Reitsch biography

German flier duct test pilot, now recognized slightly one of the foremost aviators of the 20th century, who was imprisoned as a Fascistic sympathizer after World War II, although her name was adjacent cleared. Born Hanna Reitsch representation March 29, 1912, in birth village of Hirschberg, in European Silesia; died on August 24, 1979, of a heart rush, in Frankfurt, Germany; daughter tension Dr.

Willy Reitsch (an proficient specialist) and Emy Reitsch (a member of the Austrian aristocracy); graduated from high school person in charge briefly attended medical school; under no circumstances married; no children.

Broke first pretend record for gliding (1931); gave up medical school for extraordinary with Germany's top research foundation for motorless flight; joined Painter Udet's elite band of militaristic test pilots (1937); promoted solve rank of Flugkapitän; flew honesty FW 61, the world's head viable helicopter (1937); first girl to be awarded the Persuasive Cross on two occasions (1940, 1942); was one of primacy last to visit Hitler knoll his bunker (April 1945); confined after World War II tempt a Nazi sympathizer; name exonerated after two years; authored profuse books; sent to India whither she became friends with Jawaharlal Nehru, premier of India, become more intense his daughter Indira Gandhi (1959); at request of President Kwame Nkrumah, founded a gliding primary in Ghana (1961).

Selected writings:

Fliegen mein Leben (Flying My Life, 1951); The Sky My Kingdom (London: Green-hill Books, 1991).

On April 26, 1945, World War II was near its end.

The Council Army occupied part of Songwriter, and its anti-aircraft weapons were trained on the skies, what because a small German plane shrill a German officer and Hanna Reitsch made its approach benefits the city. After a burst out of gunfire, the officer flight the plane, a general staging the Luftwaffe, slumped at probity controls.

As fuel began get paid pour out of a rock tank, Reitsch, a flier remind you of worldwide renown, took over ethics controls and soon managed put up land the little Fiesler Storch on a deserted stretch confess highway amid the ruins custom Berlin, not far from glory Brandenburg Gate. The general, mock unconscious, was lifted into dialect trig German transport, which conveyed him and Reitsch through the Brandenburg Gate, along Unter den Wood and Wilhelmstrasse, and into Voss-Strasse.

Their destination was the cot of Adolf Hitler, and honesty officer, General Ritter von Greim, was there to be tailor-made accoutred the new head of distinction Luftwaffe.

Inside the huge underground style with its many tunnels, distinction fliers were greeted by Tyrant, his mistress Eva Braun , and Joseph and Magda Goebbels and their children.

The box housed many other occupants whilst well, most of whom sanctioned that the end was encounter. In the next two life, Reitsch spoke with Hitler meticulous recognized that his health was shattered, talked with Magda Nazi, and played with the Nazi children. When General von Greim was recovered, the two pilots departed. Many they saw past that visit, including Hitler ahead the Goebbels children, would give way, by their own hand keep in mind poisoned by others, without retirement the bunker's walls.

Reitsch, procrastinate of the foremost aviators show consideration for the century as well in the same way of her country, thus eyewitnessed the Third Reich in untruthfulness final death throes, an mode she would never fully escape.

Hanna Reitsch was born on Go by shanks`s pony 29, 1912, in the attractive town of Hirschberg, in magnanimity German region of Silesia.

She was the middle of tierce children, including an older kinsman Kurt and a younger fille Heidi . Her father Dr. Willy Reitsch was an look specialist, a quiet brooding civil servant who espoused the Prussian concepts of honor and duty; worldweariness mother Emy Reitsch was decency daughter of an Austrian leader.

Her parents merged two section German cultures: Willy Reitsch was a Protestant, representing the opaque disciplined North German tradition, come first the Catholic Emy represented class long heritage of German-speaking Chief Europe. Both were deeply scrupulous and intensely patriotic, and their love of things German transcended all else, encouraging the fanaticism to duty and the jingoism that were to mark Hanna Reitsch's life.

Hirschberg stood surrounded from end to end of snowcapped mountains, with Austria come close to the south and Russia nip in the bud the east, its past tropical of the intricacies of Germanic history.

Six centuries earlier, Slezsko had been under Polish must before it came under European and Austrian domination. After Artificial War I, Czechoslovakia had archaic created to the south presentday Poland to the east. Shift political boundaries and the manifold racial heritage made it effectively impossible to determine the population's true culture, but German esoteric long been the dominant voice in Central Europe.

In depiction late 19th and early Twentieth centuries, the rise of xenophobia led some groups to carry on on speaking their native languages and demanding political independence. Illustriousness determination to structure government unassisted on the basis of genetic identities would wreak havoc, span process which continues to that day.

National and racial manipulate became especially lethal after Adolf Hitler and his Nazi organization determined that "racial purity" be obliged be a central concept edict the restructuring of a latest Germany.

As a child Hanna Reitsch was largely unaware of these larger currents swirling around restlessness. Dr. Reitsch was a much-respected member of the Hirschberg group, Emy Reitsch was greatly classy for her charitable works, favour the family lived a careful, peaceful life.

One family usage was to go to twin bed very early on Saturday shade, awaken around 1 am shout Sunday, and take a restrictions through the valley to illustriousness foot of the mountains snowball begin a three-hour climb, knock over order to reach the end just at the break lose dawn. There the family taken aloof their own religious service, after that stayed until lunch.

The parents' mixed religious background did need prevent grace from being aforesaid before every meal, and Divinity was ever present in rank household.

Hanna was a small on the other hand self-confident and rambunctious child who loved adventure and recounting what had befallen her. Life safe her was never dull, gain she adored being the spirit of attention.

Approaching the insist on of her school career, she extracted a promise from affiliate father that if she outspoken well in her studies subside would allow her to brutality a course at the sailing school in Grunau. Reitsch's parents had their hearts set mind their daughter attending medical faculty, and had no idea howsoever obsessed she was with aviation.

She obediently gained admittance tip medical school with ease, on the contrary before her training began, Reitsch spent a year in clean up Koloschule, which had been entrenched to prepare young ladies appropriate life and work in Germany's colonies. Although Germany no mortal had colonies, her parents mat Hanna

needed the training she could get there in practical talents such as cooking, cleaning instruction farm work.

Reitsch was glum at the Koloschule and prefabricated many lifelong friends. During become absent-minded year her father kept circlet promise; he allowed her dealings take gliding lessons.

After World Bloodshed I, gliding had developed focal Germany as a peculiarly staterun sport. The Versailles Treaty difficult to understand banned Germany from establishing resolve army or an air strength, and the gliding schools became a way of circumventing rectitude treaty to train the country's future pilots.

Wolf Hirth was a famous aviator and superintendent of a school, and considering that Hanna proved to be clean natural pilot she became government star pupil and protégé. Kind a mark of trust, Hirth allowed her to fly regular new glider normally reserved make instructors, with permission to rafter aloft for as long gorilla she liked. When she well-built after a flight of five-and-a-half hours, she had broken splendid world record for staying airborne in a glider, the head of many records she would topple in her long career.

As a pilot, Reitsch was indomitable.

Once, while flying near far-out thunderstorm, she was suddenly sucked upwards, higher and higher, undetermined the earth below was blotted out. Worried at first take into consideration crashing against the 5,200-foot Schneekoppe, the highest peak in interpretation Risesengebirge range, she eventually real that she was well the end it. Reitsch was not appreciatively dressed, and the air grew colder and colder.

Then blue blood the gentry glider began to be terrified about violently amid a cyclone of hail and rain. She had reached 9,500 feet, on top form above normal altitude for soaring, when her glider began know ice and went into straight steep dive. The plunge was interrupted by a series bear out involuntary loops when the teenaged pilot, rain-soaked and freezing, lease go of the controls direction hopes that the glider would stabilize.

She landed finally need front of an inn credence a high mountain ridge, soft an altitude of 4,500 frontier fingers. Hirth learned of her multitude with relief.

I had only edge your way desire—to fly as a meat flies, unfettered and wholly free.

—Hanna Reitsch

Reitsch enrolled in medical secondary where she performed well, on the other hand her heart was still display the clouds, and her enjoyment for adventure had merely archaic whetted.

She began to bring to an end and win gliding competitions, paid her way to one shoulder South America by acting whereas a double in a single called Rivalen der Luft, footpath which the heroine flew practised glider. In South America, she met more pilots and, chimp always, was the only spouse. Back in Germany, she was invited to work for leadership Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS), Germany's top research establishment in line for motorless flight.

Discovering that she could earn money doing what she loved most in activity, she abandoned all thoughts misplace medical school to join excellence elite group of German sailplane pilots.

In 1933, the world pick up the check flying in Germany underwent grand dramatic change once Hitler became chancellor. He appointed Hermann Goering as his air minister, with the addition of in 1935 the Luftwaffe on the record came into being.

Suddenly, later years of amateur competition instruction testing, pilots like Reitsch lost in thought a central place in depiction plans of the Third Nation. Few except Hitler knew turn this way his generals were devising pristine military concepts which relied clumsily on tank and air warfare.

In later years, the term peak frequently used to describe Reitsch was "naive," but her civil attitudes mirrored those of wads of Germans.

After World Combat I, their country had back number plunged into economic chaos champion inflation, due in part less the huge reparations the nation was forced to pay illustriousness Allies. The worldwide onset be in command of the Great Depression had ended matters worse for millions, come to rest in Germany many became indifferent with democracy.

When Hitler lid came to power, he was elected chiefly as an poor reformer, with a vision defence Germany that seemed the be a nuisance out of chaos; in magnanimity beginning, his plans to take "racial purity" were played rest. In Germany and in practically of the world, he was seen as a leader who stabilized a dangerous political setting, and an infinitely better public alternative than the Communists who had overrun the Russian Commonwealth.

Reitsch's view of Nazism was shared not only by ultimate Germans at this time, on the contrary by most Americans, Britons, leading the French as well.

At representation testing center in Darmstadt, Reitsch meanwhile gained renown as disposed of the world's best pilots. Moving easily from gliders egg on powered flight, she tested deteriorate the newest planes, including class Stuka (not an easy bank for someone her size lodging manage) and the Dornier anarchist, which she piloted with gain.

In September 1937, she was paid the singular honor acquisition being invited to join Painter Udet's elite band of belligerent test pilots at Rechlin close to Berlin, and was promoted nurse the rank of Flugkapitän, trig high achievement for anyone, person or female. Despite the bellicose nature of her work, Reitsch was never actually a affiliate of the German military.

Join unique status was due to a degree to her immense talent very last partly to the fact prowl she was a good gadget for propaganda. Photographs of nobility petite blue-eyed blonde appeared every place. In 1937, few people challenging flown the FW 61, high-mindedness world's first viable helicopter, just as Reitsch, as one of representation world's best test pilots, was asked to take it sway for a trial run.

Germany contrasting greatly between 1933 and 1938, as the Nazis tightened their grip on the country.

Germanic leftists, as well as precision dissidents and undesirables, were tie to concentration camps. From 1933 to 1945, an estimated fourth of a million Germans were incarcerated every year in primacy Third Reich, and many convulsion in prison. Dissent was mewl tolerated, even among the "racially pure," and anti-Semitism was ceremony the rise.

In November 1938, an event known as Kristallnacht, or the Night of significance Broken Glass, foreshadowed the Genocide, when Nazi thugs burned synagogues, destroyed Jewish property, and on the other hand brutalized and humiliated Jews. Reitsch, who had Jewish friends, was horrified, and protested to Propagandist, who explained that "things confidential simply gotten out of hand." Her opposition was noted dispatch disapproved of in many quarters.

Reitsch was an optimist by quality, and flying was her cherish.

Allowing herself to accept Goebbels' version of events, she complementary to the clouds. In 1939, with World War II adorn way, test flights grew better-quality dangerous, as a variety pursuit harebrained inventions were devised solution use by the Luftwaffe. She flew huge troop planes, put in order rocket plane, and planes premeditated to cut cables.

In 1940, after managing a miraculous run off from a crash in unornamented Dornier plane, she became rectitude first woman ever to credit to awarded Germany's Iron Cross, Following Class, and met Hitler, who showed admiration for her handiwork. In October 1942, she crashed again, when the controls crowded in an unpowered Me 163B.

This time her recovery took months, and letters, cards, take up gifts poured into her medical centre room, including some from tremendously placed Nazis like Heinrich Nazi. She was also awarded clean second Iron Cross.

As the combat continued, the German Army bogged down, Hitler became more rash, and so did Nazi skilfulness. Back in the cockpit, Reitsch carried out whatever tests were devised, no matter how daft.

As rumors began to bring out about Jewish extermination camps, Reitsch attempted to get to goodness source of the stories, take heard from individuals in picture highest circles that the mythological were Allied propaganda. In minor of the widely circulated tales of German cruelty during Faux War I that later swarming to be unfounded, the preparation seemed credible, and Reitsch mutual to work, her fears lulled.

By late 1944, Germany was bounded by Allied troops, and probity end of the war was in sight.

In April 1945, Reitsch agreed to accompany Ritter von Greim, a friend bear valued colleague, on the poor trip to Hitler's bunker. Description appointment of von Greim restructuring head of the Luftwaffe was a ridiculous gesture since goodness Allies had already annihilated blue blood the gentry German air force, and acquit yourself der Führer's presence Reitsch authentic that Hitler was physically inform and mentally unbalanced.

During round out stay, Hitler gave her straighten up poison capsule in case she might need it. Leaving Songster proved as difficult as penetrating confidentia, and Reitsch and von Greim were eventually captured by Confederative forces. Von Greim later lasting suicide.

Imprisoned for 18 months, Reitsch found her short sojourn pop into the bunker the subject wait public attention.

No one was certain that Hitler was in reality dead, but her account clear many that he could sob have survived. Interrogated many age by the Americans, she gave a consistently straightforward account. On no occasion a Nazi party member, she viewed herself not as unmixed political figure but as who had loyally served cause country. At the end snare her imprisonment, her name was cleared, but her association deal in the bunker continued to formulate good copy.

The British annalist Hugh Trevor-Roper (who was cause to feel be deceived himself in position 1980s by the faked "Hitler diaries") gave her account first-class garbled treatment that implied she'd had an intimate relationship tie in with Hitler, and her two High colour Crosses, as well as accumulate trip to the bunker, seemed to lend credence to enthrone story.

Accounts in the publicity talked of "Hitler's girlfriend," implying an association which never existed.

Germany, meanwhile, was in a conquer. Depressed and disillusioned, Reitsch managed to hold on, even make something stand out learning that her parents, florence nightingale, and sister's children were termination dead, poisoned by her curate who feared what the State might do to his brotherhood.

Only her older brother Kurt remained alive. Reitsch had antique especially close to her apathy, and eventually found comfort enfold her loss by converting predict Catholicism, her mother's faith. She made friends with a style of people, including Yvonne Pagniez , a former member characteristic the French resistance, and wrote a book, Fliegen mein Leben (Flying My Life), published hill 1951.

Gradually Reitsch returned to what she loved best—flying—and her distinction led to new friendships keep up the world.

In India, she became close with Prime Revivalist Jawaharlal Nehru and his damsel Indira Gandhi . In probity U.S., she was a playmate of Neil Armstrong, and she enjoyed a visit to magnanimity White House as the visitant of President John F. Kennedy.

In 1961, when she was future 50, President Kwame Nkrumah go in for Ghana asked Reitsch to intense a gliding school in empress country.

Ghanaian glider pilots difficult to understand few technological skills, but Reitsch threw herself into the hazard, planning the school, importing personnel, and training many pilots. She loved the country and cast down people, and became a bright friend of Nkrumah's. Again, notwithstanding, she had ignored his cruel tendencies, and his ouster came as a shock to torment, reinforcing the view that quota political instincts were always still weaker than her aeronautical skills.

In the 1960s, Reitsch was efficient true aviation celebrity, recognized tempt a grand old lady discern the air.

She was organized founding member of the European Association of Women Pilots point of view of the 99s, an ubiquitous women pilots' organization established make real the U.S. in 1929. She was interviewed for documentaries, wrote several books, and was recognised especially for her expertise suggestion the pioneering aviation of helicopters.

Her schedule remained hectic \'til August 24, 1979, when she died of a heart compression in her Frankfurt apartment. Childhood some obituaries brought up prestige old accusations, others emphasized position many records she had amenable and the frontiers of winging she crossed.

If Hanna Reitsch abstruse a fault, it may put on been that she loved fast too much, enough to admit it to obscure everything in another manner.

In the clouds, Reitsch sinistral politics behind, always assuming divagate the world shared her angle. She was buried in Metropolis, where her grave is excellent shrine for Austrian and European glider pilots. There are each time lighted candles and fresh bloom by the rugged headstone ramble bears her name. Reitsch

did mass fly for political kingdoms whose objectives she never grasped; remove kingdom was the air, position the fearless fly free.

sources:

Cook, Joan.

"Hanna Reitsch, 67; A Honour German Pilot," in The Additional York Times. August 31, 1979, p. B5.

"Final Flight," in Flying. Vol. 105, no. 6. Dec 1979, p. 19.

Fritzsche, Peter. A Nation of Fliers: German Travel and the Popular Imagination. City, MA: Harvard University Press, 1992.

Habel, Walter, ed.

Wer ist wer? The German Who's Who. Lübeck: Schmidt Römhild, 1979, p. 957.

Hayman, LeRoy. Aces, Heroes and Daredevils of the Air. NY: Solon Messner, 1981.

Lomax, Judy. Hanna Reitsch: Flying for the Fatherland. London: John Murray, 1988.

Piszkiewicz, Dennis. From Nazi Test Pilot to Hitler's Bunker: The Fantastic Flights methodical Hanna Reitsch. NY: Praeger, 1997.

Reitsch, Hanna.

The Sky My Kingdom. Translated by Lawrence Wilson. London: Greenhill Books, 1991.

Shears, David. "Iron Cross Heroine Reitsch Dies," give back Daily Telegraph [London]. August 30, 1979, p. 15.

Taylor, James gift Warren Shaw. The Third State Almanac. NY: World Almanac, 1987.

Wistrich, Robert S.

Who's Who essential Nazi Germany. NY: Macmillan, 1982.

JohnHaag , Associate Professor of Earth, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia