Helmut Leicht

Helmut Leicht
Born	2 November 1916 Ludwigsburg
Died	26 June 1944(1944-06-26) (aged 25) Vitebsk
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1936–45
Rank	Major
Unit	StG 77 SG 10
Commands held	II./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 III./Schlachtgeschwader 10
Battles/wars	World War II Invasion of Poland Battle of Belgium Battle of France Battle of Britain Operation Barbarossa Siege of Sevastopol (1941-1942) Battle of Stalingrad Battle of Kursk Operation Bagration Vitebsk–Orsha Offensive †
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves

Helmut Leicht (2 November 1916 – 26 June 1944) was a highly decorated Major in the Luftwaffe during World War II, and one of only 882 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Helmut Leicht was listed as missing in action as of 26 June 1944 after a flight near Vitebsk, Belarus. He was posthumously awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross on 24 October 1944. During his career he flew 900 flights.

Awards and decorations

• Aviator badge
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant "900"
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (20 September 1939)
  • 1st Class (14 June 1940)
• Wound Badge (1939)
  • in Black
  • in Silver
• German Cross in Gold on 10 July 1942 as Oberleutnant in the 2./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
  • Knight's Cross on 3 September 1942 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän of the 2./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77
  • 631st Oak Leaves on 24 October 1944 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Schlachtgeschwader 10

References

Bibliography

• Brütting, Georg (1992) [1976]. Das waren die deutschen Stuka-Asse 1939 – 1945 (in German) (7th ed.). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch. ISBN 978-3-87943-433-6. CS1 maint: ref=harv (link) CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6. CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
• Obermaier, Ernst (1976). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe 1939–1945 Band II Stuka- und Schlachtflieger (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-021-3. CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
• Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8. CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
• 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 (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
• Thomas, Franz (1998). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 2: L–Z (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2300-9. CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)

External links

• World War 2 Awards.com
• Lexikon der Wehrmacht

Military offices
Preceded by Major Kurt Huhn	Commander of Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 1 April 1943 – 18 October 1943	Succeeded by None