Siegfried Freytag

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Siegfried Freytag
10 September 1917(1917-09-10) — 1 June 2003 (aged 85)

Siegfried Freytag
Place of birth Danzig-Langfuhr
Place of death Marseille, France
Allegiance Flag of Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (to 1945)
Flag of France France
Service/branch Luftwaffe
French Army
Rank Major
Unit JG 77, JG 51, JG 7
Commands held II./JG 77, JG 77
Battles/wars World War II
First Indochina War
Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
Other work French Foreign Legion

Siegfried Freytag (born 4 May 1917 in Danzig-Langfuhr, died 1 June 2003 in Marseille, France) was a German World War II fighter ace and member of the French Foreign Legion.

Contents

[edit] World War II

Siegfried Freytag was officially credited with 102 victories. He claimed about 50 victories over the Eastern front. Among his victories claimed over the Western front are at least three four-engine bombers. Freytag had been nominated for the Oak Leaves to Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross but the war ended before the paperwork had been processed. Freytag may have shot down Henry Wallace McLeod. Freytag claimed the only Spitfire on 27 September 1944 in the Duisberg area.[1] James "Johnnie" Johnson had been in the same combat and saw McLeod chasing a Bf 109 and then lost sight of McLeod.[2] Johnson concluded that the Bf 109 had shot down McLeod. His body was found in the wreckage of his Spitfire near Wesel, not far from Duisberg. [3]

[edit] After the war

Siegfried Freytag survived World War II only to discover that all his family and friends had perished. [4] He then joined the French Foreign Legion as a regular infantry soldier. He fought in Indochina as an infantryman. He survived and ended up in the French Foreign Legion retirement home, where he died on 1 June 2003.

[edit] Awards

[edit] References

  1. ^ Siegfried Freytag
  2. ^ Johnson 2000, p. 273.
  3. ^ For Johnson's account see his or McLeod's page
  4. ^ Siegfried Freytag
  • Aces of the Luftwaffe. Siegried Freytag. Retrieved on 10 May 2007.
  • Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5
  • Johnson, J.E. Wing Leader. London: Goodall Publications Ltd. 2000 (original edition 1956). ISBN 0-907579-87-6.
  • Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit. Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II. Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 2001. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.
Military offices
Preceded by
Major Johannes Wiese		 Acting Commander of Jagdgeschwader 77 Herz As
December 26, 1944-December 29, 1944		 Succeeded by
Major Erich Leie
Preceded by
Major Erich Leie		 Acting Commander of Jagdgeschwader 77 Herz As
March 7, 1945-March 31, 1945		 Succeeded by
Major Fritz Losigkeit
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