Franz Dörr

class="fn" colspan="2" style="background-color: #B0C4DE; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" | Franz Dörr
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colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-size: 90%; border-bottom: 1px solid #aaa; line-height: 1.5em;" | File:Franz Dörr I.png
Birth date	10 February 1913(1913-02-10)
Place of birth	Mannheim, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire
Death date	13 October 1972 (aged 59)
Place of death	Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany
Allegiance	National Socialist Germany
Service/branch	File:Luftwaffe eagle.png Luftwaffe
Rank	Hauptmann (Captain)
Unit	JG 3, JG 5
Commands held	III./JG 5
Battles/wars	World War II Eastern Front Western Front
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Franz Dörr (10 February 1913 – 13 October 1972) was a German officer of the Wehrmacht and fighter pilot (Jagdflieger) of the Luftwaffe, finally a captain, flying ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross in World War II.

Military career

File:Eismeerjäger Walter Schuck, Franz Dörr, Heinrich Ehrler und Jakob Norz, Bf 109 G-6, Petsamo, Juni 1944.png

From left to right: Eismeerjäger Walter Schuck, Franz Dörr, Heinrich Ehrler und "Jockel" Norz in front of a Bf 109 G-6, Petsamo, Finland, Juni 1944

Born in Mannheim (Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire), Dörr grew up in the Weimar Republic. It is not known, when exactly he joined the Luftwaffe. It is also possible, that he served beforehand with the Reichswehr.

Following flight training and his promotion to non-commissioned officer (Unteroffizier), he served as a reconnaissance pilot (Aufklärungsflieger) in the Poland Campaign and the Battle of France. He then volunteered for fighter pilot training. In the spring of 1941, now a Feldwebel, Dörr was transferred to the to 1. (Ergänzungs-)Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3), based in the Netherlands. He claimed his first victory on 29 September 1941, when he shot down a Royal Air Force (RAF) Vickers Wellington twin-engine bomber.

On 1 January 1942, 1. (Erg.)/JG 3 was redesignated 7. Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 5 (JG 5) which was moved near the Arctic Ocean (Eismeer) in the northern sector of the Eastern Front. He claimed his first aerial victory with JG 5 on 9 May 1942. By the end of 1942, Dörr had increased his victory total to 12.

On 14 September 1943, Dörr was appointed leader of 7. Staffel (7th squadron) of JG 5 and claimed his 20th victory on 18 August 1943. By the end of 1943, Dörr had accumulated 37 aerial victories. In May 1944, when Major Heinrich Ehrler took over the deputy leadership of the 5th Fighter Wing, Dörr took over the deputy leadership of the III. Gruppe/Jagdgeschwader 5. The Wehrmachtbericht from 28 June 1944 stated about 1st Lieutenant Dörr:

Oberleutnant Dörr and Leutnant Norz alone achieved 12 victories in heavy aerial combat.

On 1 August 1944, when Ehrler was officially named Kommodore of JG 5, Hauptmann Dörr was named commander of the III. Gruppe. Dörr was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 19 August 1944 after 95 aerial victories claimed. He claimed another six victories on 23 August 1944 to record his 100th through 106th aerial victories. In October 1944, Dörr claimed 22 Russian aircraft shot down, including six on 9 October and five on 21 October. Following the loss of the German battleship Tirpitz on 12 November 1944, Dörrwas later court-martialled but was acquitted from all charges during the trial before the Reichskriegsgericht on 17, 18 and 20 December 1944.

Fighter ace

Fighter ace Dörr achieved a total of 128 aerial victories (Luftsiege) over the course of 437 combat missions (Feindflüge), including 16 Il-2 Stormoviks of the Soviet Red Air Force. He also destroyed a motor torpedo boat (MTB) in a dive attack.

Ace in a day

He become an "ace in a day" on nine separate occasions on the Eastern Front, for the first time on 16 May 1944, then again on 26 May 1944, 17 June 1944, 27 June 1944, 28 June 1944, 4 July 1944, 23 August 1944, 9 October 1944, and 21 October 1944, with seven, five, eight, six, six, five, seven, six and five victories, respectively.

Death

Franz Dörr, a proud husband and father, died on 13 October 1972 and was buried at the main cemetery (Hauptfriedhof) in Konstanz.

Awards and decorations

• Pilot Badge (Flugzeugführerabzeichen)
• Iron Cross (1939), 2nd and 1st Class
• Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg) on 28 February 1944 as Leutnant (2nd Lieutenant) and pilot (Flugzeugführer)
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold
  • Pennant with the combat mission number "400"
• Finnish Order of the Cross of Liberty, 4th Class with Swords
• Wound Badge (Verwundetenabzeichen 1939) in Black
• Two references in the Wehrmachtbericht (Namentliche Nennung im Wehrmachtbericht) on 28 June and 11 November 1944
• German Cross in Gold on 20 March 1944 as pilot in the 7. Staffel/III. Gruppe/Jagdgeschwader 5
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 19 August 1944 as Hauptmann and Commander of the III. Gruppe/Jagdgeschwader 5

Gallery

• Franz Dörr II.png
• Franz Dörr, Leistungsbuch.png
• Franz Dörr III.png
• Franz Dörr (above, left) with family and brothers.png
• Franz Dörr IV.png
• Franz Dörr V.png