Friedrich-Wilhelm Morzik
Friedrich-Wilhelm Morzik | |
---|---|
Friedrich-Wilhelm Morzik (2nd from right) | |
Nickname(s) | Fritz |
Born |
10 December 1891 Passenheim |
Died |
17 June 1985 93) Freudenstadt | (aged
Allegiance |
German Empire (to 1918) Weimar Republic (to 1919) Nazi Germany |
Service/branch |
Heer (1909–11) Luftstreitkräfte (1911–19) Luftwaffe (1934–45) |
Years of service |
1909–19 1934–45 |
Rank | Generalmajor |
Commands held |
Air Transport Command Kampfgeschwader z.b.V. 1 and Lufttransportführer Ost of Luftflotte 1 |
Battles/wars |
|
Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Other work | Pilot |
Friedrich-Wilhelm "Fritz" Morzik (10 December 1891 – 17 June 1985) was a highly decorated Generalmajor in the Luftwaffe during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Friedrich-Wilhelm Morzik was captured in May 1945 by American troops and was held until 1947.
World War I
He trained as a pilot and served with the flying detachment of the Asia Corps in World War I.
Interwar period
After the war he initially served with a police flying unit in Silesia until 1921. After that was an instructor with the German Air Transportation School in Brunswick. In 1928 he became a vice-director in Staaken, then its director. He was connected with Deutsche Luft Hansa, the German national airline at that time.
Fritz Morzik was also an active sports pilot. He was a winner in the first International Tourist Plane Contest Challenge and the second Challenge in 1930. In the third Challenge in 1932 he was second, before Elly Beinhorn had been forced to withdraw from the competition and had her Heinkel He 64 aircraft to him. He took part in the fourth Challenge in 1934, but did not finish it due to engine breakdown. He was the only pilot to participate in all Challenges.
World War II
In 1935 he started service in the German Air Force (Luftwaffe), as a commandant of pilots' school. In World War II he became a head of Luftwaffe Transport Command, in a rank of Generalmajor.
Post-war
After the war he wrote a detailed story of German transport aviation during the war: Die deutschen Transportflieger im Zweiten Weltkrieg (Frankfurt am Main, 1966) and German Air Force Airlift Operations (New York: Arno Press, 1968).
Awards and decorations
- Iron Cross (1914)
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
- Kgl. Preuss. Flugzeugführer-Abzeichen
- Honour Cross of the World War 1914/1918
- Sudetenland Medal with Prague Castle Bar
- Iron Cross (1939)
- 2nd Class
- 1st Class
- Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 16 April 1942 as Oberst and Geschwaderkommodore of Kampfgeschwader z.b.V. 1 and Lufttransportführer Ost of Luftflotte 1[1]
References
Citations
- ↑ Fellgiebel 2000, p. 258.
Bibliography
- Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
- Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
External links
- Friedrich-Wilhelm Morzik in the German National Library catalogue
- Ritterkreuztraeger 1939-1945
- Friedrich-Wilhelm Mozrik @ Axis Biographical Research at the Wayback Machine (archived 28 October 2009)