35 Facts About Helmut Lent

Helmut Lent claimed his first nocturnal victory on 12 May 1941 and on 30 August 1941 was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 22 victories.

Three men died shortly after the crash and Helmut Lent succumbed to his injuries two days later on 7 October 1944.

Helmut Lent was the fifth child of Johannes Lent, a Lutheran minister and Marie Elisabeth, nee Braune.

Helmut Lent had two older brothers, Werner and Joachim, and two older sisters, Kathe and Ursula.

Helmut Lent's family was deeply religious; in addition to his father, both of his brothers and both grandfathers were Lutheran ministers.

From Easter 1924 until Easter 1928, Helmut Lent attended the local public primary school at Pyrehne.

In February 1933, Helmut Lent joined the Jungvolk, the junior branch of the Hitler Youth.

Helmut Lent passed his graduation examinations at the age of seventeen on 12 December 1935.

Helmut Lent joined the military service in the Luftwaffe as a Fahnenjunker on 1 April 1936, against the wishes of his father.

Helmut Lent swore the National Socialist oath of allegiance on 21 April 1936.

Helmut Lent logged his first solo flight on 15 September 1936 in a Focke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz.

In conjunction with flight training, the students learned to drive motorcycles and cars and during one of these training exercises, Helmut Lent was involved in a road accident, breaking his upper leg badly enough to prevent him from flying for five months.

Helmut Lent spent three months training as an observer.

Helmut Lent flew a number of operational patrols in this conflict until his Staffel relocated again to Rangsdorf on 29 September 1938.

Helmut Lent was granted his Luftwaffe Advanced Pilot's Certificate, known as 'C'-Certificate, confirming proficiency on multi-engine aircraft, on 12 May 1939.

Helmut Lent flew five more missions during the Polish campaign, destroying one anti-aircraft battery.

Helmut Lent was refused the victory over Wimberley, as the Wellington was attacked by Helmut Lent after it had already been badly damaged and was about to crash.

Helmut Lent replied to her letter, and he and Elisabeth met on a blind date at the Reichshof hotel in Hamburg, after which they enjoyed a skiing holiday in Hirschegg in February 1940.

Helmut Lent was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class on 13 May 1940 before he was transferred to Trondheim on 18 May He claimed his second aerial victory of the Norwegian campaign on 27 May over a RAF Gloster Gladiator from No 263 Squadron RAF, piloted by Flight Lieutenant Caesar Hull.

On 1 July 1940 Helmut Lent was promoted to Oberleutnant and on 13 July 1.

Helmut Lent completed night fighter training at Ingolstadt in south-western Germany, and was appointed squadron leader, or Staffelkapitan, of the newly formed 6.

On 30 August 1941, Helmut Lent received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for seven daytime and 14 night victories.

On 1 November 1941, Helmut Lent became acting Group Commander Gruppenkommandeur of the newly formed II.

Helmut Lent shot down a Wellington 1C heading for Berlin, which came down near Akkrum.

Helmut Lent held the distinction of achieving the first Lichtenstein radar-assisted air victory in a Dornier Do 215B-5 night fighter.

Helmut Lent flew Dornier Do 215B-5 code R4+DC regularly on Himmelbett missions because of its five-hour endurance.

When Helmut Lent decided to marry Elizabeth Petersen, his admirer from Hamburg whom he had met on a blind date, his case was more complicated.

Helmut Lent had been afraid to reveal her true identity, since Russians were not popular in the Third Reich, but after a thorough investigation into her background and racial ancestry, she received her German citizenship on 15 March 1941.

Helmut Lent's crew included his long-time radio operator Oberfeldwebel Walter Kubisch, the member of a Propagandakompanie Leutnant Werner Kark in the aerial gunner position, and Oberleutnant Hermann Kloss, second radio operator.

Helmut Lent was unable to keep the plane steady and it struck high-voltage cables and crashed.

Kubisch and Kloss succumbed to their injuries on the same day, Kark on the next morning and Helmut Lent himself died two days later on 7 October 1944.

In 2014, the Bundeswehr decided to rename the facility as Helmut Lent was no longer considered to be an appropriate namesake.

In September 2016 the district administrator Herrmann Luttmann, member of the moderate right-wing Party CDU stated "No substantial evidence has been found that indeed Helmut Lent was a supporter of the Nazi regime".

Historian Sonke Neitzel has the opinion that the Bundeswehr should keep the name of Helmut Lent, who was not a Nazi but only a value-oriented person who followed his Christian image of humankind, even if no Wehrmacht soldier came out of the war completely clean.

Helmut Lent is officially credited with 111 victories in 507 flights.