Werner Thierfelder Military person

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.

Personal facts

Birth date	December 24, 1915
Birth place	Berlin , Germany
Date of death	July 18, 1944
Place of death	Landsberg am Lech

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Military person

award	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
military operations	Operation Barbarossa Balkan Campaign (World War II) Defence of the Reich Battle of Britain World War II Battle of Crete Battle of France
military branch	Luftwaffe
military command	III./ZG 26 Ekdo 262
military unit	Erprobungskommando Zerstörergeschwader 26 Zerst%C3%B6rergeschwader 2