| Arved Crüger | |
|---|---|
Arved Crüger |
|
| Born | 25 June 1911 Pillau, Eastern Prussia |
| Died | 22 March 1942 (aged 30) near Malta |
| Allegiance | Weimar Republic (to 1933) Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch | Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1931–1942 |
| Rank | Major |
| Commands held | 5./Kampfgeschwader 30 Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 Kampfgeschwader 77 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
| Relations | Carola Höhn (wife) |
Arved Crüger (26 June 1911 – 22 March 1942) was a Luftwaffe wing commander during World War II and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipient. He married the German movie actress Carola Höhn in 1941. He was appointed Geschwaderkommodore (Wing Commander) of Kampfgeschwader 77 (KG 77—77th Bomber Wing) in 1942. Crüger was posted as missing in action on 22 March 1942.
Contents |
Gustav-Arved Crüger was born on 25 June 1911 in Pillau, district of Samland in East Prussia. He joined the military service as a Fahnenjunker (Officer Cadet) in the 2nd Infantry Regiment (Infanterie-Regiment 2) on 1 April 1931. He the attended the infantry school in Dresden from 1 October 1932 until 1 June 1933. With graduation he was promoted to Fähnrich and transferred to the 6th Communications-Department (Nachrichtenabteilung 6). He then attended the Artillery School in Jüterbog before transferring to the Luftwaffe in 1934.[1]
Hauptmann Arved Crüger received the Knight's Cross to the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 19 June 1940 in recognition of his leadership as Staffelkapitän of the 5th Staffel (Squadron) of Kampfgeschwader 30 (KG 30—30th Bomber Wing) during the anti-shipping campaign against the British Home Fleet and during the Battle of France.[1]
Crüger married the German actress Carola Höhn in April 1941. The marriage produced a posthumous son, Arved-Michael, who was born in June 1942.[2]
After his wedding vacation Crüger took command as Geschwaderkommodore of the Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 on 30 September 1941 at the Eastern front. He then became Geschwaderkommodore of Kampfgeschwader 77 on 13 March 1942. Fighting in the Mediterranean theater of operations Crüger went missing in action on 22 March 1942. Flying the Junkers Ju 88 A-4 3Z+AA (Werknummer 8627—factory number) he failed to return from a combat mission against the British forces on Malta.[2] Crüger and his crew appear to have been shot down by Royal Naval AA fire while attacking shipping on route to Malta.[3]
| Date | Original German Wehrmachtbericht wording | Direct English translation |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 30 March 1941 | Kampfflugzeuge unter Führung des Majors Krüger griffen in den Nachmittagsstunden des 29. März im Seegebiet westlich Kreta einen starken englischen Flottenverband erfolgreich an. Sie erzielten trotz heftiger Flak- und Jagdabwehr auf einem Flugzeugträger drei Bombenvolltreffer. Bei den Luftkämpfen während des Angriffs schossen Kampfflugzeuge ein britisches Jagdflugzeug vom Muster Hurricane ab. Alle eigenen Flugzeuge kehrten zu ihren Stützpunkten zurück.[6] | Bombers under the command of Major Krüger attacked a strong British naval task force in the sea area west of Crete in the afternoon hours of 29 March. They scored three direct bomb hits on an aircraft carrier despite the heavy anti aircraft fire and fighter cover. One British aircraft of the type Hurricane was shot down by the bombers during the aerial battles. All of our aircraft returned to their bases. |
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Major Walter Storp |
Commander of Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 30 September 1941 – 4 January 1942 |
Succeeded by redesignated Stab/Zerstörergeschwader 1 |
| Preceded by created from Stab/Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 |
Commander of Zerstörergeschwader 1 4 January 1942 – 2 March 1942 |
Succeeded by Major Ulrich Diesing |
| Preceded by Oberstleutnant Johann Raithel |
Commander of Kampfgeschwader 77 13 March 1942 – 22 March 1942 |
Succeeded by Major Wilhelm Stremmler |