Nickname: Sepp
Born: 4 May 1917 in Hausham, Bavaria (German Empire)
Died: KIA 22 June 1944 near Alençon, Normandy (France))
Religion: No information
Family name: Son of Joseph Wurmheller (a miner); husband of Lydia Pauline Lucie Wurmheller (née Boltz). No information available on siblings or children.
Battles and campaigns: Battle of Britain, Operation Barbarossa (Eastern Front), Channel Front operations, Dieppe Raid, Defence of the Reich, Normandy Campaign 1944.
Promotions:
Unteroffizier (1939)
Oberfeldwebel (by August 1941)
Leutnant (1 October 1942)
Oberleutnant (1 August 1943)
Hauptmann (1 November 1943)
Major (posthumous, back-dated to 1 June 1944)
Career:
1937 volunteered for the Luftwaffe and completed pilot training.
1939 posted to 2. Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 53 (JG 53) "Pik As" as Unteroffizier.
November 1939 to June 1940 served as fighter pilot instructor at Jagdfliegerschule Werneuchen.
June 1940 returned to 5. Staffel/JG 53 and flew in the Battle of Britain (shot down four times, including a ditching in the English Channel on 23 November 1940).
June 1941 participated in Operation Barbarossa with JG 53 before transfer to Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen".
July 1941 posted to Stab II. Gruppe/JG 2 on the Channel Front.
Late 1941 to May 1942 served again as instructor.
May 1942 returned to front-line duty with 1. Staffel/JG 2.
April 1943 appointed Staffelkapitän of 9. Staffel/JG 2.
23 September 1943 wounded by bomb splinters in emergency landing.
8 June 1944 appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III. Gruppe/JG 2, succeeding the fallen Hauptmann Herbert Huppertz.
22 June 1944 killed in mid-air collision with his wingman during combat with P-47 Thunderbolts and Spitfires while flying Fw 190 A-8 (Werknummer 171053); buried at Champigny-Saint-André German war cemetery.
Awards and Decorations:
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse (19 October 1939)
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse (16 October 1940)
Luftwaffe Ehrenpokale für besondere Leistungen im Luftkrieg (30 August 1941)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes #312 (4 September 1941) as Oberfeldwebel and Flugzeugführer in 9.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2) "Richthofen", after Wurmheller had reached 32 aerial victories. In the blistering summer skies over the English Channel starting from 20 July 1941 with the Stab of II. Gruppe/JG 2, he threw himself into relentless dogfights against RAF Spitfire squadrons. Flying his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 out of St Pol-Bryas airfield, he claimed 13 Spitfires in less than four weeks, including an ace-in-a-day feat where five British fighters fell to his guns in a single mission. The combats were furious, high-speed affairs of tight turns, dives toward the sea, and head-on passes amid flak and contrails, with Wurmheller exploiting the Bf 109's superior climb and dive to outmaneuver the enemy again and again.
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (21 August 1942)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #146 (14 November 1942) as Leutnant and Flugzeugführer in 7.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2) "Richthofen", after 60 victories (some sources cite the 67th victory as the immediate trigger). While earlier ace-in-a-day scores on 31 May 1942 (four Spitfires) and 5 June 1942 (five Spitfires) built momentum, the decisive action came during the Dieppe Raid on 19 August 1942. With his right foot already encased in a plaster cast from a prior domestic injury, Wurmheller flew four combat missions in his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-3. On an early sortie he downed two Spitfires for victories 54 and 55 before taking defensive fire from a British Boston bomber (credited by him as a Blenheim), forcing an emergency landing that caused slight concussion and 65 percent damage to his aircraft. Undeterred despite the pain and injury, he climbed into a fresh Fw 190 and returned to the fray over the smoke-filled beaches and harbor. In the subsequent missions he claimed three more Spitfires (victories 56-58) on one sortie, followed by another Spitfire, and one final Spitfire plus the bomber, for a total of seven or eight victories in a single day amid swirling masses of Allied fighters, bombers, and naval flak. The newspaper accounts later captured the drama: a pilot with a broken foot in plaster, surviving an emergency landing and concussion, then dispatching seven opponents in relentless combat. This exploit earned him immediate promotion to Leutnant and the Eichenlaub.
Wound Badge in Black (after 23 September 1943)
Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant "400"
Combined Pilots-Observation Badge
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #108 (24 October 1944, posthumous) as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur III.Gruppe / Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2) "Richthofen". By the time of his death Wurmheller had reached 102 victories, including at least 18-20 four-engined bombers. As Gruppenkommandeur of III. Gruppe/JG 2 from 8 June 1944 during the Normandy invasion, he led his outnumbered pilots in desperate defensive battles against overwhelming Allied air superiority. In the chaotic skies over Caen and Lisieux he added critical kills against P-47 Thunderbolts and Spitfires, with his last three claims on 16 June 1944. His final mission on 22 June ended in a fierce melee against USAAF P-47s and RCAF Spitfires near Alençon, where, while pressing home an attack, his Fw 190 collided mid-air with his own wingman Feldwebel Kurt Franzke. The Schwerter recognized not only his personal score but his leadership in the intense Normandy air campaign that cost so many experienced pilots.
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Josef Sepp Wurmheller was a German Luftwaffe fighter pilot and flying ace during World War II who was credited with 102 confirmed aerial victories achieved in more than 300 combat missions on both the Eastern and Western fronts. Rising from the enlisted ranks to the command of a fighter group he became one of the most accomplished pilots in Jagdgeschwader 2 Richthofen earning successive high decorations for bravery including the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords awarded posthumously. Known for his aggressive close range tactics resilience after multiple bailouts and wounds and ability to score multiple victories in single engagements Wurmheller specialized in combat against Royal Air Force Spitfires and later United States Army Air Forces heavy bombers and escort fighters. He was killed in action on 22 June 1944 near Alençon in Normandy when his Focke Wulf Fw 190 collided mid air with his own wingman during a desperate defensive scramble against Allied fighters leaving behind a combat record that included at least fifty six Spitfires and eighteen to twenty four engined bombers.
Born on 4 May 1917 in the Bavarian village of Hausham to a miner father named Joseph Wurmheller the young Josef developed a passion for aviation through gliding before volunteering for the Luftwaffe in 1937. After completing pilot training he was posted as an Unteroffizier to Jagdgeschwader 53 Pik As in 1939 where he flew his first combat sorties claiming an early victory over a Fairey Battle west of Saarbrücken on 30 September 1939. He spent several months as a fighter instructor at Jagdfliegerschule Werneuchen before returning to front line duty with 5 Staffel of JG 53 during the Battle of Britain in which he was shot down four times including a ditching in the English Channel on 23 November 1940. These early experiences honed his skills in high speed dogfights amid flak and superior numbers of enemy fighters while he married Lydia Pauline Lucie Boltz during this period of service though details of their family life remain sparse.
In June 1941 Wurmheller participated briefly in Operation Barbarossa with JG 53 on the Eastern Front before transferring to Jagdgeschwader 2 Richthofen where he joined the staff of II Gruppe on the Channel Front in July 1941. Flying a Messerschmitt Bf 109 F 2 from bases such as St Pol Bryas he plunged into relentless engagements with RAF Spitfire squadrons exploiting the German fighter's superior climb rate and diving speed to outmaneuver opponents in tight turning battles that often ended in head on passes or spiraling descents toward the sea. Within less than four weeks he claimed thirteen Spitfires including an ace in a day performance of five victories in one mission amid swirling contrails and anti aircraft fire. These successes brought his total to thirty two victories and on 4 September 1941 he received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross as the three hundred and twelfth recipient while still serving as an Oberfeldwebel demonstrating the Luftwaffe's recognition of exceptional skill under constant pressure.
After another instructional posting Wurmheller returned to combat in May 1942 with 1 Staffel of JG 2 and quickly added more victories building toward his most celebrated day during the Allied Dieppe Raid on 19 August 1942. Despite flying with his right foot in a plaster cast from a prior domestic injury he completed four sorties in his Focke Wulf Fw 190 A 3 over the smoke choked beaches and harbor. On the first mission he downed two Spitfires before taking defensive fire from a British Boston bomber which he credited as a Blenheim forcing an emergency landing that inflicted slight concussion and sixty five percent damage to his aircraft. Undeterred he immediately took off again in a fresh machine and in the following missions claimed three more Spitfires on one sortie followed by additional fighters and the bomber for a total of seven or eight victories in a single day amid masses of Allied aircraft naval flak and chaotic close quarter combat. This exploit which raised his score to around sixty victories earned him promotion to Leutnant and on 14 November 1942 the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves as the one hundred and forty sixth recipient.
Wurmheller continued to distinguish himself through 1943 after being appointed Staffelkapitän of 9 Staffel of JG 2 in April. He added steadily to his tally including his seventieth victory a Hawker Typhoon east of Caen in May while leading defensive operations against growing Allied air offensives over occupied France. On 23 September 1943 he was wounded by bomb splinters during an emergency landing in his Fw 190 A 6 near Vannes Meucon but recovered to reach his ninetieth victory by March 1944. Promoted to Hauptmann in November 1943 he specialized increasingly in intercepts of United States four engined bombers and their escorts contributing to the Luftwaffe's costly but determined defense of the Reich. His leadership and personal score of over ninety victories reflected not only individual prowess but also the mounting strain on experienced pilots facing superior numbers and resources.
On 8 June 1944 two days after the Allied invasion of Normandy Wurmheller assumed command of III Gruppe of JG 2 succeeding the fallen Hauptmann Herbert Huppertz and immediately led his outnumbered pilots in fierce defensive battles over Caen and Lisieux. In the chaotic skies filled with Republic P 47 Thunderbolts and Spitfires he claimed critical victories including two Thunderbolts near Caen on 12 June that brought his total to one hundred and one. His final three confirmed claims came on 16 June 1944 near Lisieux and Caen as the Luftwaffe contested overwhelming Allied air superiority. On 22 June while pressing an attack in his Fw 190 A 8 Werknummer 171053 during a melee with United States P 47s and Royal Canadian Air Force Spitfires near Alençon Wurmheller collided mid air with his wingman Feldwebel Kurt Franzke. Both pilots were killed instantly and Wurmheller was buried at the German war cemetery in Champigny Saint André. For his leadership during the Normandy campaign and lifetime total of 102 victories he was posthumously promoted to Major effective 1 June 1944 and awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords as the one hundred and eighth recipient on 24 October 1944.
Sources:
Websites:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Wurmheller
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/27921/Wurmheller-Josef.htm
https://ww2gravestone.com/people/wurmheller-josef-sepp/
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300
https://www.unithistories.com/units_index/index.php?file=/officers/personsx.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027052912fw_/http://geocities.com/orion47.geo/index2.html
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://www.geni.com/
https://www.historisches-marinearchiv.de/ (cross-referenced for Luftwaffe context)
https://aircrewremembered.com/KrackerDatabase/?q=units
https://www.ww2.dk/lwoffz.html
Books:
Biographical details cross-checked against standard Luftwaffe reference works available via Google Books searches, including references in volumes on Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" and fighter ace compilations such as those covering Knight's Cross recipients of the Luftwaffe fighter force.
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