Franz Woidich

After World War II in 1953, Ing.-grad. Woidich together with Dipl.-Ing. Karl Thress opened the Ingenieurbüro Woidich (Engineering Office Woidich), an automotive technical engineering bureau, in Mainz-Kastel. Woidich's son, Dipl.-Bw. Gerd Woidich, joined the firm in 1981.

Woidich was transferred to Ergänzungsstaffel (Training/Supplement Squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 400 (JG 400–400th Fighter Wing) for conversion training to the Messerschmitt Me 163 rocket powered aircraft on 11 August 1944. As a Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of the 6./JG 400 he claimed one of the very rare aerial victories while flying the Me 163 rocket fighter on 22 April 1945.

His score of enemy aircraft shot down had increased to 56 by the end of 1943. He had claimed four aircraft shot down on both 7 and 13 July 1943. He was decorated with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 11 June 1944 following his 80th aerial victory. A noteworthy achievement was made on 11 January 1944 when he claimed his 57th to 60th aerial victory. He became an "ace-in-a-day" on 17 January 1944 when he shot down his 62nd to 66th enemy aircraft. He again claimed four aircraft shot down on 16 April 1944 for victories 72 to 75. His most successful month was July 1944 with 29 aircraft shot down. In July 1944, Woidich was credited with his 100th aerial victory. He was the 84th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. On 10 August, he transferred command of 3. Staffel to Leutnant Leonhard Färber.

He was transferred to the 3. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52–52nd Fighter Wing) which fought on the Eastern Front on 1 April 1942. Here he claimed seven aerial victories by the end of 1942. On 11 June 1943, Woidich succeeded Oberleutnant Rudolf Miethig who was killed in action the day before as Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 3. Staffel of JG 52. At the time his score had increased to 16 aerial victories. On 13 July 1943 during the Battle of Kursk, Woidich, accompanied by his wingman Leutnant Franz Schall, claimed two Ilyushin Il-2 ground attack aircraft shot down.

Franz-Walter Woidich (2 January 1921 – 5 July 2004) was a Luftwaffe flying ace of World War II. Wernitz was credited with 110 aerial victories claimed in roughly 1000 combat missions. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Woidich was born on 2 January 1921 in Znojmo, present-day Czech Republic, at the time in the bilingual region of southern Moravia of the First Czechoslovak Republic. Oberfähnrich (Ensign) Woidich joined the 5. Staffel (5th Squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27–27th Fighter Wing) on 11 July 1941, then stationed in North Africa. He was credited with two aerial victories out of four claims filed in the North African theater of operations. The first claim was made on 22 November 1941 over a Royal Australian Air Force Curtiss P-40 during the Siege of Tobruk. On 12 February 1942, Woidich engaged in combat with Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk fighters from No. 73 and No. 274 Squadron from the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the vicinity of Tobruk on a Junkers Ju 87 dive-bomber escort mission. In this aerial encounter, he claimed a P-40 shot down 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) southwest of Fort Acroma. On 15 March 1942, Woidich claimed a Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk shot down in combat with No. 450 Squadron RAAF, No. 260 Squadron RAF and 2 Squadron SAAF. The combat occurred 20 kilometres (12 miles) southeast of Ain el Gazala.