Strana 133
W.Nr. 140206, Hptm. Heinrich Paepcke, CO of Stab II./KG 77, Gerbini, Italy, October 1942
Heinrich Paepcke was born on December 11,
1910, in Wattescheid, Westphalia. In May 1929,
he began his career in the merchant navy,
he joined the army in July 1934, and enlisted
in the Luftwaffe in 1935, to which he remained
loyal until his death. After flight training,
he was assigned to KG 30, armed with Junkers
Ju 88s, in December 1939. In April 1940, he was
appointed commander of the 7. Staffel, and in
September 1940, he was awarded the Knight's
Cross. On October 1, 1941, he was promoted
to Hauptmann and appointed commander of
II. Gruppe KG 77, which was at that time in rest
and rearming at Ansbach Airfield, preparing for
deployment on the southern front. Paepcke's
unit was transferred to Comiso Airfield in
Sicily in January 1942, from where it carried
out attacks on Malta and against supplies
being transported to the island. On October
17, 1942, Hptm. Paepcke and his crew were
killed in a head-on collision with a Spitfire
approximately 15 km off the coast of Malta
during a raid on Luqa Airport. Heinrich Paepcke
was posthumously awarded the Oak Leaves
to the Knight's Cross and promoted to the
rank of Major. The camouflage of his aircraft,
consisting of splinter pattern of RLM 70 and
71 colors on the sides and upper surfaces,
was supplemented with spots in RLM 65 and
RLM 79 colors.
BUILT
INFO Eduard
133
December 2025