Eduard "Edu" Neumann (5 June 1911 – 9 August 2004) was a

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

officer and commanded the

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 Septembe ...

'Afrika' during the

North African Campaign The North African campaign of World War II took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943, fought between the Allies and the Axis Powers. It included campaigns in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert campaign, Desert Wa ...

from 1941 to 1943.

Early life

Neumann was born in the city of Molodiia, in the

Duchy of Bukovina The Duchy of Bukovina (; ; ) was a constituent land of the Austrian Empire from 1849 and a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary from 1867 until 1918. Name The name ''Bukovina'' came into official use in 1775 with the region's annexation ...

of the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

on 5 June 1911. In 1914, at the age of three, Eduard and his sister was sent to live with his grandparents after his mother died, and his father was conscripted due to the start of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. His father was killed on the Russian front in November that year. He attended school in

Czernowitz Chernivtsi (, ; , ;, , see also other names) is a city in southwestern Ukraine on the upper course of the Prut River. Formerly the capital of the historic region of Bukovina, which is now divided between Romania and Ukraine, Chernivtsi serv ...

until 1928 before moving to Germany, studying for a year at

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

before attending university at Berlin.

Luftwaffe service

Neumann learned to fly in Berlin in the early 1930s, and in 1934 joined the ''

''. In 1935, after completing training, he joined II. '' Gruppe'' of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 132 (II./JG 132), flying the

Heinkel He 51 The Heinkel He 51 was a German single-seat biplane fighter aircraft. A seaplane variant and a ground-attack version were also developed. It was a development of the earlier He 49. Design and development In 1931, Heinkel recruited the tal ...

fighter. On 13 February 1940, Neumann was appointed ''Geschwaderadjutant'', the

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

of the ''

Geschwaderkommodore ''Geschwaderkommodore'' (short also ''Kommodore'') is a ''Luftwaffe'' position or appointment (not rank), originating during World War II. A ''Geschwaderkommodore'' is usually an OF5-rank of ''Oberst'' (colonel) or Kapitän zur See (naval captain ...

'' (wing commander) of ''Jagdgeschwader'' 27 (JG 27—27th Fighter Wing). He succeeded ''Hauptmann'' Joachim Schlichting who had previously held this position. The day after scoring his first (World War II) victory during the opening phase of the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...

, a RAF No. 236 Squadron RAF Blenheim off the coast of

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

on the 20 July 1940, he was appointed '' Gruppenkommandeur'' of I./JG 27. After a brief participation in the Invasion of Yugoslavia, in April 1941 the unit moved to Ain-el Gazala, Libya, North Africa on 18 April 1941. He received the

German Cross The War Order of the German Cross (), normally abbreviated to the German Cross or ''Deutsches Kreuz'', was instituted by Adolf Hitler on 28 September 1941. It was awarded in two divisions: in gold for repeated acts of bravery or military leade ...

in Gold on 11 May 1942 as

Hauptmann () is an officer rank in the armies of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It is usually translated as ''captain''. Background While in contemporary German means 'main', it also has, and originally had, the meaning of 'head', i.e. ' literall ...

and Gruppenkommandeur I./ JG 27. On 8 June 1942, Neumann, by now a Major, was appointed as ''Geschwaderkommodore'' of JG 27, replacing Bernhard Woldenga, while

Gerhard Homuth Gerhard Homuth (20 September 1914 – 2 August 1943) was a World War II Luftwaffe fighter ace. He scored all but two of his 63 victories against the Western Allies whilst flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109, and was one of the top scoring aces in th ...

replaced Neumann as Gruppenkommandeur I./JG 27. Neumann successfully led JG 27 until 22 April 1943, when he was replaced by Gustav Rödel. After a period of leave, Neumann joined the Staff of General der Jagdflieger. In March 1943 Neumann was promoted to

Oberstleutnant () (English: Lieutenant Colonel) is a senior field officer rank in several German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to lieutenant colonel. It is currently used by both the ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, ...

(Lieutenant Colonel), and later in 1944 to

Oberst ''Oberst'' () is a senior field officer rank in several German language, German-speaking and Scandinavian countries, equivalent to Colonel. It is currently used by both the Army, ground and air forces of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, a ...

(

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

). Neumann finished the war as the Commander of Fighter Forces in Northern Italy.

After the war

After the war Neumann worked as a technical consultant on the Hans-Joachim Marseille biographical film, '' Der Stern von Afrika'', (''The Star of Africa''), directed by

Alfred Weidenmann Alfred Weidenmann (10 May 1916 – 9 June 2000) was a German film director, screenwriter, and author of children's books. He directed more than 30 films between 1942 and 1984. Selected filmography * ' (1942) * ' (1944) * ''I and You'' (195 ...

and starring Joachim Hansen as Marseille. Neumann died in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

on 9 August 2004.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Neumann, Eduard 1911 births 2004 deaths People from Chernivtsi Oblast People from the Duchy of Bukovina Bukovina-German people German people of Austrian descent Condor Legion personnel German World War II flying aces Recipients of the Gold German Cross