| Johannes Steinhoff |
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EARLY YEARS Johannes Steinhoff was born September 15, 1913 in Bottendorf, Thuringia , the son of a millworker and a housewife. Before WWII, he studied to become a teacher at the University of Jena but unable to find a job, he enlisted in the Kriegsmarine , where he served for one year as a naval flying cadet. Steinhoff transferred to the Luftwaffe after Göring became its commander in chief. After ending his pilot education he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 26 . WORLD WAR II His first combat experience was in 1939 when he fought RAF Vickers Wellington bombers that were attacking coastal industry in the Wilhelmshafen region, shooting down several bombers. He was also promoted to ''Staffelkapitan'' of 10./JG 26 in this period. In February 1940 he was transferred to 4./ JG 52 with which he served in both the French Campaign and the Battle Of Britain . Later in the war he flew planes both on the Eastern Front , in the Mediterranean and in defense of the Reich against British and US bombers. On July 28, 1944, Steinhoff received the Swords to the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He ended the war as a Colonel . During his career as a fighter pilot, Steinhoff was shot down 12 times but had only to bail out once. On April 18, 1945 he crashed on take-off and was severely burned (spending two years in the hospital) which left him visibly scarred despite years of Reconstructive Surgery . His eyelids were reconstructed by a British surgeon after the war. AFTER WORLD WAR II After the war, he was a leader in the rebuilding of West Germany's Luftwaffe within NATO , rising to the rank of full general. Steinhoff served as Chief of Staff and acting Commander Allied Air Forces Central Europe (1965-1966), Chief of Staff of the Luftwaffe (1966 - 1970) and later as Chairman of NATO's Military Committee (1971 - 1974). He retired in 1974. The ''Jagdgeschwader 73'' (fighter wing 73) "Steinhoff" of the Luftwaffe is named in his honour. He wrote a book called ''The Final Hours'' (ISBN 1574888633) detailing a late-war plot against Hermann Goering . EXTERNAL LINKS
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