Colonel Adolf Dickfeld (signed by Col. Adolf Dickfeld )

Adolf Dickfeld was born on 20 February 1910 in Jüterbog, Mark Brandenburg. As a student he demonstrated his technical gifts by establishing a radio link between a ship in the Arctic and one in the Antarctic, and by setting up Europe's highest radio station on Mont Blanc. As well, in 1928, he played a leading role in the rescuing of the crew of the downed airship "Italia", commanded by Admiral Noble, after receiving the ship's SOS. After graduating he took up flying and was later trained as a fighter pilot while a reservist. At the outbreak of war Dickfeld was assigned to III/JG 52 and flew missions over France, England, Greece and Crete before his unit transferred to Rumania. With the outbreak of war against the Soviet Union, Adolf Dickfeld soon became a well-known fighter pilot because of his numerous victories achieved in a short period of time. In 1942 he scored and amazing series of victories (11on the 8th of May, 9 on the 14th and 10 on the 18th) which resulted in the awarding of the Knight's Cross with Oakleaves. Soon afterward, Dickfeld was "Gruppenkommandeur" of II/JG 2, which was immediately transferred to North Africa. He achieved further victories in Tunisia before being injured in a takeoff accident. After recovering from his injuries, Dickfeld was appointed "Gruppenkommandeur" II/JG 11, a Reich Defense unit based in the Bremen-Helgoland area of northern Germany. He scored further kills against the Anglo-American air forces before being appointed of "General of the Replacement Luftwaffe" in the RLM in Berlin. Dickfeld once again flew operational sorties shortly before the end of the war, against advancing Soviet forces in the Lansberg-Küstrin area. Finally, Dickfeld was charged by Göring with the formations of a fighter unit equipped with the Heinkel He 162 jet fighter. He flew a number of sorties in the He 162, scoring one victory. During the Second World War Adolf Dickfeld flew a total of 1,072 combat missions and scored 151 victories, 136 of which were confirmed.