Horst Petzschler
Oberfeldwebel
Horst Petzschler was born on 1 September 1921 at Berlin. He completed an
apprenticeship as a toolmaker with Henschel Flugzeugwerke A.G. at Schönefeld
after leaving school in April 1938. He was also active flying gliders.
Petzschler joined the Luftwaffe on 1 April 1941. He spent five months receiving
military training before reporting to Flugzeugführerschule A/B 10 at Grottau.
Having qualified for his pilot’s licence, Unteroffizier Petzschler entered the
flying schools at Oels and Ohlau to qualify on multi-engine aircraft following
which he was transferred to the pilot training school at Prenzlau as an
instructor. On 7 March 1943, he was assigned to JG 105 at Villacoublay near
Paris for fighter pilot training. Petzschler completed his final training on the
Fw 190 A-2 near Toulouse, France. Petzschler was posted to JG 51, where he was
assigned to the Geschwaderstab, based at Smolensk, arriving there on 23 August
1943. On his first mission on 7 September, flying as wingman to Feldwebel Anton Hafner (204 victories, RK-EL, killed in action 17
October 1944), he was shot down by Russian flak and baled out. His primary role
was Jagdbomber tank busting, however he was also often involved in aerial combat
and claimed his first victory on 11 May, when he shot down a Russian Yak-7
fighter near Nevel. He had completed 126 fighter-bomber missions and had three
victories to his credit when he was advised of his transfer to the Western
front. Petzschler was to 2./JG 3, based at Burg in Germany, on 13 April 1944. On
12 May, he flew his first mission against the USAAF when he was scrambled to
intercept an incoming raid. In the subsequent aerial combat southeast of
Frankfurt, Petzschler claimed a B-17 four-engine bomber Herausschuss and an
escorting P-51 fighter shot down. However, he
received hits from other P-51 fighters necessitating a forced-landing near
Fritzlar. He was shot down again a few days later when, attempting to intercept
a large formation of USAAF four-engine bombers heading for Berlin, he was
intercepted and shot up by USAAF P-38 twin-engine
fighters necessitating another belly-landing. On 28 May, he shot down a USAAF
P-51 fighter near Magdeburg but was then again shot down himself. He baled
unhurt near Rothensee.
Light grey RLM 76
camouflaged Bf 109G-6/AS (W.Nr. 412 179) "black 14" belonging to Fw. Horst
Petzschler of 2./JG 3. On 30 May 1944 his friend Fw. Otto Büssow (3 victories,
2x B-17 HSS and P-51) was killed in this machine while engaged in a dogfight
with P-51`s near Belzig.
Reassigned to JG 51 in June 1944,
Petzschler was reassigned to the Geschwaderstaffel, based at Minsk. He recorded
his 10th victory in July when he shot down a Russian Yak-9 fighter near
Wilkowischken. In September, Petzschler was transferred to the Fighter Pilot
School at Liegnitz as an instructor. He returned to the Geschwaderstaffel of JG
51 on 13 February 1945. He recorded his 20th victory in March, when he shot down
a Russian Il-2 ground-attack aircraft near Zinten.
On 1 April, he received promotion to the rank of Fahnenjunker-Feldwebel. He had
taken his victory total to 26 when, on 4 May 1945, III./JG 51 were ordered to
leave East Prussia for Schleswig-Holstein. However, Petzschler, due to
navigational problems and a damaged fuel tank, make a dead-stick landing at
Bulltofta in neutral Sweden because he had run out of fuel. The Swedish
authorities interned Petzschler. In January 1946, Sweden handed Petzschler over
to the Russians who imprisoned him. He was eventually released on 22 September
1949. After six months recuperation, Petzschler joined the Berlin police force.
However, he soon returned to aircraft manufacturing, his pre-war profession. In
1951, he gained employment with British European Airways. In 1953, he and his
family immigrated to Canada. There he worked as an auto mechanic before moving
to the United States. In the US he started to work in the aircraft industry. He
has worked for Boeing, Lear, Northrop and Beechcraft. He finally retired in
1988.
Horst Petzschler was credited with 26 victories in 297 missions.
He recorded four victories over the Western front,
including two four-engine bombers. Petzschler was
shot down 13 times during his combat career, crash-landing 11 times and baling
out twice. He was shot down 11 times by flak and twice by enemy fighters.
Victories : 26
Awards : Ehrenpokal (10 September 1944)
Units : JG 51, JG 3