Allegiance Nazi Germany Name Hans-Joachim Brand Rank Hauptmann | Years of service 1936–45 Service/branch Luftwaffe | |
Commands held I./Schlachtgeschwader 77 Battles/wars World War II
Invasion of Poland
Siege of Warsaw (1939)
Battle of France
Battle of Dunkirk
Battle of Britain
Siege of Sevastopol (1941-1942)
Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Kursk
Battle of the Oder-Neisse † Died April 18, 1945, Cottbus, Germany Awards Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross Unit Sturzkampfgeschwader 2, Sturzkampfgeschwader 77, Schlachtgeschwader 77 | ||
Hans-Joachim Brand (16 May 1916 – 18 April 1945) was a highly decorated Hauptmann and ground attack pilot in the Luftwaffe during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (German: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Hans-Joachim Brand was shot down by Soviet flak on 18 April 1945 near Cottbus while flying a ground-attack mission. His Focke Wulf Fw 190F was hit by anti-aircraft fire at a height of 1,600 feet (490 m) and he fatally crashed near Alteno/Luckau in the Spreewald. His body was never recovered. During his career he flew 964 missions and he had been nominated for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub), which was never approved.