Career
The Knight"s Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. During his career Wilhelm Moritz was credited with 44 victories in 500+ missions. On 7 July 1944 a force of 1,129 B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators of the United States Army Air Forces (United States Army Air Force) Eighth Air Force set out from England to bomb aircraft factories in the Leipzig area and the synthetic oil plants at Boehlen, Leuna-Merseburg and Lützkendorf.
This formation was intercepted by a German Gefechtsverband (combat formation) consisting of IV.(Sturm) Gruppe Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" (4th assault group of the 3rd fighter wing), led by Hauptmann Moritz, escorted by two Gruppen of Bf 109s from Jagdgeschwader 300 (300th fighter wing) led by Major Walther Dahl.
Dahl and Moritz drove the attack to point-blank range behind the Liberators of the 492d Bombardment Group before opening fire. 492d Bombardment Group was temporarily without fighter cover.
Within about a minute the entire squadron of twelve B-24s had been annihilated. The Germans claimed 28 United States Army Air Force 2nd Air Division B-24s that day and were credited with at least 21.
The majority to the Sturmgruppe attack.
This event, also known as the Luftschlacht bei Oschersleben (aerial battle at Oschersleben), earned both Dahl and Moritz a reference in the Wehrmachtbericht, an information bulletin issued by the headquarters of the Wehrmacht, on 8 July 1944. To be singled out individually in the Wehrmachtbericht was an honour and was entered in the Orders and Decorations" section of a soldier"s Service Record Book. "Udet" Wehrmachtbericht reference Bibliography.
