WW II aces in the DDR-luftwaffe?

[mathieu]

Hei,

When the Luftwaffe of the west-German started again in the mid fifties, several aces from WW II joint the new luftwaffe. But how about the luftwaffe of the DDR, were any high profile aces involved?


Best regards,

Mathieu.

[hanshauprich]

I only know about 3 former Luftwaffen-Pilots with held high position in the
LVK/LV.

1. OtLn. Walter Lehweß-Litzmann, DKiG, Kommodore KG 3 "Blitz"
Lost on his 160 Mission at 7. Sept. 1943 at the Eastern Front. His Ju 88 exploded in the air (Sabotage). He became PoW by the Russians.
In 1945 he came back to Berlin and abotu 1947 he joined the the VP-Luft. Later he was the Leiter Fliegerschule Kamenz. At 1959 he retired and became an high position at the DLH-Ost. (East German Air Line)

2. Uffz. Kurt Götze, he fly mission at the eastern Front with Hs 129 in SKG 10.
Later he was with 3./SG 10, he has 5 confirmed Kills. One of them was an B-17 at 24. August 1944. In January 1945 he was shoot down over Hungaria and became PoW with the Russians.
In the DDR he was one of the founders of the DDR-Luftsport and fly as Testpilot all Gliderplanes from VEB Apparatebau Lommatsch.

3. Fw. Wolfgang Reinhold, Schlachtflieger, he fly mission at the italian and eastern Front. (SG 4?) Has 13 confirmed Kills against Russian and Allied Airforce.
After the war he joined the KP-Luft (tranined with Jak 11 and 12, Mig 15).
In 1972 he was Chief of LSK/LV.

[Pilot]

hanshauprich- great info!!!

[Edward L. Hsiao]

What was Kurt Gotze's high rank when he was in the East German Air Force?

Edward L. Hsiao

[Bookman]

He was a civilian flight instructor. Never did he have a military rank, nor wanted one. After the militarization of powered flight as an entry into the forces, he resisted, and actually remained a civilian flight instructor for gliders and sailplanes. He was a master of this, and was internationally recognized. In seventy four from flights he was shot down three times.
Very few wartime airmen were accepted in the DDR Air Force, and those that were remained for a relatively short time. One of our JG27 veterans (can't remember name) did fly mug 15 and 17, but shortly after was relegated to ground duties. He said it was because he, and similarly ex POWs of western allies were deemed undependable. On the other hand, a former pow from Soviet captivity(lewiss-Lehman) rose to high rank. He was a KG group commander if I remember, a colonel.

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Well Wolfgang Reinhold a WWII Feldwebel made high rank in the East German Air Force as a Generaloberst and he seems dependable enough in the DDR. Maybe the Stasi (East German Secret Police) had files on Reinhold.

Edward L. Hsiao

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Most of the Wehrmacht veterans who joined NVA (East German Military) can't be trusted by politicians of East Germany(SED). I wonder how the few WW-Luftwaffe airman who were in the East German Air Force were taking life under Communist rule. Do they all had to be members of the SED?

Edward L. Hsiao

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Oops. I mean WWII-Luftwaffe airmen. Too bad there were no memoirs of these East German Air Force Pilots who use to served in the WWII Luftwaffe.

Edward L. Hsiao

[Edward L. Hsiao]

I could not find any websites that had to deal with WWII Luftwaffe pilot veterans in the East German Air Force and why they did. It's not many I know that.

Edward L. Hsiao