Gotthard Handrick

Gotthard Handrick
Born	(1908-10-25)25 October 1908 Zeitz
Died	Ahrensburg
Allegiance	Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1929–45
Rank	Oberst
Unit	JGr 88, JG 26, JG 52, JG 77, JG 5
Commands held	III./JG 52, JG 26, JG 77, JG 5
Battles/wars	Spanish Civil War World War II
Awards	Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords German Cross in Gold

Gotthard Handrick

Gotthard Handrick at the 1936 Olympic Games
Sport
Country	Nazi Germany
Sport	Modern pentathlon
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	1936 Berlin
Medal record Men's Modern pentathlon 1936 Berlin Modern pentathlon

Karl Hermann Gotthard Handrick (25 October 1908 – 30 May 1978) was a German Olympic athlete and German fighter pilot during the Spanish Civil War and World War II.

Career

Gotthard Handrick received his Abitur (diploma) in 1929 and the joined the military service of the Reichswehr.

Medal presentation at the 1936 Berlin Olympic games, Silvano Abbà-Italy (3rd place) Gotthard Handrick-Germany (1st place) Charles Leonard-USA (2nd place)

He won the gold medal in the modern pentathlon at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. As a fighter pilot, he participated in Spanish Civil War and claimed 5 aerial victories while flying for the Legion Condor (including a I-15 on 9 September 1937 and an I-16 on 18 May 1938).

In July 1937 Handrick was appointed to command Jagdgruppe 88 (18 July 1937 – 10 September 1938) and assumed command of I./JG 26 (1 May 1939 – 23 June 1940) after his return from Spain in 1938. On 24 June 1940 command of Jagdgeschwader 26 was handed over to Major Handrick, who passed command of I./JG 26 to Hpt. Kurt Fischer. On 22 August 1940 Major Adolf Galland of III./JG 26 replaced Handrick as Geschwaderkommodore of JG 26.

He then became Kommodore of Ergänzungsjagdgruppe 2 briefly before a posting in October to I./JG 28. In June 1941 Handrick was posted to command JG 77. While serving on the Eastern Front he claimed a MiG-3 on 29 September and a Pe-2 on 22 October 1941.

During World War II he claimed another 10 victories while serving in the German military, earning him the German Cross in Gold on 17 October 1943.

In May 1942 Oberstlt. Handrick transferred to command JG 5 in Norway and Northern Russia. From June 1943 to June 1944 he was Jagdfliegerführer Ostmark, then as an Oberst. become commanding officer of 8. Jagddivision in Austria until the end of the war.

After the war he worked in Hamburg as a representative of Daimler-Benz.

Awards

• Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords
• Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class
• German Cross in Gold (17 October 1943)

References

Bibliography

• Caldwell, Donald L. (1991). JG 26 Top Guns of the Luftwaffe. Ivy Books. ISBN 0-8041-1050-6.
• Mandell, Richard D. (1987). The Nazi Olympics. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-01325-5.
• Toliver, Raymond F. and Constable, Trevor J. (1998). Das waren die Deutschen Jagdflieger-Asse 1939-1945 (in German). Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-87943-193-0.

Military offices
Preceded by Major Hans Hugo Witt	Commander of Jagdgeschwader 26 Schlageter 24 June 1940 – 21 August 1940	Succeeded by Oberstleutnant Adolf Galland
Preceded by Oberstleutnant Richard Kraut	Commander of Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Merseburg 26 August 1940 – 6 October 1940	Succeeded by Major Albert Blumensaat
Preceded by Major Bernhard Woldenga	Commander of Jagdgeschwader 77 Herz As 23 June 1941 – May 1942	Succeeded by Major Gordon M. Gollob
Preceded by none	Commander of Jagdgeschwader 5 Eismeer May 1942 – June 1943	Succeeded by Oberstleutnant Günther Scholz
Preceded by none	Commander of Jagdfliegerführer Ostmark 15 June 1943 – 15 June 1944	Succeeded by 8. Jagd-Division
Preceded by Jagdfliegerführer Ostmark	Commander of 8. Jagd-Division 15 June 1944 – 8 May 1945	Succeeded by none