Walter Storp (2 February 1910 – 9 August 1981) was a German bomber pilot and commander of several bomber wings during

World War II 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 ...

. He was a recipient of the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. While it was lower in precedence than the Grand C ...

. Storp reached the rank of

Generalmajor is the Germanic languages, Germanic variant of major general, used in a number of Central Europe, Central and Northern European countries. Austria Belgium Denmark is the second lowest general officer rank in the Royal Danish Army and R ...

and ended the war as commander of the

5th Air Division The 5th Air Division (5th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, based at Sidi Slimane Air Base, Morocco. It was inactivated on 15 July 1958. The unit's origins begin with its predec ...

in Norway. Storp was born on 2 February 1910 in Schnecken,

East Prussia East Prussia was a Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1772 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 1871); following World War I it formed part of the Weimar Republic's ...

, the son of a

forester A forester is a person who practises forest management and forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including ecological restoration and management of protected areas. Fores ...

. After he received his ''

Abitur ''Abitur'' (), often shortened colloquially to ''Abi'', is a qualification granted at the end of secondary education in Germany. It is conferred on students who pass their final exams at the end of ISCED 3, usually after twelve or thirteen year ...

'' (diploma) in 1928 he joined the military service and served in the navy.Schumann 2007, pp. 185, 187. Holding the rank of ''Oberleutnant'' he served in the ''Bordfliegerstaffel'' 1./106 (on board flyers squadron) until February 1936. From May to September he was a pilot aboard the heavy cruiser ''Admiral Scheer'', participating in the ship's first cruise of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

in August 1936.Kaiser 2010, p. 71. Storp was assigned to the Reich Ministry of Aviation on 1 October 1938 and at the same time became the chief pilot of general

Hans Jeschonnek Hans Jeschonnek (9 April 1899 – 18 August 1943) was a German military aviator in the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' during World War I, a general staff officer in the ''Reichswehr'' in the inter–war period and ''Generaloberst'' (Colonel-General) and a ...

. Serving briefly with KG 30 in early 1940, Storp became temporary '' Gruppenkommandeur'' of III ''gruppe,'' KG 4 between May and August 1940. He was then appointed group commander of II./ Kampfgeschwader 76 (II./KG 76—2nd Group of the 76th Bomber Wing) on 12 September 1940. He and his crew performed a successful low-altitude attack over the English Midlands on 27 September 1940.Schumann 2007, p. 185. In April 1941 Storp was appointed commander of

Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 ''Schnellkampfgeschwader'' 210 (SKG 210) was a Luftwaffe fast-bomber wing during the Second World War. The unit was created in April 1941 and absorbed by the Zerstörergeschwader 1 on 4 January 1942. Operational history SKG 210 had its origi ...

, leading the unit during operations against the Soviet Union during 1941. He then was transferred to a RLM staff appointment in October 1941, before a further move in September 1942, as ''Geschwaderkommodore'' of Kampfgeschwader 6. A return to KG 76 occurred in June 1944, while in February 1945 he became Commander of the ''5th Flieger-Division'' until the end of the war.

Awards

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 ...

(1939) 2nd Class (2 October 1939) & 1st Class (26 April 1940)Thomas 1998, p. 353. * Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (20 October 1940)Schumann 2007, p. 187. *

** Knight's Cross (21 October 1940) 149th recipient in the Luftwaffe 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 of the II./ Kampfgeschwader 76Scherzer 2007, p. 727. ** Oak Leaves (14 July 1941) as

Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

und ''

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 ...

'' of the Schnellkampfgeschwader 210

References

* * * Schumann, Ralf (2007). ''Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 des LG 1'' (in German). Zweibrücken, Germany: VDM Heinz Nickel. . * {{DEFAULTSORT:Storp, Walter 1910 births 1981 deaths People from Slavsky District Military personnel from East Prussia Major generals of the Luftwaffe Luftwaffe World War II generals German World War II bomber pilots Reichsmarine personnel Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United Kingdom