[Leo Etgen]

Hello St3pto

Thank you for your comments and welcome to TOCH. I agree with you and Michael in that all what I have been able to uncover on Mehrtens matches perfectly with what Lewis has posted here. Mehrtens wrote an autobiography and granted several interviews including those with Veitch where he described his wartime career as can be read in the online magazine. In the article there can be seen two photographs, one taken during the war and one later in life, where he appears with his awards, which certainly appear to be the Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern (Knight's Cross with Oakleaves and Swords). Unfortunately, there is no documentation that appears to collaborate this. As Hard Sarge has written, the award was very prestigious and only 160 individuals were awarded it, including only 42 that served in the Luftwaffe. The award was numbered and we have the records of all those who received it. Mehrtens does not appear on that list and therefore regrettably one must draw the conclusion that he did not receive this award. As for the accounts of his combat duty that is much more difficult to comment upon but I do agree with Delmenhorst that there is little to substantiate the claim of a bombing raid on Glasgow in daylight in November 1944. I believe it to be understandable that you want to uncover as much on your grandfather as is possible and have quite naturally relied upon what he wrote and stated but it appears that several parts of the account are difficult to reconcile with what is known from the records. If you have any other questions I am sure that others as well as myself will attempt to be as of much help as is possible.

Horrido!

Leo