World War II in Europe had begun on Friday 1 September 1939, when German forces
invaded Poland. At the time of Kittel's posting to 2.
Staffel in early 1941, the squadron was commanded by
Oberleutnant Rudolf Unger and subordinated to I.
Gruppe (1st group) of JG 54 headed by
Hauptmann Hubertus von Bonin. The
Gruppe was based at
Groningen Airfield in the Netherlands where they patrolled the
German Bight. Unlike the other elements of JG 54, I.
Gruppe did not participate in the
German invasion of Yugoslavia and stayed in Groningen until 9 May when they relocated to
Jever Airfield in northern Germany. On 31 May, due to technical problems with his
Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 (
Werknummer 12725—factory number) Kittel was forced to
bail out near
Spiekeroog. On 14 June, the
Gruppe was withdrawn and began preparations for the German invasion of the
Soviet Union.
War against the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, began on 22 June 1941. In the fortnight prior, JG 54 had been moved to an airfield in Lindenthal near Rautenberg,
East Prussia, present-day Uslowoje in
Kaliningrad Oblast. Tasked with supporting
Army Group North in its advance through the
Baltic states towards
Leningrad, the unit began combat operations shortly afterwards. On 24 June 1941, Kittel claimed his first two aerial victories, two
Tupolev SB-2 bombers. His tally had risen to 19 by May 1942. In mid-December 1942, I.
Gruppe began converting to the
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-4
radial engine powered fighter. The conversion training took place at
Heiligenbeil, present-day Mamonovo, before returning to
Krasnogvardeysk, present-day Gatchina. On 12 January 1943, Soviet forces launched
Operation Iskra fought south of
Lake Ladoga and aimed to break the
Wehrmacht's
siege of Leningrad. The Soviet operation was supported by
bomber,
ground-attack and
fighter aircraft. That day, I.
Gruppe pilots claimed 36 aerial victories, including Kittel's first "
ace-in-a-day" achievement when he shot down six Soviet aircraft on two separate combat missions. On 19 February, Kittel claimed his 39th aerial victory which was also JG 54's 4,000th claim in total. On 15 March 1943, Kittel's Fw 190 A-4 (
Werknummer 2481) suffered engine failure resulting in a
forced landing behind enemy lines. He managed to return to his unit on foot. During the fighting in 1943, JG 54 took part in the spring battles over the
Crimea Peninsula,
Vyazma-
Bryansk,
Vitebsk,
Kharkov,
Orsha and
Orel regions. During the
Battle of Kursk, Kittel's unit escorted
Junkers Ju 87 Stukas of a dive bomber wing commanded by
Hans-Ulrich Rudel. On 14 September 1943, Kittel claimed his 100th aerial victory, a
Yakovlev Yak-9 fighter. The 53rd Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark, he received the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () on 29 October 1943. The presentation was made after the 123rd aerial victory at Vitebsk. On 1 November 1943, Kittel was promoted to the rank of
Leutnant (second lieutenant). Kittel was then posted to
Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, a supplementary training unit for fighter pilots destined for the Eastern Front, as an instructor. At the time, the unit was commanded by
Major Viktor Bauer and was based at
Saint-Jean-d'Angély, France.
Squadron leader On 9 February 1944, Kittel was appointed
Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 3.
Staffel of JG 54. He succeeded
Leutnant Günther Haase who had been killed in a flying accident on 30 January. At the time, I.
Gruppe of JG 54 to which 3.
Staffel was subordinated was based at Orsha. On 14 February, I.
Gruppe moved to an airfield named Wesenberg near
Rakvere, located approximately north of
Lake Peipus and west of
Narva. Here the
Gruppe was subordinated to the 3.
Flieger-Division (3rd Air Division) and fought in the
Battle of Narva. On 4 April 1944, Kittel claimed his 150th aerial victory. Shortly before 08:00, I.
Gruppe was
scrambled at Wesenberg and intercepted a flight of
Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft and their fighter escort over sea off
Kunda. In this aerial encounter which was fought for 20 minutes, I.
Gruppe pilots claimed thirteen aerial victories, four Il-2s and nine fighter aircraft, including five claims by Kittel, taking his total to 151. On 11 April, he was awarded the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves () for his 152nd aerial victory, the 449th soldier to receive this distinction. Kittel received the Oak Leaves from
Adolf Hitler at the
Berghof on 5 May 1944. Also present at the ceremony were
Anton Hafner,
Alfred Grislawski,
Günther Schack,
Emil Lang,
Erich Rudorffer,
Martin Möbus,
Wilhelm Herget,
Hans-Karl Stepp,
Rudolf Schoenert,
Günther Radusch,
Otto Pollmann and
Fritz Breithaupt, who all received the Oak Leaves on this date. On 2 August, I.
Gruppe moved to an airfield at
Šķirotava, located approximately southeast of
Riga. Flying from Šķirotava, Kittel claimed his 200th aerial victory on 26 August. On 29 May 1944, 2.
Staffel of I.
Gruppe had been detached and subordinated to III.
Gruppe of JG 54 which was fighting on the
Western Front in
defense of the Reich over Germany. In consequence, on 1 September 1944 a new 2.
Staffel was formed and placed under the command of Kittel. Command of 3.
Staffel was then given to
Leutnant Fritz Tegtmeier. In October,
Hauptmann Franz Eisenach, the
Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I.
Gruppe was given home leave. In consequence, Kittel temporarily led the
Gruppe during his absence. Kittel was awarded the
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords () on 25 November 1944. On 16 February 1945, Kittel was shot down in his Fw 190 A-8 (
Werknummer 960282) southwest of
Tukums over the
Courland Pocket. He was hit by return fire from an Il-2 ground attack aircraft. His wingman later reported that his aircraft was hit, descended towards the ground on fire and crashed in flames. The site of the crash is believed to have been south-west of
Džūkste in
Latvia. ==Summary of career==