- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Oberleutnant (Flying Officer)
- Unit:
- Flugzeugführer, 3. Staffel, I. Gruppe, Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann", Luftwaffe
- Awarded on:
- October 5th, 1941
Awarded after flying over 300 sorties. By this time he had accomplished a number of notable successes. During the fighting around Crete he destroyed 1 British destroyer (either the HMS Kelly or Kashmir) and damaged 1 other. In the later fighting on the eastern front he destroyed a vital bridge over the Lovat river and then another important bridge over the Dnieper, this latter success playing a major part in preventing Soviet troops from breaking out of the Smolensk pocket.