• Legion Condor

Date of birth:

January 3rd, 1914 (Döllnitz/Kulmbach/Oberfranken, Germany)

Date of death:

July 26th, 2007 (Pullach, Germany)

Nationality:

German

Flew a total of 467 combat missions, of which 47 were over four hours long and double counted in his records. When this is accounted for his mission total rises to 514.

15.04.1933: Fahnenjunker, Infanterie-Regiment 21
31.12.1934: demobilized
00.01.1935: joined the Luftwaffe
00.00.1935: Kampfflieger Ausbildung, Kampfgeschwader 155
01.07.1935: promoted to Leutnant - RDA 20.04.1935
01.04.1938: promoted to Oberleutnant in the Kampfgeschwader 157
00.00.1938: Flugzeugführer, 1. Staffel, Kampfgruppe 88, Legion Condor, Spain - 67 missions
01.04.1939: Olt, Kapitän, Stabsstaffel, Kampfgeschwader 53
00.05.1940: Western campaign f
00.06.1940: campaign against England
11.09.1940: promoted to Hauptmann
00.06.1941: campaign in Russia
23.11.1941: awarded the Ritterkreuz for the destruction of 30 trains and 2 cannonships
01.11.1941: Inspektionschef, Luftwaffen-Kriegsschule, LKS 4, Fürstenfeld-Bruck
01.04.1942: promoted to Major
00.05.1943: Major, Kommandeur, II. Gruppe, Kampfgeschwader 53 ' Legion Condor'
05.12.1943: awarded the Deutschen Kreuz in Gold
11.02.1945: awared the RK EL - pilot credited with more than 467 flight missions in the Eastern and Western fronts
15.03.1945: Kampfgeschwader 53 disbanded - transferred to a ground unit
00.05.1945: POW
01.08.1956: joined the Bundeswehr as Taktiklehrer, Lehrgruppenkommandeur, Offizierschule der Luftwaffe
Kommandeur, Luftwaffen-Ausbildungs-Regiment II, Nassau-Dietz-Kaserne, Budel, The Netherlands
Kommandeur, VBK Mittelfranken
31.03.1972: retired as Oberst

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Period:

Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)

Awarded on:

June 6th, 1939

Period:

Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)

Awarded on:

1939

Period:

Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)

Awarded on:

1939

Awarded on:

October 1939

Awarded on:

1939

Awarded on:

1940

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberleutnant (Flying Officer)

Unit:

Staffelkapitän, Stabsstaffel, Kampfgeschwader 53 "Legion Condor"

Awarded on:

May 19th, 1940

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberleutnant (Flying Officer)

Unit:

Staffelkapitän, Stabsstaffel, Kampfgeschwader 53 "Legion Condor"

Awarded on:

June 5th, 1940

other sources give 16.08.1940

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Oberleutnant (Flying Officer)

Unit:

Staffelkapitän, Stabsstaffel, Kampfgeschwader 53 "Legion Condor"

Awarded on:

October 15th, 1940

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

1941

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Hauptmann (Flight Lieutenant)

Unit:

Staffelkapitän, Stabsstaffel, Kampfgeschwader 53 "Legion Condor"

Awarded on:

November 23rd, 1941

Awarded for his successful missions as a bomber pilot against France, Britain and the Soviet Union. He was particularly successful against the latter, and over the course of 4 months he destroyed 30 trains, 10 tanks and 2 gunboats. He also severed 16 rail lines with direct hits and participated in 7 missions against Moscow.

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

1942

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Major (Squadron Leader)

Unit:

Führer, II. Gruppe, Kampfgeschwader 53

Awarded on:

November 15th, 1943

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Awarded on:

1944

Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Major (Squadron Leader)

Unit:

Kommandeur, II. Gruppe, Kampfgeschwader 53 "Legion Condor"

Awarded on:

February 11th, 1945

Awarded for flying a total of 467 combat missions as well as his leadership of the II./KG 53 from the middle of 1943 during the following operations...

1. Missions in support of the German evacuation of the Kuban bridgehead as well as resupply flights to the forces trapped at Cherkassy.
2. Participation in the famous German bomber attack on the Poltava airfield on the night of the 21./22.06.1944.
3. Night missions in the west both in bombing Allied troop concentrations and resupplying German forces.
4. V-1 delivery missions from October 1944 to January 1945, where he and his pilots would fly over the North Sea to launch V-1 flying bombs from their aircraft against England.

735th Award

• Photo 1: Willi Schumacher Collection
• - THOMAS, FRANZ & WEGMANN, GÜNTER, Die Eichenlaubträger 1940-1945, Biblio-Verlag, 1998.
  - URBANKE, AXEL & KAISER, JOCHEN, Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kampfflieger, Luftfahrtverlag-Start, 2011.
  - Die Ordensträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht
  - Die träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eiserne Kreuz 1939 - 1945
  - Lexikon der Wehrmacht