Helmut Leicht

Helmut Leicht
Born	2 November 1916 Ludwigsburg
Died	26 June 1944 (aged 25) Vitebsk
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1936–45
Rank	Major
Unit	StG 77 SG 10
Commands held	II./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 III./Schlachtgeschwader 10
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of Belgium Battle of France Battle of Britain Operation Barbarossa Siege of Sevastopol (1941-1942) Battle of Stalingrad Battle of Kursk Operation Bagration Vitebsk–Orsha Offensive †
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Helmut Leicht (2 November 1916 – 26 June 1944) was a highly decorated Major in the Luftwaffe during World War II, and one of only 882 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Helmut Leicht was listed as missing in action as of 26 June 1944 after a flight near Vitebsk, Belarus. He was posthumously awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross on 24 October 1944. During his career he flew 900 flights.^{[Notes 1]}

Awards and decorations

• Aviator badge
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant "900"
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (20 September 1939)^[1]
  • 1st Class (14 June 1940)^[1]
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Black
  • in Silver
• German Cross in Gold on 10 July 1942 as Oberleutnant in the 2./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 3 September 1942 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän of the 2./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77^[3]
  • 631st Oak Leaves on 24 October 1944 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Schlachtgeschwader 10^[4]

Notes

1. For a list of Luftwaffe ground attack aces see List of German World War II Ground Attack aces

References

Citations

1. Thomas 1998, p. 19.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 274.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 235.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 76.

Bibliography

• Brütting, Georg (1992) [1976]. Das waren die deutschen Stuka-Asse 1939 – 1945 [These were the German Stuka Aces 1939 – 1945] (in German) (7th ed.). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch. ISBN 978-3-87943-433-6.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
• Obermaier, Ernst (1976). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe 1939–1945 Band II Stuka- und Schlachtflieger [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe 1939–1945 Volume II Dive Bomber and Attack Aircraft] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-021-3.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 2: L–Z] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9.

External links

• World War 2 Awards.com
• Lexikon der Wehrmacht