Horst-Günther von Fassong (27 April 1919 – 1 January 1945) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and fighter ace during World War II. Depending on source, he is credited between 63 and 136 aerial victories achieved in an unknown number of combat missions. This figure includes up to 90 aerial victories on the Eastern Front, and potentially further 46 victories over the Western Allies, including up to four four-engined bombers.
Born in Kassel, Fassong grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. A pre-war member of the German Army, he transferred to the Luftwaffe in 1940. Following flight training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) in 1941. Flying with this wing, Fassong claimed his first aerial victory on 3 July 1941 during Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. He was made Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 10. Staffel (10th squadron) of JG 51 in February 1943. In May 1944, he was transferred and appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 11 (JG 11—11st Fighter Wing) fighting in Defense of the Reich. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 27 July 1944 and killed in action on 1 January 1945 during Operation Bodenplatte.
Career
Fassong was born on 27 April 1919 in Kassel, at the time in the Province of Hesse-Nassau, a Free State of Prussia within the Weimar Republic. His military career began with Aufklärungsabteilung 7, a reconnaissance battalion of the 4th Panzer Division. In May 1940, Fassong transferred to the Luftwaffe where he was trained as a fighter pilot. In early 1941, he was posted to 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). At the time, 3. Staffel was commanded by Oberleutnant Heinrich Krafft while I. Gruppe, to which the Staffel was subordinated, was headed by Hauptmann Hermann-Friedrich Joppien. The Gruppe was based on the English Channel, fighting the Royal Air Force (RAF). On 25 May, I. Gruppe was withdrawn from the Channel Front and moved to Krefeld Airfield for preparation for Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union.
Eastern Front
JG 51 area of operation during Operation Barbarossa was over the right flank of Army Group Center in the combat area of the 2nd Panzer Group as well as the 4th Army. In support of the Army crossing the Berezina, I. Gruppe was moved to an airfield at Babruysk on 2 July. The following day Fassong claimed his first two aerial victories in the vicinity of Rahachow when he shot down two Polikarpov I-16 fighters. German forces breached the Stalin Line and II. Gruppe was moved to an airfield at Stara Bychow, approximately south of Mogilev on the Dnieper on 12 July where it stayed until 20 August. Fassong was severely injured, sustaining heavy burns, on 28 July when his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 (Werknummer 9650—factory number) burst into flames during takeoff.
On 12 February 1943, Fassong was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 10. Staffel of JG 51. The Staffel was subordinated to IV. Gruppe of JG 51, initially commanded by Hauptmann Hans Knauth and as of 1 March, by Major Rudolf Resch. The Gruppe had just completed conversion from the Bf 109 F-2 to the Focke Wulf Fw 190 A-4 and was based at Smolensk. In that combat area, Army Group Centre had launched Operation Büffel, a series of retreats eliminating the Rzhev salient. On 10 June, during a Soviet attack on the Seshchinskaya and Bryansk Air Field, Fassong claimed three aerial victories in nine minutes.
Operation Citadel
On 5 July, German forces launched Operation Citadel in a failed attempt to eliminate the Kursk salient that initiated the Battle of Kursk. In preparation of this operation, IV. Gruppe was ordered to an airfield named Oryol-West and supported Generaloberst Walter Model's 9th Army on the northern pincer. That day, pilots of the Gruppe flew up to five combat missions in the combat area near Maloarkhangelsk. The Gruppe escorted bombers from Kampfgeschwader 4 (KG 4—4th Bomber Wing), KG 51 and KG 53 as well as Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers from Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 (StG 1—1st Dive Bomber Wing). The Gruppe claimed 36 aerial victories that day, including two Lavochkin La-5, an Ilyushin Il-2 ground attack aircraft, and a Douglas A-20 Havoc bomber also known as a Boston, by Fassong. The following day, Fassong for the first time became an "ace-in-a-day", claiming three Il-2 ground attack aircraft, two La-5 fighters and a Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighter.