Major Peter Mehrtens

[Doug Stankey]

I have searched our 31,000 officer database of Luftwaffe Officers and have found no one by that or similar name. I also checked the Kracker Luftwaffe aircrew personnel database and again found nothing. As it is possible, but unlikely, that we could have missed a Major, I am obliged to ask if this fellow spent most of the war in another service then switched to the Luftwaffe at a very late stage, thus leaving minimal traces.

A check of the ritterkreuz.de website, which covers all branches of service, reveals no info on this guy. This site is quite comprehensive but not totally complete.

It could also be that he was actually a Major beim Stabe, which is a staf position and not a rank. His rank may have been too low to show up on our radar.

Conceiveably he could also have been (before the war) a Maj.d.R. (i.e.: of the reserves) but did not get a active role during the war.

If you could tell us about his functions and unit postings that might help.

DGS

[lewis1]

I have seen his medals and also photos of him in uniform wearing them.

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Lewis

I ran a search on him at www.ww2awards.com with no luck. Could you please post a photograph of him in uniform? I am not knowledgeable of the various decorations and metals used by the Wehrmacht but I am sure others here certainly are. What little that I found on him suggests that he was born at Berlin and served as a transport pilot on the Eastern Front in 1942 and later flew missions over England as a bomber pilot in 1944. He claimed to have been shot down six times. He appears to have had the Pilotenabzeichen (Pilot's Badge) and been awarded the Eisernes Kreuz (Iron Cross), no idea whether 2. or 1. Class. Any additional details such as the units that he served with would be welcome.

Horrido!

Leo