Death Card help

[stevendaniels]

Hi I just picked up a luftwaffe death card. The part that i am not sure on is if he is a pilot. It says Flieger, than his name and underneath that it says "Student med von cham." So i am not sure if he is a pilot or what he did in the luftwaffe. Thanks for your help

[W Petz]

Steven,

Flieger is a common term given to Luftwaffe soldiers as recruits in lieu of a rank and usually entered into their Soldbuch or Wehrpasses. So he may not necessarily be a Pilot. Does it show a photo of him on the Death Card?? a scan or photo of the DC would also be very helpful. He apparently was a Medical student before being inducted and hails from Cham which is near Regensburg Germany. Bill

Hi I just picked up a luftwaffe death card. The part that i am not sure on is if he is a pilot. It says Flieger, than his name and underneath that it says "Student med von cham." So i am not sure if he is a pilot or what he did in the luftwaffe. Thanks for your help

[Tim DC]

Flieger was the lowest Luftwaffe rank, equal to Schutze in the Heer. As he was a university student, he may have had a higher rank and indeed been a pilot. A photo of his portrait would indeed be needed, or have a look to the collar tabs here yourself: http://www.diggerhistory.info/images.../ranks1944.jpg

[stevendaniels]

card

His collar tab only shows one pair of wings, so i don't think he is, but what do you guys think.

[Tim DC]

Have a look at the difference in collar tabs.
This would be a Flieger as private, this would be a Flieger as pilot.

[peter u]

Flieger is the rank for soldiers in the luftwaffe.
Usually soldiers/fliegers are promoted to gefreiter or obersoldat after 6 months of service.
So if the person in question is still a soldier (flieger) on the day he was kia that means that he was a soldier which was quite new to the airforce or in the odd event an airforcemember that got demoted.
But pilots don't have a soldiers rank they have as a minimum a non-commissioned officers rank.
Other flying personal as airgunners, radio-operators and observers could have a troop rank usually corporals.

P

[Eric JB]

Flieger is the rank for soldiers in the luftwaffe.
Usually soldiers/fliegers are promoted to gefreiter or obersoldat after 6 months of service.
So if the person in question is still a soldier (flieger) on the day he was kia that means that he was a soldier which was quite new to the airforce or in the odd event an airforcemember that got demoted.
But pilots don't have a soldiers rank they have as a minimum a non-commissioned officers rank.
Other flying personal as airgunners, radio-operators and observers could have a troop rank usually corporals.

P

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"but pilots don't have a soldiers rank they have as a minimum a non-commsioned officers rank"

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Peter,

I stopped counting the Gefr. and Obgefr. pilots who were lost killed in action as combat pilot in Jagdgeschwader 26 during a combat mission.
So they were real pilots - Flugzeugführer.


Others with the same ranks were killed in flying accidents during non operations, also real pilots - Flugzeugführer.

After a airial-victory, most of them being Gefr. or Obgefr. at that time were promoted to Uffz. - NCO. after their first victory.

yours friendly

Eric-Jan Bakker

[Eric JB]

Did check the JG.26 pilots.

KIA during a combat mission as a combat-pilot with the rank:
- Flieger : 2
- Gefreiter : 21
- Obergefreiter : 29

KIFA died in a flying accident as a combat-pilot with the rank:
- Gefreiter : 11
- Obergefreiter : 5

Didn't count the Gefreiter and Obergefreiter being WIA as a combat-pilot, or taken POW as a combat-pilot.

yours friendly

Eric-Jan Bakker

[peter u]

Thanks Eric,

New information for me every day I learn something new!

Cheers,
Peter

[Eric JB]

Peter,

That is were this forum is for !

yours

Eric-Jan Bakker