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Anton Hackl - Pilot Profile - Anton Hackl

Anton Hackl

Victories : 192
-----------------------------
Country : Germany
Fought in : WW2
Fought for : Axis
Died : 9th July 1984


Awarded the Knights Cross of the Iron CrossAwarded Oak Leaves to the Knights CrossAwarded Swords to the Knights Cross
Knights
Cross
Oak LeavesSwords

Anton "Toni" Hackl was born 25 March 1915 in Regensburg. Died 10 July 1984 in Regensburg. Anton was a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords during World War II. He was one of the very few Luftwaffe 'first-to-last' who survived the whole war, serving from 1939 until 1945.

Unteroffizier Hackl was serving with II/JG 77 when war broke out. By May 1940, Hackl was based in Norway, with JG 77 when he claimed his first in June 1940 shooting down two RAF Hudsons. On 27 June he shot down another Hudson, but was also wounded. He claimed four victories during his time in Norway.

In July 1941 he was posted with JG 77 to the Eastern Front. By the end of year his score was 27. By early 1942 he was Staffelkapitän of 5 Staffel JG 77. His score rapidly increased during the spring of 1942, and by May 1942, after 51 victories he received the Knight’s Cross. During the month of July 1942, Anton Hackl amassed 37 enemy aircraft shot down in the aerial battles around Voronezh, including 6 victories in a day on both 21 July and 23 July. In August, he shot down three to record his 100th victory. After his 106th victory on 6 August he was awarded the Eichenlaub. He shot down his 118th enemy aircraft on the Eastern Front, (a LaGG-3), in September 1942.

II/JG 77 were then transferred to Tunisia where Anton claimed 6 victories. In combat with P-38 Lightnings on 4 February 1943 he was badly wounded and was hospitalised for several months. Returning to duties in September 1943, Hackl next operated with III/JG 11 on Reichsverteidigung (Defense of the Reich) duties. On 1 October, he became Gruppenkommandeur III/JG 11. Hackl went on to claim 25 four-engined bombers shot down during his time with the III Gruppe. In April 1944, he commanded JG 11 briefly before being badly wounded in battle with a USAAF P-47 Thunderbolt. He was awarded the Schwerter on 13 July. During July 1944 he became Geschwaderkommodore of JG 76.

On 8 October he became Gruppenkommandeur of II/JG 26 with 165 victories to his credit. By the end of the year he now had 172 victories. By late January 1945 he was acting Kommodore of JG 300 and, in late February, Kommodore of JG 11. His last 24 victories were never officially confirmed.

Anton Hackl flew about 1000 combat missions and was officially credited with shooting down 192 enemy aircraft. 131 victories were claimed while serving on the Eastern Front, 6 victories have been claimed in Africa and 55 on the Western Front. Among these numbers are 34 four-engined bombers which puts him in second place behind Georg-Peter Eder as the leading daylight bomber claimant. 55 claims were made with JG 11, 10 with JG 26, 1 with JG 300, and 124 while flying with JG 77. He was shot down 8 times and wounded 4 times. Anton Hackl died on 9 July 1984 in Regensburg.


Latest Axis Aviation Artwork !
 In early May 1941, in conditions of strict secrecy because the United States was not yet at war, seventeen pilots of the US Navy had arrived in Britain and been attached to Catalina squadrons of Coastal Command.  These experienced PBY pilots were there to assist the Royal Air Force to become familiar with the Catalina, and also to gain operational experience for the US Navy.  On 26th May 1941 Catalina Z of No.209 Sqn, commanded by Flying Officer Dennis Briggs RAF, with Ensign Leonard B Smith USN as co-pilot, joined the search for the Bismarck.  At 1015 the aircraft was being flown in poor visibility at an altitude of 500ft when Ensign Smith sighted the Bismarck at a range of eight miles.  The Catalina was flown towards the contact so that a positive identification could be made and emerged from the cloud only 500 yards from the German ship.  The aircraft met a hail of anti-aircraft fire but was able to make its escape.  As a result of the sighting report from Catalina Z the Bismarck was again engaged by ships and aircraft of the Royal Navy and was sunk at 1040 on 27th May 1941.  Leonard Smith can be considered therefore, the first American to be directly involved in action in World War Two.  He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (American) for his actions.

The Aircraft That Found the Bismarck by Ivan Berryman.
 One of the all time great fighter aces, Adolf Galland is depicted flying Bf 109E-4/N of Stab/JG26 in September 1940.  Galland flew 705 combat missions during World War Two and was credited with a final tally of 104 aerial victories. He survived the war and died peacefully in February 1996.

Tribute to Generalleutnant Adolf Galland by Ivan Berryman.
 Walter Briegleb is shown in his Ju88 G.7 4R+BR as he stalks his prey - on this occasion a Lancaster.  Flying below their target, his crew would aim upward firing cannon at the inner wing of the bomber, igniting the fuel tanks.  For the bomber crews, they were very much defenceless against this type of attack, and often had no idea of the presence of an enemy aircraft in the dark.

Tribute to Walter Briegleb by Ivan Berryman.
 The attack by Leutnant Walter Briegleb and his crew on Lancaster Mk.III ND960 DX-I of No.57 Sqn early on 22nd May 1944.  Flying Me110 with codes D5+BV with his crew of Feldwebel Walter Bräunlich and Bordfunker Feldwebel Brandt, Briegleb flew undetected beneath the bomber and used the deadly 'Schräge Musik' - upward firing cannon - to hit the fuel tanks in the port wing between the fuselage and inner engine.  Pulling away, he watched the aircraft burn and could see both gunners in their turrets but no return fire came.  He wondered why none of the crew escaped by parachute with the bomber doomed - it disintegrated in the air over the coast of the island of Fyn, Denmark, impacting near Emtekær at 00:44hrs.<br><br><center>All of the crew were killed :<br>Flight Lieutenant Arthur Richards (Pilot)<br>Flying Officer William Woodall (Navigator)<br>Pilot Officer Athur Bugden (Flight Engineer)<br>Sergeant Thomas Edwards (Wireless Operator)<br>Flying Officer George Ferguson (Air Bomber)<br>Sergeant Harold Griffiths (Air Gunner)<br>Sergeant Cyril Woodmass (Air Gunner)

The Hunted and the Hunter by Ivan Berryman.

Anton Hackl

Squadrons for : Anton Hackl
A list of all squadrons known to have been served with by Anton Hackl. A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name.
SquadronInfo

JG11


Country : Germany
'Ace of Hearts'

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of JG11
JG11

Full profile not yet available.

JG26


Country : Germany
'Ace of Hearts'

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of JG26
JG26

Jagdgeschwader 26 Schlageter was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. It operated mainly in Western Europe against Great Britain, France and the United States but also saw service against Russia. It was named after Albert Leo Schlageter, a World War I veteran and Freikorps member arrested and executed by the French for sabotage in 1923.

Commanders of II. Gruppe JG 26

Hptm. Werner Palm, 1 May 1939 – 27 June 1939
Hptm Herwig Knüppel, 28 June 1939 – 19 May 1940
Hptm Karl Ebbighausen, 20 May 1940 – 31 May 1940
Hptm. Erich Noack, 1 June 1940 – 24 July 1940
Hptm Karl Ebbighausen, 25 July 1940 – 16 August 1940
Hptm Erich Bode, 17 August 1940 – 3.10.40
Hptm Walter Adolph, 4 October 1940 – 18 September 1941
Hptm Joachim Müncheberg, 19 September 1941 – 21 July 1942
Hptm Conny Meyer, 22 July 1942 – 2 January 1943
Maj Wilhelm-Ferdinand Galland, 3 January 43 – 17 August 1943
Hptm Hans Naumann, 18 August 1943 – 8 September 1943
ObLt Johannes Seifert, 9 September 1943 – 25 November 1943
Maj Wilhelm Gäth, 26 November 1943 – 1 March 1944
Hptm Hans Naumann, 2 March 1944 – 28 June 1944
Hptm Emil Lang, 29 June 1944 – 3 September 1944
Hptm Georg-Peter Eder, 4 September 1944 – 8 October 1944
Maj Anton Hackl, 9 October 1944 – 29 January 45
ObLt Waldemar Radener, 30 January 1945 – 22 February 1945
Hptm Paul Schauder, 23 February 1945 – 1 May 1945

JG300


Country : Germany
Founded : 26th June 1943
'Ace of Hearts'

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of JG300
JG300

Jagdgeschwader 300 (JG 300) was a Luftwaffe fighter-wing of World War II. JG 300 was formed on June 26, 1943 in Deelen as Stab/Versuchskommando Herrmann, from July 18, 1943 as Stab/JG Herrmann, and then finally redesignated on August 20, 1943 to Stab/JG 300. Its first Geschwaderkommodore was Oberstleutnant Hajo Herrmann.

JG76


Country : Germany
'Ace of Hearts'

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of JG76
JG76

JG76
22.7.44 - 8.44 Rotenburg Bf 109G
8.44 - 28.8.44 Athis (France) Bf 109G
28.8.44 - 10.44 Freiburg Bf 109G Controlling:
II./JG52
10.44 - 11.44 Felsoe-Abrany Bf 109G
11.44 - 1.45 Imely (Hungary) Bf 109G Controlling:
I./JG53, II./JG52, II./JG51 and ung. JGr.101
1.45 - 3.45 Veszprem Bf 109G Controlling:
I./JG53, II./JG52, II./JG51 and ung. JGr.101
3.45 - 4.45 Wien Bf 109G Controlling:
I./JG53, II./JG52, II./JG51 and ung. JGr.101

.Gruppe: 1/JG76

Gruppenkommandeure:
Hptm Wilfried Müller-Rienzburg, 1.5.39 - 1.40
Maj Richard Kraut, 2.40 - 4.7.40
Formed 1.5.39 in Wien-Aspern. On 4.7.40 redesignated II./JG54. Used Bf 109E fighters.

Bases:
5.39 - 8.39 Wien-Aspern
8.39 - 9.10.39 Ottmütz - various forward airfields were used in Poland.
9.10.39 - 2.11.39 Gelnhausen
2.11.39 - ?2.40 Frankfurt/Rhein-Main
2.40 - 5.40 Walldorf, Ober-Olm (there 10.5.40)
5.40 - 21.6.40 used various airfields in the West, including Ghent, Evreux, Vitry-en-Artois, Poiz, Paris-Orly and Orleans
21.6.40 - 4.7.40 Waalhaven and Vlissingen

JG77


Country : Germany
Founded : May 1939
'Ace of Hearts'

Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of JG77
JG77

Herz As (Ace of Hearts) was a Luftwaffe fighter wing during World War II. It served in all the German theaters of war, from Western Europe to the Eastern Front, and from the high north in Norway to the Mediterranean.

JG 77 was formed in May 1939 with I. and II. Gruppe. III./JG 77 was formed on 5 July 1940 in Trondheim from the II(J)./JG 186. I./ JG 77 was reorganized on 21 November 1940 into IV./JG 51 and a new I./JG 77 was established. In January 1942 I./JG 77 was transferred to I./JG 5 and a new I./JG 77 was created.

In April 1942 1. Staffel was transferred to Romania and designated the defence unit for the Ploie?ti oil fields at Mizil. (This staffel was redesignated 1./JG 4 in August 1942.)