Lothar Linke

Lothar Linke
Born	23 October 1909 Liegnitz
Died	14 May 1943 (aged 33) Lemmer, Netherlands
Buried at	Ysselsteyn, Netherlands (Block AR-row 4-grave 92)
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	?–1943
Rank	Oberleutnant
Unit	ZG 76 NJG 1 NJG 2
Battles/wars	World War II Norwegian Campaign Defense of the Reich
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Lothar Linke (23 October 1909 – 14 May 1943) was a German Luftwaffe night fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Lothar Linke claimed 27 aerial victories, 24 of them at night.^{[Notes 1]} On 14 May 1943 Linke and his crew were forced to bail out after their Bf-110 was hit by British fighters. He struck the tail end of the plane and was killed. On 19 September 1943, he was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross.

Awards

• Aviator badge
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (25 January 1943)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• German Cross in Gold on 12 April 1943 as Leutnant in the 12./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1^[1]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 19 September 1943 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 12./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1^[2]

Notes

1. For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter aces.

References

Citations

1. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 281.
2. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 240.

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.
• MacLean, French L (2007). Luftwaffe Efficiency & Promotion Reports: For the Knight's Cross Winners. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military History. ISBN 978-0-7643-2657-8.
• 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.
• 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.

External links

• World War 2 Awards.com
• Aces of the Luftwaffe