Full name: Johannes "Hans" Fritz Philipp
Nickname: Phips
Date of Death: 08.10.1943 - near Neuenhaus, Lower Saxony (Germany)
Battles and Operations: Polish Campaign, Battle of France, Battle of Britain, Balkans Campaign, Operation Barbarossa, Eastern Front operations 1941-1943, Defense of the Reich
NSDAP-Number: No information
Religion: No information
Parents: Alma Philipp (unmarried mother) and Leopold Gushurst (physician, biological father who provided alimony)
Siblings: none (only child)
Spouse: none (engaged to Katharina Egger, met in Italy in 1939)
Children: none
Promotions:
April 6th, 1936 Fahnenjunker
January 1st, 1938 Leutnant
June 1st, 1940 Oberleutnant
November 18th, 1941 Hauptmann
March 1943 Major
October 1st, 1943 Oberstleutnant
Career:
1936 joined the Luftwaffe as officer candidate, completed flight training at Luftkriegsschule 2 in Gatow
1937 received Pilot's Badge
1938 assigned to I./JG 76 (formerly I./JG 138)
May 1939 unit redesignated I./JG 76
September 1939 participated in Polish Campaign with first victory on September 5th
1940 Battle of France and Battle of Britain, appointed Staffelkapitän of 4./JG 54
April 1941 Balkans Campaign
June 1941 onward Operation Barbarossa and Eastern Front with JG 54
February 17th, 1942 appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 54
April 1st, 1943 appointed Geschwaderkommodore of JG 1 "Oesau" for Defense of the Reich duties
October 1943 killed in action while leading JG 1 against USAAF raid on Bremen
Awards and Decorations:
Iron Cross 2nd Class October 10th, 1939 (after first victory in Poland)
Iron Cross 1st Class May 31st, 1940 (after four victories in Battle of France)
Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe September 28th, 1940 (after 15th victory)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on October 22nd, 1940 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of 4./JG 54 (150th Luftwaffe award) after achieving his 20th aerial victory during the Battle of Britain. Key actions included intense dogfights over southern England where he flew over 130 combat missions in 1940, scoring multiple kills in single sorties such as on September 27th when he claimed several RAF fighters in one engagement, pushing his total to the threshold that demonstrated exceptional leadership and combat skill as a Staffel leader in JG 54 "Grünherz".
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub on August 24th, 1941 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of 4./JG 54 (33rd award) after his 62nd aerial victory on the Eastern Front. This came during the opening phases of Operation Barbarossa where his unit operated from bases in occupied Poland and the Baltic region. On July 4th, 1941 alone he claimed three Soviet aircraft (his 31st to 33rd), contributing to a rapid score buildup amid heavy air combat against VVS forces, with the 62nd victory sealed through aggressive low-level interceptions and escort missions that protected German ground advances.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern on March 12th, 1942 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 54 (8th Swords award) after his 86th aerial victory claimed that same day. As the first pilot in JG 54 to receive the Swords, this recognized his leadership in commanding the Gruppe during the intense winter and spring fighting on the Eastern Front, including multiple multi-kill days that elevated his personal tally while directing successful operations against numerically superior Soviet air formations.
German Cross in Gold June 18th, 1942
Croatian Order of the Crown of King Zvonimir 2nd Class with Swords September 15th, 1942
Front Flying Clasp in Gold with Pennant October 4th, 1942 (earlier version May 19th, 1941)
Wound Badge in Black (for injuries sustained in aerial combat)
Combined Pilots-Observation Badge
Mentioned in Wehrmachtbericht five times (July 7th, 1941 for triple victory on July 4th; June 7th and 27th, 1942 for multi-kill days reaching 101-103 and 108-110; March 18th, 1943 for quadruple victory on March 17th reaching 203; October 12th, 1943 posthumous)
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Hans Philipp was born out of wedlock in modest circumstances in Meißen, Saxony, and raised primarily by his mother Alma. He attended local schools including the Pestalozzi-Schule and passed his Abitur at the Franziskaneum in 1935. As a youth he participated in the Hitler Youth gliding program, earning his A and B licenses and leading the local HJ-Fliegerschar. In April 1936 he volunteered for the Luftwaffe and trained as a fighter pilot. His early career included a brief dissatisfaction with routine training that nearly led him to civilian life, but he persisted and joined fighter units.
During the Polish Campaign he opened his score with a PZL P.24 on September 5th, 1939. In the West he added victories over France and then excelled in the Battle of Britain, becoming Staffelkapitän and earning the Ritterkreuz. Transferred east in 1941, his victories mounted rapidly against the VVS. He reached 100 on March 31st, 1942 (fourth Luftwaffe pilot to do so), 150 on January 14th, 1943, and on March 17th, 1943 claimed four in one day to hit 203, briefly becoming the Luftwaffe's top scorer ahead of Hermann Graf. In April 1943 he took command of JG 1 in the West for Reich defense against growing USAAF daylight raids, a role he found far more stressful than Eastern Front fighting.
On October 8th, 1943, while intercepting a raid on Bremen, his Fw 190 was hit (likely by a P-47 Thunderbolt). He bailed out at low altitude near Wielen/Neuenhaus but his parachute failed to deploy fully from about 50 meters, leading to his death. His body was recovered and returned to Meißen for burial at Trinitatis Cemetery on October 14th, 1943, with full military honors. A letter he wrote days earlier to Hannes Trautloft expressed the psychological toll of facing massed bomber formations: "Against 20 Russians trying to shoot you down, or even 20 Spitfires, it can be exciting, even fun. But to curve in towards 40 Fortresses and all your past sins flash before your eyes."
Unique and interesting facts include that Philipp was one of the earliest Luftwaffe pilots to exceed 200 victories, achieved this milestone while leading from the front as a Gruppen- and later Geschwaderkommodore, and left a final radio call of "Reinhardt, attack!" to his wingman before being hit. He also appeared in propaganda events back home in Meißen to boost morale.
Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Philipp
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Philipp_(Jagdflieger)
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/1132/Philipp-Hans-Jagdgeschwader-54.htm
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/P/PhilippH.htm
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300
https://grokipedia.com/page/hans_philipp
https://aircrewremembered.com/KrackerDatabase/?q=units
https://www.ww2.dk/lwoffz.html
https://forum.axishistory.com/
Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer: Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945, Podzun-Pallas Verlag, 2000
Scherzer, Veit: Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939-1945, Scherzers Militaer-Verlag, 2007
https://www.bundesarchiv.de/en/
https://www.geni.com/
https://books.google.com/ (various Luftwaffe ace references)
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027052912fw_/http://geocities.com/orion47.geo/index2.html
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://www.unithistories.com/units_index/index.php?file=/officers/personsx.html
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