Dr. Horst Patuschka (22 May 1912 â 6 March 1943) was a Luftwaffe night fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. 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. Patuschka was killed on 6 March 1943 after his Junkers Ju 88 crashed near Bizerte, Tunisia due to engine failure. During his career he was credited with 23 aerial victories all of them at night. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross on 10 May 1943.
On 3 December 1942, Patuschka was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of II. Gruppe of NJG 2, succeeding Hauptmann Herbert Bönsch who had been killed in action on 1 August.
According to Obermaier, Patuschka was credited with 23 nocturnal aerial victories, claimed in an unknown number of combat missions. Foreman, Parry and Mathews, authors of Luftwaffe Night Fighter Claims 1939 â 1945, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 23 nocturnal victory claims. Mathews and Foreman also published Luftwaffe Aces â Biographies and Victory Claims, also listing Patuschka with 23 claims.