Hans Lotter

Hans Lotter
Born	17 November 1917 Erlangen
Died	21 November 2008(2008-11-21) (aged 91) Nuremberg
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Service / branch	Luftwaffe
Years of service	?–1945
Rank	Oberleutnant
Unit	Aufklärungs-Gruppe 12
Battles / wars	World War II Eastern Front
Awards	Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross

Hans Lotter (17 November 1917 – 21 November 2008) was a highly decorated Oberleutnant in the Luftwaffe during World War II, and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership (his crew performed more than 400 reconnaissance flights over the enemy area).

At the end of the war (in May 1945) Hans Lotter was taken prisoner by the Red Army. In February 1946 he with two other prisoners escaped POW camp near Kovel in Ukraine. They managed to reach Poland. Then about half a year later he found and joined his wife and two children, who were held in a camp for German families near Wroclaw in Poland, and returned with them to his native Nuremberg. The story of his imprisonment and escape he described in his book of memoirs Zeig mir Vater der Weg (Show me the way, Father!) published in 1994 in Nuremberg.

After the war he worked for several decades as a teacher in grade school.

Beside the mentioned above book of memoirs Hans Lotter is the author of several poetry books.

Awards and decorations

• Aviator badge
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold
• Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (12 October 1942)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class
  • 1st Class
• German Cross in Gold (12 April 1943)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 28 January 1945 as Oberleutnant and observer in the 11.(H)/Aufklärungs-Gruppe 12

References

Bibliography

• 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)
• 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 Miltaer-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)

External links

• World War 2 Awards.com