Nickname: "Bazi". This was an affectionate diminutive or colloquial nickname common in Austrian and Bavarian German dialects. "Bazi" (or "Bazi" in dialect spelling) is a regional term meaning a prankster, rascal, naughty boy, cheeky fellow, or little rogue—essentially a playful way to describe someone mischievous, bold, or spirited in a light-hearted, endearing manner.
Date of Birth: 25.10.1918 - Wien-Stammersdorf, Österreich
Date of Death: 15.06.1942 - bei Woltschansk nahe Charkow, Sowjetunion (vermisst)
Battles and Operations: Balkanfeldzug, Unternehmen Merkur (Kreta), Operation Barbarossa, Battle of Kharkov, Krimfeldzug
NSDAP-Number: No information
SS-Number: No information
Religion: No information
Parents: No information
Siblings: No information
Spouse: Married
Children: No information
Promotions:
20.02.1942 Oberfeldwebel der Reserve
01.06.1942 Leutnant der Reserve (posthumous)
Career:
1937-03.1938 Austrian Bundesheer, Flieger-Ausbildungsregiment Wiener Neustadt, pilot training
03.1938-1939 Luftwaffe after Anschluss, fighter pilot training at Jagdfliegerschule Wien-Aspern
1939-08.1940 Ergänzungsgruppe/JG 52
10.1940-01.1941 9. Staffel/III. Gruppe JG 52 (temporarily I. Gruppe JG 28), deployed to Romania for oilfield protection and training
04.1941 Balkan operations in reserve guarding Ploesti oilfields
05.1941 ground support missions during Battle of Crete
06.1941-06.1942 9. Staffel/III. Gruppe JG 52 on Eastern Front, bases including Belaya Tserkov, Poltava, Chaplynka, Taganrog, Kharkov, Belgorod
Awards and Decorations:
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (1941)
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse (1941)
Kombiniertes Flugzeugführer- und Beobachterabzeichen (1941)
Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz (1941/42)
Frontflugspange der Luftwaffe in Gold mit Anhänger „300“ (1942)
Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (08.12.1941)
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (22.01.1942)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (14.02.1942) as Feldwebel and pilot in 9./JG 52 for achieving his 42nd confirmed aerial victory on the Eastern Front. By this point he had flown more than 200 combat sorties, repeatedly distinguishing himself in fighter escort missions, free hunts, and protection of German ground forces and vital infrastructure in the southern sector. The award recognized his consistent success against superior numbers of Soviet aircraft while operating from forward bases under difficult conditions.
Krimschild (1942)
Nennung im Wehrmachtbericht (03.05.1942)
Nennung im Wehrmachtbericht (31.05.1942)
Nennung im Wehrmachtbericht (12.06.1942)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub (02.06.1942) #96 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 52, and only the third NCO in the Luftwaffe to receive it, after he reached his 83rd confirmed aerial victory. This came during the intense spring 1942 fighting around Kharkov, the Barvenkovo-Lozovaya offensive, and the Crimea operations. He achieved multiple high-scoring days, including six victories on 2 May and nine on 8 May 1942, while providing critical air support for the ongoing campaigns. The Oak Leaves honoured his exceptional marksmanship, leadership as a Rottenflieger, and relentless combat tempo despite increasing fatigue.
Nennung im Wehrmachtbericht (25.06.1942)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern (23.06.1942, posthumous) #14 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 9./Jagdgeschwader 52, and the only non-commissioned officer ever to receive this grade, in recognition of his final total of 99 confirmed aerial victories, all scored on the Eastern Front in roughly 390 combat missions. On 15 June 1942 he claimed four more Soviet aircraft before being shot down by anti-aircraft fire near Woltschansk/Shebekino. The Swords were the ultimate acknowledgement of his outstanding bravery, skill, and contribution to JG 52 during the decisive 1941–42 campaigns; he remains the sole enlisted-rank recipient of the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords in Wehrmacht history!
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Leopold Steinbatz, an Austrian-born fighter pilot known affectionately as Bazi among his comrades, began his military journey in 1937 when he volunteered for the Austrian Armed Forces after completing his apprenticeship as a butcher and learning to fly gliders in his youth. Following the Anschluss in March 1938 he transferred seamlessly into the Luftwaffe and completed fighter pilot training at the Jagdfliegerschule in Wien-Aspern. He was posted to the Ergänzungsgruppe of Jagdgeschwader 52 in 1939 and joined 9. Staffel of III. Gruppe JG 52 in August 1940. From October 1940 the unit moved to Romania to protect the Ploesti oilfields and train Romanian pilots on the Bf 109E. In April 1941 the Staffel guarded the southeastern flank during the invasion of Yugoslavia before shifting to ground-attack and escort missions over Greece and Crete in May 1941 as part of Unternehmen Merkur.
With the launch of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941 Steinbatz flew his first combat sorties on the Eastern Front, claiming his opening victory, an I-16, on 4 August 1941. Operating from forward bases around Kiev, Poltava and Rostov-on-Don he steadily built his score while escorting Stukas and protecting German advances. By early 1942 he had become one of the most successful non-commissioned pilots in JG 52. After claiming his 42nd aerial victory he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 14 February 1942 as Feldwebel der Reserve in 9. Staffel JG 52. The award recognized his consistent performance in more than 200 combat missions, during which he had downed numerous Soviet fighters and bombers while providing vital air cover for ground troops and oil installations in the southern sector. Following the award he was granted extended home leave.
Returning to the front, Steinbatz flew with renewed intensity during the Barvenkovo-Lozovaya offensive and the battles around Kharkov in spring 1942. On 2 May 1942 he achieved six victories in a single day against Soviet I-61 and I-153 fighters. On 8 May he surpassed this with nine confirmed kills in one mission, a feat that highlighted his exceptional situational awareness and marksmanship under heavy opposition. These actions, combined with steady scoring in escort and free-hunt patrols supporting the Crimea operations and the siege of Sevastopol, brought his total to 83 victories by the beginning of June. For this outstanding record he was awarded the Eichenlaub on 2 June 1942 as Oberfeldwebel der Reserve, becoming only the third non-commissioned officer in the Luftwaffe to receive the Oak Leaves at that time. His Rottenflieger Hermann Graf later recalled Steinbatz flying with almost reckless determination after reaching the 80-victory mark, pushing himself despite visible strain and fatigue.
On 15 June 1942, operating east of Volchansk near Kharkov, Steinbatz claimed four additional Soviet aircraft in the course of several sorties, raising his confirmed total to 99 victories after roughly 300 to 390 combat missions, all on the Eastern Front. Later that same day his Bf 109 F-4/R1 (Werknummer 13357) was hit by Soviet anti-aircraft artillery near Shebekino. He was reported missing and his body was never recovered. Eight days later, on 23 June 1942, he was posthumously awarded the Schwerter to the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, the 14th such award in the Wehrmacht and the only one ever bestowed upon a non-commissioned officer. The Swords recognized his 99 victories and his role as one of the most successful fighter pilots in JG 52 during the critical 1941-42 campaigns. On 23 July 1942 the Luftwaffe-Personalamt announced his posthumous promotion to Leutnant der Reserve, effective 1 June 1942, on the direct orders of Reichsmarschall Göring. Steinbatz remains the sole enlisted-rank recipient of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords in the entire Wehrmacht.
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_Steinbatz
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_Steinbatz
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/27071/Steinbatz-Leopold.htm
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/S/SteinbatzL.htm
https://rk.balsi.de/
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://www.bundesarchiv.de/en/
https://www.geni.com/
https://www.ww2.dk/lwoffz.html
https://aircrewremembered.com/KrackerDatabase/?q=units
Bergström, Christer. Black Cross / Red Star: The Air War over the Eastern Front, Volume 2. Pacifica Military History, 2001.
Weal, John. Jagdgeschwader 52: The Experten. Osprey Publishing, 2004.
Barbas, Bernd. Die Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 52, 1939-1945. Verlag K. W. Schütz, 2010.
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