Background
Matoni was born on 27 June 1917 in Duisburg.
Matoni was born on 27 June 1917 in Duisburg.
The Knight"s Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Feldwebel Matoni was assigned to 9./Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing) in the summer of 1940 and his first claim, a Hawker Hurricane followed on 30 September. During mid 1941 Matoni operated over Russia and claimed three victories (Two Data Base-3"s and an R-10).
On 17 August 1941 Feldwebel Matoni was posted to 5.
(JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) based on the Channel front. He was soon transferred to 7./JG 2 (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing) in September.
He was badly wounded in aerial combat resulting in a lengthy convalescence, following which he served as an instructor with Jagdgruppe West from October 1942 to February 1943, when Leutnant Matoni returned to World War II/JG 26. He shot down a Supermarine Spitfire on 17 June as his fifth victory.
On 31 August, Oberleutnant Matoni"s Focke Wulf Fw 190 A-5 was hit and he was wounded by return fire from United States Army Air Forces (United States Army Air Force) B-17 bombers, force-landing at Montdidier.
In December he claimed a Spitfire near Boulogne on 21 December as his 8th victory. In an action against United States Army Air Force B-26 twin-engine bombers on 14 January 1944 Matoni shot down a Spitfire escorting the bombers, probably flown by Austrian-born South/L. Franz Colloredo-Mansfeld Distinguished Flying Cross (3 destroyed) of Number. 132 Squadron Royal Air Force, who was killed.
On 24 February Matoni shot down a United States Army Air Force B-24 four-engine bomber near Frankfurt for his 13th and JG 26"s 2,000th victory.
On 15 August 1944, Hauptmann Matoni was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I./Jagdgeschwader 11 (JG 11—11th Fighter Wing) before being appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 2 on 24 September. On 5 December, Matoni was so seriously injured in a crash he was unfit to undertake any further combat flying.
Despite this, he was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of World War II/JG 2 in January 1945 until 28 February. Walter Matoni was credited with 34 victories in over 400 missions.
He recorded three victories over the Eastern Front, and of 31 victories claimed over the Western Front, 14 were four-engine bombers.
He ended the war at the Fighter Pilot"s rest-home at Bad Wiessee. Matoni died on 26 June 1988 in Frankfurt. Just three years before his death, Matoni appeared on the British television show This Is Your Life on the 8 May 1985, the 50th anniversary of the German capitulation.
He was guest on the Johnnie Johnson episode, celebrating the Royal Air Force ace" life.
Matoni"s presence owed to a British media-created legend that Johnson personally challenged the German to a duel over Normandy. Bibliography.