Werner Thierfelder

Werner Thierfelder
Born	24 December 1915 Berlin
Died	near Landsberg am Lech
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	?–1944
Rank	Hauptmann
Unit	ZG 26 ZG 2 Ekdo 262
Commands held	III./ZG 26 Ekdo 262
Battles/wars	World War II Battle of France Battle of Britain Balkans Campaign Battle of Crete Operation Barbarossa Defense of the Reich
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Werner Thierfelder (24 December 1915 – 18 July 1944) was a German Luftwaffe ace 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. Werner Thierfelder was killed on 18 July 1944. Unit commander of Erprobungskommando 262, out of Lechfeld, he was lost in crash of a Me 262A-1a under unclear circumstances. Luftwaffe records indicate that he was shot down but U.S. and British records show no comparable engagement. A possible cause is that Thierfelder exceeded the airframe's limiting Mach number in a dive, perhaps while pursuing an Allied reconnaissance aircraft, leading to an irrecoverable dive. During his career he was credited with 27 aerial victories, 6 on the Western Front and 21 on the Eastern Front.

Awards

• Flugzeugführerabzeichen
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• German Cross in Gold (3 November 1942)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 10 December 1941 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän in the II./Zerstörergeschwader 26

External links

• Luftwaffe 1939–1945 History
• World War 2 Awards.com

Military offices
Preceded by None	Commander of Erprobungskommando 262 April 1944 – 18 July 1944	Succeeded by Major Walter Nowotny
Preceded by Major Johann Kogler	Commander of III. Zerstörergeschwader 26 2 June 1944 – 18 July 1944	Succeeded by None