Siegfried Freytag was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot and wing commander.
30 Facts About Siegfried Freytag
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Siegfried Freytag was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
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Siegfried Freytag was born on 10 November 1919 and joined the Luftwaffe in 1938.
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Siegfried Freytag claimed his first victory on 31 October 1940 on the final day of the Battle of Britain.
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Siegfried Freytag passed five victories becoming a flying ace and by 3 June 1942 he had claimed 50 enemy aircraft destroyed.
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On 27 June 1942, Siegfried Freytag was appointed Staffelkapitan of 1.
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On 3 July 1942 Siegfried Freytag was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 53 aerial victories.
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Siegfried Freytag became the most successful German pilot over Malta.
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Siegfried Freytag was transferred with his unit to North Africa to assist the collapsing Axis forces.
10.
On 13 March 1943, Siegfried Freytag was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II.
11.
Siegfried Freytag continued operations over Sicily where he was shot down and wounded in action on 12 July 1943.
12.
Thereafter, Siegfried Freytag led the group in Defence of the Reich operations.
13.
Siegfried Freytag scored his 102nd and last aerial victory during Operation Bodenplatte, on 1 January 1945.
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Siegfried Freytag was born on 10 November 1919 in Danzig-Langfuhr, at the time in the Province of West Prussia.
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Siegfried Freytag reported his 10th claim on 12 August 1941 and his 20th victory on 31 October 1941.
16.
On 23 March 1942, Siegfried Freytag engaged and shot down a Yakovlev Yak-1.
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On 27 June 1942, Siegfried Freytag was appointed Staffelkapitan of 1.
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Siegfried Freytag achieved a series of successes against Royal Air Force fighters over the summer of 1942 that he was nicknamed the Stern von Malta.
19.
On 11 November 1942, near El Alamein, Siegfried Freytag claimed two Spitfires.
20.
On 7 March 1943 Siegfried Freytag was appointed temporary Gruppenkommandeur of II.
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On this sortie, Siegfried Freytag claimed his 86th and 87th victories, after Muncheberg ordered them to attack some low-flying United States Army Air Force P-39 Airacobras.
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Siegfried Freytag claimed one P-40 in this battle for his 88th victory.
23.
Three days later Siegfried Freytag was shot down and wounded in combat with Lockheed P-38 Lightning over Gela.
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Siegfried Freytag was wounded by an Allied air attack on the group's airfield at Siena, Italy on 29 January 1944.
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Siegfried Freytag claimed his victories over Consolidated B-24 Liberators on 29 May and 13 June 1944.
26.
Siegfried Freytag claimed the only Spitfire on 27 September 1944 in the Duisburg area.
27.
Siegfried Freytag's body was found in the wreckage of his Spitfire near Wesel, not far from Duisburg.
28.
Siegfried Freytag's command had lost 31 dead or missing, 13 wounded and one captured.
29.
In 1952, Siegfried Freytag, volunteered in the Legion thinking that the Legion would recruit pilots; at least, that was the official version of a wrong assumption.
30.
Siegfried Freytag was interred in the Carre militaire of the Institution des invalides de la Legion etrangere in Puyloubier.