Hermann Buchner | |
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Born | 30 October 1919 Salzburg/Austria |
Died | 1 December 2005 Hörsching/Linz |
(aged 86)
Allegiance | First Austrian Republic (to 1938) Nazi Germany (to 1945) Austria |
Service/branch | Luftwaffe |
Years of service | 1937–1945 |
Rank | Leutnant (Wehrmacht) Oberst (Bundesheer) |
Unit | SG 2, JG 7 |
Battles/wars | |
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Hermann Buchner was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Buchner is credited with 46 tank victories and 58 aerial victories, including 12 while flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter, accumulated in 631 combat missions.[Notes 1]
Buchner, in the two years following World War II, served as an observer in the weather service of the American occupation forces. He helped found the Aero-Club Salzburg and worked as a flight instructor at glider school Zell am See. Austria regained its political autonomy in 1955 and Buchner joined the newly emerging Austrian Luftwaffe as a flight instructor and officer. Buchner was one of the first pilots trained on the British DH 115 "Vampire" and later the Swedish Saab J-29. He served as a technical officer in the Jagdbomber-Schulstaffel (ground attack training squadron) in Graz under command of Major Karl "Charly" Bleckl. Promoted to Oberstleutnant and staff officer in Jagdbombergeschwader 1 and at the same time surrogate of commander Oberst Bleckl he was made commander of the airfield at Linz-Hörsching in 1979. Buchner retired from active service one year later.
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Hermann Buchner had been nominated for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The nomination was not processed before the end of World War II in Europe.[1]
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