Background
He was born on 26 January 1912 at Saarbrücken.
He was born on 26 January 1912 at Saarbrücken.
Barten was credited with having shot down a total of 55 Allied aircraft. Barten was posted to Jagdgeschwader 77 on 1 July 1939. He served in the Invasion of Poland, Battle of France and Battle of Britain.
On 21 November, 2./JG 77 was redesignated Jagdgeschwader 51.
By the end of 1940, he had shot down three aircraft. By the end of 1941, he had 25 victories to his cartulary-register
His 30th victory came on 18 March 1942. On 10 November 1942, Barten was injured forcing him to be absent from combat duty.
This was his last victory on the Eastern Front.
On 1 June 1943, Barten was transferred as Staffelkapitän to 7./Jagdgeschwader 53 based in the Mediterranean theatre. On 4 August 1944, Barten was shot down in a Messerschmitt Bf 109 in aerial combat with P-47 Thunderbolt belonging to the United States Army Air Forces near Rheinsehlen. He bailed out of his aircraft, but was shot while hanging in his parachute.
He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Hauptmann.
Bibliography.
Franz Barten received a total of three awards and one of them was awarded posthumously. Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe awarded on 20 October 1941 German Cross in Gold awarded on 22 May 1942 as Oberfeldwebel in the 11./Jagdgeschwader 51 Knight"s Cross of the Iron Cross awarded posthumously on 29 October 1944 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 9./Jagdgeschader 53.
