Fritz Fliegel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 30 November 1907 |
| Died | 18 July 1941(1941-07-18) (aged 33) |
| Cause of death | Killed in action |
| Relatives | Gotthard Fliegel (father) |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service | Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1934–41 |
| Rank | Hauptmann (captain) |
| Commands | I./KG 40 |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Relations | Gotthard Fliegel (father) |
| Cycling career | |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Sprint (track cycling) |
| Major wins | |
| German amateur champion 1929 | |
Fritz Fliegel (30 November 1907 – 18 July 1941) was a Germantrack cyclist,Luftwaffe bomber pilot and recipient of theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany duringWorld War II. On 18 July 1941, Fiegel waskilled in action flying aFocke-Wulf Fw 200 during theAtlantic War in an attack on convoy OB 346. He targeted the 7,046-ton freighterPilar de Larrinaga. However, the gunners shot his starboard wing off and he crashed into the sea, killing all on board.
Fliegel was born on 30 November 1907 inWilmersdorf, a borough ofBerlin, in theKingdom of Prussia.[1] He was the son of the son of geographerGotthard Fliegel and his wife Anna Marie, née Meyer.[2] Fliegel, who had three sisters, won his first bicycle race in 1926. In 1929, he won the Germanamateursprint championship at thevelodrome inStettin-Westend. That year, he also participated in theUCI Track Cycling World Championships held inZürich, Switzerland where he lost in the knockout stage to the AustrianAugust Schaffer.[3]
Fliegel joined the military service in 1934 and transferred from the infantry of theReichsheer (Army) to the newly emergingLuftwaffe (Air Force) ofNazi Germany a year later.[4] Following his flight training, he served asflight instructor at the pilot schools A/B 42 inSalzwedel and A/B 113 inBrno.[Note 1] There he was promoted toHauptmann (captain) on 1 March 1939.[1]
World War II in Europe began on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forcesinvaded Poland. Fliegel flew combat missions over Poland and received theIron Cross 2nd Class (Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse) on 15 September 1939. In early May 1940 when I.Gruppe (1st group) ofKampfgeschwader 40 (KG 40—40th Bomber Wing), a unit equipped with the long-rangeFocke-Wulf Fw 200 "Condor"reconnaissance and anti-shipping/maritime patrol bomber aircraft, Fliegel was transferred to the 2.Staffel (2nd squadron) of KG 40.[Note 2] The unit initially operated against enemy shipping from airbases in Denmark. There he was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class (Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse) on 13 May 1940.[1]
In mid-1940, I.Gruppe relocated to the airbaseBordeaux-Mérignac at theAtlantic coast nearBordeaux in France. In October 1940, he was appointedStaffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2.Staffel of KG 40. Flying the Fw 200 to its maximum range, I.Gruppe was credited with the destruction of 39 enemy merchant ships totaling 206,000 gross register tons (GRT), further damaging 20 ships of 115,000 GRT.[1]
On 6 February 1941,U-37 under the command ofKapitänleutnant (Captain Lieutenant)Nicolai Clausen, spotted convoy HG 53, 19 merchant ships escorted byHMS Velox andDeptford, heading forLiverpool. Clausen reported the sighting, which was relayed to KG 40 byFliegerführer Atlantik. On 9 February, KG 40 sent five Fw 200s to attack the convoy which was spotted at 4 pm roughly 640 kilometers (400 miles; 350 nautical miles) southwest ofLisbon. In the attack at35°42′N14°38′W / 35.700°N 14.633°W /35.700; -14.633, the Fw 200's managed to sink five ships (Britannic,Dagmar I,Jura,Tejo andVarna), andDeptford damaged the Fw 200 piloted byOberleutnant (First Lieutenant) Erich Adam, who managed to fly his aircraft to Spain.U-37 sank three further ships from HG 53.[6][7][8] This achievement earned him his first mention in theWehrmachtbericht, an information bulletin and element ofNazi propaganda issued by the headquarters of the Wehrmacht.[1][4]
Fliegel was awarded theKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 25 March 1941. In mid-April 1941 he was appointedGruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I.Gruppe of KG 40, replacingMajorEdgar Petersen. He was mentioned a second time in theWehrmachtbericht on 20 June 1941 after the number of enemy shipping destroyed by hisGruppe increased by a further 24 ships, reaching 109 enemy ships sunk.[1][4] By early 1941 I.Gruppe of KG 40 had five holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross reflecting the success of theCondors inAtlantic Ocean operations.[9]
On 18 July 1941, Fliegel and his crew—copilotLeutnant (Second Lieutenant) Wolf-Dietrich Kadelke, first radio operatorOberfeldwebel (Staff Sergeant) Johannes Rottke, second radio operatorGefreiter (Airman) Karl Becker,flight engineerUnteroffizier (Sergeant) Johann Kothe andair gunnerUnteroffizier Karl Meurer—were reported missing in action over the Atlantic in the vicinity northwest of Ireland.[1] Their Fw 200 C-3 "F8+AB" (Werknummer 0043—factory number) was shot down in an attack on convoy OB 346. During the attack on the freighterPilar de Larrinaga, the gunners on board the freighter scored a hit on the Fw 200's starboard wing which tore it off.[10] At the time of his death, Fliegel was credited with seven ships sunk plus further six damaged. He was promoted toMajor (major) posthumously.[4]
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