Hubertus Hitschhold
Encyclopedia
Hubertus Hitschhold was a German
World War II
Luftwaffe
Stuka
ace.For a list of Luftwaffe ground attack aces see List of German World War II ground attack aces He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
on 1 April 1930 after receiving his Abitur
. He was immediately selected for flight training. Beginning in April 1930 until March 1931 he was trained at the Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule
at Schleißheim
and received his pilot license. He continued his flight training at Lipetsk
in Russia
, where he was trained as a fighter pilot.
On 1 October 1931 he was transferred to the 2. (Pr.) Reiterregiment. Promoted to Leutnant on 1 August 1933 he transferred to the newly formed Luftwaffe in 1935. In 1936 he became one of the first Stuka pilots and a Staffelkapitän
in 1937.
The I./StG 2 under the command of Hitschhold participated in the Battle of Crete
and sank the British destroyers Greyhound
on 22 May 1941 and the Kelly
and Kashmir
on 23 May 1941.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
Stuka
Junkers Ju 87
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka was a two-man German ground-attack aircraft...
ace.For a list of Luftwaffe ground attack aces see List of German World War II ground attack aces He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Military career
Hubertus Hitschhold joined the military service in the ReichswehrReichswehr
The Reichswehr formed the military organisation of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when it was renamed the Wehrmacht ....
on 1 April 1930 after receiving his Abitur
Abitur
Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...
. He was immediately selected for flight training. Beginning in April 1930 until March 1931 he was trained at the Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule
Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule
The Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule , German Air Transport School, was a covert military-training organization operating as a flying school in Germany...
at Schleißheim
Schleißheim
Schleißheim is a municipality in the district Wels-Land in the Austrian state of Oberösterreich. Its population is 940....
and received his pilot license. He continued his flight training at Lipetsk
Lipetsk
Lipetsk is a city and the administrative center of Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, located on the banks of the Voronezh River in the Don basin, southeast of Moscow.-History:...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, where he was trained as a fighter pilot.
On 1 October 1931 he was transferred to the 2. (Pr.) Reiterregiment. Promoted to Leutnant on 1 August 1933 he transferred to the newly formed Luftwaffe in 1935. In 1936 he became one of the first Stuka pilots and a Staffelkapitän
Staffelkapitän
Staffelkapitän is a position in flying units of the German Luftwaffe that is the equivalent of RAF/USAF Squadron Commander. Usually today a Staffelkapitän is of Oberstleutnant or Major rank....
in 1937.
The I./StG 2 under the command of Hitschhold participated in the Battle of Crete
Battle of Crete
The Battle of Crete was a battle during World War II on the Greek island of Crete. It began on the morning of 20 May 1941, when Nazi Germany launched an airborne invasion of Crete under the code-name Unternehmen Merkur...
and sank the British destroyers Greyhound
HMS Greyhound (H05)
HMS Greyhound was a G-class destroyer built for the Royal Navy in the 1930s. Greyhound participated in the Norwegian Campaign in April 1940, the Dunkirk evacuation in May and the Battle of Dakar in September before being transferred to the Mediterranean Fleet in November...
on 22 May 1941 and the Kelly
HMS Kelly (F01)
HMS Kelly was a K-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy, and flotilla leader of her class. She served through the early years of the Second World War; in Home Waters, off Norway and in the Mediterranean. Throughout her service, Kelly was commanded by Lord Louis Mountbatten. She was lost in...
and Kashmir
HMS Kashmir (F12)
HMS Kashmir was a K-class destroyer of the Royal Navy laid down by Thornycroft in Southampton in October 1937, launched on 4 April 1939 and commissioned on 26 October 1939....
on 23 May 1941.
Awards
- Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
(1939)- 2nd Class (15 September 1939)
- 1st Class (11 May 1940)
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak LeavesKnight's Cross of the Iron CrossThe Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was a grade of the 1939 version of the 1813 created Iron Cross . The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was the highest award of Germany to recognize extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership during World War II...
- Knight's Cross (21 July 1940) as MajorMajor (Germany)Major is a rank of the German military which dates back to the Middle Ages.It equates to Major in the British and US Armies, and is rated OF-3 in NATO.During World War II, the SS equivalent was Sturmbannführer....
and GruppenkommandeurGruppenkommandeurGruppenkommandeur is a Luftwaffe position , that is the equivalent of a commander of a group or wing in other air forces. Gruppenkommandeur usually has the rank of Hauptmann or Major, and commands a Gruppe, which is a sub-division of a Geschwader. A Gruppe usually consists of three or four...
of I./StG 2 "Immelmann" - 57th Oak Leaves on 31 December 1941 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of I./StG 2 "Immelmann"
- Knight's Cross (21 July 1940) as Major