action on 16 July 1944 on the Normandy invasion front. He was among the first pilots killed following the relocation to the Western Front. Of the original sixteen pilots transferred, only two pilots survived the war. Wachowiak was shot down in his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 (Werknummer 165507—factory number) during aerial combat with a Supermarine Spitfire near Écouché. According to Mathews and Foreman, Wachowiak may have been shot down by Spitfire fighters from the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) No. 403 Squadron. Summary of career Aerial victory claims According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Wachowiak was credited with 140 aerial victories. Schreier lists him with 130 aerial victories. According to Obermaier, the exact number of aerial victories Wachowiak was credited with is not exactly known. Obermaier states that he claimed at least 86 aerial victories on the Eastern Front. His mother testified that he had claimed approximately 120 aerial victories, while his comrades claim that he shot down about 140 aircraft. Spick also states that Wachowiak was credited with at least 86 aerial victories, all of which claimed over the Eastern Front in an unknown number of combat missions. According to Rall, who was Wachowiak's commanding officer and regular wingman, Wachowiak had approximately 100 aerial victories by August 1942. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 89 aerial victories, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front. Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 44423". 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 and 1st Class Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe on 15 December 1941 as Unteroffizier and pilot German Cross in Gold on 22 January 1942 as Unteroffizier in the III./Jagdgeschwader 52 Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 5 April 1942 as Unteroffizier and pilot in the III./Jagdgeschwader 52 Notes References Citations Bibliography External links TracesOfWar.com 1920 births 1944 deaths Military personnel from Dortmund German World War II flying aces Recipients of the Gold German Cross Recipients of