Hermann Buchner (pilot)

For other people of the same name, see Hermann Buchner (SS officer).

Hermann Buchner
Born	30 October 1919(1919-10-30) Salzburg/Austria
Died	1 December 2005(2005-12-01) (aged 86) Hörsching/Linz
Allegiance	First Austrian Republic (to 1938) Nazi Germany (to 1945) Austria
Service/branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1937–1945
Rank	Leutnant (Wehrmacht) Oberst (Bundesheer)
Unit	SG 2, JG 7
Battles/wars	World War II Eastern Front Defense of the Reich
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Hermann Buchner was a former German Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. Buchner is credited with 46 tank victories and 58 aerial victories, including 12 while flying the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter, accumulated in 631 combat missions.

Buchner, in the two years following World War II, served as an observer in the weather service of the American occupation forces. He helped found the Aero-Club Salzburg and worked as a flight instructor at glider school Zell am See. Austria regained its political autonomy in 1955 and Buchner joined the newly emerging Austrian Luftwaffe as a flight instructor and officer. Buchner was one of the first pilots trained on the British DH 115 "Vampire" and later the Swedish Saab J-29. He served as a technical officer in the Jagdbomber-Schulstaffel (ground attack training squadron) in Graz under command of Major Karl "Charly" Bleckl. Promoted to Oberstleutnant and staff officer in Jagdbombergeschwader 1 and at the same time surrogate of commander Oberst Bleckl he was made commander of the airfield at Linz-Hörsching in 1979. Buchner retired from active service one year later.

Awards

• Crimea Shield
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (2 October 1942)
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold
• Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
• German Cross in Gold (17 October 1943)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 20 July 1944 as Oberfeldwebel and pilot in the 6./SG 2 "Immelmann"
• Silver and Gold Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria

Hermann Buchner had been nominated for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The nomination was not processed before the end of World War II in Europe.

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Brütting, Georg (1995). Das waren die deutschen Stuka-Asse 1939 - 1945. Motorbuch, Stuttgart. ISBN 3-87943-433-6.
• Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000). Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945. Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
• Morgan, Hugh; Weal, John (1998), German Jet Aces of World War 2, London: Orsprey Publishing Limited, ISBN 1-85532-634-5 .
• Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 - 1945 (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 3-87341-065-6.
• 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 (in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
• Buchner, Hermann (2000) "Stormbird" publisher:Crecy Classic ISBN978-0-85979-140-3

External links

• Hermann Buchner @ Lexikon der Wehrmacht (German)
• Hermann Buchner @ Ritterkreuz (German)
• Hermann Buchner @ WaffenHQ (German)