Role Pilot | Years of service 1943–45 Name Walther Wever | |
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Born 16 January 1923Munchen ( 1923-01-16 ) Awards Ehrenpokal der LuftwaffeGerman Cross in GoldKnight's Cross of the Iron Cross Unit Jagdgeschwader 51, Jagdgeschwader 7 | ||
Walther Wever (16 January 1923 – 10 April 1945) was a German Luftwaffe flying ace during the Second World War. The son of former Chief of the Luftwaffe General Walther Wever, Wever served during 1943 on the Eastern Front and from 19 June 1943 until 10 April 1945 he claimed 44 aerial victories in 250 combat missions. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.
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Career
Wever was born on 16 January 1923 in Munich in the Weimar Republic. Following flight training in mid-1943 he was posted to 3. Staffel (3rd squadron) of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). stationed on the Eastern Front. Notable landmarks during his career included his 10th kill on 1 September 1943 followed four days later by shooting down three Il-2 Sturmoviks in five minutes. On 29 March 1944 he claimed a further five aerial victories, then on 24 June he shot down his 40th opponent, and on 10 July Wever lost a foot after being himself shot down by Soviet forces on the ground. Nevertheless, Wever continued to fly and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 28 January 1945 for reaching the final total of 44 victories. He was then transferred to a new combat group and received further training on the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. On 10 April 1945, having not scored another kill, Wever was shot down and killed in action by Allied fighters near Neuruppin.