Reinhard Aigen

Reinhard Georg Aigen
Born	20 May 1913 Heidenheim
Died	19 September 1943 (aged 30) Orsha, Belarus
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1935–43
Rank	Oberfeldwebel
Unit	Kampfgeschwader 4
Battles/wars	World War II Annexation of the Sudetenland Invasion of Poland Operation Weserübung Battle of the Netherlands Battle of Belgium Battle of France Battle of Britain Balkans Campaign Siege of Leningrad Demyansk Pocket Battle of Kursk
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Reinhard Georg Aigen (20 May 1913 – 19 September 1943) was a German Luftwaffe flight engineer and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Reinhard Aigen was killed on 19 September 1943 at Orsha. He was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross on the Iron Cross on 9 June 1944. In total, Aigen is credited with flying 447 combat missions, 313 of which on the Eastern Front and 68 lasted longer than 4 hours and were counted double. This ruling resulted in a theoretical total of 515 combat flights.^[1]

Awards

• Air Gunner Badge (Fliegerschützenabzeichen für Bordschützen und Bordmechaniker) (18 November 1937)
• Sudetenland Medal (28 September 1939)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (24 October 1939)
  • 1st Class (12 September 1940)
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold (25 March 1941)
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (20 June 1941)
• Wound Badge
  • in Black (11 September 1943)
• Eastern Front Medal (3 August 1942)
• German Cross in Gold on 6 March 1942 as Oberfeldwebel in the I./Kampfgeschwader 4^[2]
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 9 June 1944 as Oberfeldwebel and Bordmechaniker in the 7./Kampfgeschwader 4^[3][4]

References

Citations

1. Kaiser 2010, p. 81.
2. Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 12.
3. Fellgiebel 2000, p. 114.
4. Scherzer 2007, p. 189.

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.
• Kaiser, Jochen (2010). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Kampfflieger—Band 1 [The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Bomber Fliers—Volume 1] (in German and English). Bad Zwischenahn, Germany: Luftfahrtverlag-Start. ISBN 978-3-941437-07-4.
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
• 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

• World War 2 Award.com
• Ritterkreuztraeger 1939-1945