1. Otto Hans "Hannes" Trautloft was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during the Spanish Civil War and World War II, and general in the postwar German Air Force.
32 Facts About Hannes Trautloft
1. 2.
Hannes Trautloft claimed his first aerial victory during the Invasion of Poland and was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 20 which later became III.
3.
Hannes Trautloft died on 12 January 1995 in Bad Wiessee.
4.
On 1 May 1936, Hannes Trautloft was posted to Jagdgeschwader 134 "Horst Wessel", named after the Nazi martyr Horst Wessel.
5.
At the time of the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Hannes Trautloft was serving in the 9.
6.
Hannes Trautloft attacked one of the Republican aircraft, shooting it down near the village of Colmenar Viejo.
7.
Hannes Trautloft was chosen as one of the pilots to test the then new Messerschmitt Bf 109.
8.
Hannes Trautloft had this aircraft personalized with the "Green Heart" of Thuringia.
9.
On 2 March 1937, Hannes Trautloft who had claimed five aerial victories, left Spain and returned to Germany.
10.
In 1937, Hannes Trautloft participated in the 4th international flight meeting held at the Dubendorf military airfield, Switzerland from 23 July to 1 August.
11.
On 15 March 1937, Hannes Trautloft was transferred and appointed Staffelkapitan of 1.
12.
Hannes Trautloft served in this capacity until 1 July 1938 when he was transferred to command the newly created 12.
13.
In 1939, Hannes Trautloft published his Spanish War diaries named [As a Fighter Pilot in Spain] with a foreword by Ernst Udet.
14.
That evening, Hannes Trautloft claimed a Royal Air Force Supermarine Spitfire shot down southeast of Dunkirk.
15.
Two days later, Hannes Trautloft claimed another Spitfire during the Battle of Dunkirk.
16.
Hannes Trautloft claimed two further aerial victories against the RAF, bringing his total to eight victories claimed during World War II.
17.
The next day, Trautloft met with his three group commanders at Campagne-les-Guines, these were Hauptmann Hubertus von Bonin of I Gruppe, Hauptmann Dietrich Hrabak of II.
18.
On one of these missions, Hannes Trautloft claimed an Ilyushin DB-3 bomber shot down northwest of Marijampole.
19.
In defense of the bridgehead, Hannes Trautloft claimed two further DB-3's.
20.
On 6 July 1943 Hannes Trautloft was appointed as Jagdflieger Inspizient Ost, serving with the General der Jagdflieger office.
21.
Hannes Trautloft decided to visit the camp and see for himself under the pretence of inspecting aerial bomb damage near the camp.
22.
Hannes Trautloft was about to leave the camp when captured US airman Bernard Scharf called out to him in fluent German from behind a fence.
23.
The SS guards tried to intervene but Hannes Trautloft pointed out that he out-ranked them and made them stand back.
24.
Hannes Trautloft's adjutant spoke to the group's commanding officer, a NZ airman Phil Lamason.
25.
Disturbed by the event, Hannes Trautloft returned to Berlin and began the process to have the airmen transferred out of Buchenwald.
26.
In early 1945, Hannes Trautloft joined other high-ranking pilots in the "Fighter Pilots' Revolt incident" which escalated in a meeting with Goring on 22 January 1945.
27.
Hannes Trautloft's wife bought in additional income by providing tailoring services.
28.
Hannes Trautloft designed an original scarf that served as admission to the German Alpine Ski Championships when they were held in Oberstdorf in 1949.
29.
On 1 October 1957, Hannes Trautloft joined the new German Air Force, at the time referred to as the Bundesluftwaffe, of West Germany with the rank of Brigadegeneral.
30.
On 1 January 1962, Hannes Trautloft succeeded Generalmajor Hermann Plocher as commander of in Karlsruhe.
31.
Hannes Trautloft was retired on 26 June 1970 with a, holding the rank of Generalleutnant.
32.
Hannes Trautloft was an active member of many veteran organizations including the Gemeinschaft der Jagdflieger until his death on 12 January 1995 at Bad Wiessee in Bavaria.