Berthold Korts (21 May 1912 – presumably 29 August 1943) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a fighter ace credited with 113 aerial victories—that is, 113 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft—claimed in an unknown combat missions.
Fighting on the Eastern Front, he claimed his first aerial victory on 6 August 1942 during Case Blue, the German strategic 1942 summer offensive in southern Russia.
[4] On 28 June, German forces had launched Case Blue, the strategic summer offensive in southern Russia.
Gruppe was based at an airfield near the Yegorlyk River, approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) west-southwest of Salsk.
Staffel was ordered to a makeshift airfield at Plastunowskaja where it supported the attack of the 17th Army across the Kuban River on Novorossiysk.
The next day, Korts claimed two Douglas A-20 Havoc, also referred to as "Boston" bombers, shot down.
[11] The Gruppe was moved to the combat area of the Kuban bridgehead on 1 April 1943 where it was based at an airfield at Taman.
Gruppe also flew missions from Kerch on 12 May, from Sarabuz and Saky on 14 May, Zürichtal, present-day Solote Pole, a village near the urban settlement Kirovske on 23 May, and Yevpatoria on 25/26 June.
[12] Korts became an "ace-in-a-day" for the first time on 26 May, claiming four Petlyakov Pe-2 bombers and a Soviet-flown Supermarine Spitfire fighter shot down.
There, under the command of Luftflotte 4, they supported Army Group South fighting on the southern flank of the salient.
[15] On 5 July, the first day of the Battle of Kursk, Hauptmann Günther Rall replaced von Bonin as Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of III.
[3] That day, Soviet forces launched Operation Kutuzov and advanced towards Orel from the north and east.
[19] On 20 July, the Gruppe moved to Ivanovka near Bryansk where it was subordinated to Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing).
He replaced Oberleutnant Rudolf Trepte who had temporarily led the Staffel after Hauptmann Ernst Ehrenberg had been killed in action on 10 May.
[29] Flying from Pereshchepyne, Korts reached the century mark on 17 August 1943 when he shot down two LaGG-3 fighters in the vicinity of Izium.
[32] On 19 August, Korts became an "ace-in-a-day" for the fourth time, claiming three LaGG-3 fighters and two Il-2 ground-attack aircraft destroyed.
Gruppe was ordered to an airfield at Makeyevka while Korts and his wingman Unteroffizier Hans-Otto Müller were sent to Kramatorsk for two days to liaise with a Romanian fighter unit there.
[43] The authors Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock indicate that additional five aerial victories have been claimed by Korts, two of which end of June or early July 1943, and further three on 5 August 1943.