Borris, Karl (LW-Flieger)

Date of birth:: January 3rd, 1916 (Heinsdorf/Brandenburg/Prussia, Germany)
Date of death:: August 18th, 1981 (Bornum/Saxony-Anhalt, Germany)
Nationality:: German

Biography

Karl Borris joined the 26.Jagdgeschwader as a Leutnant in December 1939. He would stay with this unit until the end of the war. When the fighting’s on the Westfront started, he was placed with the V.Gruppe.
The slightly inexperienced Leutnant was shot down by RAF Boulton Paul Defiant fighters on May 13th 1940 near the Dutch coast. He bailed out of his damaged Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-3 near Dordrecht and managed to reach his unit within four days. He claimed his fist aerial victories on June 1st and 2nd, by shooting down two Supermarine Spitfires during the British evacuation at Dunkirk.

During the Battle of Britain he managed to shoot down several enemy planes;
13.08.1940: Shot down two Hurricanes in the Maidstone-Detling area.
06.09.1940: Shot down a Hurricane over Folkestone.
25.10.1940: Shot down a Spitfire over Maidstone.

He was appointed Technical Officer with the II.Gruppe in March 1941 and was called to the Reichs Luftfahrt Ministerium (RLM) training centre at Rechlin to test the first 6 new Focke Wulff Fw 190A-0 pre-production planes. The group of over 30 selected men was transformed to the Testgruppe 190. Her he made the next victims;

09.08.1941: Shot down a Spitfire over Campagne.
20.09.1941: Shot down a Spitfire over Mardyck.
21.09.1941: Shot down a Spitfire over Etaples.

Karl Borris was appointed commander of the VIII.Gruppe/26.Jagdgeschwader as an Oberleutnant on November 10th 1941. In this command he shot down the next planes;
13.03.1942: Shot down a Spitfire.
04.04.1942: Shot down a Spitfire over the Pas de Calais and another north of Sangatte.
15.04.1942: Shot down a Spitfire east of Cap Gris Nez.
17.04.1942: Shot down a Spitfire over the English Channel.
24.04.1942: Shot down a Spitfire northwest of Ostend.
28.04.1942: Shot down two Spitfires south of Gravelines.
17.05.1942: Shot down a Spitfire northwest of Sangatte.
01.06.1942: Shot down a Spitfire north of La Panne.
30.07.1942: Shot down a Spitfire.
19.08.1942: Shot down a Spitfire over Dieppe.
03.02.1943: Shot down a Spitfire north of Poperinghe and another over
Poperinghe-Bergues.
07.02.1943: Shot down a Typhoon over Staden.
04.04.1943: Shot down a B-17 in the Rouen-Dieppe area.
13.05.1943: Shot down a Spitfire over St Pol.

On May 14th 1943 his Focke Wulff Fw 190 A-5 190A-5 (W.Nr. 7326) "Schwarze 19" was hit by enemy fire from B-17 bombers he attacked over Wevelgem He bailed out but his parachute partially failed. When touching the ground he broke several bones and had to stay in hospital for quite some time.
As Hauptmann he was appointed Commander of I.Gruppe/26.Jagdgeschwader on June 23rd 1943. In this role he;
25.07.1943: Shot down two Spitfires north of Ghent.
17.08.1943: Shot down a B-17 east of Deest.
19.09.1943: Shot down a Spitfire east of Ipswich.
07.01.1944: Shot down a P-47 southwest of Cousolre.
11.01.1944: Shot down a B-17 in the Nordhorn-Zuider Zee area.
29.01.1944: Shot down a B-17 east of Bonn.
08.02.1944: Shot down a P-47 over Hirson-Thiérache.
24.02.1944: Shot down a P-47 north of Rheine.
06.03.1944: Shot down a P-47 southwest of Oldenburgh.
08.03.1944: Shot down a Spitfire east of Utrecht.

In April 1944 he was promoted to Major and continued his duty with shooting down a Spitfire on April 19th 1944 to the Northeast of Mechelen.
From May 15th until July 1944 he was transferred for special duty’s and shot down a P-47 to the West of Paris. He resumed command with I.Gruppe on August 1st 1944 and recommenced his victories with;
26.08.1944: Shot down a Spitfire over Rouen.
16.09.1944: Shot down a P-38 over Bonn.
23.09.1944: Shot down a P-51 over Wesel.
05.12.1944: Shot down a B-17 west of Lingen.
14.01.1945: Shot down a Spitfire over Ibbenbüren.