Esau
Text: Jan Bobek
Illustration: Antonis Karydis
Cat. No. 70164
Heinz "Esau" Ewald was one of the renowned aces of JG 52, a Luftwaffe fighter unit that operated on the Eastern Front from June 1941 until the end of the war. Born in Zoppot (Sopot), near present-day Gdańsk, he joined Fliegerausbildungsregiment 23 in December 1941 and completed pilot and fighter training. His training continued with JG 106 at Lachen-Speyersdorf, and later with Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost in La Rochelle, France, where he was prepared for combat.
At 21, Ewald, an NCO, was assigned to II./JG 52 led by Hptm. Gerhard Barkhorn in autumn 1943 . The unit had recently withdrawn from Anapa, Kuban, and operated from various airfields in Ukraine before moving to Bagerowo in Crimea in November. Ewald was transferred to II./JG 52’s 6th Staffel, led by Lt. Helmut Lipfert, who already had over 40 victories.
As a complete novice, Ewald achieved his first victory during his fourth combat flight. This milestone occurred during a "free hunt" mission on November 12, 1943 over the Kerch Strait. Ewald was flying as a wingman for Fw. Ellendt of the 5th Staffel. After about twenty minutes of flying beneath a low-lying, continuous cloud layer, the German duo received a report of Soviet aircraft operating south of their position. They immediately headed toward the designated area at maximum speed, maintaining an altitude of about 100 meters above sea level.
Suddenly, four Soviet Yaks emerged from the clouds roughly a thousand meters ahead of them, and Ellendt quickly pointed them out. What followed happened in mere seconds. The formations flew directly at each other, and Ewald instinctively opened fire on one of the enemy aircraft. Moments later, Ellendt radioed in, confirming a successful shootdown. A confused Ewald asked who had brought down the enemy plane, only to be surprised when Ellendt informed him that it had been Ewald’s shot. The Soviet aircraft spiralled down, crashing on the coast and exploding upon impact.
After landing, Heinz Ewald received numerous congratulations but also found himself on the receiving end of warnings. Fellow pilots repeatedly reminded him that shooting at the enemy head-on was a dangerous tactic that wouldn’t allow him to live long. Over the next few weeks, as Ewald displayed remarkable luck and quickly accumulated several victories, these comments became more frequent.
In German, expressions referring to a large dose of luck often include the words Schwein (pig) or Sau (swine). It was fitting, then, that Ewald earned the nickname "Esau," coined by his comrades in the 6th Staffel. Ofw. Kuhn, acting as the spokesman for the group, formally announced the nickname to Ewald. Kuhn reminded him of the unit’s superstition: a rookie who rapidly racks up victories typically doesn’t live long. Kuhn playfully advised Ewald to go ahead and write a farewell letter to his parents—just in case.
As a supposed candidate for an early death, Ewald received especially generous portions of food from Obergefreiter Prümmer, the chief cook of II./JG 52. After a few weeks, "Esau" found himself often thinking that he would indeed soon fall in battle. This mindset was a result of his colleagues’ remarks, which were likely well-intentioned and meant to temper his enthusiasm, encouraging him to take fewer risks during combat.
The teasing from the pilots of the 6th Staffel eventually subsided when Ewald was selected by Hptm. Gerhard Barkhorn, the commander of II./JG 52, to be his wingman. Ewald went on to fly over a hundred combat sorties alongside his new leader.
Between late 1943 and spring 1944, Ewald achieved 17 aerial victories during the battles in Crimea. Aviation historian Ivan Lavrinenko’s suggests in his book about JG 52´s top aces in Crimean campaign that Ewald likely destroyed between three and nine enemy aircraft. Multiple Luftwaffe pilots often claimed responsibility for the same Soviet aircraft, a common occurrence during intense air battles.
The box art by Antonis Karydis depicts one of Ewald's two victories over Hungary on February 4, 1945, against fighters from the 848th IAP. Both Soviet airmen remain missing. Details of this engagement, along with other battles involving Ewald, can be found in Daniel and Gabor Horvath's book, which provides an in-depth analysis of the Luftwaffe's ace air victories over Hungary in late 1944 and early 1945.
Lucky Ewald survived a dogfight with American fighters on June 24, 1944 over Romania, bailing out after being shot down and sustaining injuries. In early March 1945, he was accidentally shot down by an SS anti-aircraft unit, and a month later, he rejoined his unit after making an emergency landing in a front-line area. "Esau" Ewald was indeed “lucky as a pig.” For a detailed description of these incidents, refer to the article on "Heino" Sachsenberg in INFO magazine 11/2010 and the article The end of the war at the Danube.