Siegfried Freytag

Siegfried Freytag (10 November 1919 – 1 June 2003) was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot and wing commander.

As a fighter ace, he was credited with 102 aerial victories of which 49 victories were claimed over the Eastern Front.

Among his victories over the Western Front are at least 2 four-engine bombers.

He was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Freytag had been nominated for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, but the war ended before the paperwork had been processed.

Freytag was born on 10 November 1919 and joined the Luftwaffe in 1938.

After completing training as a fighter pilot he was posted to 6.

Freytag was born on 10 November 1919 in Danzig-Langfuhr, at the time in the Province of West Prussia.

Today Danzig-Langfuhr is Wrzeszcz, a borough of the Polish city of Gdańsk.

Following flight training, he was posted to the 6.

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

Staffel (squadron) Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—Fighter Wing 77) in the autumn, 1940.

Freytag claimed his first victory on 31 October 1940 on the final day of the Battle of Britain.

Freytag began wartime operations in October 1940.

On 31 October—considered by the British to be the final day of the Battle of Britain—on patrol west of Lister, Norway, at 16:00 CET, he shot down a RAF Coastal Command Lockheed Hudson, T9377 from No. 233 Squadron RAF.

Pilot Officer W.O. Weaber, B. P. Erskine Sergeant J. A. Wallace and H. Dean were killed in action, buried Sola Church and commemorated at the Runnymede Memorial.

In April 1941 he participated in the Balkans Campaign, the Battle of Greece and Battle of Crete.

In June Freytag was deployed to the Eastern Front with JG 77 for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union.

During the Battle of Greece, on 24 April 1941, Freytag crashed his Bf 109E near Athens following combat and was wounded.

In early June I. and III./JG 77 were deployed to Romania and subordinated to IV. Fliegerkorps under the command of Kurt Pflugbeil.

The battle group was designated as close air support to Army Group South.

On 22 June 1941 the German Wehrmacht commenced Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union.

Freytag achieved steady success.

Freytag passed five victories becoming a flying ace and by 3 June 1942 he had claimed 50 enemy aircraft destroyed.

On 27 June 1942, Freytag was appointed Staffelkapitän (Squadron leader) of 1.

Staffel and relocated to the Mediterranean Theatre.

Freytag participated in the air battle over Malta.

On 3 July 1942 Freytag was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 53 aerial victories.

He became the most successful German pilot over Malta.

Freytag was transferred with his unit to North Africa to assist the collapsing Axis forces.

On 13 March 1943, Freytag was appointed Gruppenkommandeur (Group Commander) of II./JG 77.

By this date he had claimed 85 victories.

Freytag continued operations over Sicily where he was shot down and wounded in action on 12 July 1943.

Thereafter, Freytag led the group in Defence of the Reich operations.

On 13 June 1944 Freytag scored his 100th victory.

In December 1944 Freytag commanded JG 77 in air superiority operations on the Western Front at the beginning Ardennes Offensive until 25 December 1944 when he was appointed Geschwaderkommodore (Wing Commander) on a temporary basis.

Freytag scored his 102nd and last aerial victory during Operation Bodenplatte, on 1 January 1945.

In April 1945 Freytag served with Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—Fighter Wing 51) and Jagdgeschwader 7 (JG 7—Fighter Wing 7), where he flew the Messerschmitt Me 262 until the German surrender in May 1945.

After war he served in the French Foreign Legion.

Staffel (6th squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing).

Freytag died in France in 2003.