# Edwin Thiel

Edwin Ludwig Thiel (19 June 1913 – 14 July 1944) was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Edwin Thiel was killed on 14 July 1944 after bailing out of his plane after it was hit by Soviet flak. During his career he was credited with 76 victories in 300 missions.

## Career

Thiel was born on 19 June 1913 in Oberbexbach in the Saarland, which at the time was politically part of the Kingdom of Bavaria of the German Empire. Prior to World War II, he qualified as a civil pilot and flew with Deutsche Luft Hansa and served a flight instructor. In late 1941, Thiel was posted to I. Gruppe (1st group) of Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders" (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing).
On 29 May 1942, Thiel was appointed Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 2. Staffel of JG 51. He succeeded Leutnant Erwin Fleig who had been shot down behind enemy lines and became a prisoner of war. In July 1943, Thiel was transferred to Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost, specialized training unit for new fighter pilots destined for the Eastern Front, as an instructor. There, he commanded the 1. Staffel. Thiel was replaced by Oberleutnant Horst Haase as commander of 2. Staffel of JG 51.
In May 1944, Thiel transferred back to JG 51. There, he was given command of the Stabsstaffel which had temporarily been led by Leutnant Herbert Friebel after Oberleutnant Diethelm von Eichel-Streiber was transferred in April 1944. Thiel was killed in action on 14 July 1944 when his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8 (Werknummer 170943—factory number) was shot down by Soviet anti-aircraft artillery 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) east of Vawkavysk. Command of the Stabsstaffel was then given to Oberleutnant Heinz Busse.

## Summary of career
### Aerial victory claims

According to US historian David T. Zabecki, Thiel was credited with 76 aerial victories. Spick also lists him with 76 aerial victories claimed in an unknown number of combat missions, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front. Mathews and Foreman, authors of Luftwaffe Aces — Biographies and Victory Claims, researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 71 aerial victory claims, all of which claimed on the Eastern Front in over 300 combat missions.
Victory claims were logged to a map-reference (PQ = Planquadrat), for example "PQ 37651". The Luftwaffe grid map (Jägermeldenetz) covered all of Europe, western Russia and North Africa and was composed of rectangles measuring 15 minutes of latitude by 30 minutes of longitude, an area of about 360 square miles (930 km$^2$). These sectors were then subdivided into 36 smaller units to give a location area 3 km × 4 km (1.9 mi × 2.5 mi) in size.
Chronicle of aerial victories :
| This and the ♠ (Ace of spades) indicates those aerial victories which made Thiel an "ace-in-a-day", a term which designates a fighter pilot who has shot down five or more airplanes in a single day.  This and the ? (question mark) indicates information discrepancies listed by Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike, Bock, Mathews and Foreman. ||||||||||
| Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location | Claim | Date | Time | Type | Location |
| – 1. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 – Operation Barbarossa — October – 5 December 1941 ||||||||||
| 1 | 2 October 1941 | 14:16? | I-61 (MiG-3) | 45 km (28 mi) northwest of Roslavl | 2 | 3 October 1941 | 09:55 | I-18 (MiG-1) | |
| – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 – Eastern Front — 1 May 1942 – 3 February 1943 ||||||||||
| According to Prien, Stemmer, Rodeike and Bock, Thiel claimed 23 undocumented aerial victories between 30 May and 15 September 1942. These claims are not documented by Mathews and Foreman. ||||||||||
| 28 | 27 June 1942 | 09:42 | MiG-3 | | 36 | 29 October 1942 | 13:42 | P-40 | Volokolamsk |
| 29 | 6 July 1942 | 14:20 | Pe-2 | | 37 | 29 October 1942 | 13:44 | P-40 | Volokolamsk |
| 30 | 6 July 1942 | 14:22 | Pe-2 | | 38♠ | 4 December 1942 | 11:47 | P-40 | vicinity of Schojtzowa |
| 31 | 6 July 1942 | 14:24 | Pe-2 | 1 km (0.62 mi) west of Bobrowo | 39♠ | 4 December 1942 | 11:53 | Il-2 | 5 km (3.1 mi) north of Ljatiwina |
| 32 | 7 July 1942 | 19:05 | MiG-3 | | 40♠ | 4 December 1942 | 11:56 | Il-2 | PQ 37651 |
| 33 | 8 July 1942 | 07:50 | MiG-3 | | 41♠ | 4 December 1942 | 11:58 | Il-2 | 2 km (1.2 mi) north of Pegorjelka |
| 34 | 8 July 1942 | 07:52 | MiG-3 | | 42♠ | 4 December 1942 | 12:05 | Il-2 | 3 km (1.9 mi) southwest of Katowa |
| 35 | 11 July 1942 | 06:05 | MiG-3 | | | | | | |
| – 2. Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 – Eastern Front — 4 February – July 1943 ||||||||||
| 43 | 23 February 1943 | 10:39 | Pe-2 | PQ 35 Ost 44294 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Zhizdra | 54 | 10 June 1943 | 19:23 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 44473 15 km (9.3 mi) north of Bryansk |
| 44 | 23 February 1943 | 10:41 | Pe-2 | PQ 35 Ost 44264 15 km (9.3 mi) northeast of Zhizdra | 55 | 6 July 1943 | 19:47 | LaGG-3 | PQ 35 Ost 63584 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 45 | 23 February 1943 | 10:45 | Pe-2 | PQ 35 Ost 44264 20 km (12 mi) southwest of Dudovskiy | 56 | 11 July 1943 | 16:32 | Yak-1 | PQ 35 Ost 64882 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Mtsensk |
| 46 | 23 February 1943 | 10:46 | Pe-2 | PQ 35 Ost 54142 25 km (16 mi) northeast of Zhizdra | 57 | 11 July 1943 | 16:33 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 64896 15 km (9.3 mi) north of Maloarkhangelsk |
| 47♠ | 24 February 1943 | 10:40 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 44223 25 km (16 mi) north of Zhizdra | 58 | 11 July 1943 | 16:35 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 64853 25 km (16 mi) east-northeast of Zalegoshch |
| 48♠ | 24 February 1943 | 10:48 | Pe-2 | PQ 35 Ost 44233 25 km (16 mi) north-northeast of Zhizdra | 59 | 11 July 1943 | 17:24 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 63471 15 km (9.3 mi) northeast of Zalegoshch |
| 49♠ | 24 February 1943 | 13:41 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 64612 25 km (16 mi) south of Arsenjewo | 60 | 12 July 1943 | 08:45 | La-5 | PQ 35 Ost 64591 20 km (12 mi) east of Zalegoshch |
| 50♠ | 24 February 1943 | 13:46 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 64671 20 km (12 mi) north of Mtsensk | 61 | 12 July 1943 | 08:54 | Yak-1 | PQ 35 Ost 63231, west of Novosil 25 km (16 mi) east-northeast of Zalegoshch |
| 51♠ | 24 February 1943 | 13:50 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 64621 20 km (12 mi) north-northeast of Mtsensk | 62 | 13 July 1943 | 13:42 | Yak-1 | PQ 35 Ost 63225 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Zalegoshch |
| 52 | 8 June 1943 | 08:53 | Yak-7 | PQ 35 Ost 63394 15 km (9.3 mi) north-northwest of Maloarkhangelsk | 63 | 13 July 1943 | 13:43 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 63254 10 km (6.2 mi) east of Zalegoshch |
| 53 | 10 June 1943 | 19:20 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 44562 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Dyatkovo | 64 | 13 July 1943 | 13:45 | Il-2 | PQ 35 Ost 63221 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of Zalegoshch |
| – Stabsstaffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 – Eastern Front — May – 14 July 1944 ||||||||||
| 65♠ | 23 June 1944 | 10:48 | Il-2 | PQ 25 Ost 96658 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Haradok | 69♠ | 23 June 1944 | 14:18? | Il-2 | PQ 25 Ost 96813 20 km (12 mi) east of Ulla |
| 66♠ | 23 June 1944 | 10:50 | Il-2 | PQ 25 Ost 96655 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Haradok | 70 | 25 June 1944 | 09:35 | Pe-2? | PQ 35 Ost 05559 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Orsha |
| 67♠ | 23 June 1944 | 10:53 | Il-2 | PQ 25 Ost 96652 15 km (9.3 mi) southwest of Haradok | 71 | 25 June 1944 | 09:38 | Pe-2? | PQ 35 Ost 05565 25 km (16 mi) south-southwest of Orsha |
| 68♠ | 23 June 1944 | 14:12? | Il-2 | PQ 25 Ost 96776 20 km (12 mi) east-northeast of Ulla | | | | | |

### Awards

* Flugzeugführerabzeichen
* Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe
* Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
* Honour Goblet of the Luftwaffe (Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe) on 15 June 1942 as Leutnant and pilot
* German Cross in Gold on 9 September 1942 as Leutnant in the I./Jagdgeschwader 51
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 16 April 1943 as Oberleutnant and Staffelführer of the 2./Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"