Date of birth:

February 18th, 1912 (Bremen/Bremen, Germany)

Date of death:

September 13th, 1998 (Nuremberg/Bavaria, Germany)

Nationality:

German (1933-1945, Third Reich)

Flew a total of 230 sorties in WWII, most of these in the east, as well as 23 combat missions in the Spanish Civil War as part of the Condor Legion. During his career Köhnke and his crew claimed to have shot down 11 enemy aircraft, 7 in the west and 4 in the east.

Promotions:
01.06.1936: Gefreiter d. R.;
01.09.1936: Unteroffizier d. R.;
17.11.1936: Fahnenjunker;
20.04.1937: Fähnrich;
05.12.1937: Oberfähnrich;
01.01.1938: Leutnant;
01.06.1939: Oberleutnant (154a);
01.01.1942: Hauptmann (42);
01.10.1942: Major (8a).

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Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

October 29th, 1930

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

November 14th, 1938

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

June 5th, 1939

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

September 1st, 1939

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberleutnant (Flying Officer)

Awarded on:

September 15th, 1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberleutnant

Unit:

4./Kampf-Geschwader 3

Awarded on:

February 14th, 1942

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Hauptmann (Flight Lieutenant)

Unit:

Kommandeur II./Kampfgeschwader 54

Awarded on:

August 1st, 1942

Awarded after flying over 200 bomber sorties, in which time he particularly distinguished himself as the commander of the II./Kampfgeschwader 54 starting on the 01.03.1942. Under his leadership the Gruppe achieved major success in the central sector of the Eastern front. During an attack on the important enemy marshalling yard at Bologaye, the entire installation was destroyed along with 12 locomotives and several trains (including an ammunition train).

• - FELLGIEBEL, W.P., Elite of theThird Reich, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003.
  - PATZWALL, K. & SCHERZER, V., Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2001.
  - PATZWALL, K. D., Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2008.
  - URBANKE, AXEL & KAISER, JOCHEN, Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kampfflieger, Luftfahrtverlag-Start, 2011.