Hans Joachim Marseille

Introduction

Hans Joachim Marseille was a renowned  German fighter ace during World War II being one of only twelve Luftwaffe pilots to receive the much coveted Knights Cross  with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. By the time of his death on September 30, 1942, he had amassed an astonishing victory count of 158 allied aircraft destroyed.

Although propaganda portrayed him as the ideal German soldier, in reality he was anything but.

The Search For An EE Topic

As a chronic procrastinator, I decided that this time around I would not procrastinate by waiting until as late as humanly possible to begin the process of writing my EE. Thus, I began my search for an EE topic early.

It was during my search for an acceptable EE topic that I came across the air aces of WWI and WWII. It was the list of air aces during WWII that was especially interesting to me due to the drastically uneven proportions, in terms of nation, of pilots. The great majority, I would say 90%, are German Luftwaffe pilots. In fact, the top 121 highest scoring air aces are all German Luftwaffe pilots. o.o

This overwhelming dominance sparked my interest thus prompting me to investigate further.

There were many people I considered featuring in my ISP…in fact I might include them at a later date… but in the end, I decided upon Marseille because of his unique character that contrasted so starkly with others and interesting lifestyle choices. He also happens to be totally OP.

The Star Of Africa

Early Life

Born in Berlin on December 13, 1919, Marseille is of French Huguenot ancestry, hence his very French last name. He grew up in a less than ideal household in which his father had divorced his mother when he was still very young under not so amicable circumstances. His father was a military man, working in the army as a high ranking officer.

He was a rebellious child, possibly as a result of negative feelings towards his authoritarian father. In school, he was commended for his natural intellect and talent, yet never took academia seriously. His attitude will carry over into this military career.

As Germany, prepped for war, Marseille completed his compulsory Reich Labor Service and basic infantry training in 1938. By the beginning of WWII, he had begun training as a fighter pilot per the influence of his father who wrote to influential friends to secure a training slot for Marseille in the ranks of the Luftwaffe.

During training, Marseille retained his lack of concern for what he didn’t particularly care about. While excelled in technical aspects of flying, he experience major issues with teamwork and discipline. It was only with the influence of his father that he managed to stay within the program.

The Unsuccessful Years

In his early years as a fighter pilot, Marseille was not only not very successful but also unprofessional and undisciplined.

He had graduated by 1940 and thus made it in time to participate in the Battle of Britain. While he managed to shoot down 7 allied aircraft by the end of the battle, he also crashed or bailed out of 6 of his own aircraft. There were bitter comments on him also being an RAF ace. He would also regularly violate protocol such as breaking formation to engage enemy aircraft without informing his team.

Beginning in 1941, Marseille was transferred to a new squadron to be deployed to North Africa. There is continued a short streak of unsuccessful ventures before suddenly finding success.

The early unsuccessful years was not helped by his attitude nor by his lifestyle choices. He was careless in the air, taking unnecessary risks. He was rebellious on the ground, often refusing to follow regulations and abandoning his teammates to do his work for him. His lifestyle comprised of nightclubs with him sometimes being grounded for being too drunk to fly.

 

North Africa

By the end of 1941, Marseille had begun to enjoy greater success in the air however, disease due to the conditions of Africa sent him home for a short leave where he learned of his sister’s murder. This sobered him up. However not before strafing the sand in front of his CO’s tent when he found out his promotion had been denied on recommendation of his CO.

From late 1941 to his death in 1942, Marseille rapidly gained attention as he achieved success after success after success in the air. He was awarded the Knight’s Cross in February 1942 following 40 victories.

It was during early 1942 that Marseille refined his flying technique making him an incredibly deadly enemy. He averaged 15 shots before downing an enemy aircraft. On September 1, 1942, it was said he managed to claim 8 victories in only 10 minutes.

With his change in attitude, Marseille became much more likable and soon gained the respect and admiration of not only his comrades but also his enemies through his chivalrous nature. On one occasion he helped a P40 land and assisted the wounded pilot upon landing. He was also known to fly over enemy airfields to deliver mail.

Of course, Marseille did not lose all aspects of his past personality. He remained rebellious in many aspects such as listening to american jazz music which was banned in Nazi Germany and befriending a South African POW. On one occasion while attending an evening event he was asked to play to piano in front of the upper ranks of the Nazi Party with Hitler in attendance. He behaved himself in the beginning but played a piece of american jazz as his final piece which resulted in much awkwardness. Despite having Hitler’s approval, he never joined the Nazi Party. He also retained an active night life.

As a result of his success during this period, Marseille rapid gained attention in Germany, soon becoming a legend. Propaganda was especially flattering towards him. He was especially admired by the ladies, receiving sacks of fan mail and engaging in many affairs. He did eventually become engaged and was due to marry in December 1942.

Tragedy

By September 30, 1942, Marseille had accumulated a total of 158 aerial victories. His victorious streak was ended by his tragic death due to engine problems returning from an escort mission. His cockpit had been filled with black smoke yet he could not yet bail as they had not crossed into German held territory. When he finally did bail, he was disoriented and possibly half asphyxiated. His plane was at an incorrect angle resulting in impact with his tailfin which either killed him instantly or prevented him from opening his parachute.

His grave is inscribed with simply “undefeated”