Willy Lehnert

Willy Lehnert
Born 9 March 1916
Nuremberg
Died 10 July 1975(1975-07-10) (aged 59)
Nuremberg
Allegiance  Nazi Germany
Service/branch  Luftwaffe
Years of service 1937 – 1945
Rank Oberfeldwebel
Unit KG 51, LG 1, KG 6
Battles/wars World War II
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Willy Lehnert (9 March 1916 – 10 July 1975) was a German Luftwaffe bomber radio operator and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He received this award after more than 300 combat missions. Lehnert was a member of the Hermann Hogeback bomber crew. Hogeback's crew earned the distinction of being the only crew to have all members awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross by the end of the war, and Lehnert was the second, aside from Hogenback himself, of the three crew members to be awarded after Oberfeldwebel Günter Glasner on 31 December 1943.

Willy Lehnert joined the Luftwaffe in 1937. He flew his first combat mission from Sicily in March 1940. In July 1941 he was able to shoot down two of twelve attacking British fighters and so saved the Junkers Ju 88 from destruction.[1]

Awards

References

Citations

  1. ↑ Schumann 2007, p. 123.
  2. ↑ Patzwall 2008, p. 133.
  3. ↑ Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 273.
  4. ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 287.
  5. ↑ Scherzer 2007, p. 499.

Bibliography

  • 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. 
  • Kaiser, Jochen (2011). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kampfflieger—Band 2 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Bomber Flyer—Volume 2] (in German and English). Bad Zwischenahn, Germany: Luftfahrtverlag-Start. ISBN 978-3-941437-09-8. 
  • 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. 
  • Patzwall, Klaus D. (2008). Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg [The Honor Goblet for Outstanding Achievement in the Air War] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3. 
  • 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. 
  • Schumann, Ralf (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 des LG 1 (in German). Zweibrücken, Germany: VDM Heinz Nickel. ISBN 978-3-86619-013-9.
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