Ww2 Reich Rk Njg - Helmut Lent

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Helmut Lent

Oberst Helmut Lent(13 June 1918 7 October 1944)was a German night-fighterace in World War II. Lentshot down 110aircraft, 102 of them at night, far morethan the minimum of five enemy aircraft required for thetitle of ace.[1][Note 1] Born into a devoutly religious fam-ily, he showed an early passion forgliderflying; againsthis fathers wishes, he joined the Luftwaffe in 1936.After completing his training, he was assigned to the1. Squadron, orStaffel, of Zerstrergeschwader76 (ZG76), a wing flying theMesserschmitt Bf 110twin-engine

heavy fighter. Lent claimed his first aerial victories atthe outset of World War II in the invasion of Polandandover the North Sea. During theinvasion of Norwayheflew ground support missions before he was transferred tothe newly establishedNachtjagdgeschwader1(NJG 1), anight-fighter wing.[2][3][Note 2]

Lent claimed his first nocturnal victory on 12 May 1941and on 30 August 1941 was awarded theKnights Crossof the Iron Crossfor 22 victories. His steady accumula-tion of aerial victories resulted in regular promotions andawards. On the night of 15 June 1944, MajorLent wasthe first night fighter pilot to claim 100 nocturnal aerial

victories, a feat which earned him the Knights Cross ofthe Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamondson 31 July 1944.[2][3][4]

On 5 October 1944, Lent flew aJunkers Ju 88on a rou-tine transit flight fromStadetoNordborchen, 5 kilome-tres (3 mi) south ofPaderborn. On the landing approachone of the engines cut out and the aircraft collided withpower lines. All four members of the crew were mortallyinjured. Three men died shortly after the crash and Lentsuccumbed to his injuries two days later on 7 October1944.[2][3]

1 Childhood, education and early

career

Helmut Lent was born on 13 June 1918 in Pyrehne, dis-trict ofLandsberg an der Warthe,Province of Branden-burg, Germany (nowPyrzany,Lubusz Province, westernPoland) and christened Helmut Johannes Siegfried Lent.He was the fifth child of Johannes Lent, aLutheranmin-ister and Marie Elisabeth, ne Braune. Helmut Lent hadtwo older brothers, Werner and Joachim, and two older

sisters, Kthe and Ursula.[5] His family was deeply reli-gious; in addition to his father, both of his brothers andboth grandfathers were also Lutheran ministers.[6]

From Easter 1924 until Easter 1928, Lent attended thelocal public primary schoolat Pyrehne. His father andoldest brother Werner then tutored him at home in prepa-ration for the entrance examination at the public sec-ondary school at Landsberg.[Note 3] In February 1933,Helmut joined the Jungvolk, the junior branch of theHitler Youth. From March 1933, he acted as a youth pla-toon leader, or Jungzugfhrer(1 March 1933 1 April1935) and flag-bearer, orFhnleinfhrer(1 April 1935 9 November 1935) until he left the Jungvolkto prepare

for his diplomaexamination.[8]

Helmut passed his grad-uation examinations at the age of seventeen on 12 De-cember 1935. On 2 February 1936, he began the eight-week compulsoryNational Labor Service (Reichsarbeits-dienst)atMohrin.[9] He joined the military service in theLuftwaffeas aFahnenjunkeron 1 April 1936, against thewishes of his father.[10]

His military training began on 6 April 1936 at the 2ndAir Warfare School (Luftkriegsschule 2) atGatow, on thesouth-western outskirts of Berlin. He swore theNationalSocialist oath of allegianceon 21 April 1936.[11] Flighttraining began on Monday, 7 August 1936 at Gatow.

His first flight was in a Heinkel He 72 KadetD-EYZAsingle engine biplane. Lent logged his first solo flighton 15 September 1936 in aFocke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz.By this time, Lent had accumulated 63 flights in hislogbook.[12] In conjunction with flight training, the stu-dents also learned to drive motorcycles and cars and dur-ing one of these training exercises, Lent was involved in aroad accident, breaking his upper leg badly enough to pre-vent him from flying for five months.[13] This did not ad-versely affect his classroom training and on 1 April 1937,after taking his commission examination, he was pro-moted to Fhnrich.[14] On 19 October 1937 Lent com-pleted his flight training and was awarded the A/B Li-

cense. He earned his wings on 15 November 1937. On1 February 1938, he was promoted toOberfhnrich(firstensign), and on 1 March 1938 to Leutnant. By this time,he had made 434 flights in eight different types of aircraftand had accumulated 112 hours and 48 minutes flyingtime, mostly in daylight flights, in single engine trainingaircraft.[15]

After leaving Gatow, Helmut Lent was posted tothe Heavy Bomber Crew School, or Groe Kampf-

fliegerschuleat Tutow, in northeast Germany. He spentthree months training as an observer (1 March 1938 30May 1938). Prior to completing this course, Lent was run

over by a car, resulting in a broken lower jaw, concussion,and internal bleeding. On 1 July 1938, Lent was posted

1
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to the 3rd Group of Jagdgeschwader132Richthofen(III./JG 132), flying on 19 July 1938 for the first time af-ter his injuries.[16]

At the beginning of September, Lents squadron, 7./JG132, relocated toGroenhainnear Dresden, in prepara-

tion and support of the annexation of Czechoslovakia.Lent flew a number of operational patrols in this con-flict until his Staffelrelocated again toRangsdorfon 29September 1938. After the tension over the occupa-tion of the Sudeten territories eased, Lents unit begana conversion to theMesserschmitt Bf 108 Taifun. On1 November 1938 III./JG 132 moved to Frstenwalde,between Berlin and Frankfurt an der Oder, and wasrenamed II./JG 141, and Lent was posted to the 6thSquadron.[17]

II./JG 141 changed its designation toI./Zerstrergeschwader 76 (I./ZG 76) on 1 May 1939

at the same time relocating to an airfield at Olmtz,Czechoslovakia. The group was being re-equippedwith theMesserschmitt Bf 110, and Lent made his firstflight in the Bf 110 on 7 June 1939. Lent was grantedhis Luftwaffe Advanced Pilots Certificate (Erweit-erter Luftwaffen-Flugzeugfhrerschein), also known as'C'-Certificate, confirming proficiency on multi-engineaircraft, on 12 May 1939.[18] While converting to theBf 110, Lent did not have a regular wireless operator(Funker) in the rear gunners seat, but on 14 August1939 he was accompanied in M8+AH for the first timeby GefreiterWalter Kubisch.[19] During the prelude ofWorld War IIon 25 August 1939 I./ZG 76 deployed to

an airfield atOhlauto the southeast ofBreslau.[20]

2 World War II

World War II began at 04:45 on Friday 1 September 1939when German forces crossed the Polish border. HelmutLent, flying a Bf 110 marked M8-DH, took off fromOhlau, at 04:44 to escort Heinkel He 111 bombers ona mission overKrakow.[20]

2.1 Invasion of Poland

The German plans for theinvasion of Polandwere con-ceived under the codename Fall Weiss(Case White). Thisoperation called for simultaneous attacks on Poland fromthree directions, the north, the west and the south, be-ginning at 04:45 on the early morning of 1 September1939. On this morning Helmut Lent, with Kubisch as hiswireless operator andrear gunner, escorted a formationof Heinkel 111 bombers of I. and III./Kampfgeschwader4(KG 4) attacking the airfields at Krakow in support ofthe southern prong of the German attack.[21] At 16:30

on 2 September 1939, the second day of the German at-tack, Lent took off in the direction ofdand claimedhis first aerial-victory of the war, shooting down aPZL

A ZG 76 Bf 110C similar to those flown by Helmut Lent

P.11.[22][23]

At this point of the campaign the Bf 110s switched from

bomber escort to ground-attack since the Polish Air Forcewas all but defeated. In this capacity Lent and Ku-bisch destroyed a twin-engined monoplane on the groundon 5 September and another aircraft, a PZL P.24, on9 September. On 12 September 1939 he was attackedby a Polish aircraft which shot out his starboard engine.Lent made a forced landing behind German lines.[24] Heflew five more missions during the Polish campaign, de-stroying one anti-aircraft battery. For his actions in thePolish campaign Lent was awarded one of the firstIronCross2nd class of World War II on 21 September 1939.I./ZG 76 relocated to theStuttgartarea on 29 Septem-ber 1939 to defend the western border against the French

and British, who had been at war with Germany since 3September 1939.[25] From early October to middle De-cember I./ZG 76 operated from a number of airfields inthe Stuttgart and Ruhr areas before relocating north toJeveron 16 December 1939.[26]

2.2 Battle of the Heligoland Bight

During the first month of the war the Royal AirForce(RAF) mostly focused its bomber attacks againstanti-shipping operations on the German Bight. RAF

bombers mounted a heavy attack against shipping offWilhelmshavenon 18 December 1939 in what becameto be known as the Battle of the Heligoland Bight.[27]

Twenty-four twin-engine Vickers WellingtonfromNo.9 Squadron, No. 37 Squadronand No. 149 Squadronformed up over Norfolk heading for the island ofHeligoland. Two aircraft aborted the mission due to me-chanical defects, but the remaining 22 pursued the attackand were spotted by aFreya radaron theEast Frisian Is-lands.[28]

Helmut Lent was ordered to intercept and engage theattacking bomber force and after refuellingLent had

just landed atJeverfrom an armed patrolclaimed threeWellingtons, two of which, shot down at 14:30 and14:45, were later confirmed.[29] The two aircraft were
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2.3 Norwegian Campaign and Battle of Britain 3

both from No. 37 Squadron, captained by Flying Of-ficer P.A. Wimberley and Flying Officer O.J.T. Lewisrespectively, and both crashed in the shallow sea offBorkum. It is likely that his third claim may have beenNo. 37 Squadron Wellington 1A N2396, LF-J, piloted bySergeant H. Ruse, which crash-landed on the sand dunes

of Borkum.[30] Lent was refused the victory over Wim-berley, as the Wellington was attacked by Lent after ithad already been badly damaged and was about to crash.The Wellington was credited to pilot Carl-August Schu-macher.[31]

His success as a fighter pilot over the North Sea had madehim a minor national hero. Exploits such as those at He-ligoland made good news stories for German propagandamachine. Consequently, he attracted fan mailmainlyfrom young girls and womenamong them Elisabeth Pe-tersen. Lent replied to her letter, and he and Elisabethmet on ablind dateat the Reichshofhotel inHamburg,

after which they enjoyed a skiing holiday inHirschegginFebruary 1940.[32]

2.3 Norwegian Campaign and Battle of

Britain

Norwegian Gladiator 427 brought down by Lent on 9 April

1940[33]

On 8 April 1940 eight aircraft of 1./ZG 76, under thecommand of Staffelkapitn Werner Hansen, deployednorthward from Jever to Westerlandon Sylt in prepa-ration for operation Weserbung, the invasion of Nor-way.[34] The German plan for the attack called for an am-phibious assault on the Norwegian capital,Oslo, and sixmajor ports from Kristiansandin the south toNarvikinthe north.[35] Simultaneously, Junkers 52(Ju 52) trans-port aircraft would drop parachute troops to secure OslosFornebu airport. Additional Ju 52s were scheduled to ar-rive at Fornebu twenty minutes after the parachute drop,by which time the airfield had to be in German hands.1./ZG 76 was to provide air cover and ground-attack sup-port for both waves. Eight Bf 110Zerstrerof 1./JG 76took off at 7:00 in the morning, planning to synchronizetheir arrival at Fornebu with the parachute drop at 8:45.

The distance from Westerland to Fornebu meant that thiswas a one-way operation; the Bf 110s could not holdenough fuel for the return trip. Their fuel was calculated

to provide them 20 minutes flying time over Fornebu,[36]

and the pilots would have to land at Fornebu once the air-field had been seized.[37]

Lents Bf 110C ran out of fuel and was forced to land at

Oslo/Fornebu airfield on 9 April 1940.[38] A troop-carrying Ju

52 flies over Lents belly-landed Bf 110.[39]

On the early morning flight to Fornebu, Lent engaged andshot down a NorwegianGloster Gladiator.[33] While theJu 52s transporting the German paratroops came underheavy fire, Lents Rotteengaged the enemy ground posi-tions. Lents starboard engine caught fire, forcing him toland immediately. With Kubisch manning the movablemachine gun, Lent negotiated the capitulation with theNorwegian ground forces and the airfield was in Germanhands.[40]

At 18:50 the sameday, Lent and his Staffelkapitn WernerHansen took off again from Fornebu in undamaged Bf110s. During the 40-minute flight, they came across aRAFShort Sunderlandflying boat, serial number L2167,from No. 210 Squadron RAFwhich they shot downtogether; Hansen received credit for the kill.[41] Hel-mut Lent was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class on 13May 1940 before he was transferred toTrondheimon 18May.[42] He claimed his second aerial victory of the Nor-wegian campaign on 27 May over a RAF Gloster Gladia-tor fromNo. 263 Squadron RAF, piloted byFlight Lieu-tenant Caesar Hull. On 2 June 1940 Lent and his wing-man Thnes claimed a Gladiator each. The flight lasted5 hours and 46 minutes and their opponents were again

from No. 263 Squadron, aircraft serial number N5893piloted by Pilot Officer J.L. Wilkie, and N5681 pilotedby Pilot Officer L.R. Jacobsen. He claimed his seventhvictory overall and final of the Norwegian theatre of op-erations on 15 June 1940 over aNo. 254 Squadron RAFBristol Blenheim, piloted by Pilot Officer P.C. Gaylord.On 1 July 1940 Lent was promoted to Oberleutnantandon 13 July 1./ZG 76 was relocated toStavanger/Forus.[33]

Helmut Lent briefly participated in theBattle of Britainwhen on 15 August 1940 twenty-one Bf 110s from I./ZG76 escorted He 111 bombers from Kampfgeschwader26 (KG 26) on their attack on Yorkshire and the

Newcastle/Sunderlandarea. I./ZG 76 lost seven aircrafton this mission and it was Helmut Lents 98th and finalmission as aZerstrerpilot.[43]
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2.4 Night fighter career

By June 1940 RAF Bomber Command penetrationsof German airspace had increased to the level thatHermann Gring decreed that a night-fighter forceshould be formed. The officer tasked with its cre-ation wasWolfgang Falck, Gruppenkommandeurof theI./Zerstrergeschwader 1 (ZG 1).[44] The night-fighterforce began to expand rapidly, with existing units beingdivided to form the nucleus of new units. By October1940 Nachtjagdgeschwader1 (NJG 1) comprised threeGruppen, while Nachtjagdgeschwader 2 (NJG 2) andNachtjagdgeschwader3 (NJG 3), were still forming.[45]

It was during this period that Helmut Lent reluctantly be-came a member of the night-fighter force. At the end ofAugust Lent wrote home, We are currently convertingto night fighting. We are not very enthusiastic. We wouldsooner head directly for England.[46]

Lent completed night fighter training at Ingolstadt insouth-western Germany, and was appointed squadronleader, or Staffelkapitn, of the newly formed 6./NJG 1 on1 October 1940. The squadron was based at FliegerhorstDeelen, located 12.5 kilometres (8 mi) north ofArnhemin the Netherlands. On the night 1112 May 1941, Lentclaimed his first nocturnal aerial victories against twoWellington IC bombers from No. 40 Squadron RAFon a mission against Hamburg. BL-H (serial numberR1330) was shot down at 01:40 near Sderstapel and BL-Z (R1461) at 02:49 nearNordstrand.[47]

On 1 July 1941, he took command of 4./NJG 1, stationedin the Netherlands at Fliegerhorst(airfield)Leeuwarden,161 kilometres (100 mi) north of Arnheim, on the Fries-land coast, where he remained until his death. From thisposition in the so-calledGerman Bight, the squadron pa-trolled the North Sea coast, and could intercept Alliednight-time bombing missions, what the Luftwaffe calledterror attacks, based out of England.[48] By the end ofthe war, the 4./NJG 1 was one of the most successfulNachtjagdstaffela squadron of a night fighter wingof the Luftwaffe. Other members included such nightfighter pilots as OberleutnantHelmut Woltersdorf,Leut-nantLudwig Becker(44 victories, KIA February 1943),

LeutnantEgmont Prinz zur Lippe-Weienfeld(51 vic-tories, killed in a flying accident in the Netherlands inMarch 1944), Leutnant Leopold Fellerer(41 victories),OberfeldwebelPaul Gildner(46 victories, killed in a fly-ing accident at Fliegerhorst Gilze-Rijen in the Nether-lands in February 1943), andUnteroffizierSiegfried Ney(12 victories, KIA February 1943). On 30 August 1941,Lent received the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross forseven daytime and 14 night victories.[49]

On 1 November 1941, Lent became acting GroupCommander Gruppenkommandeurof the newly formedII./NJG 2.[50] Lents first aerial victory as aGruppenkom-

mandeur, his 20th night-time, and his last in 1941, cameduring the night of Friday 7 November to Saturday 8November. He shot down a Wellington 1C heading for

Berlin, which came down nearAkkrum. The six-mancrew of the bomber, X9976of No. 75 (New Zealand)Squadron, was killed in action. This achievement earnedLent a reference in theWehrmachtbericht(his first of sixin total), an information bulletin issued by the headquar-ters of the Wehrmacht. To be singled out individually

in the Wehrmachtberichtwas an honour and was enteredin the Orders and Decorations section of ones ServiceRecord Book.[51]

Gordon Gollob(hidden) andMax-Hellmuth Ostermannreceive

the Oak Leaves with Swords, Helmut Lent, Heinrich Setz and

Friedrich Geihardtreceive the Oak Leaves to the Knights Cross

fromAdolf Hitleron 28 or 29 June 1942.[52]

He was promoted to Hauptmannon 1 January 1942.[53]

Later that year, he was awarded theKnights Cross of theIron Cross with Oak Leaves on 6 June 1942, at whichtime his total stood at 34 nocturnal victories plus sevenday-time victories.[49] The award was presented at the

Fhrerhauptquartieron 28 and 29 June, his tally standingthen at 39 nocturnal and seven day-time victories.[52] Lentalso held the distinction of achieving the first Lichtensteinradar-assisted air victory in aDornier Do 215B-5 nightfighter.[54]

By the end of 1942, Lent had 56 victories and was the topGerman night-fighter ace. He was promoted to Majoron1 January 1943 and appointed Geschwaderkommodore ofNachtjagdgeschwader3(NJG 3) on 1 August 1943.[55]

After 73 kills, of which 65 were claimed at night, he wasawarded theKnights Cross of the Iron Cross with OakLeaves and Swords on 2 August 1943 and notified bytele-

gram on 4 August.[56] The Swords were presented to himat the Fhrerhauptquartierat Rastenburgon 10/11 Au-gust 1943.[57]

In January 1944, Lent downed three so-calledheaviesfour-engined strategic bombersin onenight, but his aircraft was damaged by return fire,requiring a forced landing. He used only 22 cannonshells to down two bombers on the night of the 2223March 1944, and fired only 57 rounds in seven minutesagainst threeAvro Lancasterson 1516 June. Promotedto Oberstleutnant, he was awarded theKnights Cross ofthe Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds

in recognition of his 110 confirmed air kills, the first oftwo night-fighter pilots to be awarded the decoration.[58]

The second wasHeinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, who, with
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz-Wolfgang_Schnauferhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight%2527s_Cross_of_the_Iron_Cross_with_Oak_Leaves,_Swords_and_Diamondshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight%2527s_Cross_of_the_Iron_Cross_with_Oak_Leaves,_Swords_and_Diamondshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberstleutnanthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avro_Lancasterhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_bomberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastenburghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight%2527s_Cross_of_the_Iron_Cross_with_Oak_Leaves_and_Swordshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight%2527s_Cross_of_the_Iron_Cross_with_Oak_Leaves_and_Swordshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nachtjagdgeschwader_3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geschwaderkommodorehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dornier_Do_215https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichtenstein_radarhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichtenstein_radarhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%BChrerhauptquartierhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight%2527s_Cross_of_the_Iron_Cross_with_Oak_Leaveshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight%2527s_Cross_of_the_Iron_Cross_with_Oak_Leaveshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hauptmannhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitlerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Gei%C3%9Fhardthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Setzhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max-Hellmuth_Ostermannhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Gollobhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wehrmachtberichthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._75_Squadron_RAFhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._75_Squadron_RAFhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_military_aircraft_serialshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akkrumhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruppenkommandeurhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight%2527s_Cross_of_the_Iron_Crosshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gildnerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_Fellererhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egmont_Prinz_zur_Lippe-Wei%C3%9Fenfeldhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Becker_(pilot)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Woltersdorfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Bighthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeuwardenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordstrand,_Germanyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%BCderstapelhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._40_Squadron_RAFhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnhemhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingolstadthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nachtjagdgeschwader_3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nachtjagdgeschwader_2https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nachtjagdgeschwader_1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zerst%C3%B6rergeschwader_1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Falckhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_fighterhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_G%C3%B6ringhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Bomber_Command


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5

121 aerial victories, became aviation historys leadingnight-fighter pilot.[59]

2.5 Personal life

All German officers were required to obtain official per-mission to marry; however, this was usually a bureau-cratic formality. When Lent decided to marry ElizabethPetersen, his admirer from Hamburg whom he had meton a blind date, his case was more complicated. 'Elisa-beth Petersen' was in fact Helene (Lena) Senokosnikova,born in Moscow in April 1914. She had been afraid to re-veal her true identity, since Russians were not popular inthe Third Reich,[60] but after a thorough investigation intoher background and racial ancestry, she received her Ger-man citizenship on 15 March 1941. They were marriedon 10 September 1941 in Wellingsbttel, Hamburg.[61]

The marriage produced two daughters. Christina wasborn on 6 June 1942; the second, Helma, was born on6 October 1944, shortly after her fathers fatal crash.[62]

Both of Helmuts older brothers, Joachim and Werner,as members of theConfessing Church(German: Beken-nende Kirche), encountered trouble with the Nazi party.The Confessing Church, led by PastorMartin Niemller,was a schismatic Protestant church which opposedthe Reichs efforts to Nazify Germanys Protestantchurches. It stood in outspoken opposition to NationalSocialist principles, particularly those embodied in theAryan Paragraph. Through the Barmen Declaration,

the church condemned the national German Evangeli-cal Church as heretical. Werner Lent, an adherent tothe Confessing church, was arrested for the first time in1937 after preaching an anti-Nazi sermon.[63] In June1942, his brother Joachim was arrested by theGestapoafter reading the so-calledMlders letterfrom the pulpit.The Mlders letter was a propaganda piece conceived bySefton Delmer, the chief of the Britishblack propagandain the Political Warfare Executive (PWE) to capitalizeon the death of Germanys fighter ace Werner Mlders;this letter, ostensibly written by Mlders, attested to thesupreme importance of his Catholic faith in his lifebyimplication, placing faith above his allegiance to the Na-tional Socialist Party.[64]

2.6 Death

On 5 October 1944, Lent flew his Junkers Ju-88G6,coded D5+AA, fromStadeto Paderborn. His crew in-cluded his long-time radio operator OberfeldwebelWalterKubisch, thewar correspondent LeutnantWerner Karkin the aerial gunner position, and OberleutnantHermannKlss, second radio operator. Lent was on his way to visitthe Geschwaderkommodoreof the Nachtjagdgeschwader

1, OberstleutnantHans-Joachim Jabs, to discuss opera-tional matters. During the landing approach, the left en-gine of the plane failed, causing the wing to dip. Lent was

Hermann Gringspeaking at Lents funeral[65]

unable to keep the plane steady and it struck high-voltagecables and crashed. All four members of the crew sus-tained serious injuries but were rescued alive. Kubischand Klss succumbed to their injuries on the same day,Kark on the next morning and Lent himself died two dayslater on 7 October 1944.[66]

Helmut Lents state funeral was held in the ReichChancellery, Berlin, on Wednesday 11 October 1944.Reichsmarschall Hermann Gring took the salute atLents coffin, which was draped in the national flag ofthe Third Reich. Ahead of the coffin, carrying Lentshonours and decorations on a velvet cushion, marchedOberstleutnant Werner Streib, the Inspector of NightFighters. Six steel-helmeted officers, all recipients ofthe Knights Cross of the Iron Cross, escorted the cof-fin on its caisson and stood as guard of honourduringthe ceremony: OberstleutnantGnther Radusch, Ober-stleutnantHans-Joachim Jabs, MajorRudolf Schoenert,Hauptmann Heinz Strning, Hauptmann Karl Hadeballand Hauptmann Paul Zorner.[67] On 12 October 1944Lent and his crew were interred in a single grave in themilitary cemetery atStade.[68]

3 Legacy

On 18 July 1964, a German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr)Army Aviation Corps (Heeresflieger) installation inRotenburg (Wmme)(Lower Saxony) was renamed theLent Barracks, or Lent-Kaserne, in his honour.[69] In2014, the German Armed Forces have decided to renamethe Lent Barracks. Although Lent was not awar crimi-nal, hewas a Nazi and is therefore no longer considered anappropriatenamesakewithin the German Armed Forces.The process, which is expected to finalize in end 2015,involves 1,500 soldiers and 250 civil employees of thesite and was initiated by the commander OberstleutnantEdmund Vogel in early 2015.[70]

A number of Helmut Lents awards were auctioned atSothebys, London, on 18 July 1966. The items werebought in one lot by an anonymous bidder for the to-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sotheby%2527shttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namesakehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_criminalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_criminalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotenburg_(W%C3%BCmme)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_Aviation_Corps_(Germany)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundeswehrhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Zornerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_Str%C3%BCninghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Schoenerthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Joachim_Jabshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCnther_Raduschhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guard_of_honourhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Streibhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_G%C3%B6ringhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichsmarschallhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reich_Chancelleryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reich_Chancelleryhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_funeralhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_G%C3%B6ringhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Joachim_Jabshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nachtjagdgeschwader_1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nachtjagdgeschwader_1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_correspondenthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Kubischhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Kubischhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oberfeldwebelhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paderbornhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stadehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju-88https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_M%C3%B6ldershttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_Warfare_Executivehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_propagandahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sefton_Delmerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%B6lders_letterhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestapohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Evangelical_Churchhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Evangelical_Churchhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barmen_Declarationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryan_Paragraphhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Niem%C3%B6llerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confessing_Churchhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellingsb%C3%BCttel


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6 6 REFERENCES

tal sum of 500. The purchaser was Adolf Galland,the former General der Jagdflieger, acting on behalf oftheFederal German Ministry of Defence. The awardswere sold by Helmut Lents elder daughter Christina af-ter consultation with her mother, Lena, who was in ur-gent need for money to pay for an operation. The Federal

Ministry of Defence presented the collection to the Mu-seum of Defence History (Wehrgeschichtliches Museum)inRastatt, Germany.[71]

4 Summary of career

Helmut Lent is officially credited with 110 victories in507 flights. The total includes 103 victories at night, dur-ing which he destroyed 59 four-engine bombers and oneMosquito, among other types. Lent received a posthu-mous promotion toOberst(Colonel).[Note 4]

4.1 Awards

Helmut Lents Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds on display at

theBundeswehr Military History MuseuminDresden

Pilots Badge(15 November 1937)[73]

Sudetenland Medal[74]

Narvik Shield(30 January 1941)[73][75]

Wound Badge(1939)

in Black (14 July 1941)[76]

in Silver (22 December 1943)[75][77]

Iron Cross(1939)

2nd class (21 September 1939)[78]

1st class (11 May 1940)[78]

Ehrenpokalder Luftwaffe (26 June 1941)[58]

Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for DestroyerPilots in Gold[75]

Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for Nightfighter

Pilots in Gold with Pennant 300

[75]

Combined Pilots-Observation Badge in Gold withDiamonds

German Crossin Gold on 9 April 1942 as Haupt-mannin the II./NJG 2[79]

Knights Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves,Swords and Diamonds

Knights Cross on 30 August 1941 as Ober-leutnant and Staffelkapitn of the 6./NJG1[80][81][Note 5]

98th Oak Leaves on 6 June 1942 as Haupt-mann and Gruppenkommandeur of theII./NJG 2[82][83][84]

32nd Swords on 2 August 1943 as Ma-jorand Gruppenkommandeurof the IV./NJG1[82][85][86]

15th Diamonds on 31 July 1944 asOberstleut-nantand Geschwaderkommodoreof the NJG3[82][87][88]

Mentioned six times in theWehrmachtbericht(seebelow)

4.2 Wehrmachtbericht references

4.3 Promotions

5 Notes

[1] Fora list of Luftwaffe nightfighter aces see List ofGermanWorld War II night fighter aces

[2] SeeOrganization of the Luftwaffe during World War II

for an explanation of the Luftwaffe structure.

[3] After 1933 the school was renamed Hermann GringHochschule[7]

[4] According to Jerry Scutts 113 victories of which 102 atnight.[72]

[5] According to Scherzer as Staffelkapitn ofthe4./NJG1[82]

6 References

6.1 Citations

[1] Spick 1996, pp. 34.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization_of_the_Luftwaffe_during_World_War_IIhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_German_World_War_II_night_fighter_aceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_German_World_War_II_night_fighter_aceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Lent#References_in_the_Wehrmachtberichthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wehrmachtberichthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight%2527s_Cross_of_the_Iron_Cross_with_Oak_Leaves,_Swords_and_Diamondshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight%2527s_Cross_of_the_Iron_Cross_with_Oak_Leaves,_Swords_and_Diamondshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Crosshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_Pilots-Observation_Badgehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Front_Flying_Clasp_of_the_Luftwaffehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehrenpokalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Crosshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wound_Badgehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narvik_Shieldhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudetenland_Medalhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot%2527s_Badgehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dresdenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bundeswehr_Military_History_Museumhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Mosquitohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rastatthttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Ministry_of_Defence_(Germany)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_der_Jagdfliegerhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Galland


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6.1 Citations 7

[2] Fraschka 1994, pp. 185189.

[3] Williamson 2006, pp. 3141.

[4] Schaulen 2004, p. 78.

[5] Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 24.

[6] Hinchliffe 2003, p. xvi.

[7] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 6.

[8] Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 811.

[9] Hinchliffe 2003, pp.512.

[10] Fraschka 1994, p. 186.

[11] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 13.

[12] Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 1718.

[13] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 21.

[14] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 22.

[15] Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 2425.

[16] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 29.

[17] Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 3031.

[18] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 32.

[19] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 33.

[20] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 34.

[21] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 35.

[22] Helden der Wehrmacht2004, p. 112.

[23] Bekker 1994, p. 37.

[24] Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 4041.

[25] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 42.

[26] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 46.

[27] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 44.

[28] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 45.

[29] Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 4749.

[30] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 50.

[31] Holmes 2010, pp. 7881.

[32] Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 5455.

[33] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 61.

[34] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 57.

[35] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 58.

[36] Bekker. 1964 p. 84.

[37] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 59.

[38] Weal 1999, p. 26.

[39] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 62.

[40] Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 6263.

[41] Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 6263, 295.

[42] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 67.

[43] Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 7374.

[44] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 79.

[45] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 84.

[46] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 85.

[47] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 295.

[48] Die Wehrmachtberichte 19391945. Band 3, pp. 285286.

[49] Fraschka 1994, p. 187.

[50] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 120.

[51] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 121.

[52] Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 147, 296.

[53] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 125.

[54] Aders 1978, pp. 44-45. (see photo gallery and caption)

[55] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 199.

[56] Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 201, 297.

[57] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 204.

[58] Obermaier 1989, p. 23.

[59] Williamson 2006, pp. 50, 51.

[60] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 56.

[61] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 116.

[62] Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 143, 259.

[63] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 143.

[64] Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 149151.

[65] Hagen 1998, p. 267.

[66] Hagen 1998, p. 148.

[67] Hagen 1998, pp. 265266.

[68] Hagen 1998, p. 268.

[69] Helmut Lent. Lexikon der Wehrmacht. Retrieved 2 De-cember 2009.

[70] Kasernenkommandant Edmund Vogel leitet Find-ungsprozess einSuche nach dem neuen Namen ziehtsich noch hin [Barracks commander Edmund Vogelinitiated name finding processThe search for thenew name still drags on]. kreiszeitung.de (in German).Retrieved 25 August 2015.

[71] Hinchliffe 2003, pp. 287288.

[72] Scutts 1998, pp. 20, 88.
http://www.kreiszeitung.de/lokales/rotenburg/rotenburg-ort120515/kasernenkommandant-edmund-vogel-leitet-findungsprozess-4779095.htmlhttp://www.kreiszeitung.de/lokales/rotenburg/rotenburg-ort120515/kasernenkommandant-edmund-vogel-leitet-findungsprozess-4779095.htmlhttp://www.kreiszeitung.de/lokales/rotenburg/rotenburg-ort120515/kasernenkommandant-edmund-vogel-leitet-findungsprozess-4779095.htmlhttp://www.kreiszeitung.de/lokales/rotenburg/rotenburg-ort120515/kasernenkommandant-edmund-vogel-leitet-findungsprozess-4779095.htmlhttp://www.kreiszeitung.de/lokales/rotenburg/rotenburg-ort120515/kasernenkommandant-edmund-vogel-leitet-findungsprozess-4779095.htmlhttp://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/LentH.htm


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8 6 REFERENCES

[73] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 298.

[74] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 112.

[75] Berger 2000, p. 184.

[76] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 299.

[77] Hinchliffe 2003, p. 220.

[78] Hagen 1998, p. 142.

[79] Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 275.

[80] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 289.

[81] Von Seemen 1976, p. 221.

[82] Scherzer 2007, p. 502.

[83] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 60.

[84] Von Seemen 1976, p. 29.

[85] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 41.

[86] Von Seemen 1976, p. 15.

[87] Fellgiebel 2000, p. 37.

[88] Von Seemen 1976, p. 12.

[89] Die Wehrmachtberichte 19391945 Band 1, p. 721.





[94] Die Wehrmachtberichte 19391945 Band 3, pp. 285286.

6.2 Bibliography

Aders, Gebhard (1978). History of the GermanNight Fighter Force, 19171945. London: JanesPublishing. ISBN 978-0-354-01247-8.

Bekker, Cajus (1994). The Luftwaffe War Diaries The German Air Force in World War II. New York:Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-80604-9.

Berger, Florian (1999). Mit Eichenlaub und Schw-ertern. Die hchstdekorierten Soldaten des Zweiten

Weltkrieges [With Oak Leaves and Swords. TheHighest Decorated Soldiers of the Second World

War] (in German). Vienna, Austria: SelbstverlagFlorian Berger.ISBN 978-3-9501307-0-6.

Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer(2000) [1986]. Die Trgerdes Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 19391945

Die Inhaber der hchsten Auszeichnung des

Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile [The Bear-ers of the Knights Cross of the Iron Cross 19391945

The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second

World War of all Wehrmacht Branches] (in Ger-man). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas. ISBN978-3-7909-0284-6.

Fraschka, Gnther (1994).Knights of the Reich. At-glen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military/Aviation His-tory.ISBN 978-0-88740-580-8.

Hagen, Hans-Peter (1998). Husaren des Himmels:Berhmte deutsche Jagdflieger und die Geschichte

ihrer Waffe[Hussars of Heaven: Famous GermanFighter Pilots and the History of their Weapon] (inGerman). Rastatt, Germany: Moewig. ISBN 978-3-8118-1456-1.

Hinchliffe, Peter (1998). Luftkrieg bei Nacht 19391945[Air War at Night 19391945] (in German).Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag.ISBN 978-3-613-01861-7.

Hinchliffe, Peter (2003). The Lent Papers HelmutLent. Bristol, UK: Cerberus Publishing.ISBN 978-1-84145-105-3.

Obermaier, Ernst (1989). Die Ritterkreuztrger derLuftwaffe. Band 1: Jagdflieger 19391945 [TheKnights Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe. Volume

1: Fighter Pilots 19391945] (in German) (2 ed.).Mainz, Germany: Verlag Dieter Hoffmann. ISBN978-3-87341-065-7.

Holmes, Robin (2010).The Battle of the HeligolandBight, 1939: The Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffes

Baptism of Fire. London: Grub Street. ISBN 978-1-906502-56-0.

Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). DasDeutsche Kreuz 19411945 Geschichte und InhaberBand II[The German Cross 19411945 History andRecipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt,Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN 978-3-931533-45-8.

Schaulen, Fritjof (2004). Eichenlaubtrger 19401945 Zeitgeschichte in Farbe II Ihlefeld - Primozic

[Oak Leaves Bearers 19401945 Contemporary His-tory in Color II Ihlefeld - Primozic] (in German).Selent, Germany: Pour le Mrite. ISBN 978-3-932381-21-8.

Scherzer, Veit (2007). Die Ritterkreuztrger 19391945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen

Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine,

Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland ver-

bndeter Streitkrfte nach den Unterlagen des Bun-

desarchives[The Knights Cross Bearers 19391945The Holders of the Knights Cross of the Iron

Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS,

Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany Ac-

cording to the Documents of the Federal Archives](in German). Jena, Germany: Scherzers Miltaer-Verlag.ISBN 978-3-938845-17-2.

Scutts, Jerry (1998). German Night Fighter Acesof World War 2. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing.ISBN 978-1-85532-696-5.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-85532-696-5https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-938845-17-2https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-932381-21-8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-932381-21-8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-931533-45-8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-931533-45-8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-906502-56-0https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-906502-56-0https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-87341-065-7https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-84145-105-3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-84145-105-3https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-613-01861-7https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-613-01861-7https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-8118-1456-1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-8118-1456-1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-88740-580-8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-7909-0284-6https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walther-Peer_Fellgiebelhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-9501307-0-6https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-306-80604-9https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-354-01247-8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number


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Spick, Mike (1996). Luftwaffe Fighter Aces. NewYork: Ivy Books.ISBN 978-0-8041-1696-1.

Von Seemen, Gerhard (1976). Die Ritterkreuztrger19391945 : die Ritterkreuztrger smtlicher

Wehrmachtteile, Brillanten-, Schwerter- und Eichen-

laubtrger in der Reihenfolge der Verleihung :Anhang mit Verleihungsbestimmungen und weiteren

Angaben [The Knights Cross Bearers 19391945: The Knights Cross Bearers of All the Armed Ser-

vices, Diamonds, Swords and Oak Leaves Bearers

in the Order of Presentation: Appendix with Further

Information and Presentation Requirements] (inGerman). Friedberg, Germany: Podzun-Verlag.ISBN 978-3-7909-0051-4.

Weal, John (1999). Messerschmitt Bf 110 ZerstrerAces World War Two. London, UK:Osprey Pub-lishing.ISBN 1-85532-753-8.

Williamson, Gordon (2006).Knights Cross with Di-amonds Recipients 194145. Oxford, UK:OspreyPublishing.ISBN 978-1-84176-644-7.

Die Wehrmachtberichte 19391945 Band 1, 1.

September 1939 bis 31. Dezember 1941 [TheWehrmacht Reports 19391945 Volume 1, 1 Septem-

ber 1939 to 31 December 1941] (in German).Mnchen, Germany: Deutscher Taschenbuch Ver-lag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985. ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.

Die Wehrmachtberichte 19391945 Band 2, 1. Jan-uar 1942 bis 31. Dezember 1943[The WehrmachtReports 19391945 Volume 2, 1 January 1942 to 31

December 1943] (in German). Mnchen, Germany:Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG.1985.ISBN 978-3-423-05944-2.

Die Wehrmachtberichte 19391945 Band 3, 1. Jan-

uar 1944 bis 9. Mai 1945[The Wehrmacht Reports19391945 Volume 3, 1 January 1944 to 9 May

1945] (in German). Mnchen, Germany: DeutscherTaschenbuch Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. 1985.ISBN978-3-423-05944-2.

Frey, Gerhard;Herrmann, Hajo(2004). Helden derWehrmacht - Unsterbliche deutsche Soldaten [Heroesof the Wehrmacht - Immortal German Soldiers] (inGerman). Mnchen, Germany: FZ-Verlag. ISBN978-3-924309-53-4.

7 External links

Helmut Lentin theGerman National Librarycata-logue

Helmut Lent @ Aces of the Luftwaffe

Helmut Lent @ Eichenlaubtrger(German)

Helmut Lent @ Lexikon der Wehrmacht(German)
http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/LentH.htmhttp://www.eichenlaubtraeger.de/1942_lent.htmlhttp://www.luftwaffe.cz/lent.htmlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_National_Libraryhttps://portal.dnb.de/opac.htm?method=simpleSearch&query=128631511https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-924309-53-4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hajo_Herrmannhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerhard_Frey_(politician)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-423-05944-2https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-423-05944-2https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-423-05944-2https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-423-05944-2https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-84176-644-7https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osprey_Publishinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osprey_Publishinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-85532-753-8https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osprey_Publishinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osprey_Publishinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-7909-0051-4https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Numberhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-8041-1696-1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number


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10 8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

8 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1 Text

Helmut Lent Source:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmut_Lent?oldid=723303070 Contributors:N-true, Sca, Clemwang, Bender235,Art LaPella, Denniss, Gene Nygaard, Abel29a, Mandarax, Crzrussian, Ground Zero, Jaraalbe, Jonrock, Brandmeister (old), Tresckow,Manxruler, Gadget850, Zzuuzz, Carabinieri, Attilios, SmackBot, AnOddName, Ohnoitsjamie, Chris the speller, MalafayaBot, Moshe

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8.2 Images

File:Aviacionavion.png Source:https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Aviacionavion.png License:Public domain Con-tributors:

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utors:German Junkers Ju 52 Messerschmitt Me-262

Own work and also based on Page 49 of

Original artist:David Liuzzo

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File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-382-0211-011,_Flugzeug_Messerschmitt_Me_110.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-382-0211-011%2C_Flugzeug_Messerschmitt_Me_110.jpg License:CC BY-SA 3.0de Contributors:This image was provided to Wikimedia Commons by the German Federal Archive(Deutsches Bundesarchiv) as partof a cooperation project. The German Federal Archive guarantees an authentic representation only using the originals (negative and/orpositive), resp. the digitalization of the originals as provided by theDigital Image Archive. Original artist:Wundshammer, Benno

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with a cameraPreviously published:no

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