Gerhard Kollewe

Gerhard Kollewe (3 March 1912 – 17 October 1942) was a German World War II Luftwaffe bomber pilot and recipient 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.

Career
Gerhard Kollewe joined the military service of the Reichswehr, serving in the 7th Infantry Regiment, after graduating from Gymnasium (secondary school) in 1931. In the summer of 1935 he transferred to the newly established Luftwaffe.

In 1939 Kollewe was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of the 4.(Sturz)/186 (T), a diver bomber squadron designated for future operation on the aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin. At the outbreak of World War II during the invasion of Poland he flew against targets in Poland and on 3 September 1939 participated in the sinking of the Polish destroyer OPR Wicher and minelayer ORP Gryf in the port of Gdynia.

Following the Battle of Crete, Kollewe was involved in the damage inflicted on HMS Isis and HMS Ilex on 15 June 1941. This achievement earned him a reference on 16 June 1941 in the Wehrmachtbericht (armed forces report), an information bulletin issued by the headquarters of the Wehrmacht. To be singled out individually in this way was an honour and was entered in the Orders and Decorations' section of a soldier's Service Record Book.

Kollewe was killed in action 17 October 1942 on a mission against Malta. British fighter pilots Sergeant Tiddy and P/O Giddings of the No. 126 Squadron RAF and No. 249 Squadron RAF claimed this aerial victory. Of his Junkers Ju 88 crew A-4, L1+YC (Werknummer 141 033&mdash;factory number) his observer Feldwebel Bernhard Mähler was also killed in action. His radio operator Oberfeldwebel Martin Assum and aerial gunner Feldwebel Paul Ballof were taken prisoner of war.

Awards

 * Wehrmacht Long Service Award 4th Class (2 October 1936)
 * Spanish Cross in Silver with Swords (6 June 1939)
 * Iron Cross (1939)
 * 2nd Class (16 September 1939)
 * 1st Class (September 1939)
 * Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for Bomber Pilots in Gold
 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
 * Knight's Cross on 5 July 1941 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the II.(Kampf)/Lehrgeschwader 1
 * 112th Oak Leaves on 12 August 1942 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of II.(Kampf)/Lehrgeschwader 1
 * Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 16 June 1941