Werner-Kurt Brandle was born on January 19, 1912, in the city of Ludwigsburg, located 10 km north of Stuttgart. In 1939, Lieutenant Brandle arrived at JG53. Between 1940 and 1941, during battles over Western Europe, he achieved his first 14 victories.
Rise to Command and Decorations
In May 1942, Hauptmann Brandle was appointed commander of II/JG3. On July 1, 1942, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross, having completed 470 combat missions and achieving 49 victories. On August 27, 1942, after 100 victories, Hauptmann Brandle received the Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross (No. 114).
Eastern Front and Final Flight
On July 5, 1943, during battles in the Orel-Kursk area, he shot down 5 Soviet aircraft, bringing his total number of victories to 150. Hauptmann Brandle died on November 3, 1943. His Bf-109G-6 W.Nr.26058 was shot down by a “Spitfire” over the North Sea near Amsterdam while he was attacking a B-17.
The next day, Brandle’s body was washed ashore by the waves. Throughout World War II, he completed over 700 combat missions and achieved 180 victories, 155 of which were on the Eastern Front.