World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. Germany had launched Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. In late 1942, III. Gruppe was based at an airfield named Soldatskaja, located approximately halfway between Mozdok and Pyatigorsk on the Eastern Front. The Gruppe stayed at this airfield until 1 January 1943. During this period, the pilots occasionally also operated from airfields at Mozdok (15, 18, 19, 21, 22 and 23 October) and from Digora (5 to 17 November 1942), supporting Army Group A in the Battle of the Caucasus.[7] On 1 April 1943, III. Gruppe was moved to the combat area of the Kuban bridgehead where it was based at an airfield at Taman. Operating from Taman until 2 July, III. Gruppe also flew missions from Kerch on 12 May, from Sarabuz and Saky on 14 May, Zürichtal, present-day Solote Pole, a village near the urban settlement Kirovske on 23 May, and Yevpatoria on 25/26 June.[8] Here, Bunzek claimed his first aerial victory over a Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighter on 28 May.[9]
III./JG 52 emblem
In preparation for Operation Citadel, III. Gruppe was relocated to the central sector of the eastern Front. The Gruppe first moved to Zaporizhzhia and then to Ugrim on 3 July. There, under the command of Luftflotte 4, they supported Army Group South fighting on the southern flank of the salient.[10] On 5 July, the first day of the Battle of Kursk, HauptmannGünther Rall replaced von Bonin as Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of III. Gruppe.[11] That day, Bunzek claimed two LaGG-3 fighters shot down. The next day, he was credited with another LaGG-3 and an Ilyushin Il-2ground-attack aircraft shot down.[12] For seven aerial victories claimed, Bunzek was awarded the Iron Cross 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse) on 14 July 1943.[3] On 2 August, III. Gruppe moved to an airfield at Warwarowka, located south of Belgorod, where they stayed for three days.[13] That day, Bunzek was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class (Eisernes Kreuz erster Klasse).[3] On 5 August, the Gruppe moved to an airfield at Kharkov-Rogan airfield, southeast of Kharkov.[14] Flying from this airfield, Bunzek claimed three aerial victories, all LaGG-3s, until III. Gruppe was ordered to Kharkov-Waitschenko, southeast of Kharkov-Rogan, on 11 August.[15]
On 20 August, the Gruppe moved to Kuteinykove near Stalino, present-day Donetsk, where Bunzek became an "ace-in-a-day" the following day. Here on 21 August, Bunzek claimed four LaGG-3 fighters and a single Il-2 ground-attack aircraft shot down, taking his total to 23 aerial victories. The next day, he claimed three further aerial victories which included two LaGG-3s and an Il-2.[16] On 24 September, III. Gruppe moved to an airfield located just west of Zaporizhzhia. There, the Gruppe fought over the area between the lower Dnieper and the Crimea during the Battle of the Dnieper until 15 October.[17] In this timeframe, Bunzek claimed 28 further aerial victories, taking his total to 75.[18]
On 1 November, III. Gruppe was moved to Apostolove fighting in the combat area between Nikopol and Zaporizhzhia. Adverse whether conditions rendered the airfield unusable and the Gruppe temporarily used an airfield near Kirovograd from 12 to 20 November.[19] Bunzek received the Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 8 November and the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 14 November.[20] On 11 December, Bunzek was killed in action in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 20644—factory number) following combat with Il-2 ground-attack aircraft and LaGG-3 fighters during the Battle of the Dnieper.[21] He was initially reported as missing in action west of Nikopol.[22][23] According to Barbas, this combat took place near Apostolove while fighting over the bridgehead established by Soviet forces at Nikopol.[24] Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock place this southwest of Verblyuzhka which is approximately 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of Apostolove.[21] Bunzek was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 6 April 1944.[25] His 78 aerial victories claimed made Bunzek the fifth most successful fighter pilot of III. Gruppe at the time of his death.[26]
Summary of career
Aerial victory claims
According to Spick, Bunzek was credited with 75 aerial victories in an unknown number of combat missions, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.[27] Weal states that in addition to his 75 aerial victories, he also had 30 further unconfirmed claims.[28] Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 78 aerial victory claims, plus two further unconfirmed claims, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front.[29]
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 34 Ost 76791". The Luftwaffe grid map (Jägermeldenetz) covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about 360 square miles (930 km2). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 km × 4 km (1.9 mi × 2.5 mi) in size.[30]
Chronicle of aerial victories
This and the ♠ (Ace of spades) indicates those aerial victories which made Bunzek an "ace-in-a-day", a term which designates a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day.
This and the – (dash) indicates unconfirmed aerial victory claims for which Bunzek did not receive credit.
This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Barbas, Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Bock, Mathews and Foreman.
Claim
Date
Time
Type
Location
Claim
Date
Time
Type
Location
– 7. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 –[31] Eastern Front – 4 February – 11 December 1943
^Flight training in the Luftwaffe progressed through the levels A1, A2 and B1, B2, referred to as A/B flight training. A training included theoretical and practical training in aerobatics, navigation, long-distance flights and dead-stick landings. The B courses included high-altitude flights, instrument flights, night landings and training to handle the aircraft in difficult situations.[2]
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrThe "m.H." refers to an Ilyushin Il-2 with rear gunner (mit Heckschütze).
^According to Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock, this claim is attributed to the 7. Staffel.[37]
^According to Barbas, and Mathews and Foreman, claimed at 06:25.[42][43]
Barbas, Bernd (2010). Die Geschichte der III. Gruppe des Jagdgeschwaders 52 [The History of 3rd Group of Fighter Wing 52] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN978-3-923457-94-6.
Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer[in German] (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN978-3-7909-0284-6.
Mathews, Andrew Johannes; Foreman, John (2014). Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims – Volume 1 A–F. Walton on Thames: Red Kite. ISBN978-1-906592-18-9.
Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN978-3-87341-065-7.
Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN978-3-931533-45-8.
Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN978-3-931533-08-3.
Prien, Jochen; Stemmer, Gerhard; Rodeike, Peter; Bock, Winfried (2012). Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 12/II—Einsatz im Osten—4.2. bis 31.12.1943 [The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 12/II—Action in the East—4 February to 31 December 1943] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Buchverlag Rogge. ISBN978-3-942943-05-5.
Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN978-3-938845-17-2.
Schreier, Hans (1990). JG 52 Das erfolgreichste Jagdgeschwader des 2. Weltkriegs [JG 52 The Most Successful Fighter Wing of World War II] (in German). Berg am See: K. Vowinckel. ISBN978-3-921655-66-5.
