Dietrich Peltz (9 June 1914 – 10 August 2001) was a German World War II Luftwaffe bomber pilot and youngest general of the Wehrmacht. As a pilot he flew approximately 320 combat missions, including roughly 130 as a bomber pilot on the Eastern Front, 90 as a bomber pilot on the Western Front, and 102 as a dive bomber pilot during the invasion of Poland and Battle of France.
Born in Gera, Peltz joined the Reichswehr, later renamed the Wehrmacht, of Nazi Germany in 1934. Initially serving in the Heer (Army), he transferred to the Luftwaffe (Air Force) in 1935. He flew combat missions over Poland and France as a dive bomber pilot. He then converted to the Junkers Ju 88 bomber and was assigned to Kampfgeschwader 77 (KG 77—77th Bomber Wing). With this unit he flew further combat missions in the Battle of Britain. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 14 October 1940. During Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, Peltz was instrumental in developing bombing techniques which allowed precision bombing attacks. This achievement earned him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 31 December 1941. He was then posted to a bomber unit leaders school before he was tasked to form a unit, I. Gruppe (1st group) of Kampfgeschwader 60 (KG 60—60th Bomber Wing), specialized in the use of precision-guided munitions against Allied shipping.
In early 1943, Peltz was appointed Inspector of Combat Flight, a role in which he oversaw the strategic development of the German bomber arm. As of August 1943, he was appointed commanding general of the IX. Fliegerkorps (9th Air Corps) and was tasked with reviving the German bomber offensive as Angriffsführer England (attack leader England) against Britain and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords on 23 July 1943 for his leadership. This initiative lead to a night-time strategic bombing campaign against southern England code-named Operation Steinbock, which ended in heavy losses for German bombers in early 1944. Although a bomber expert, he was appointed commanding general of the II. Jagdkorps (2nd Fighter Corps) and was responsible for the planning of the unsuccessful Operation Bodenplatte, the attack of German fighters on Allied air bases in Belgium and the Netherlands. He was tasked with the entire aerial Defense of the Reich in March 1945 and advocated the idea of "ramming" to halt the air campaign against Germany even at the risk of sustaining high losses. His last service position was commanding general of I. Fliegerkorps (1st Air Corps). After the war he worked for Krupp and Telefunken and died on 10 August 2001 in Munich.
Early life and career Peltz was born on 9 June 1914 in Gera-Reuß, in Thuringia, at the time a Principality of Reuss-Gera. He was the son of a factory director. Aged 18 he had received a pilot's license and graduated in 1933 with his Abitur (diploma) from the Hermann Lietz country boarding school in Spiekeroog.
After his graduation, Peltz did an internship at Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim in the years 1933–34. He joined the military service of the Reichsheer as an officer candidate with the 1st company of the Kraftfahr-Abteilung 5 (5th Motor Vehicle Department) in Stuttgart-Cannstatt on 4 April 1934. Here he served as a Kradschütze (motorcycle infantry) and was promoted to Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier (cadet-corporal) on 1 December 1934.
While attending the Kriegsschule (war school) of the Heer (Army) in Munich, he was promoted to Fähnrich (ensign) on 1 June 1935. He was promoted to Oberfähnrich (senior ensign) on 1 October 1935 and transferred to the Air War School Klotzsche in Dresden. He then received further training at the flight school in Salzwedel which he completed on 31 March 1936. One day later, on 1 April, he was promoted to Leutnant (second lieutenant) and on 20 April was officially transferred to Jagdgeschwader "Immelmann", named after the World War I fighter pilot Max Immelmann, at Lübeck-Blankensee. During this assignment, he was posted to the blind-flying school at Wesendorf-Neuburg an der Donau.
Jagdgeschwader "Immelmann" was renamed to Sturzkampfgeschwader 162 (StG 162—162nd Dive Bomber Wing) and equipped with the early Junkers Ju 87A dive bomber.For an explanation of Luftwaffe unit designations, see Organisation of the Luftwaffe during World War II. In 1937, Peltz was appointed adjutant of the I. Gruppe (group) which was renamed to I. Gruppe of Sturzkampfgeschwader 168 (StG 168—168th Dive Bomber Wing) on 1 April 1938. Following the Anschluss, the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany, just as the Junkers Ju 87B came into service, this unit was moved to Graz and was referred to as II. Gruppe of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2—2nd Dive Bomber Wing). On 1 March 1939, Peltz was promoted to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant). Two months later, on 1 May 1939, the Gruppe was again renamed and was known as I. Gruppe of Sturzkampfgeschwader 76 (StG 76—76th Dive Bomber Wing), sometimes referred to as Grazer Gruppe. On this day, Peltz was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of the 1. Staffel (1st squadron).
Peltz led 1. Staffel in the Ju 87 dive bombing demonstration at Neuhammer, present-day Świętoszów, Poland, on 15 August 1939. Observing the demonstration were the senior Luftwaffe commanders, including Generals Hugo Sperrle, Bruno Loerzer, and Wolfram von Richthofen. The lower cloud layer, which was believed to be at , was only . During the demonstration, 13 Ju 87 crews crashed to their deaths as they misjudged the cloud layer and failed to pull up in time. The event became known as the "Neuhammer Stuka Disaster" ().
World War II World War II in Europe began on Friday 1 September 1939 when German forces invaded Poland. Peltz flew 45 combat missions with his Staffel against Poland, attacking railway lines, traffic junctions and bridges as well as the Bombing of Wieluń. For his services in Poland he received the Iron Cross 2nd Class () on 15 September 1939. During the Battle of France, beginning on 10 May 1940, he flew with the same Staffel which was renamed to 1. Staffel of Sturzkampfgeschwader 3 (StG 3—3rd Dive Bomber Wing) on 5 July 1940. Again he targeted railway lines, traffic junctions and bridges. In addition he attacked shipping at Calais and during the Battle of Dunkirk sank a transport vessel. In total he flew eight missions against Dunkirk and was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class () on 22 May 1940. He flew an additional 57 missions before the campaign in France came to an end on 25 June 1940. In total, Peltz flew 102 combat missions over Poland and France, leading his Staffel through these campaigns without loss.
Bomber pilot Following the Battle of France, Peltz was sent to Greifswald for conversion training to the Junkers Ju 88. In August 1940 he was posted to the Geschwaderstab (headquarters unit) of Kampfgeschwader 77 (KG 77—77th Bomber Wing) based in Laon at the Channel Front. He flew 70 daytime and nocturnal missions in the Battle of Britain including special operations of him alone attacking specific targets. Following his 130th mission in total as a dive bomber pilot over Poland and France, as well as a bomber pilot over England, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross () on 14 October 1940. The presentation was made by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, he received the award together with Major (Major) Friedrich Kless, Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of the II./Kampfgeschwader 55 (KG 55—55th Bomber Wing).
Peltz was appointed Staffelkapitän in KG 77 in November 1940 and promoted to Hauptmann (captain) on 1 March 1941. Less than two weeks later, on 12 March, he was given command of the II. Gruppe of KG 77. With this unit he relocated to East Prussia in June 1941, in the prelude of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. He flew support missions for the Heer against targets in the Northern sector, including the Leningrad-Moscow railway line, railway stations, marshalling yards, canals and lock gates. Here, Peltz was instrumental in developing accurate bombing techniques, allowing his group to achieve success against precision targets which previously could be achieved only with much larger bomber forces. He flew his 200th combat mission on 12 July 1941.
Peltz was ordered to surrender his command of II./KG 77 on 30 September 1941 to Haupmann Heinrich Paepcke and was posted to the Luftwaffenstab (Air Force headquarters) at the Ministry of Aviation (RLM—Reichsluftfahrtministerium) in Berlin. In numerous discussions within the Luftwaffe High Command he advocated the necessity of a bomber unit commander's school. He was put in charge of diver-bomber training at the unit leadership school for bomber pilots () at Foggia in Italy. For his previous achievements as a pilot accumulated during roughly 250 combat missions, Peltz was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ()on 31 December 1941. The 46th member of the Wehrmacht so honored. The presentation, together with Major Otto Weiß and Major Hubertus Hitschhold, was made at the Wolf's Lair, Hitler's headquarters in Rastenburg, present-day Kętrzyn in Poland, in January 1942.
In January 1942, Peltz was made Commanding Officer of the bomber unit commanders school at Foggia, where all operational bomber commanders were trained in the latest operational techniques. In the timeframe of 8–31 July 1942 he served as an officer for special assignments () of the RLM and Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe. In this period fell his promotion to Major on 18 July 1942. The bomber unit commanders school relocated from Foggia to Tours in France in mid-1942. Here the I. Gruppe of Kampfgeschwader 60 (KG 60—60th Bomber Wing) was raised from the bomber unit commander's school and Peltz was appointed its Gruppenkommandeur on 1 August 1942. The Gruppe, equipped with the Ju 88 A-4, was tasked with developing on the use of precision guided munitions then under development in Germany, such as the Fritz X and Henschel Hs 293, against Allied shipping. Operational by October 1942, this unit was sent to Norway against the Allied Murmansk convoys, but only three weeks later was switched to bases in Sardinia to counter the Allied "Torch" invasion, the British-American invasion of French North Africa.
Luftwaffe commander Peltz was promoted to Oberstleutnant (lieutenant colonel) on 1 December 1942. A month later, on 1 January 1943, Peltz replaced the World War I veteran Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) Johannes Fink as the Inspector of Combat Flight with the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL—Air Force High Command). In this role he was questioned by Reichsmarschall Göring on the use of the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet aircraft as bomber. Peltz pointed out to Göring that it would be very difficult to aim a bomb, let alone hit a target with the Me 262. He went on and explained that the Me 262 was unsuitable for dive bombing, and in level flight, hitting a target of the size of depended largely on luck. Göring, under pressure to present Hitler with a fast bomber capable of avoiding the Allied fighters, was infuriated by his assessment. Peltz went on to explain that the problem of staying in formation during bad weather would further negate the bombing effect as attacks would have to be made by single aircraft. Peltz then went on and argued that the Me 262 would be better utilized as an interceptor aircraft.