Gerhard Loos

Gerhard Loos
Born	21 August 1916 Kommern district of Brüx, Sudetenland
Died	6 March 1944 (aged 27) near Oldenburg
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Rank	Oberleutnant
Commands held	8./JG 54
Battles/wars	World War II Eastern Front Defense of the Reich †
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Gerhard Loos (21 August 1916 – 6 March 1944) was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Loos is credited with 92 aerial victories, 14 of which claimed in Defense of the Reich.^[1]

On 6 March 1944 Loos flying a Bf 109 G-6 "RX + DL" (Werksnummer 411922 — factory number) was shot down in aerial combat near Rheinsehlen by Lieutenant John Howell of the 357th Fighter Group. Hanging on his parachute he was drifting into a high voltage power line. Releasing the parachute at 20 metres (66 ft) he fell to his death.^[2]

Awards

• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st class
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (20 September 1943)^[2]
• German Cross in Gold (17 October 1943)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 5 February 1944 as Leutnant and Staffelführer of the 8./JG 54^[3]

References

Citations

1. Weal 2007, p. 67.
2. Obermaier 1989, p. 160.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 295.

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.
• Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945] (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-065-7.
• 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.
• Weal, John (2007). More Bf 109 Aces of the Russian Front. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-177-9.