Walter Storp
Encyclopedia
Walter Storp was a German
World War II
Luftwaffe
bomber pilot and commander of various bomber wings. Walter Storp was the twenty-second recipient of the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves
on 14 July 1941. 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. Storp survived the war with the rank of Generalmajor and commander of the 5th Fliegerdivision in Norway, he was captured by the British and released in 1948.
, the son of a forester
. After he received his Abitur
(diploma) in 1928 he joined the military service in the Reichsmarine
on 1 April 1928. His military training began at the Naval Academy at Mürwik followed by a tour on board the cruiser Emden
and the Köln
, as well a numerous flying courses at the Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule
(German Air Transport School) in Warnemünde
. He then transferred to the military service of the Luftwaffe on 1 October 1934.
He was assigned to the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM—Ministry of Aviation) on 1 October 1938 and at the same time became the chief pilot of general Hans Jeschonnek
. Serving briefly with KG 30 in early 1940, Storp became temporary Gruppenkommandeur
of III gruppe, KG 4 between May and August 1940.
He was then appointed Gruppenkommandeur
(Group Commander) of II./Kampfgeschwader 76
(II./KG 76—2nd Group of the 76th Bomber Wing) on 12 September 1940. He and his crew performed a successful low altitude attack over the English Midlands on 27 September 1940. This feat earned him the first of two references in the Wehrmachtbericht
. This was also the first time a combat pilot and his crew were mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht. The Wehrmachtbericht was an information bulletin issued by the headquarters of the Wehrmacht.
In April 1941 Storp was appointed Kommandeur of Schnellkampfgeschwader 210
, leading the unit during operations against the Soviet Union during 1941. He then was transferred to a RLM staff appointment in October 1941, before a further move in September 1942, as Kommodore of KG 6. A return to KG 76 occurred in June 1944, while in February 1945 he became Commander of the 5th Flieger-Division until the end of the war.
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....
bomber pilot and commander of various bomber wings. Walter Storp was the twenty-second recipient of the Knight's 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...
on 14 July 1941. 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. Storp survived the war with the rank of Generalmajor and commander of the 5th Fliegerdivision in Norway, he was captured by the British and released in 1948.
Military career
August Franz Walter Storp was born on 2 February 1910 in Schnecken, East PrussiaEast Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
, the son of a forester
Forester
250px|thumb|right|Foresters of [[Southern University of Chile|UACh]] in the [[Valdivian forest]]s of San Pablo de Tregua, ChileA forester is a person who practices forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including timber...
. After he received 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...
(diploma) in 1928 he joined the military service in the Reichsmarine
Reichsmarine
The Reichsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Weimar Republic and first two years of Nazi Germany. It was the naval branch of the Reichswehr, existing from 1918 to 1935...
on 1 April 1928. His military training began at the Naval Academy at Mürwik followed by a tour on board the cruiser Emden
German cruiser Emden
The German light cruiser Emden was the only ship of its class. The third cruiser to bear the name Emden was the first new warship built in Germany after World War I....
and the Köln
German cruiser Köln
Köln was a German light cruiser prior to and during World War II, one of three K-Class cruisers named after cities starting with the letter K. This ship was named after the city of Köln . The others in her class were the Königsberg and the Karlsruhe...
, as well a numerous flying courses 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...
(German Air Transport School) in Warnemünde
Warnemünde
Warnemünde is a sea resort and northmost district of Rostock in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, situated on the Baltic Sea in the northeast of Germany at the estuary of the river Warnow.- History :...
. He then transferred to the military service of the Luftwaffe on 1 October 1934.
He was assigned to the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM—Ministry of Aviation) on 1 October 1938 and at the same time became the chief pilot of general Hans Jeschonnek
Hans Jeschonnek
Hans Jeschonnek was a German Generaloberst and a Chief of the General Staff of Nazi Germany′s Luftwaffe during World War II. He committed suicide in August 1943.-Biography:...
. Serving briefly with KG 30 in early 1940, Storp became temporary Gruppenkommandeur
Gruppenkommandeur
Gruppenkommandeur 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 III gruppe, KG 4 between May and August 1940.
He was then appointed Gruppenkommandeur
Gruppenkommandeur
Gruppenkommandeur 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...
(Group Commander) of II./Kampfgeschwader 76
Kampfgeschwader 76
Kampfgeschwader 76 was a Luftwaffe bomber Group during World War II .Its units participated on all of the fronts in the European Theatre throughout the conflict, and served until the last day of the war...
(II./KG 76—2nd Group of the 76th Bomber Wing) on 12 September 1940. He and his crew performed a successful low altitude attack over the English Midlands on 27 September 1940. This feat earned him the first of two references in the Wehrmachtbericht
Wehrmachtbericht
The Wehrmachtbericht was a daily radio report on the Großdeutscher Rundfunk of Nazi Germany, published by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regarding the military situation on all fronts of World War II....
. This was also the first time a combat pilot and his crew were mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht. The Wehrmachtbericht was an information bulletin issued by the headquarters of the Wehrmacht.
In April 1941 Storp was appointed Kommandeur of Schnellkampfgeschwader 210
Schnellkampfgeschwader 210
Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 was a Luftwaffe fast bomber wing of the Second World War. The unit was created in April 1941 and absorbed by the Zerstörergeschwader 1 on 4 January 1942.- Origins 1940 :...
, leading the unit during operations against the Soviet Union during 1941. He then was transferred to a RLM staff appointment in October 1941, before a further move in September 1942, as Kommodore of KG 6. A return to KG 76 occurred in June 1944, while in February 1945 he became Commander of the 5th Flieger-Division until the end of the war.
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 (2 October 1939)
- 1st Class (26 April 1940)
- Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. Klasse
- Pilots Badge
- Ehrenpokal der LuftwaffeEhrenpokal der LuftwaffeThe Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe was a Luftwaffe award established on February 27, 1940 by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, the Reich Minister of Aviation and Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe. It was officially known as the Ehrenpokal "für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg", or Honor Goblet "For...
(20 October 1940) - Wound BadgeWound BadgeWound Badge was a German military award for wounded or frost-bitten soldiers of Imperial German Army in World War I, the Reichswehr between the wars, and the Wehrmacht, SS and the auxiliary service organizations during the Second World War. After March 1943, due to the increasing number of Allied...
(1939) in Black - Front Flying Clasp of the LuftwaffeFront Flying Clasp of the LuftwaffeThe Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe was awarded in Bronze, Silver, and Gold with upgrade possible to include diamonds. Pennants suspended from the clasp indicated the number of missions obtained in a given type of aircraft...
for Combat Pilots in Gold - 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 October 1940) 149th recipient in the Luftwaffe as HauptmannHauptmannHauptmann is a German word usually translated as captain when it is used as an officer's rank in the German, Austrian and Swiss armies. While "haupt" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the dated meaning of "head", i.e...
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 the II./ Kampfgeschwader 76 - 22nd Oak Leaves (14 July 1941) as MajorMajorMajor is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
und GeschwaderkommodoreGeschwaderkommodoreGeschwaderkommodore is a Luftwaffe position , originating during World War II, that is the equivalent of a RAF Group Commander or USAF Wing Commander. A Geschwaderkommodore is usually of Oberstleutnant or Oberst rank...
of the Schnellkampfgeschwader 210
- Knight's Cross (21 October 1940) 149th recipient in the Luftwaffe as Hauptmann
- Mentioned two times in the WehrmachtberichtWehrmachtberichtThe Wehrmachtbericht was a daily radio report on the Großdeutscher Rundfunk of Nazi Germany, published by the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regarding the military situation on all fronts of World War II....