Leutnant Fritz Thiede (21 January 1896 – 14 June 1981) was a World War I

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviation, military aviator credited with shooting down a certain minimum number of enemy aircraft during aerial combat; the exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ...

credited with eight aerial victories. He became a personal pilot for

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician and military leader who was the 4th of the (Protection Squadron; SS), a leading member of the Nazi Party, and one of the most powerful p ...

and

Reinhard Heydrich Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich ( , ; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a German high-ranking SS and police official during the Nazi era and a principal architect of the Holocaust. He held the rank of SS-. Many historians regard Heydrich ...

in the 1930s. He served in the

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 ...

during World War II.

Biography

Fritz Thiede was born in Lichterfelde, the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

on 21 January 1896. He joined the 2nd Fusilier Artillery Regiment on 1 October 1913. He was still serving with them when World War I began.Franks et al 1993, pp. 214-215. On 1 May 1915, he transferred to the ''

Luftstreitkräfte The ''Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte'' (, German Air Combat Forces)known before October 1916 as (The Imperial German Air Service, lit. "The flying troops of the German Kaiser’s Reich")was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-langu ...

'' to start aviation training at ''Fliegerersatz-Abteilung'' (Replacement Detachment) 5 in

Hannover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

, Germany. Once trained, Thiede was posted to ''

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (; ; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ''ᛋᛋ'') was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II. It beg ...

'' (Protection Squadron) 5 in February 1916. This squadron was attached to "Bombengeschwader der

Oberste Heeresleitung The ''Oberste Heeresleitung'' (, "Supreme Army Command", OHL) was the highest echelon of command of the army (''Heer'') of the German Empire. In the latter part of World War I, the Third OHL assumed dictatorial powers and became the ''de facto'' ...

" 2; ''Bogohl'' 2 was directly subordinate to the German Supreme Command. ''Schutzstaffel'' 5 was a defensive fighter squadron. Thiede saw action over the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (; ), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and the French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place between 1 July and 18 Nove ...

. Fritz Thiede was commissioned as a ''

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 ...

'' in October 1917. He went to ''Jastaschule'' (Fighter School) to upgrade to single-seat fighters. On 21 January 1918, he was sent to a single-seat fighter squadron, '' Jagdstaffel 24''. Thiede staked his first victory claim on 16 March 1918, but it went unconfirmed. On 22 March, he was brought down by anti-aircraft fire west of Le Fere, but was unscathed. On 21 April, he finally scored his first accredited victory, when he downed a SPAD over Tricot. Thiede received a personal letter of appreciation from

Kaiser Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as the Hohenzollern dynasty ...

for a double victory on the night of 23 May 1918. He would continue to score throughout May and June, becoming an ace on 15 June 1918. On 23 June 1918, Thiede was reassigned, when he was given command of '' Jagdstaffel 38'' in Macedonia. He scored three victories with them during September 1918, bringing his tally to eight confirmed wins. At some point during the war, he had won the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, the German Empire (1871–1918), and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). The design, a black cross pattée with a white or silver outline, was derived from the in ...

First Class; this award presupposes prior award of the Second Class medal. First Thiede would go on to become the private pilot for

and

. In 1938, Thiede recommended a "below the tail" approach tactics for night fighters attacking enemy bombers, but it was rejected, only to be revived during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.Boog et al 2006, p. 205. Thiede served in the ''

'' during World War II.

Endnotes

References

Horst Boog Horst Boog (5 January 1928 – 8 January 2016) was a German historian who specialised in the history of Nazi Germany and World War II. He was the research director at the Military History Research Office (MGFA). Boog was a contributor to ...

; Gerhard Krebs; Detlef Vogel. ''Germany and the Second World War: Volume VII: The Strategic Air War in Europe and the War in the West and East Asia, 1943-1944/5: Volume 7 of Deutsche Reich und der Zweite Weltkrieg: Volume 7 of Germany & Second World War, Germany (Federal Republic). Militärgeschichtliches Forschungsamt.'' Oxford University Press, 2006. , 9780198228899. *

Norman Franks Norman Leslie Robert Franks (1940 – 21 May 2023) was an English militaria writer who specialised in aviation topics. He focused on the pilots and squadrons of World Wars I and II. Biography Franks published his first book in 1976. H ...

, Frank W. Bailey, Russell Guest. ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918''. Grub Street, 1993. , . {{DEFAULTSORT:Thiede, Fritz 1896 births 1981 deaths German World War I flying aces Luftstreitkräfte personnel Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class People from Lichterfelde (Berlin) Military personnel from Berlin Luftwaffe personnel of World War II