Imro van Hetten (father)

Imro van Hetten
Born	(1903-08-16) 16 August 1903 Paramaribo, Suriname
Occupations	Fighter pilot Flight instructor
Era	Vader Era Middenvader Era Vriend Era
Known for	23 aerial victories
Children	Imro van Hetten
Father	Humphrey van Hetten
Family	Van Hetten family
Military career
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Branch	Luftwaffe
Service years	1935–1945
Rank	Hauptmann
Unit	6./Jagdgeschwader 27
Commands	6./Jagdgeschwader 27 (acting)
Conflicts	Battle of France Battle of Britain Battle of Greece Operation Barbarossa North African campaign Defence of the Reich
Awards	Iron Cross (2nd Class) Iron Cross (1st Class) Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe German Cross in Gold

Imro van Hetten (born 16 August 1903) is a Surinamese-born German former Luftwaffe fighter pilot and flying ace. He served with 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 27 during the Second World War and was credited with 23 aerial victories. Van Hetten reached the rank of Hauptmann and temporarily served as acting Staffelkapitän of 6./JG 27 in 1942.

After the war, Van Hetten returned to the Netherlands and later moved to Paramaribo, where he worked as a civilian flight instructor. He is the son of Humphrey van Hetten and the father of Imro van Hetten. He continues to live in Paramaribo.

Early life

Imro van Hetten was born in Paramaribo, Suriname, on 16 August 1903. Around 1913, he moved to the Netherlands with members of the Van Hetten family during the family's early relocation to Europe. He later obtained a civilian pilot licence through a Dutch flying club.

Van Hetten obtained German citizenship in 1934. He joined the newly established Luftwaffe in 1935 as a non-commissioned pilot. His previous civilian flying experience allowed him to enter military flight training with practical knowledge of aircraft handling.

Military career

Van Hetten was assigned to 6. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 27, which formed part of II. Gruppe. He primarily flew variants of the Messerschmitt Bf 109. During his service, he developed practical knowledge of aircraft maintenance and frequently inspected or repaired his own aircraft alongside the unit's ground crews. He held no formal aircraft-mechanic qualification.

Van Hetten entered combat during the German invasion of the Netherlands. On 10 May 1940, he recorded his first aerial victory by shooting down a Fokker D.XXI. He received credit for three victories during the Battle of France. He added another three during the Battle of Britain, bringing his total in Western Europe to six. Following the western campaigns, he was commissioned as a Leutnant.

In April 1941, II./JG 27 was transferred to the Balkans. Van Hetten shot down two Hawker Hurricane fighters during the German campaign in Greece. He was promoted to Oberleutnant after the campaign.

Van Hetten then served during II./JG 27's brief deployment on the Eastern Front. He was credited with two Soviet fighters and one bomber. On 24 June 1941, he shot down an Ilyushin DB-3 near Grodno.

II./JG 27 transferred to North Africa in September 1941. Van Hetten recorded nine victories during the North African campaign. These consisted of five Curtiss P-40 fighters, three Hawker Hurricanes and one Bristol Blenheim bomber.

After Staffelkapitän Rudolf Sinner was shot down on 10 June 1942, Van Hetten temporarily assumed command of 6./JG 27 as acting Staffelkapitän. He returned to his previous position after Sinner recovered.

In September 1942, enemy fire damaged Van Hetten's Bf 109 near El Daba, Egypt. He made a forced landing inside Axis-held territory and left the aircraft without injury. He returned to operational service after receiving a replacement aircraft.

Van Hetten later served in Sicily and mainland Italy. He was promoted to Hauptmann in 1943. After returning to Germany, he flew during the Defence of the Reich. His final three victories were recorded in 1944 against one B-17 Flying Fortress and two P-51 Mustangs. He recorded no further victories in 1945 but remained in service until the final days of the war.

Van Hetten received the Iron Cross in both classes, the Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe and the German Cross in Gold. He did not receive the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

Aerial victories

Van Hetten was credited with 23 aerial victories during the Second World War.

Campaign or theatre	Aerial victories	Recorded aircraft
Western Europe	6	Three during the Battle of France and three during the Battle of Britain
Greece	2	Two Hawker Hurricanes
Eastern Front	3	Two Soviet fighters and one Ilyushin DB-3
North Africa	9	Five Curtiss P-40s, three Hawker Hurricanes and one Bristol Blenheim
Defence of Germany	3	One B-17 Flying Fortress and two P-51 Mustangs
Total	23

Post-war life

On 7 May 1945, Van Hetten left the Luftwaffe base at Leck before the German surrender took effect. He crossed into the Netherlands and was concealed without registration by Van Hetten relatives in Vriendendam. He avoided British prisoner-of-war processing.

Van Hetten remained hidden during the immediate post-war period. In 1948, he disclosed his Luftwaffe service during a limited Dutch military-records check. He provided his unit, rank and temporary command record. The check found no evidence connecting him to war crimes, and his civil identity was regularized.

He lived openly in the Netherlands after 1948. In the early 1950s, Van Hetten returned to his family's Surinamese roots and settled in Paramaribo. He worked there as a civilian flight instructor and used his wartime experience to train pilots. His son, Imro van Hetten, was born in Paramaribo on 3 May 1956.

See also

• Humphrey van Hetten
• Imro van Hetten
• Van Hetten family
• Van Hetten family members
• Jagdgeschwader 27
• Luftwaffe