Bruno Dilley
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Bruno Dilley | |
|---|---|
| Born | 29 August 1913 Gumbinnen |
| Died | 31 August 1968 (aged 55) Landsberg am Lech |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany (to 1945) West Germany |
| Service | Template:Luftwaffe Template:GAF |
| Years of service | 1935–45 1956–68 |
| Rank | Major (Wehrmacht) Oberstleutnant (Bundeswehr) |
| Unit | Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann" |
| Commands | I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann" |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Bruno Dilley (29 August 1913 – 31 August 1968) was a highly decorated Major in the Luftwaffe during World War II, and one of 882 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Career
The first bombing raid of World War II was conducted by Junkers Ju 87s of 3./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 (StG 1—1st Diver Bomber Wing) led by Oberleutnant Dilley, together with Leutnant Horst Schiller and Unteroffizier Gerhard Grenzel, on 1 September 1939 at 04:36am. Their target was Polish defence positions near the Dirschau Bridge near the Danzig corridor.
After the Polish campaign Dilley served in Norway, and after the Battle of France he flew operations during the Battle of Britain, before a transfer to the Mediterranean theatre. After operations against Malta, Dilley served in the offensives in Yugoslavia, Greece and the Invasion of Crete. During the assault on Greece in 1941 One of the dive bomber force's first casualties was Oberleutnant Dilley, then with I./StG 1, who was shot down over Macedonia on 7 April 1941.
Dilley then served in North Africa, supporting the Afrikakorps. Hauptmann Dilley was acting Gruppenkommandeur of I Gruppe, StG 1 during December 1941. He then deployed with his unit to the Eastern Front, where after some 325 combat operations, Dilley received the Knight's Cross and promoted to command of I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 'Immelmann'. He then received the Oak Leaves on 1 August 1943 . Dilley was taken off operations in October 1943 to command the ground-attack training unit Schlachtgeschwader 103 in Metz, until May 1944.
In 1956 he joined the post-war Luftwaffe, rising to the rank of Oberstleutnant, commanding a flight school at Landsberg-Lech Air Base. Before retirement he was the Chief of the Military District of Reutlingen.
Awards and decorations
- Aviator badge (9 December 1936)
- Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold (16 June 1941)
- Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (13 June 1941)
- Iron Cross (1939)
- Narvik Shield (30 January 1941)
- Silver Medal of Military Valor
- German Cross in Gold on 15 December 1941 as Hauptmann in the 1./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1[2]
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
- Knight's Cross on 4 June 1942 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"[3][4]
- 174th Oak Leaves on 8 January 1943 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"[3][5]
References
Citations
Bibliography
- Brütting, Georg (1992) [1976]. Das waren die deutschen Stuka-Asse 1939 – 1945 (in German) (7th ed.). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch. ISBN 978-3-87943-433-6.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help); Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer (2000) [1986]. Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile (in German). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN 978-3-7909-0284-6.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - Obermaier, Ernst (1976). Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe 1939–1945 Band II Stuka- und Schlachtflieger (in German). Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN 978-3-87341-021-3.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - 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 Militaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - Thomas, Franz (1997). Die Eichenlaubträger 1939–1945 Band 1: A–K (in German). Osnabrück, Germany: Biblio-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-7648-2299-6.
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External links
Template:KCwithOL Template:Knight's Cross recipients of SxG 2
