Helmut Lent ( German: Helmut Lent ; June 13, 1918 , Pierechne , near Landsberg-on-Wart - October 7, 1944 , Paderborn ) - German ace pilot of night fighter aircraft during the Second World War . He made 507 sorties , having gained 110 victories, including 103 overnight. He began his combat career as a pilot of a twin-engine fighter Bf.110 . Served in parts: ZG76 , NJG1 , NJG2 , NJG3 .
| Helmut Lent | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Helmut Lent (March 1943) | |||||||
| Date of Birth | June 13, 1918 | ||||||
| Place of Birth | Pierechne , near Landsberg am Wart , Prussia (now in the Lubusz Voivodeship , Poland ) | ||||||
| Date of death | October 7, 1944 (26 years old) | ||||||
| Place of death | Paderborn , Germany | ||||||
| Affiliation |  Germany | ||||||
| Type of army |  Luftwaffe | ||||||
| Years of service | 1936-1944 | ||||||
| Rank | Colonel (posthumously) | ||||||
| Part | ZG76 , NJG1 , NJG2 , NJG3 | ||||||
| Battles / wars | The Second World War | ||||||
| Awards and prizes |
| ||||||
Content
Biography
Helmut Johann Siegfried Lent was born on June 13, 1918 in Pierechne near Landsberg an der Wart . He was the fifth son of a Lutheran priest Johann Lent and Mary Elizabeth, nee Brown. Before Helmut, they had two sons, Werner and Joachim, and two daughters, Katie and Ursula [1] . The religiousness of the family had a long history: the brothers and grandfathers of Johann Sr. were also priests [2] . In the years 1924-1928 Helmut studied at the Pierechne elementary school; father and brother Werner studied with Helmut at home to prepare for the entrance exams to the Landsberg Gymnasium (future Hermann Göring Hochschule ) [3] . In February 1933 he entered Jungfolk , where after a month he became a platoon ( Jungzugführer ), and after 2 years - the standard-bearer ( Fähnleinführer ). On November 9, 1935, Helmut left Jungfolk in order to prepare for the final exams [4] . On December 12, he passed them, and on February 2, 1936, he began compulsory eight-week service at the Reichsarbeitdienst [5] . On April 1, Lent, contrary to his father’s will, joined the Luftwaffe as a fan-cadet [6] .
On April 6, 1936, Lent began training at the Air Force School in Gatow , on April 21, he swore allegiance to the NSDAP [7] . On August 7, Helmut's flight training began. He first flew into the sky on a Heinkel He 72 training biplane, and on September 15, Lent made its first solo flight on the Focke-Wulf Fw 44 [8] . In addition to the flight exercises, the cadets were also trained in driving a motorcycle and a car. At this time, Lent received injuries in an accident that weaned him from flying for five months [9] . The incident did not affect the theoretical preparation, and on April 1, 1937, after passing the exams, Helmut was awarded the title of Fenrich [10] . On October 19, the first phase of flight training ended with the receipt of the A / B license by the Tape. February 1, 1938 he was promoted to Oberfenrich , and a month later - to lieutenant . During this time, Lent made 434 flights on eight types of single-engine aircraft with a total duration of 112 hours 48 minutes [11] .
From Gatow, Helmut was transferred to the school of crews of heavy bombers ( Große Kampffliegerschule ) in Tutov . All spring, Lent studied as an aircraft observer, and at the end of the course he fell under a car: he broke his jaw and received a head injury. Since July 1, 1938, the Tape was enrolled in the 3rd group of the 132nd Richthofen fighter squadron.
October 7, 1944, when landing at the airfield, the Lenta plane hit high-voltage wires, capsized, fell to the ground and caught fire. Three pilots, including Lent, died.
Notes
- ↑ Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 2-4.
- ↑ Hinchliffe 2003, p. xvi.
- ↑ Hinchliffe 2003, p. 6.
- ↑ Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 8-11.
- ↑ Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 5-12.
- ↑ Fraschka 1994, p. 186.
- ↑ Hinchliffe 2003, p. 13.
- ↑ Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 17-18.
- ↑ Hinchliffe 2003, p. 21.
- ↑ Hinchliffe 2003, p. 22.
- ↑ Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 24-25.
Literature
- (English) Bekker, Cajus (1994). The Luftwaffe War Diaries - The German Air Force in World War II . Da Capo Press, Inc. ISBN 0-306-80604-5 .
- (German) Berger, Florian (2000). Mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern. Die höchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkrieges . Selbstverlag Florian Berger. ISBN 3-9501307-0-5 .
- (German) Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945 . Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5 .
- (English) Fraschka, Günther (1994). Knights of the Reich . Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military / Aviation History. ISBN 0-88740-580-0 .
- (German) Hagen, Hans-Peter (1998). Husaren des Himmels Berühmte deutsche Jagdflieger und die Geschichte ihrer Waffe . Rastatt, Germany: Moewig. ISBN 3-8118-1456-7 .
- (German) Hinchliffe, Peter (1998). Luftkrieg bei Nacht 1939-1945 . Motorbuch Verlag. ISBN 3-613-01861-6 .
- Hinchliffe, Peter (2003). "The Lent Papers" by Helmut Lent . Cerberus Publishing Limited. ISBN 1-84145-105-3 .
- (German) Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939-1945 . Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 3-87341-065-6 .
- (German) Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II . Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 3-931533-45-X .
- (German) Schaulen, Fritjof (2004). Eichenlaubträger 1940-1945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe II Ihlefeld - Primozic . Selent, Germany: Pour le Mérite. ISBN 3-932381-21-1 .
- (German) Scherzer, Veit (2007). 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 . Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2 .
- (English) Scutts, Jerry (1998). German Night Fighter Aces of World War 2 . Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-85532-696-5 .
- (English) Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces . New York: Ivy Books. ISBN 0-8041-1696-2 .
- (German) Weal, John (1999). Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstörer Aces World War Two . London: Osprey. ISBN 1-85532-753-8 .
- (English) Williamson, Gordon (2006). Knight's Cross with Diamonds Recipients 1941-45 . Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-84176-644-5 .
- (German) Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 . München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3 .
- (German) Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 2, 1. Januar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943 . München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3 .
- (German) Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939-1945 Band 3, 1. Januar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945 . München: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, 1985. ISBN 3-423-05944-3 .
- (German) Helden der Wehrmacht - Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten . München, Germany: FZ-Verlag GmbH, 2004. ISBN 3-924309-53-1 .