Major Peter Mehrtens

[lewis1]

I am searching for information on my wifes' recently deceased grandfather, Peter Mehrtens, whom I believe was attached to The Legion Condor. Would anyone know of him?

[lewis1]

Major Peter Alexander Mehrtens, awarded Knights Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. Any information please?

[Leo Etgen]

Hello Lewis

I did a quick search for him at www.das-ritterkreuz.de but nothing turned up. Are you sure that he was awarded the Ritterkreuz? I did notice that he had written an autobiography which is available at http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/2080989...ion=NBD7715780 I wish that I could be of more help but that is all that I can add at the moment.

Horrido!

Leo

[Delmenhorst]

He did not have the Ritterkreuz and certainly not with Oakleaves and Swords.

[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

[lewis1]

Thanks Leo. Don't have a scanner for the photos unfortunately. Full name is Ernst Heinz Peter Alexander Mehrtens. Base in Vitry with KG 53, also in Staffel No. 3 of Morzacks' ZBV 700. At some stage a courier pilot. Shot down over Ayr in Scotland in November 1944 flying a JU 88.

[lewis1]

Originally Posted by Delmenhorst

He did not have the Ritterkreuz and certainly not with Oakleaves and Swords.

What makes you so certain.

[HARD_Sarge]

Originally Posted by lewis1

What makes you so certain.

Hitler instituted a new higher grade of the Knight’s Cross decoration for gallantry and leadership: the silver clasp of the Oak-Leaves with Swords. It would be awarded to only 159 men of the approximately 15 million who served in the German armed forces during World War II.

(from a review of the book, Knight's Cross, Oak-Leaves and Swords Recipients 1941-45)

so, if he was awarded this award, he should show up on the lists

maybe the pic you have of him, looks like the award, when it really is something else ?


(I do know for me, I was in the Marines, and was going on leave for a Wedding, I was able to borrow a set of Dress Blues to wear, as I didn't have a set, some of the old timers in the outfit, wanted to give me there medals to wear to the wedding (blues really look much better with 3 or 4 rows of ribbons instead of just one row) but I told them no, maybe he was wearing someone else stuff for some reason ?)