The highest scoring Fw 190 ace, Oberfeldwebel Otto Kittel, began
his career on the Bf 109, but started slowly. An NCO pilot with the famed
JG 54 Grünherz, the "Green Hearts," Kittel found the range once his
unit converted to the Focke-Wulf in early 1943.
He was born on 21 Feb.1917 in Kronsdorf (in the Sudeten region of the
present Czech Republic), and joined the 2.Staffel of JG 54 in February
1941. On 31.May 1941, due to engine trouble, he bailed out of his Bf 109
F-2, and landed at Spikeroog, only lightly injured. In June of 1941, with
the start of Operation Barbarossa, he shot down a Yak-1 fighter, an SB-2
bomber and an IL-2. By the end of 1941, he had achieved 17 victories (not
a very impressive number, considering the relatively easy time that the
Luftwaffe had in those early days). JG 54 was based at Krasnogvardeisk.
In July, 1942, he was married, by means of a long-distance ceremony
Fertrauung, a German wartime policy. On 19.Feb.1943 he shot down his
39th plane, which also was the 4000th victory of JG 54.
After achieving his 47th victory on 15 March 1943 (while flying FW
190A-4, serial number 2481), Kittel made an emergency landing 60
kilometers (37 miles) behind Russian lines. After landing on an open icy
field, he immediately set out for some woods he saw at 2 kilometres
distance. Sitting in the woods for a short break, he searched his pockets
and found three "Drops" and two cigarette packets, but no matches.
He also had a gun, a clock and a compass. In his haste to leave his
landing site, he had forgotten his supplies and his gloves. Bitterly cold
and underclothed, he crossed the frozen Ilmen Lake and after 3 days
without food, reached the German troops. After he returned to his Group,
18.March 1943, he was promoted to Oberfeldwebel and got the German Cross
in gold.
He received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight`s Cross
to the Iron Cross) on 29 Oct. 1943 upon achieving his 123rd victory. And
he got the "Oak Leaves" in April, 1944.
From November 1943 through January 1944, he was Instructor of the
EJGr.Ost, in Biarritz, France. 31.December 1943 , Kittel started to attack
American bombers, but didn't get involved in a dogfight. Some of his
EJGr.Ost comrades were upset because of that.
In March 1944, Kittel returned to JG 54 on the Russian Front, but after
just two months was transferred to the western front, the Normandy invasion
area, to help III./JG 54.
He earned his Schwerter (Swords) on 25 November 1944 after
achieving 239th victory.
Kittel was killed on February 14, 1945 (his 583rd mission), over
Courland by an Il-2 Stormovik.