Hans-Dieter Frank | |
|---|---|
 Frank as a Hauptmann | |
| Born | 8 July 1919 Kiel |
| Died | 28 September 1943 (aged 24) Hannover |
| Allegiance |  Nazi Germany |
| Service | Luftwaffe |
| Years of service | 1937–43 |
| Rank | Major (Posthumously) |
| Unit | ZG 1 NJG 1 |
| Commands | 2./NJG 1, I./NJG 1 |
| Battles / wars | World War II |
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Hans-Dieter Frank (8 July 1919 – 28 September 1943) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during World War II, a night fighter ace credited with 55 aerial victories claimed in approximately 150 combat missions making him the seventeenth most successful night fighter pilot in the history of aerial warfare.[1][2] All of his victories were claimed over the Western Front in Defense of the Reich missions against the Royal Air Force's (RAF) Bomber Command.
Born in Kiel, Frank grew up in the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany. Following graduation from school, he joined the military service in 1937 and was trained as a pilot. Frank then served with Zerstörergeschwader 1 (ZG 1—1st Destroyer Wing), flying a Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter during the Invasion of Poland and Battle of France. In mid-1941, he transferred to Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1—1st Night Fighter Wing) where he became a night fighter pilot and claimed his first aerial victory on the night of 10/11 April 1941. Frank was appointed squadron leader of 2. Staffel (2nd squadron) of NJG 1 in August 1942. Following his 33rd aerial victory, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 20 June 1943. On 1 July 1943, he was appointed group commander of I. Gruppe of NJG 1. Frank and his crew were killed in action in a mid-air collision with another German night fighter on the night of 27/28 September 1943. He was posthumously bestowed with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and promoted to Major (major).
- ^ Scutts 1998, p. 88.
- ^ Bowman 2016, p. 243.