page_title: Klaus Mietusch
section_title: Malta, Balkans and North Africa in 1941
hierarchical_section_title: Klaus Mietusch / World War II / Malta, Balkans and North Africa in 1941
context_page_description: Klaus Mietusch was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 72 aerial victories achieved in 452 combat missions. This figure includes 15 aerial victories on the Eastern Front, and further 57 victories over the Western Allies, including 13 four-engined bombers.
  Born in Bochum, Mietusch grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. He joined the military service in the Luftwaffe in 1937. Following flight training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" in 1939. Flying with this wing, Mietusch claimed his first aerial victory on 31 May 1940 on the Western Front during the Battle of France. In early 1941, he fought in the Mediterranean theater. He was made Staffelkapitän of 7. Staffel of JG 26 in September 1941 and in January 1943, was posted to the Eastern Front. In July 1943 he was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III. Gruppe of JG 26. Following his 60th aerial victory, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 26 March 1944. Mietusch claimed his last aerial victory on 17 September 1944 during the Operation Market Garden.
context_section_description: On 22 January 1941, 7. Staffel received orders to relocate to Sicily in support of X. Fliegerkorps, under the command of General der Flieger (General of the Flyers) Hans Geisler, for actions against the strategically important island of Malta. With the opening of a new front in North Africa in mid-1940, British air and sea forces based on the island could attack Axis ships transporting vital supplies and reinforcements from Europe to North Africa. To counter this threat the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force) were tasked with bombing raids in an effort to neutralise the RAF defences and the ports. That day the unit and a 40-strong detachment of ground crews departed Wevelgem. Following a brief stopover in Rome, 7. Staffel arrived in Gela on Sicily on 9 February 1941. There, the unit received factory new Bf 109 E-7 aircraft.
  Mietusch claimed his first victory in the Siege of Malta on 26 February over a No. 261 Squadron Hurricane 10 km (6.2 mi) south of Malta. He became a fighter ace on 22 March, taking his total to five aerial victories. In combat north of Malta, Mietusch had shot down two No. 261 Squadron Hurricanes. On 5 April, 7. Staffel moved to Grottaglie airfield near Taranto in Apulia to support the Invasion of Yugoslavia by the Wehrmacht. On the first day of the campaign, Mietusch claimed a Yugoslav Hawker Fury, which in fact was an Avia BH-33, in combat northeast of Podgorica. On 8 April, 7. Staffel returned to Gela and resumed operations over Malta. On 13 April, Mietusch was credited with shooting down two Hurricanes from No. 261 Squadron, one of which was piloted by Flight Officer Ernest "Imshi" Mason who was wounded in the encounter.
  On 18 June, 7. Staffel flew together with I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) and intercepted Hurricane fighters belonging to No. 1 Squadron of the South African Air Force (SAAF) covering the British retreat after Operation Battleaxe. In this encounter, No. 1 Squadron lost three Hurricanes, two were claimed by JG 27 and a third was shot down by Mietusch in combat southeast of Sidi Omar. On 21 August, twelve Martin Maryland bombers from the SAAF No. 12 and No. 24 Squadron attacked the Luftwaffe airfields at Kambut. The bombers were escorted by RAF Hurricane fighters from No. 229 Squadron. Bf 109s from JG 27 and 7. Staffel of JG 26 intercepted the flight, some attacking the bombers while others engaged the escort fighters. Mietusch claimed the probable destruction of a Maryland bomber which was not confirmed. This was his last claim on the North African Theater. 7. Staffel was then withdrawn from North Africa and returned France. During its six-month tenure in the Mediterranean Theater, 7. Staffel claimed 52 aerial victories without losing a single pilot nor aircraft in combat.
  7. Staffel was reunited with III. Gruppe of JG 26 at Ligescourt. The Gruppe had just been equipped with the Bf 109 F-4. Mietusch, who had been on vacation before rejoining his unit, flew his next combat mission on 16 September. On 18 September, the RAF flew "Circus" No. 99 targeting the Rouen. Defending against this "Circus", Mietusch shot down a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) No. 452 Squadron Spitfire fighter.
caption: 7./JG 26 nicknamed "Red Hearts".[12]