Alexander Gläser

Alexander Gläser
Alexander Gläser
Born	4 January 1914 Büdingen
Died	13 September 2003 (aged 89) Büdingen
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	?–1945
Rank	Hauptmann
Unit	StG 77 SchlG 77
Commands held	II./Schlachtgeschwader 77
Battles/wars	World War II Annexation of Austria Annexation of the Sudetenland Invasion of Poland Battle of Belgium Battle of France Battle of Britain Balkans Campaign Battle of Crete Operation Barbarossa Siege of Sevastopol (1941–1942) Battle of Stalingrad Battle of Kursk
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Alexander Gläser (4 January 1914 – 13 September 2003) was a highly decorated Hauptmann 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. Alexander Gläser is credited with flying 1123 missions during the war.^{[Notes 1]}

Awards and decorations

• Anschluss Medal
• Sudetenland Medal with Prague Castle Bar
• Aviator badge
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant "1100"
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (14 September 1939)^[1]
  • 1st Class (10 May 1940)^[1]
• Eastern Front Medal
• Crimea Shield
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (24 November 1941)
• German Cross in Gold on 18 May 1942 as Oberleutnant in the 3./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 19 February 1943 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of 4./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77^[3]
  • 811th Oak Leaves on 28 March 1945 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Schlachtgeschwader 77^[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 1997, p. 200.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 138.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 164.
4. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 83.

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 Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K [The Oak Leaves Bearers 1939–1945 Volume 1: A–K] (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.

External links

• World War 2 Awards.com