Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt
Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt (15 September 1920 – 7 September 1942) was a German fighter pilot during World War II. A flying ace, he was credited with 59 victories against the Western Allies in North Africa. Stahlschmidt was a close friend of the prominent ace Hans-Joachim Marseille. Early life Hans-Arnold Stahlschmidt was born on 15 September 1920 in Kreuztal, Westphalia. Following his compulsory Reich Labour Service, Stahlschmidt joined the military service of the Luftwaffe as a cadet on 16 October 1939. World War II World War II in Europe had begun on Friday, 1 September 1939, when German forces invaded Poland. In Salzwedel, Stahlschmidt completed his military basic training. On 15 November 1939, he was posted to the pilot training facilities in Breslau and the '' Kriegsschule'' (war-college) at Vienna-Schwechat. From here in January 1941, he was posted as an ''Oberfähnrich'' (Officer Candidate) to 2. '' Staffel'' (2nd squadron) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 27 (JG 27—Fighter ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Kreuztal
Kreuztal is a town in the Siegen-Wittgenstein district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Location Kreuztal is a town in the low mountains of the northern Siegerland and lies at the western edge of the Rothaargebirge about 10 km north of Siegen. Across the municipal area from the east flows the Ferndorfbach, swinging to the south in the inner town and leaving the municipal area through the constituent community of Buschhütten. In the northern municipal area rises the Littfe, which then runs through the constituent communities of Burgholdinghausen, Littfeld, Krombach, Eichen and Fellinghausen before emptying into the Ferndorfbach in the inner town. Further tributary brooks to the Littfe are the Langebach, the Heimkäuser Bach, the Breitenbach, the Krombach, the Stendenbach and the Bockenbach. In the town's west end rises the Heesbach, which then runs through the constituent communities of Oberhees, Mittelhees, Junkernhees and Fellinghausen, emptying into the Li ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Reich Labour Service
The Reich Labour Service (''Reichsarbeitsdienst''; RAD) was a major paramilitary organization established in Nazi Germany as an agency to help mitigate the effects of unemployment on the German economy, militarise the workforce and indoctrinate it with Nazi ideology. It was the official state labour service, divided into separate sections for men and women. From June 1935 onward, men aged between 18 and 25 may have served six months before their military service. During World War II, compulsory service also included young women, and the RAD developed to an auxiliary formation which provided support for the Wehrmacht armed forces. Foundation In the course of the Great Depression, the German government of the Weimar Republic under Chancellor Heinrich Brüning by emergency decree established the ''Freiwilliger Arbeitsdienst'' ('Voluntary Labour Service', FAD), on 5 June 1931, two years before the Nazi Party (NSDAP) ascended to national power. The state sponsored employment o ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Siege Of Malta (World War II)
The siege of Malta in World War II was a military campaign in the Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II, Mediterranean theatre. From June 1940 to November 1942, the fight for the control of the strategically important island of the British Empire, British Crown Colony of Malta pitted the air and naval forces of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany against the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Royal Navy. The opening of a North African campaign, new front in North Africa in June 1940 increased Malta's already considerable value. British air and sea forces based on the island could attack Axis powers, Axis ships transporting supplies and reinforcements from Europe. General Erwin Rommel, de facto field commander of ''Panzerarmee Afrika'' in North Africa, recognised its importance quickly. In May 1941, he warned that "Without Malta the Axis will end by losing control of North Africa". The Axis resolved to strategic bombing, bomb or starve Malta into submission, to soften it ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4.7 million inhabitants, including 1.2 million in and around the capital city of Palermo, it is both the largest and most populous island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sicily is named after the Sicels, who inhabited the eastern part of the island during the Iron Age. Sicily has a rich and unique culture in #Art and architecture, arts, Music of Sicily, music, #Literature, literature, Sicilian cuisine, cuisine, and Sicilian Baroque, architecture. Its most prominent landmark is Mount Etna, the tallest active volcano in Europe, and one of the most active in the world, currently high. The island has a typical Mediterranean climate. It is separated from Calabria by the Strait of Messina. It is one of the five Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with s ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Leutnant
() is the lowest junior officer rank in the armed forces of Germany ( Bundeswehr), the Austrian Armed Forces, and the military of Switzerland. History The German noun (with the meaning "" (in English "deputy") from Middle High German «locum tenens» (in English "place holder") was derived from the French word about 1500. In most German-speaking armies it is the lowest officer rank (in German-speaking navies (English "Lieutenant at sea")). In the German Bundeswehr the ranks and belong to the rank group. In some other armed forces (such as the former National People's Army) there is the lower grade of Unterleutnant. From about 1500 until the middle of the 17th century the designation of was commonly used for any deputy to a commanding officer. So at the army level there was the appointment of (English "lieutenant-general"), at the regimental level there was that of (English "lieutenant-colonel"), and at the company level the was deputy to a (English "captain"). Wi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, highest population within its city limits of any city in the European Union. The city is also one of the states of Germany, being the List of German states by area, third smallest state in the country by area. Berlin is surrounded by the state of Brandenburg, and Brandenburg's capital Potsdam is nearby. The urban area of Berlin has a population of over 4.6 million and is therefore the most populous urban area in Germany. The Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region, Berlin-Brandenburg capital region has around 6.2 million inhabitants and is Germany's second-largest metropolitan region after the Rhine-Ruhr region, as well as the List of EU metropolitan areas by GDP, fifth-biggest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Jagdgeschwader 27
''Jagdgeschwader'' 27 (JG 27) "''Afrika''" was a fighter wing of the Luftwaffe during World War II. The wing was given the name "Africa" for serving in the North African Campaign predominantly alone in the period from April 1941 to September 1942. Elements of JG 27 fought in every major theatre of operations in which the Wehrmacht operated. Stab JG 27 was created in October 1939 and assigned two ''gruppen'' (groups) in the Phoney War. The wing's first campaign was Fall Gelb, the battles of the Low Countries and France. In the second half of 1940 JG 27 received a third ''gruppe'' and fought in the Battle of Britain. In 1941 it returned to Germany then fought in the German invasion of Yugoslavia and Battle of Greece in April 1941. The wing was then separated with two ''gruppen'' sent to support Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. I. ''Gruppe'' was sent to Italian Libya beginning JG 27s North African Campaign from mid-April ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Organization Of The Luftwaffe (1933–1945)
Between 1933 and 1945, the organization of the Luftwaffe underwent several changes. Originally, the German military high command, for their air warfare forces, decided to use an organizational structure similar to the army and navy, treating the aviation branch as a strategic weapon of war. Later on, during the period of rapid rearmament, the Luftwaffe was organized more in a geographical fashion. Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles (1919), Germany was prohibited from having an air force, with the former German Empire's ''Luftstreitkräfte'' disbandment in 1920. German pilots were secretly trained for military aviation, first in the Soviet Union during the late 1920s, and then in Germany in the early 1930s. In Germany, the training was done under the guise of the German Air Sports Association ( (DLV)) at the Central Commercial Pilots School ( (ZVF)). Following its 15 May 1933 formation in secret, the formation of the German air arm was openly announced in February 1935, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Oberfähnrich
(OFähnr or OFR) designates in the Heer of the Bundeswehr a military person or member of the armed forces with the last or highest Officer Aspirant (OA – de: ) rank. According to the salary class it is equivalent to the ranks of or , and of . It is also grouped as OR-7 in NATO, equivalent to Sergeant 1st Class, Master Sergeant, or Chief Petty Officer in the US Armed forces, and to Warrant Officer Class 2 in the British Army and Royal Navy. In navy context NCOs of this rank were formally addressed as also informally / short . The sequence of ranks (top-down approach) in that particular group is as follows: *OR-9: *OR-8: *OFD: and / and *OR-6a: / *OR-6b: and / and See also * Rank insignia of the German Bundeswehr References {{DEFAULTSORT:Oberfahnrich Military ranks of Germany ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. Its larger metropolitan area has a population of nearly 2.9 million, representing nearly one-third of the country's population. Vienna is the Culture of Austria, cultural, Economy of Austria, economic, and Politics of Austria, political center of the country, the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, fifth-largest city by population in the European Union, and the most-populous of the List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. The city lies on the eastern edge of the Vienna Woods (''Wienerwald''), the northeasternmost foothills of the Alps, that separate Vienna from the more western parts of Austria, at the transition to the Pannonian Basin. It sits on the Danube, and is ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
|
Kriegsschule (Wehrmacht)
A ''Kriegsschule'' was a general Military academy, military school used for basic officer training and higher education in Germany starting in as early as the 17th century. There have been many Kriegsakademies (War academy), 'Kriegsschulen' (War Schools), or even Ritterakademies (Knight academy) in Germany. Origins The institutions were originally created to correct the defective education of the aristocracy because the knight order complained, "the young noblemen were too quickly tired of schools and studies show that even those who would choose to war over the necessity and the complaints are too easily fatigued and returned home." After the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), Frederick the Great, Frederick II was faced with the task of reorganizing and refreshing the army. Due to the war in all of the European countries, it became obvious that the education of the officers was lacking. It was believed that the experience of war taught all that was necessary. After the war, the ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |