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Walter Sigel (12 January 1906 – 8 May 1944) was a highly decorated Oberst in the Luftwaffe during World War II, and one of only 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. Walter Sigel died on 8 May 1944 after crashing his Fieseler Storch into the Trondheimfjord. Sigel was the commanding officer of Sturzkampfgeschwader 76 during the Junkers 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 at . While Sigel managed to just barely pull out in time, 13 other Ju 87 crews crashed to their death. The event became known as the "Neuhammer Stuka Disaster" (''Neuhammer Stuka-Unglück''). ==Awards and decorations== * Flugzeugführerabzeichen * Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe * Iron Cross (1939) * * 2nd Class (17 September 1939)〔Thomas 1998, p. 323.〕 * * 1st Class (20 June 1940)〔 * German Cross in Gold on 24 April 1942 as ''Major'' in the I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3〔Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 445.〕 * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves * * Knight's Cross on 21 July 1940 as ''Hauptmann'' and ''Gruppenkommandeur'' of I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 3〔Fellgiebel 2000, p. 401.〕 * * 116th Oak Leaves on 2 September 1942 as ''Oberstleutnant'' and ''Geschwaderkommodore'' of Schlachtgeschwader 3〔〔Fellgiebel 2000, p. 61.〕 * Mentioned in the ''Wehrmachtbericht'' on 21 June 1942 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Walter Sigel」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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