{{Infobox military person

|name=Fritz Tegtmeier

|birth_date={{birth date|1917|7|30|df=y}}

|death_date={{death date and age|1999|4|8|1917|7|30|df=y}}

|birth_place=[[Stemwede|Sundern]], [[Westphalia]]

|death_place=[[Greven]]

|image=Fritz Tegtmeier.jpg

|caption=Fritz Tegtmeier

|nickname=

|allegiance={{flag|Nazi Germany}}

|branch={{Luftwaffe}}

|serviceyears=

|rank=[[Oberleutnant]]

|commands=

|unit= [[JG 54]], [[Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost|EJGr Ost]], [[JG 7]]

|battles=[[World War II]]

*[[Operation Barbarossa]]

*[[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]]

|awards=[[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]]

|laterwork=}}

'''Fritz Tegtmeier''' (30 July 1917 – 8 April 1999) was a [[World War II]] [[Luftwaffe]] 146 aerial victories [[Flying ace]] and recipient of the coveted [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]] ({{lang-de|Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes}}).<ref>Spick 1996, p. 229.</ref> The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. A flying ace or fighter ace is a [[military aviation|military aviator]] credited with shooting down five or more enemy [[aircraft]] during aerial combat.<ref>Spick 1996, pp. 3–4.</ref>

==Military career==

Fritz Tegtmeier was posted to the 2nd Squadron (''Staffel'') of [[Jagdgeschwader 54]] (2./JG 54) in October 1940. He was severely injured on 17 November 1940 when his aircraft crashed due to engine fire. He returned to his ''Staffel'' in the spring of 1941 and claimed his first aerial victory on 22 June 1941, the first day of [[Operation Barbarossa]] on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]].<ref>Weal 2001, p. 43.</ref> Tegtmeier with seven aerial victories claimed, was again severely injured on 10 September 1941 in a midair collision with a [[Messerschmitt Bf 110]] near Gatschina. He bailed out with his parachute and was put in convalescence for many months. He returned to active duty in April 1942 and was assigned to the 1./JG 54. By the end of 1942 he had claimed 29 aerial victories. He claimed aerial victories number 36 and 37 on 23 January 1943. On 3 May 1943 he claimed numbers 51–53 and was posted to [[Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost]] as fighter pilot instructor. He returned to front line duty, this time with the 3./JG 54, in September 1943. In November 1943 he achieved his 75th aerial victory. He was awarded the [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]] (''Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes'') on 28 March 1944 following his 99th aerial victory.<ref>Weal 2001, p. 108.</ref> Tegtmeier was promoted to ''[[Leutnant]]'' on 20 April 1944. He claimed his 100th and 101st aerial victory on 3 May 1944. He was the 71st ''Luftwaffe'' pilot to achieve the century mark.<ref>Obermaier 1989, p. 244.</ref> In October 1944 he was made ''[[Staffelkapitän]]'' of the 3./JG 54. By the end of 1944 his score of aerial victories stood at 139 claims. When he was transferred to [[Jagdgeschwader 7]] for flight training on the [[Messerschmitt Me 262]] jet fighter in March 1945 his score stood at 146 aerial victories. Fritz Tegtmeier had been nominated for the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross (''Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub'').<ref name="Obermaier p214">Obermaier 1989, p. 214.</ref>

==Awards==

* [[Iron Cross]] (1939) 2nd and 1st Class

* [[Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe]] (5 October 1942)<ref name="Obermaier p214"/>

* [[German Cross]] in Gold on 23 January 1943 as ''[[Oberfeldwebel]]'' in the I./''Jagdgeschwader'' 54<ref>Patzwall & Scherzer 2001, p. 470.</ref>

* [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]] on 28 March 1944 as ''Oberfeldwebel'' and pilot in the 2./''Jagdgeschwader'' 54<ref>Fellgiebel 2000, p. 419.</ref>{{refn|According to Scherzer on 26 March 1944 as pilot in the 1./''Jagdgeschwader'' 54.<ref>Scherzer 2007, p. 738.</ref>|group="Note"}}

==Notes==

{{Reflist|group="Note"}}

==References==

===Citations===

{{Reflist|25em}}

===Bibliography===

{{Refbegin}}

* {{Cite book

|last=Fellgiebel

|first=Walther-Peer

|authorlink=Walther-Peer Fellgiebel

|year=2000

|origyear=1986

|title=Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939–1945 — Die Inhaber der höchsten Auszeichnung des Zweiten Weltkrieges aller Wehrmachtteile

|trans_title=The Bearers of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939–1945 — The Owners of the Highest Award of the Second World War of all Wehrmacht Branches

|language=German

|location=Friedberg, Germany

|publisher=Podzun-Pallas

|isbn=978-3-7909-0284-6

}}

* {{Cite book

|last=Obermaier

|first=Ernst

|year=1989

|title=Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe Jagdflieger 1939 – 1945

|trans_title=The Knight's Cross Bearers of the Luftwaffe Fighter Force 1939 – 1945

|language=German

|location=Mainz, Germany

|publisher=Verlag Dieter Hoffmann

|isbn=978-3-87341-065-7

}}

* {{Cite book

|last1=Patzwall

|first1=Klaus D.

|last2=Scherzer

|first2=Veit

|year=2001

|title=Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II

|trans_title=The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2

|language=German

|location=Norderstedt, Germany

|publisher=Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall

|isbn=978-3-931533-45-8

}}

* {{Cite book

|last=Scherzer

|first=Veit

|year=2007

|title=Die Ritterkreuzträger 1939–1945 Die Inhaber des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939 von Heer, Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm sowie mit Deutschland verbündeter Streitkräfte nach den Unterlagen des Bundesarchives

|trans_title=The Knight's Cross Bearers 1939–1945 The Holders of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939 by Army, Air Force, Navy, Waffen-SS, Volkssturm and Allied Forces with Germany According to the Documents of the Federal Archives

|language=German

|location=Jena, Germany

|publisher=Scherzers Militaer-Verlag

|isbn=978-3-938845-17-2

}}

* {{Cite book

|last=Spick

|first=Mike

|year=1996

|title=Luftwaffe Fighter Aces

|location=New York

|publisher=[[Ivy Books]]

|isbn=978-0-8041-1696-1

}}

* Weal, John (2001). ''Jagdgeschwader 54 'Grünherz'''. Osprey Publishing. {{ISBN|1-84176-286-5}}.

{{Refend}}

==External links==

*{{Cite web|work=World War 2 Awards.com |title=Fritz Tegtmeier |url=http://www.ww2awards.com/person/27253 |accessdate=29 April 2013}}

{{Knight's Cross recipients of JG 54}}

{{Top German World War II Aces}}

{{Subject bar

| portal1=Aviation

| portal2=Biography

| portal3=Military of Germany

| portal4=World War II

}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tegtmeier, Fritz}}

[[Category:1917 births]]

[[Category:1999 deaths]]

[[Category:People from Minden-Lübbecke]]

[[Category:People from the Province of Westphalia]]

[[Category:German World War II flying aces]]

[[Category:Luftwaffe pilots]]

[[Category:Recipients of the Gold German Cross]]

[[Category:Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]]