Fritz Thiede

Leutnant Fritz Thiede (21 January 1896 – 14 June 1981) was a World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories. He became a personal pilot for Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich in the 1930s. He served in the Luftwaffe during World War II.

Biography

Fritz Thiede was born in Lichterfelde, the German Empire on 21 January 1896. He joined the 2nd Fusilier Artillery Regiment on 1 October 1913. He was still serving with them when World War I began.

On 1 May 1915, he transferred to the Luftstreitkräfte to start aviation training at Fliegerersatz-Abteilung (Replacement Detachment) 5 in Hannover, Germany. Once trained, Thiede was posted to Schutzstaffel (Protection Squadron) 5 in February 1916. This squadron was attached to "Bombengeschwader der Oberste Heeresleitung" 2; Bogohl 2 was directly subordinate to the German Supreme Command. Schutzstaffel 5 was a defensive fighter squadron. Thiede saw action over the Battle of the Somme. Thiede served in the Luftwaffe during World War II.

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