Roka, Franz
- Date of birth:
- March 22nd, 1918 (Ferdinándfalva, Hungary)
- Date of death:
- October 26th, 1943 (Mohilev/Mohilev Oblast, Belarus)
- Nationality:
- German
Biography
Flew a total of 515 sorties (including 483 in the East). In this time he inflicted the following materiel losses on the enemy...
- Four aerial victories with the Ju-87
- 50 tanks
- 5 important bridges
- 1 armoured train
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Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Oberleutnant (Flying Officer)
- Unit:
- Flugzeugführer
- Awarded on:
- October 5th, 1942
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Oberleutnant (1st Lieutenant)
- Unit:
- II. / Stukageschwader 1
- Awarded on:
- January 4th, 1943
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Oberleutnant (Flying Officer)
- Unit:
- Staffelkapitän 6. / Stukageschwader 1
- Awarded on:
- October 9th, 1943
“Among his heroic achievements included his sinking of an enemy submarine in the English Channel, the sinking of a British cruiser in the port of La Valetta and the damaging of the aircraft carrier ‘Illustrious’ via bombs. At Stalingrad he used his own aircraft to rescue his shot-down commander from Bolshevik territory. Later, during the heavy defensive combat around Orel, he was dubbed the ‘Tank buster of Orel’. The pinnacle of his accomplishments was his blowing up of the great Volkhov Bridge, which he carried out as a special mission. He succeeded in this endeavour by placing a single heavy-calibre bomb on the bridge in a 1200 kilometre round trip [??].”
By this time Roka had flown about 500 sorties.
Sources
- Photo 1: Igor Poul
- - FELLGIEBEL, W.P., Elite of theThird Reich, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003.
- OBERMAIER, ERNST, Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe, Verlag Dieter Hoffmann, Mainz, 1976.
- PATZWALL, K. & SCHERZER, V., Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2001.
- PATZWALL, K. D., Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2008.
- Völkischer Beobachter (Vienna Edition Nr. 308)
Photo
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