Siegfried Freytag
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| Siegfried Freytag | |
|---|---|
| 10 September 1917 — 1 June 2003 (aged 85) | |
 Siegfried Freytag |
|
| Place of birth | Danzig-Langfuhr |
| Place of death | Marseille, France |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany (to 1945) France |
| Service/branch | Luftwaffe French Army |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | JG 77, JG 51, JG 7 |
| Commands held | II./JG 77, JG 77 |
| Battles/wars | World War II First Indochina War |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Other work | French Foreign Legion |
Siegfried Freytag (born 4 May 1917 in Danzig-Langfuhr, died 1 June 2003 in Marseille, France) was a German World War II fighter ace and member of the French Foreign Legion.
Contents |
[edit] World War II
Siegfried Freytag was officially credited with 102 victories. He claimed about 50 victories over the Eastern front. Among his victories claimed over the Western front are at least three four-engine bombers. Freytag had been nominated for the Oak Leaves to Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross but the war ended before the paperwork had been processed. Freytag may have shot down Henry Wallace McLeod. Freytag claimed the only Spitfire on 27 September 1944 in the Duisberg area.[1] James "Johnnie" Johnson had been in the same combat and saw McLeod chasing a Bf 109 and then lost sight of McLeod.[2] Johnson concluded that the Bf 109 had shot down McLeod. His body was found in the wreckage of his Spitfire near Wesel, not far from Duisberg. [3]
[edit] After the war
Siegfried Freytag survived World War II only to discover that all his family and friends had perished. [4] He then joined the French Foreign Legion as a regular infantry soldier. He fought in Indochina as an infantryman. He survived and ended up in the French Foreign Legion retirement home, where he died on 1 June 2003.
[edit] Awards
- Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (18 May 1942)
- German Cross in Gold (25 January 1943)
- Iron Cross 2. and 1. class
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (3 July 1942)
[edit] References
- ^ Siegfried Freytag
- ^ Johnson 2000, p. 273.
- ^ For Johnson's account see his or McLeod's page
- ^ Siegfried Freytag
- Aces of the Luftwaffe. Siegried Freytag. Retrieved on 10 May 2007.
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5
- Johnson, J.E. Wing Leader. London: Goodall Publications Ltd. 2000 (original edition 1956). ISBN 0-907579-87-6.
- Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit. Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 2001. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Major Johannes Wiese |
Acting Commander of Jagdgeschwader 77 Herz As December 26, 1944-December 29, 1944 |
Succeeded by Major Erich Leie |
| Preceded by Major Erich Leie |
Acting Commander of Jagdgeschwader 77 Herz As March 7, 1945-March 31, 1945 |
Succeeded by Major Fritz Losigkeit |
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