Edgar Petersen
| Edgar Petersen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
26 April 1904 Straßburg, Elsaß |
| Died |
10 June 1986 (aged 82) Andechs, Munich |
| Allegiance |
.svg.png){kind=small} Nazi Germany |
| Service/branch |
 Luftwaffe |
| Rank | Oberst |
| Commands held | I./ KG 40, KG 40, Kommandeur der Erprobungsstellen |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross |
Edgar Petersen (26 April 1904 – 10 June 1986) was a German bomber pilot in the Luftwaffe during World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany. He was instrumental in converting the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 into what Winston Churchill called the "Scourge of the Atlantic" during the Battle of the Atlantic.
Petersen also served in the position of Kommandeur der Erprobungstellen (commander of all Luftwaffe test stations) as an Oberst later in the war, in which capacity from September 1942 onwards became centrally involved with the further development work required for the Luftwaffe's only operational heavy bomber, the Heinkel He 177A, to make it combat ready, mostly focusing on the fire-prone DB 606 and DB 610 powerplants used for powering the He 177A's airframe. In September 1942 Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring had rescinded the 1937-imposed mandate[1] for the He 177A to perform moderate-angle dive bombing missions. From the time of his appointment as the "KdE", at Rechlin, Oberst Petersen would head the development program to govern and manage the task of applying the substantial number of upgrades required for the troubled He 177A to be successful in service.[2]
Awards
- Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 21 October 1940 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Kampfgeschwader 40[3]
- Mentioned twice in the Wehrmachtbericht (3 October 1940, 20 June 1941)
References
Citations
Bibliography
- Griehl, Manfred; Dressel, Joachim (1998). Heinkel He 177 – 277 – 274. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing. ISBN 1-85310-364-0.
- 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 [The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives] (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
- Die Wehrmachtberichte 1939–1945 Band 1, 1. September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 [The Wehrmacht Reports 1939–1945 Volume 1, 1 September 1939 to 31 December 1941] (in German). München, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Oberstleutnant Hans Geisse |
Geschwaderkommodore of Kampfgeschwader 40 April 1941 – September 1941 |
Succeeded by Oberstleutnant Dr. Georg Pasewaldt |