Reinhard Seiler

Reinhard Seiler (30 August 1909 – 6 October 1989) was a Nazi German Luftwaffe Major and ace of the Spanish Civil War and World War II, commander of Jagdgeschwader 104 and a winner of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves; for the fighter pilots, it was a quantifiable measure of skill and combat success.

Reinhard Seiler was credited with 100 victories during World War II, over the course of about 500 combat missions.

He recorded an additional 9 victories during the Spanish Civil War.

Seiler was born on 30 August 1909 in Rawitsch, in the Province of Posen, at the time a Prussian province of the German Empire and now in Poland.

He was the son of Justizoberwachtmeister, a police officer at court.

He joined the newly created Luftwaffe in 1935 and was promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant) on 20 April 1937.

After completing his pilot training, he was sent to Spain with the Condor Legion, and served with 2.

On 26 August 1937, the Condor Legion attacked ships in the harbor of Gijón.

Flying fighter escort to the bombers, Seiler claimed his first aerial victory when he shot down a Polikarpov I-15 fighter.

He claimed his second aerial victory on 4 September, a Polikarpov I-16 shot down over Asturias.

On 30 October, command of the Condor Legion transferred from Generalmajor Hugo Sperrle to Generalmajor Hellmuth Volkmann.

Volkmann reorganized J/88, placing 2.

Staffel under the command of Oberleutnant (First Lieutenant) Joachim Schlichting.

Seiler claimed his third aerial victory on 29 November.

When Seiler returned to Germany, he was credited with nine aerial victories and was one of the leading fighter pilots of the Condor Legion.

For his service in Spain, he was awarded the Spanish Cross in Gold with Diamonds (Spanienkreuz in Gold mit Schwertern und Brillanten).

He was promoted to Oberleutnant on 1 April 1939.

After his return from Spain, Seiler was appointed the Staffelkapitän (Squadron leader) of the newly established 1.

Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 70 (JG 70—70th Fighter Wing) on 15 July 1939.

World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland.

He scored his first victory of the war on 10 January 1940, shooting down a French reconnaissance Potez southwest of Freiburg.

He scored a second victory on 7 April West of Strasbourg.

However he scored no further in the subsequent Battle of France, when his unit covered the Panzer advance through the Ardennes forests and later over the Dunkirk bridgehead.

Pulled out early, back to occupied Netherlands as the campaign wound down, I./JG 54 was then one of the first units to re-occupy the Pas de Calais, in early August 1940 in anticipation of the upcoming Battle of Britain.

On a bomber escort mission over Dover on 5 August 1940, Seiler scored his third victory (a Spitfire), but was bounced by a Hurricane squadron, shot down and severely injured.

Taking to his parachute over the English Channel, he was rescued and hospitalised, but was out of action for over 6 months.

Promoted to Hauptmann (Captain) in December, he returned to his command of 1./JG 54 in the spring of 1941, as the Luftwaffe prepared for the upcoming invasion of Russia - Operation Barbarossa.

JG 54 was tasked with providing the fighter cover for Army Group North and its advance toward Leningrad.

On the opening day of the campaign (22 June 1941) he shot down 3 aircraft, thereby doubling his score, and as his unit leap-frogged to new airbases across the Baltic States over the next few weeks his score continued to rise.

By the end of September, he had 33 victories and his unit had finally settled down, establishing itself at Siverskaya, (about 60 km south of Leningrad).

He had been awarded the Honor Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 20 August recognising his leadership and combat success.

With the loss of Arnold Lignitz on 30 September (shot down over Leningrad), Hauptmann Seiler was assigned to command III.

Gruppe (also based at Siverskaya), as Barbarossa entered its critical phase.

Despite surrounding the city, it could not be taken so Hitler decided instead to besiege it.

Staffel (2nd squadron) of Jagdgruppe 88 (J/88—88th Fighter Group).

The Staffel was based at Herzogenaurach, equipped with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 D-1 and subordinated to the I. Gruppe (1st group) of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing) under the command of Major Ernst Freiherr von Berg.

Seiler's unit was kept back and on 13 September, it formed the nucleus of the newly created I Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing) which had been placed under command of Major Hans-Jürgen von Cramon-Taubadel.

In consequence, Seiler's 1 Staffel was renamed 1.

Staffel of JG 54.

On 1 November, the Gruppe was transferred to Böblingen to patrol the southernmost region of the French-German border.