Günther Specht

German World War II fighter pilot

Günther Specht (13 November 1914 – 1 January 1945) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II.Having joined the Luftwaffe in 1935 and completed his pilot training, at the start of the war Specht was a Leutnant in 3./ZG 26 "Horst Wessel" (the 3rd squadron of the 26th Heavy Fighter Wing).

In 1939 he was wounded by an RAF tail gunner and blinded in one eye.After his recovery he chose to return to active service but was shot down again in France and was seriously injured.

These injuries kept him grounded for the next two years.In 1942 he returned to active duty with 1st Fighter Wing (Jagdgeschwader 1 Oesau;

JG 1).He was then made Group Commander (Gruppenkommandeur) of II Group of JG 11 (II./JG 11) and promoted to Major.He was appointed as Wing Commander (Geschwaderkommodore) of JG 11 and was listed as missing in action during the attack on the Allied bases at Asch and Ophoven as part of Operation Bodenplatte.

He was posthumously promoted to lieutenant colonel (German: Oberstleutnant) and was recommended for the Oak Leaves (German: Eichenlaub) to the Knight's Cross, which was never actioned amongst all the confusion in the last months of the war.

Specht was considered one of the best fighter leaders during the war and was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

During his combat career he was credited with 34 enemy aircraft destroyed, all downed on the Western Front.He was shot down six times during the war.

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