Stefan Litjens

Stefan "Steff" Litjens
Nickname(s)	"Steff"
Born	13 October 1913 Hasselt
Died	25 February 2002 (aged 88) Kalkar
Allegiance	Nazi Germany (to 1945)  West Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1937-1945 1956-1966
Rank	Oberfeldwebel (Wehrmacht) Hauptfeldwebel (Bundeswehr)
Unit	JG 53
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of France Battle of Britain Operation Barbarossa Siege of Malta North African Campaign Defense of the Reich
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Stefan "Steff" Litjens (13 October 1913 – 25 February 2002) was a German Luftwaffe 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. Stefan Litjens joined the postwar Bundeswehr in 1956 and retired in 1966. During his career he was credited with 38 victories in 444 missions, 17 on the Eastern Front and 21 on the Western Front.

Awards

• Aviator badge
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (21 July 1941)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• German Cross in Gold on 24 April 1942 as Oberfeldwebel in the 4./Jagdgeschwader 53^[1]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 21 June 1943 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 4./Jagdgeschwader 53^[2]

References

Citations

1. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 282.
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.
• 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.
• Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1.

External links

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