Date of birth:

November 6th, 1918 (Altenhagen/Westphalia, Germany)

Date of death:

November 3rd, 1957 (Düsseldorf/North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)

Nationality:

German

Promotions:
December 10th, 1941: Leutnant;
July 1st, 1940: Oberleutnant (RDA: April 1st, 1943);
May 1st, 1945: Hauptmann (RDA: February 1st, 1945).

Career:
October 1st, 1937: Luftwaffe;
January 10th, 1940: Lehrer, Frontflugschule C, Prag-Tusin;
April 1940: Kampfgruppe z.b.V. 105;
June 1941: Flieger, Heinkel, Oranienburg;
July 26th, 1941: Lehrer, Frontflugschule C 12;
October 15th, 1942: 4. Staffel, Kampfgruppe z.b.V. 500;
April 8th, 1943: 12. Staffel, Kampfgeschwader 40;
September 1st, 1943: I. Gruppe, Kampfgeschwader 40;
October 4th, 1943: 3. Staffel, Kampfgeschwader 40;
September 1944: 15. Staffel, Transportgeschwader 4;
1945: Führer Commando Clara, Kampfgeschwader 200.

According to several sources Karl-Heinz Stahnke was awarded the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz as Oberleutnant with 14. Staffel, Transportgeschwader 4 on March 27th, 1945. Up to this date no formal confirmation for this has been found. Karl-Heinz Stahnke was killed on November 3rd, 1957 inn a crash with a DC-4 near Düsseldorf.

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Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Leutnant (Pilot Officer)

Unit:

Flugzeugführer

Awarded on:

October 20th, 1942

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Leutnant (Pilot Officer)

Unit:

3. Staffel, Kampfgruppe zur besonderen Verwendung 500, Luftwaffe

Awarded on:

January 12th, 1943

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberleutnant (Flying Officer)

Unit:

Staffelkapitän, 3. Staffel, I. Gruppe, Kampfgeschwader 40, Luftwaffe

Awarded on:

October 20th, 1944

Awarded for his high total of long-distance missions, as well as a daring rescue mission carried out at the beginning of July 1944. Several members of a Kriegsmarine weather station on Franz Josef Land had fallen ill with trichinosis and needed to be evacuated. It was Stahnke who landed a Fw 200 Condor bomber on an improvised landing strip some 5 km from the station on the 07.07.1944. The aircraft was damaged in the very tricky landing operation, but after several days of repairs was made fit to fly again and Stahnke flew out the sick soldiers as per the original plan.

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberleutnant (Flying Officer)

Unit:

Staka, 3. Staffel, KG 40

Awarded on:

November 18th, 1944

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

• - FELLGIEBEL, W.P., Elite of theThird Reich, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003.
  - PATZWALL, K. & SCHERZER, V., Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2001.
  - URBANKE, AXEL & KAISER, JOCHEN, Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kampfflieger, Luftfahrtverlag-Start, 2011.
  - das-ritterkreuz.de
  - ww2.dk/
  - Career Summaries - Luftwaffe Officers 1935 - 1945, Section S - Z, Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries, Section S-Z Version: 01.04.2024, By: Henry L. deZeng IV and Douglas G. Stankey