This Day in History: January 20

 

On January 20, 1943, Major Wolf-Dietrich Wilcke, the commodore of the 3rd Fighter Wing (Jagdgeschwader 3) submitted a special recommendation for promotion to commissioned officer for Master Sergeant Siegfried Engfer.  Wilcke wrote:

“I request that Master Sergeant Siegfried Engfer be promoted to officer due to his courage against the enemy.  As to the evaluation, I agree with the opinion of his group commander dated December 12, 1942.  As an officer, Engfer will use his talents to lead young fighter pilots against the enemy to a still greater extent.  His appearance is modest and reserved.  He takes care to advance himself and will continue to develop the bearing and understanding of an officer.”  (Luftwaffe Efficiency and Promotion Reports for the Knight’s Cross Winners)

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Norbert Kochesser was born in the Austrian capital of Vienna on January 16, 1924; as a child he suffered from diphtheria.  He was a member of the Hitler Youth from November 1936 to January 1941.  He joined the SS on January 20, 1941 and the Waffen-SS on August 1, 1942, listing his profession as a student.  At Kursk, SS-Panzerschütze Kochesser served as a loader on a Tiger in the 9th (Heavy) Company of the Totenkopf Division.  He was killed in action on July 30-31, 1943 assaulting the fortified defenses at Hill 213.9 east of Stepanivka on the Mius front.  The company likely conducted a hasty burial of his remains on August 2.  Norbert Kochesser is probably buried with the unknowns  in the German War Cemetery at Kharkov in which rest the remains of 47,322 German soldiers.  (Waffen-SS Tiger Crews at Kursk: The Men of SS Panzer Regiments 1, 2 & 3 in Operation Citadel, July 5-15, 1943)

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Chicago Crime Calendar

On January 20, 1978, the body of Bernie Ryan, part of John Mendell’s burglary crew, was found in his 1976 Lincoln Continental, in Stone Park.  He was shot four times, and his throat was slit.