : 128

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