28 Facts About Dietrich Peltz

Dietrich Peltz was a German World War II Luftwaffe bomber pilot and youngest general of the Wehrmacht.

Dietrich Peltz flew combat missions over Poland and France as a dive bomber pilot.

Dietrich Peltz then converted to the Junkers Ju 88 bomber and was assigned to Kampfgeschwader 77.

Dietrich Peltz was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 October 1940.

Dietrich Peltz was then posted to a bomber unit leaders school before he was tasked to form a unit, I Gruppe of Kampfgeschwader 60, specialized in the use of precision-guided munitions against Allied shipping.

In early 1943, Dietrich Peltz was appointed Inspector of Combat Flight, a role in which he oversaw the strategic development of the German bomber arm.

Dietrich Peltz was tasked with the entire aerial Defense of the Reich in March 1945 and advocated the idea of "ramming" to halt the air campaign against Germany even at the risk of sustaining high losses.

Dietrich Peltz joined the military service of the Reichsheer as an officer candidate with the 1st company of the Kraftfahr-Abteilung 5 in Stuttgart-Cannstatt on 4 April 1934.

Dietrich Peltz was promoted to Oberfahnrich on 1 October 1935 and transferred to the Air War School Klotzsche in Dresden.

Dietrich Peltz then received further training at the flight school in Salzwedel which he completed on 31 March 1936.

In 1937, Peltz was appointed adjutant of the I Gruppe which was renamed to I Gruppe of Sturzkampfgeschwader 168 on 1 April 1938.

On 1 March 1939, Dietrich Peltz was promoted to Oberleutnant.

On this day, Dietrich Peltz was appointed Staffelkapitan of the 1.

Dietrich Peltz flew 45 combat missions with his Staffel against Poland, attacking railway lines, traffic junctions and bridges as well as the Bombing of Wielun.

Dietrich Peltz flew an additional 57 missions before the campaign in France came to an end on 25 June 1940.

In total, Dietrich Peltz flew 102 combat missions over Poland and France, leading his Staffel through these campaigns without loss.

Dietrich Peltz flew 70 daytime and nocturnal missions in the Battle of Britain including special operations of him alone attacking specific targets.

Dietrich Peltz flew support missions for the Heer against targets in the Northern sector, including the Leningrad-Moscow railway line, railway stations, marshalling yards, canals and lock gates.

Dietrich Peltz flew his 200th combat mission on 12 July 1941.

Dietrich Peltz was put in charge of diver-bomber training at the unit leadership school for bomber pilots at Foggia in Italy.

In January 1942, Dietrich Peltz was made Commanding Officer of the bomber unit commanders school at Foggia, where all operational bomber commanders were trained in the latest operational techniques.

Dietrich Peltz was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 1 December 1942.

Dietrich Peltz was promoted to Oberst im Generalstab on 17 March 1943 with a Rangdienstalter of 1 September 1943.

Fliegerkorps and Dietrich Peltz was appointed its commander on 4 September 1943.

Dietrich Peltz, who by training and experience was a bomber expert but admired by Hitler for efficiency in carrying out orders, became the commander of the II.

In mid-January 1945, Dietrich Peltz visited the Luftkriegsschule 2 in Berlin-Gatow to recruit volunteers for ramming missions against the Allied bomber force.

Dietrich Peltz, who was the brother-in-law of Hans-Karl Stepp, died on 10 August 2001 in Munich.

Dietrich Peltz flew approximately 320 combat missions, 130 of which as a bomber pilot on the Eastern Front and 90 on the Western Front, and 102 missions over Poland and Western Front as a ground-attack pilot.