Gotthard Handrick

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German Olympic athlete & Luftwaffe fighter pilot (1908-1978)

title: "Gotthard Handrick" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1908-births", "1978-deaths", "modern-pentathletes-at-the-1936-summer-olympics", "german-male-modern-pentathletes", "olympic-modern-pentathletes-for-germany", "olympic-gold-medalists-for-germany", "olympic-medalists-in-modern-pentathlon", "people-from-zeitz", "spanish-civil-war-flying-aces", "german-world-war-ii-flying-aces", "luftwaffe-pilots", "recipients-of-the-gold-german-cross", "military-personnel-from-the-province-of-saxony", "condor-legion-personnel", "medalists-at-the-1936-summer-olympics", "athletes-from-saxony-anhalt", "20th-century-german-sportsmen"] description: "German Olympic athlete & Luftwaffe fighter pilot (1908-1978)" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gotthard_Handrick" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary German Olympic athlete & Luftwaffe fighter pilot (1908-1978) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Gotthard Handrick
image	Gotthard Handrick 1936 Olympic Games.jpg
caption	Gotthard Handrick at the 1936 Olympic Games
birth_place	Zittau, German Empire
birth_date
death_place	Ahrensburg, West Germany
death_date
module	{{Infobox sportsperson
embed	yes
country	Nazi Germany
sport	Modern pentathlon
olympics	1936 Berlin
medaltemplates
module2	{{Infobox military person
embed	yes
allegiance	Nazi Germany
branch	Luftwaffe
serviceyears	1929–45
rank	Oberst (colonel)
commands	JG 26, JG 77, JG 5
battles	Spanish Civil War
World War II
awards	Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords
German Cross in Gold
::

| name = Gotthard Handrick | image = Gotthard Handrick 1936 Olympic Games.jpg | caption = Gotthard Handrick at the 1936 Olympic Games | birth_place = Zittau, German Empire | birth_date = | death_place = Ahrensburg, West Germany | death_date = | module = {{Infobox sportsperson | embed = yes | country = Nazi Germany | sport = Modern pentathlon | olympics = 1936 Berlin | medaltemplates= | show-medals = | module2 = {{Infobox military person | embed = yes | allegiance = Nazi Germany | branch = Luftwaffe | serviceyears = 1929–45 | rank = Oberst (colonel) | commands = JG 26, JG 77, JG 5 | unit= | battles = Spanish Civil War World War II | awards = Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords German Cross in Gold Gotthard Handrick (25 October 1908 – 30 May 1978) was a German Olympic athlete and German fighter pilot during the Spanish Civil War and World War II.

Career

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-G00825,_Berlin,_Olympiade,_Siegerehrung_Fünfkampf.jpg" caption="Medal presentation at the 1936 Olympic games, with Handrick in 1st place"] ::

Handrick was born on 25 October 1908 in Zittau, at the time in the Kingdom of Saxony as part of the German Empire. He won the gold medal in the modern pentathlon at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.

In July 1937, Handrick was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of Jagdgruppe 88 (18 July 1937 – 10 September 1938). This unit fought in the Spanish Civil War where he claimed five aerial victories while flying for the Legion Condor, including a Polikarpov I-15 fighter on 9 September 1937 and an Polikarpov I-16 fighter on 18 May 1938. He was later awarded the Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords (Spanienkreuz in Gold mit Schwertern) on 14 April 1939 for his service in the Spanish Civil War.

Handrick was then given command of I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 132 "Schlageter" on 11 September 1938 after his return from Spain. This unit then became I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" on 1 May 1939 which he led until 23 June 1940. On 24 June 1940 command of JG 26 was handed over to Major Handrick, who passed command of I./JG 26 to Hauptmann Kurt Fischer. After he left JG 26, Handrick served with the Luftwaffenmission Rumänien (Luftwaffe Mission Romania) under the command of Generalleutnant (equivalent to major general) Wilhelm Speidel.

On 7 October, Handrick took over command of III. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing) from Hauptmann Alexander von Winterfeld who was transferred. He led this Gruppe until 23 June 1941. Command of the Gruppe was then given to Major Albert Blumensaat.

Wing commander

In June 1941, Handrick was transferred and became the Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing). While serving on the Eastern Front he claimed a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 fighter on 29 September and a Petlyakov Pe-2 bomber on 22 October 1941.

During World War II he was a recipient of the German Cross in Gold (Deutsches Kreuz in Gold) on 17 October 1943. In March 1942, Oberstleutnant Handrick transferred to command Jagdgeschwader 5 (JG 5—5th Fighter Wing) in Norway and Northern Russia. From June 1943 to June 1944 he was Jagdfliegerführer Ostmark. Then as an Oberst, he became the commanding officer of 8. Jagd-Division in Austria, a position he held until the end of the war. After the war he worked in Hamburg as a representative of Daimler-Benz.

Awards

Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords (14 April 1939)
Iron Cross 2nd and 1st Class
German Cross in Gold on 17 October 1943 as Oberst in Jagdgeschwader 5

References

Citations

Bibliography

{{Cite book |last=Barbas |first=Bernd |year=2010 |title=Die Geschichte der III. Gruppe des Jagdgeschwaders 52 |trans-title=The History of 3rd Group of Fighter Wing 52 |language=de |location=Eutin, Germany |publisher=Struve-Druck |isbn=978-3-923457-94-6
{{Cite book |last=Caldwell |first=Donald L. |year=1991 |title=JG 26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe |location=New York |publisher=Ivy Books |isbn=978-0-8041-1050-1
{{Cite book |last=Forsyth |first=Robert |year=2011 |title=Aces of the Legion Condor |series=Aircraft of the Aces |volume=99 |location=Oxford, UK |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=978-1-84908-347-8
{{Cite book |last=Mandell |first=Richard D. |year=1987 |title=The Nazi Olympics |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8CYYYeTT5mEC&q=Gotthardt+Handrick&pg=PR13 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=978-0-252-01325-6
{{Cite book |last1=Mathews |first1=Andrew Johannes |last2=Foreman |first2=John |year=2015 |title=Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims — Volume 2 G–L |location=Walton on Thames |publisher=Red Kite |isbn=978-1-906592-19-6
{{Cite book |last=Mombeek |first=Eric |date=2011 |title=Eismeerjäger—Zur Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 5—Band 4 |trans-title=Fighters in the Arctic Sea—The History of the 5th Fighter Wing—Volume 4 |location=Linkebeek, Belgium |publisher=ASBL, La Porte d'Hoves |isbn=978-2-930546-05-6
{{Cite book |last1=Patzwall |first1=Klaus D. |last2=Scherzer |first2=Veit |year=2001 |title=Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II |trans-title=The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2 |language=de |location=Norderstedt, Germany |publisher=Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall |isbn=978-3-931533-45-8
{{Cite book |last=Prien |first=Jochen |year=1995 |title=Geschichte des Jagdgeschwaders 77—Teil 4—1944–1945 |trans-title=History of Jagdgeschwader 77—Volume 4—1944–1945 |language=de |location=Eutin, Germany |publisher=Struve-Druck |isbn=978-3-923457-29-8
{{Cite book |last1=Prien |first1=Jochen |last2=Stemmer |first2=Gerhard |last3=Rodeike |first3=Peter |last4=Bock |first4=Winfried |year=2000 |title=Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 1—Vorkriegszeit und Einsatz über Polen—1934 bis 1939 |trans-title=The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 1—Pre-War Period and Action over Poland—1934 to 1939 |language=de |location=Eutin, Germany |publisher=Struve-Druck |isbn=978-3-923457-54-0
{{Cite book |last1=Prien |first1=Jochen |last2=Stemmer |first2=Gerhard |last3=Rodeike |first3=Peter |last4=Bock |first4=Winfried |year=2003 |title=Die Jagdfliegerverbände der Deutschen Luftwaffe 1934 bis 1945—Teil 6/II—Unternehmen "BARBAROSSA"—Einsatz im Osten—22.6. bis 5.12.1941 |trans-title=The Fighter Units of the German Air Force 1934 to 1945—Part 6/II—Operation "BARBAROSSA"—Action in the East—22 June to 5 December 1941 |language=de |location=Eutin, Germany |publisher=Struve-Druck |isbn=978-3-923457-70-0
{{Cite book |last=Schreier |first=Hans |year=1990 |title=JG 52 Das erfolgreichste Jagdgeschwader des 2. Weltkriegs |trans-title=JG 52 The Most Successful Fighter Wing of World War II |language=de |location=Berg am See |publisher=K. Vowinckel |isbn=978-3-921655-66-5
{{Cite book |last=Weal |first=John |year=2004 |title=Jagdgeschwader 52: The Experten |series=Aviation Elite Units |volume=15 |location=Oxford, UK |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn=978-1-84176-786-4
{{Cite book |last=Weal |first=John |year=2016 |title=Arctic Bf 109 and Bf 110 Aces |series=Aircraft of the Aces |volume=124 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=London, UK |isbn=978-1-78200-798-2
{{Cite web |title=Gotthard Handrick |url=https://www.munzinger.de/search/go/document.jsp?id=01000051555 |language=de |publisher=Munzinger-Archiv |access-date=30 June 2021 |ref=

| portal1=Aviation | portal2=Biography | commons=y

References

"Olympics Statistics: Gotthard Handrick". databaseolympics.com.
"Gotthard Handrick Olympic Results". sports-reference.com.

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