for 51 nocturnal victory claims Mathews and Foreman also published Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, listing Vinke with 48 claims, including four four-engined bombers by day, plus two further unconfirmed claims. Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 05 Ost LN-KN". The Luftwaffe grid map () covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about . These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 × 4 km in size. Awards Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (26 June 1942) 1st Class (1 June 1943) Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Bronze on 1 October 1942 in Silver on 4 September 1943 in Gold on 15 February 1944 Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 26 December 1943 German Cross in Gold on 29 March 1944 as Oberleutnant in the 10./NJG 1 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight's Cross on 27 July 1944 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 11./NJG 1 840th Oak Leaves on 17 April 1945 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the IV./NJG 1 Notes References Citations Bibliography 1920 births 2014 deaths People from Weißenburg-Gunzenhausen Luftwaffe pilots German World War II flying aces German Air Force personnel Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Reich Labour Service members Hitler Youth members Military personnel from Bavaria