Josef Kociok

Units: 7/ZG-76, 4/SKG-210, 4/ZG-1 (7/42 S.U., 10(Nacht)/ZG-1 (2/43 S.U., 5/NJG-200 (9/43 S.U.)

Awards: RK(7/31/43, DK-G(12/14/42, EP(6/1/42, EK 1 & 2, Wnd Bdg, Destroyer & Night Fighter Oper.Clasps

Known Aircraft: Bf 110G-2 WNr 6392 (lost 9/43)

Remarks: KIA 26 September, 1943 near Kertsch, when he collided with a crashing Russian DB-3 AC, and his parachute failed to open. His R/O, Alexander Wegerhoff survived by parachuting. In addition to his aerial victories, he was credited with another 15 AC on the ground, 4 tanks and 200 vehicles. All victories in the East, 21 were Night victories. His first known victory, a Soviet Seversky on 8 July, 1942, a Fw at the time. A 2nd, an I-18 on 25 February, 1943. A 3rd & 4th, an MBR-2 and a DB-3 N of Kortsch on 12 March, 1943. Nos 5 & 6, An SB-2 and a Yak-4 the night of 26-27 April, 1943. Three PS-84's and an SB-2 the night of 15-16 May, 1943. Two Soviet Boston's the night of 16-17 June, 1943. A PS-84 SE of Taman on 1 July, 1943. An R-5 at Krimskaya on the night of 27-28 July, 1943. Three R-5's in the Krimskaya area on the night of 31 July, 1943. Two Bostons and an I-18 on 17 September, 1943. An I-18 on 18 September, 1943. An MBR-2 in the Nevel area on 26 September, 1943, the day he was KIA. Buried in the cemetery at Kertsch.

Josef Kociok was born in Alt-Schalkendorf, High Silesia on 26 of April of 1918. He started his military career in the autumn of 1940 with 7./ZG 76 , besed in Stavanger-Sola, Norway.

In 24th April 1941 III./ZG76 was renamed in II./SKG210. And soon was engaged in the “Barbarossa Operation”, started 22.06.41. With his Staffel, now named 4./SKG 210, Kociok would mainly execute missions against airfields, vehicles, trains, tanks, Flak and anti-tank gun positions, and also attacks against the Soviet infantry. On 30.06. 41 he scored his first aerial victory. 04.02.42 his Staffel was again renamed: now into 4./ZG 1. By his performance in combat missions, Kociok was decorated with the Ehrenpokal on 01.06.1942. On 14.12. 42 he reseived Deutschen Kreuz in Gold for the successful actions over Kuban area.

At the same time, he specialized himself in missions of night hunt for the Soviet night bombers, as Po-2 and R-5. This ltlle biplanes gived great trouble to German Army, attacking different targets near frontline at night, making impossible the well rest of German soldiers. The most successful Po-2 unit was “Womens” 46th Guards Taman' Night Bomber Regiment. Soviet statistics show this unit to have flown about 23,672 sorties and the unit was credited with dropping 3,000 tons of bombs. (Please note that the maximum bomb load of a Po-2 plane was only 300 kg!).

As a counter-measure, Fliegerkorps IV organized an improvised night-fighter unit of 10(Nachtjagd)./ZG1. Operating with the support of searchlights, the Bf 110s of this unit took a heavy toll of the slow and brittle Po-2 biplanes once they encountered them in the air. The Po-2 aircraft was easily set on fire by either the antiaircraft or machine-gun tracers, and the plane was almost always doomed. The crew could not escape, because parachutes were not provided until the summer of 1944.

In early 1943, he was transferred to 10(Nachtjagd)./ZG1.

At this time he had: 12 aerial victoryes plus 15 aircraft, 4 tanks, 141 railroad wagons, 80 motor vehicles, 4 locomotives, 2 bridges and 1 Flak position destroyed on the ground.

When on 31 of July of 1943 Oberfeldwebel Josef Kociok as awarded with the Ritterkreuz, he had 15 night vistoryes in addition to day victoryes on his score.

On 31.07.43 during a single night he destroyed four Po-2s from 46th Guards Taman' Night Bomber Regiment in a row. Serafima Amosova, pilot of one of the survived Po-2's, witnessed this event: 'One night, as our aircraft passed over the target, the searchlights came on, the antiaircraft guns were firing, and then a green rocket was fired from the ground. The antiaircraft guns stopped, and a German fighter plane came and shot down four of our aircraft as each one came over the target. Our planes were burning like candles. We all witnessed this scene. When we landed and reported that we were being attacked by German fighters, they would not let us fly again that night. We lived in a school building with folding wooden beds. You can imagine our feelings when we returned to our quarters and saw eight beds folded, and we knew they were the beds of our friends who perished a few hours ago.'

In September of 1943, NachtJagdStaffel./ZG1 officially was redesignated as 5./NJG200. With this Staffel Kociok scored his last 6 victoryes – 2 Boston Mk.III bombers and Yak-7 in one mission on 17.09.43. On 18.09.43 he scored Yak-7, and later – 2 MBR-2 flying boats – on 24.09.43 and 26.09.43.

However, in the night of 26/27 of September of 1943, he engaged Il-4 bomber in a combat over Kertch (East Crimea, attacked it from close distanse. Il-4 was hit, but Kociok could not break off and rammed his burning victim. He ordered to his bordfunker Feldwebel Wegerhoff to jump, and decided to bellyland his heavy damaged Bf110G-2 (W.Nr. 6392). Unfortunatly, it was impossible, and Kociok used his parashute at least.

But his parachute failed to open.

Josef Kociok was credited with 33 victories having flown over 200 missions. He recorded 21 victories as night victoryes. He flew in following units: 7./ZG 76, 4./SKG210, 4./ZG 1, 10(Nachtjagd)./ZG1, 5./NJG200

He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Leutnant.

Asisbiz database list of 22 aerial victories out of 33 for Josef Kociok

Date	Pilot Name	Unit	Enemy A/C Type	Height	Time	Location
Thursday, February 25, 1943	Josef Kociok	10.(N)/ZG1	I-18	80m	09:35	66 835
Friday, March 12, 1943	Josef Kociok	10.(N)/ZG1	MBR-2	3200m	21:43	North of Kortsch
Friday, March 12, 1943	Josef Kociok	10.(N)/ZG1	DB-3	3000m	21:45	North of Kortsch
Monday, April 26, 1943	Josef Kociok	10.(N)/ZG1	SB-2		22:25	59 593 Briefbuch Nr keine
Monday, April 26, 1943	Josef Kociok	10.(N)/ZG1	Yak-4		22:30	59 623 Briefbuch Nr keine
Saturday, May 15, 1943	Josef Kociok	10.(N)/ZG1	PS-84	1000m	21:39	34 Ost/59 392
Saturday, May 15, 1943	Josef Kociok	10.(N)/ZG1	PS-84	1200m	21:41	34 Ost/59 399
Saturday, May 15, 1943	Josef Kociok	10.(N)/ZG1	SB-2	3500m	22:05	34 Ost/59 365
Saturday, May 15, 1943	Josef Kociok	10.(N)/ZG1	PS-84	3000m	22:54	34 Ost/59 311
Wednesday, June 16, 1943	Josef Kociok	10.(N)/ZG1	A-20 Boston	3000m	21:20	66 881 Briefbuch Nr keine
Wednesday, June 16, 1943	Josef Kociok	10.(N)/ZG1	A-20 Boston	4500m	21:00	66 364 Briefbuch Nr keine
Thursday, July 01, 1943	Josef Kociok	10.(N)/ZG1	PS-84	1000m	21:00	SE Taman’
Tuesday, July 27, 1943	Josef Kociok	10.(N)/ZG1	R-5	1200m	21:20	Krimskaya
Saturday, July 31, 1943	Josef Kociok	10.(N)/ZG1	R-5	1200m	21:15	Krimskaya
Saturday, July 31, 1943	Josef Kociok	10.(N)/ZG1	R-5		22:00	Raum Krimskaya
Saturday, July 31, 1943	Josef Kociok	10.(N)/ZG1	R-5		22:05	Raum Krimskaya
Friday, September 17, 1943	Josef Kociok	5./NJG200	A-20 Boston	2000m	14:00	76 62
Friday, September 17, 1943	Josef Kociok	5./NJG200	A-20 Boston	2000m	14:01	76 62
Friday, September 17, 1943	Josef Kociok	5./NJG200	I-18	2000m	14:04	76 62
Saturday, September 18, 1943	Josef Kociok	5./NJG200	I-18	50m	10:05	76 53
Friday, September 24, 1943	Josef Kociok	5./NJG200	MBR-2	1500m	01:48	66 89
Sunday, September 26, 1943	Josef Kociok	5./NJG200	MBR-2	1500m	20:20	66 852