German Air Force

Oberst WERNER MÖLDERS

Jütte/Bundesarchiv ~~~

Oberst (Colonel) WERNER MÖLDERS (*March 18, 1913 in Gelsenkirchen; +November 22, 1941 near Breslau), first recipient of the Knight's Cross with oakleaves, swords and diamonds (July 15, 1941) as commander of Jagd-Geschwader 51. Scoring 14 aerial victories Mölders was the most successful pilot during the Spanish Civil War. Altogether he shot down 115 enemy planes (14 Spanish, 68 of the Western Allies and 33 Soviet). Mölders died on November 22, 1941 when his He-111 (with him as a passenger) collided with the chimney of a factory in bad weather. By that time he was on his way to attend the funeral of Ernst Udet in Berlin. After the war the German Bundeswehr named a destroyer, a casern and the new Jagd-Geschwader 74 after him. However this was reversed in 2005 due to political reasons. (Bild 183-B12003)