Bartels was born on 13 July 1918 in
Linz,
Austria. Prior to his military service, Bartels was working as a butcher. During his combat career, he frequently had his wife's name Marga painted on his aircraft. World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces
invaded Poland. Following completion of flight and fighter pilot training, Bartels joined the
Ergänzungsgruppe of
Jagdgeschwader 26 "Schlageter" (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing) in the summer of 1941. The
Ergänzungsgruppe of JG 26, a supplementary training group, was formed on 22 June 1941 in
Wevelgem under the command of
Hauptmann Fritz Fromme. The
Gruppe was made up of two
Staffeln (squadrons): The first squadron was the operational squadron and designated 1. (
Einsatzstaffel) or 1. Erg./JG 26, while the second squadron was the training squadron referred to as 2. (
Schulstaffel) or 2. Erg./JG 26. Serving with the 1. Erg./JG 26, Bartels claimed his first aerial victory on 19 August, a
Royal Air Force (RAF)
Supermarine Spitfire shot down at the
English Channel. On 27 August, he was credited with another Spitfire shot down. On 1 February 1942, 1. Erg./JG 26 was renamed and became the 11.
Staffel of
Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1—1st Fighter Wing) under the command of
Oberleutnant Hermann Segatz. The unit then participated in
Operation Donnerkeil. The objective of this operation was to give the German
battleships and and the
heavy cruiser fighter protection in the breakout from
Brest to Germany. The
Channel Dash operation (11–13 February 1942) by the
Kriegsmarine was codenamed Operation Cerberus by the Germans. In support of this, the Luftwaffe, formulated an
air superiority plan dubbed Operation Donnerkeil for the protection of the three German capital ships. Following the German ships, 11.
Staffel arrived in
Jever Air Field on 14 February and in
Trondheim-Lade on 6 March. There, on 21 March, the squadron was re-designated 8.
Staffel of
Jagdgeschwader 5 (JG 5—5th Fighter Wing).
War on the Arctic Front On 20 April, 8.
Staffel moved to an airfield at
Petsamo, present-day Pechenga in
Murmansk Oblast, Russia. On 26 April, the
Staffel escorted
Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers to
Murmansk. The flight was intercepted by
Hawker Hurricane fighters from 2 GvSAP (
Gvardeyskiy Smeshannyy Aviatsionnyy Polk—Guards Composite Aviation Regiment). In this encounter, Bartels claimed one of the Hurricanes shot down, his first on the Arctic Front. JG 5 flew numerous fighter escort missions on 10 May resulting in aerial combat with the
Soviet Air Forces (VVS). The VVS lost eight aircraft plus further two were severely damaged that day, including a Hurricane fighter shot down by Bartels. On 14 May between 17:55 and 19:03, eighteen German fighters flew on a Ju 87 escort mission to Murmansk. They encountered twenty-six Hurricanes, eleven
Curtiss P-40 Warhawk and six
Polikarpov I-16 fighters. Soviet reports indicate that one Hurricane and one P-40 was effectively lost with a I-16 and a further P-40 damaged. German pilots had claimed five aerial victories, including a I-16 by Bartels. The following day, in combat over the
Liza Bight, Bartels shot down a Hurricane fighter. On 17 May, he increased his number of aerial victors to seven when he again claimed a Hurricane fighter shot down. On 29 July, on a Ju 87 dive bomber escort mission to Murmansk and
Murmashi, Bartels claimed two
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3 fighters shot down north of Murmansk. According to Soviet records, no aircraft of that type were lost in that area that day. On 10 August, 8.
Staffel had combat with 20 Hurricane fighters near
Ura-Guba during the course of which Bartels claimed three Hurricanes shot down. Bartels became an "
ace-in-a-day" on 22 September. He claimed six aerial victories on two separate combat missions, including four Hurricanes and two MiG-3 fighters in the vicinity of Murmashi. Following his 40th aerial victory, he received the
German Cross in Gold () on 20 October. Bartels shot down three MiG-3 fighters during the third mission on 29 October, a fighter escort mission for Ju 87 dive bombers. On 5 November, 8.
Staffel flew a
combat air patrol to Murmansk. During the course of this mission, Bartels claimed the destruction of a
Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3 fighter. He received the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () after 46 aerial victories on 13 November 1942. That day,
Leutnant Theodor Weissenberger from 6.
Staffel of JG 5 was also awarded the Knight's Cross. The presentation was made by
Generalmajor Alexander Holle on 30 November at Petsamo. In early 1943, Bartels was transferred due to disciplinary reasons. According to
Walter Schuck, the events leading to this disciplinary measure were made under the influence of large quantities of alcohol. Bartels, Schuck, and Kurt Dylewski had consumed three bottles of cognac. The intoxicated Bartels then attempted to drive a truck, was caught in the act by a fellow soldier who hit Bartels in the face. Bartels pursued the soldier only to get into a fight with another soldier. The events pinnacled when Bartels made a donkey empty its bladder into the
company sergeant major's bed.
Greece and the Balkans From August 1943, Bartels served with 11.
Staffel of
Jagdgeschwader 27 "Afrika" (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing). This
Staffel was subordinated to the newly created IV.
Gruppe of JG 27. The
Gruppe had been formed in May 1943 at the
Kalamaki Airfield in
Athens, Greece under the command of
Hauptmann Rudolf Sinner. 11.
Staffel was commanded by
Oberleutnant Alfred Buk. On 17 July, IV.
Gruppe moved to
Tanagra Airfield. Bartels claimed his first aerial victories with JG 27 on 1 October. Flying from Gadurrà Airfield on
Rhodes, he claimed two Douglas A-20 Havoc bombers, also known as Bostons, near of
Kos. In early October, the
United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) flew many missions in support of British forces fighting in the
Dodecanese campaign. On 5 October, IV.
Gruppe intercepted a flight of
Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers over the northern
Attica. In this encounter, Bartels claimed the destruction of two B-24 bombers. That day, Luftwaffe pilots claimed seven B-24 bombers shot down. USAAF records indicate the loss of four bombers, one by the
98th Bombardment Group and three by the
376th Bombardment Group. Three days later, 105 USAAF aircraft attacked German airfields in Greece. IV.
Gruppe encountered the escort fighters and shot down three
Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighters, all of them credited to Bartels. Other units of JG 27 were also engaged in aerial combat that day. In total, JG 27 pilots claimed eight P-38 fighters shot down while USAAF records indicate the loss of two P-38 fighters from the
95th Fighter Squadron. On 18 October, IV.
Gruppe command was passed on to
Hauptmann Joachim Kirschner after the former commander Sinner had been transferred on 13 September. In the intermediate period, two officers had led the
Gruppe, Oberleutnant Dietrich Boesler, who was killed on 10 October, and by Burk, the commander of 11.
Staffel. Bartels claimed a Spitfire shot down on 23 October. Two days later, IV.
Gruppe claimed seven aerial victories without loss. Between
Stari Bar and
Cape of Rodon the
Gruppe engaged in combat with P-38 fighters of which Bartels shot down four of the USAAF fighters. On 31 October, 11.
Staffel lost its
Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) Burk who was shot down over sea near Cape of Rodon. In this encounter, Bartels shot down two P-38 fighters. Command of 11.
Staffel was then briefly led by
Leutnant Wolfgang Hohls until he was killed in action on 10 December. The
Staffel was then led by
Leutnant Rolf Heissner until 17 December when he was also killed. The next
Staffelkapitän was then
Leutnant Paul Becker. On 17. December, the
Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) Kirschner was also shot down in combat and later killed. He was replaced by
Hauptmann Otto Meyer. Bartels claimed his 70th aerial victory on 15 November 1943. That day, he claimed to have shot down four P-38 fighters southeast of Kalamaki. That day, the USAAF
321st and
340th Bombardment Group, escorted by P-38 fighters of the
82nd Fighter Group, were intercepted by twelve Bf 109 fighters which were driven off without loss. At the time, he was assigned
Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6/R6 (
Werknummer 27 169—factory number) "Red 13" bearing the name of his wife Marga. Two days later, he was credited with two
North American B-25 Mitchell bombers and a P-38 fighter following an USAAF attack on the Kalamaki Airfield. These were his last claims in the
Mediterranean theater. On 27 January 1944, IV.
Gruppe began relocating to
Graz Airfield, at first the ground personnel followed by the flying elements on 16 March. During its ten-month tenure since its creation in May 1943, IV.
Gruppe pilots had claimed 88 aerial victories, including 24 by Bartels alone. During this period, the
Gruppe lost 27 pilots plus further seven were severely wounded and one was taken
prisoner of war.
Defense of the Reich Based in
Graz, IV.
Gruppe, along with the
Stab (headquarters unit), I. and III.
Gruppe of JG 27, then fought in
Defense of the Reich (
Reichsverteidigung), defending southern Germany and Austria. IV.
Gruppe became the
Höhengruppe, the high-altitude group responsible for fighting off the escort fighters. Bartels claimed his first aerial victory in this theater on 11 April when he shot down a P-38 fighter northwest of Graz. On 23 April, Bartels shot down three Spitfire fighters in combat near
Celje, approximately halfway between
Maribor and
Ljubljana, in Slovenia. The following day, the USAAF
Eighth Air Force targeted German airfields in southern Germany as well as the aircraft factories in
Oberpfaffenhofen. The attack on
Landsberg Airfield and Oberpfaffenhofen was headed by 281 bombers of the
1st Bombardment Division escorted by
North American P-51 Mustang long-range fighter aircraft. IV.
Gruppe intercepted this flight east of
Munich. In this aerial battle, Bartels claimed three P-51 fighters shot down. On 28 April, Bartels shot down two P-51 fighters northeast of Ljubljana. The Eighth Air Force targeted Berlin on 19 May. Near
Zerbst, IV.
Gruppe encountered a formation of B-24 bombers escorted by escort fighters. The
Gruppe was unable to break the escort screen and attack the bombers. In this battle, Bartels shot down three of the escort fighters. On 6 June, Allied forces launched
Operation Overlord, the invasion of German-occupied Western Europe in
Normandy, France. IV.
Gruppe was immediately ordered to relocate to Champfleury-la-Perthe, an airfield approximately south of
Reims. Bartels claimed his first aerial victories on the invasion front on 14 June. That day, IV.
Gruppe encountered USAAF fighters in the vicinity of
Argentan. In quick succession, he shot down three
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters, followed by a fourth P-47 on the return flight. Three days later, he claimed two further P-47 fighters shot down west of
Dives-sur-Mer. On 22 June, Bartels shot down a Spitfire fighter and a P-51 fighter southwest of
Caen. Two days later, he was credited with the destruction of two further P-51 fighters near
Flers. He claimed his eleventh and last aerial victory on the invasion front on 25 June, a P-38 fighter shot down southeast of
Blois. For these achievements, he was nominated for
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (). On 16 August, IV.
Gruppe was withdrawn from the invasion front and ordered to Hustedt, north of
Celle. During its eight weeks of combat on the invasion front, the
Gruppe was nearly annihilated and lost 25 pilots either killed or missing in action with further 15 pilots severely wounded. In total, 98 aircraft were destroyed, 71 due to combat and 27 in flying accidents. Pilots of IV.
Gruppe claimed 60 aerial victories, including eleven by Bartels, making him the most successful pilot of the unit. . As part of the group expansion from three
Staffeln per
Gruppe to four
Staffeln per
Gruppe, Bartels' 11.
Staffel was re-designated and became the 15.
Staffel of JG 27. In mid-November, the
Gruppe was reequipped with the Bf 109 G-10 fighter aircraft. Bartels claimed the destruction of a P-51 fighter on 8 December. Ten days later, he again shot down a P-51 in the combat area near
Cologne. On 23 December 1944, Bartels took off for his last and fatal mission. After he shot down a P-47, he was most likely shot down himself by P-47 fighters of the USAAF
56th Fighter Group. His victor may have been Colonel
David C. Schilling who claimed five aerial victories that day. Some 24 years later, on 26 January 1968, Bartels' Bf 109 G-10 (
Werknummer 130 359) "Yellow 13" was found near
Castle Gudenau in
Villip, close to
Bad Godesberg. In its cockpit was Bartels' remains and his intact parachute, which is currently on display at the
Deutsches Technikmuseum Berlin. His last rank was
Oberfeldwebel (technical sergeant). ==Summary of career==