| Werner Thierfelder | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | December 24, 1915 |
| Died | July 18, 1944 (aged 28) |
| Place of birth | Berlin |
| Place of death | near Landsberg am Lech |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch | Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | ?–1944 |
| Rank | Hauptmann |
| Unit |
ZG 26 ZG 2 Ekdo 262 |
| Commands held |
III./ZG 26 Ekdo 262 |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Werner Thierfelder (24 December 1915 – 18 July 1944) was a German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Werner Thierfelder was killed on 18 July 1944. Unit commander of Erprobungskommando 262, out of Lechfeld, he was lost in crash of a Me 262A-1a under unclear circumstances. Luftwaffe records indicate that he was shot down but U.S. and British records show no comparable engagement. A possible cause is that Thierfelder exceeded the airframe's limiting Mach number in a dive, perhaps while pursuing an Allied reconnaissance aircraft, leading to an irrecoverable dive.[1] During his career he was credited with 27 aerial victories, 6 on the Western Front and 21 on the Eastern Front.
Awards[]
- Flugzeugführerabzeichen
- Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
- Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
- German Cross in Gold (3 November 1942)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 10 December 1941 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän in the II./Zerstörergeschwader 26[2][Note 1]
Notes[]
- ↑ According to Scherzer as Oberleutnant of the Reserves and pilot in the I./Zerstörergeschwader 26 "Horst Wessel".[3]
See also[]
References[]
- Citations
- ↑ Price, Dr. Alfred, "Messerschmitt Me 262: Missed Opportunity or Impossible Dream?", International Air Power Review, AIRtime Publishing Inc., Westport, Connecticut, 2007, ISBN 978-1-880588-99-4, pp.137-138.
- ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 421.
- ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 742.
- Bibliography
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
- Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939–1945 (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 3-87341-065-6.
- Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941–1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 0-8041-1696-2.
External links[]
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