Helmut Belser (23 December 1915 â 19 June 1942) was a German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. Belser claimed 36 aerial victories, 1 over the Western Front and 12 over the Eastern Front and 23 over the Mediterranean Front. Belser was killed in a flying accident 19 June 1942 at the Castel-Benito Airfield.
On 2 December 1941, II. Gruppe of JG 53 moved to the Mediterranean theater and where then based at Comiso airfield during the siege of Malta. Here on 29 December, Belser claimed his first aerial victory in this theater of operation. Escorting Junkers Ju 88 bombers on a mission to attack two destroyers in Valetta harbor, Belser claimed a Hawker Hurricane fighter shot down.
On 8 March 1942, Belser was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 8. Staffel of JG 53. He succeeded Oberleutnant Hans-Joachim Heinecke who was transferred. In his book series Jagdgeschwader 53: A History of the "Pik As" Geschwader, Prien states that Belser was first made Staffelkapitän of 6. Staffel, succeeding Oberleutnant Otto Böhner who was slightly wounded, on 8 March. Belser then transferred to III. Gruppe in April where he was given command of 8. Staffel.
On 20 May, III. Gruppe was transferred from Sicily to North Africa where the Gruppe was initially based at Martuba Airbase and placed under the command of Major Erich Gerlitz. On 14 June, Belser shot down the Bristol Beaufighter T4885/F from No. 272 Squadron.
On 19 June at 11:45, Belser was killed in a flying accident at Castel-Benito Airfield. His Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4 trop (Werknummer 10278âÂÂfactory) flipped over during takeoff, burning him to death in the resulting fire. In consequence, command of 3. Staffel was passed on to Oberleutnant Ernst Klager. Posthumously, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () on 6 September 1942 for his 36 aerial victories claimed.
According to Obermaier, Belser was credited with 36 aerial victories, 12 of which on the Eastern Front and 24 over the Western Allies. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces â Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 36 aerial victory claims. This number includes one claim during the Battle of Britain, 24 on the Eastern Front, and 23 in the Mediterranean Theater including one heavy bomber.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 14 West 2734". The Luftwaffe grid map () covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about . These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area in size.