Date of birth:

June 27th, 1915 (Ingolstadt/Bavaria, Germany)

Date of death:

May 20th, 1961 (Böbing/Bavaria, Germany)

Nationality:

German

Josef Priller was born in Ingolstadt, July 27th, 1915. He entered military service in 1935 as Fahnenjunker in Infanterie-Regiment 19. He soon went over the Luftwaffe and started flight training in October 1936 at Salzwedel. In 1937 Priller was posted to I. / Jagdgeschwader 135, which was renamed in November 1938 I. / Jagdgeschwader 233 and again in May 1939 I. / Jagdgeschwader 51. Shortly before the outbreak of World War Two, Prilller was transferred to I. / Jagdgeschwader 71, which was renamed II. / Jagdgeschwader 51.
At the outbreak of the war, Priller was Staffelkapitän of 6. / Jagdgeschwader 51, scoring his first victory over Dunkirque on May 28th, On November 20th, 1940, he was appointed Staffelkapitän 1. / Jagdgeschwader 26. From December 6th, 1941, onwards, Priller served as Kommandeur III. / Jagdgeschwader 26 and on January 11th, 1943, he was appointed Kommodore Jagdgeschwader 26.
During the Allied landings in Normandy, June 6th, 1944, Josef Priller, in his Focke Wulf Fw 190A-8, together with his wingman Feldwebel Heinz Wodarczyk, launched one of the few attacks by the Luftwaffe on the landing troops, a single attack on Sword Beach.
He scored his 100th victory in the air on July 18th, 1944 shooting down a Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber. On January 1st, 1945, Josef Priller commanded Jagsgeschwader 26 and III. / Jagdgeschwader 54 during Operation Bodenplatte, the attack on the Allied airfields of Brussels-Evère and Brussels Grimbergen. January 28th, 1945 he was appointed Inspekteur der Jagdflieger Ost.
He scored 101 victories in 1,307 operational sorties.
After World War Two, Priller took charge of the family brewery. He passed away, following a heart attack on May 20th, 1961 in Böbing.

Bevorderingen:
1935: Fahnenjunker;
1936: Oberfahnenjunker;
1937: Leutnant;
1940: Oberleutnant;
December 1941: Hauptmann;
January 1943: Major;
August 1943: Oberstleutnant;
January 1st, 1945: Oberst.

Loopbaan:
1935 - Ocktober 1936: Infanterieregiment 19;
October 1936 - April 1937: Piloten training, Salzwedel;
April 1st, 1937 - November 1938: I. / Jagdgeschwader 135;
November 1938: I. / Jagdgeschwader 233;
May 1939 - July 1939: I. / Jagdgeschwader 51;
July 1939 - October 1939: I. / Jagdgeschwader 71;
October 1st, 1939 - November 20th, 1940: Staffelkapitän 6. / Jagdgeschwader 51;
November 20th, 1940 - December 6th, 1941: Staffelkapitän 1. / Jagdgeschwader 26 „Schlageter";
December 6th, 1941 - January 10th, 1943: Kommandeur III. / Jagdgeschwader 26 „Schlageter";
January 11th, 1943 - January 27th, 1945: Kommodore Jagdgeschwader 26 „Schlageter";
January 28th, 1945 - May 1945: Inspekteur der Jagdflieger Ost;
May 1945: Prisoner of war.

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• Photo 1: Wehrkundearchiv
• Photo: Deutsches Wehrkundearchiv
  
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