Years of service ?–1944 | Commands held I./JG 11 Name Siegfried Simsch | |
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Battles/wars World War IIBattle of BritainEastern FrontDefence of the Reich | ||
Siegfried Simsch (6 September 1913 – 8 June 1944) was a Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
Despite being half Jewish, or Mischling under the Nuremberg Laws, Simsch enlisted in the Luftwaffe and served with distinction.
One the 1st of June 1944, he was appointed to Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 11 to replace Hans-Heinrich Koenig who was killed in action on the 24th of May. One week later, and two days after the Normandy landings Siegfried Simsch was shot down by a P-51 and killed on 8 June 1944 over Rennes, France. During his career he was credited with 54 or 95 aerial victories.