Hajo Herrmann
| Hans-Joachim Herrmann | |
|---|---|
Hajo Herrmann in January 1944
|
|
| Nickname(s) | Hajo |
| Born |
1 August 1913 Kiel, Germany |
| Died | 5 November 2010 (aged 97) |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch |
 Luftwaffe
|
| Years of service | 1935–45 |
| Rank | Oberst |
| Unit |
KG 4 KG 30 JG 300 |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords |
| Spouse(s) | Ingeborg Reichelt |
| Other work | Lawyer |
Hans-Joachim "Hajo" Herrmann (1 August 1913 – 5 November 2010) was a Luftwaffe (Nazi Germany air force) bomber pilot. In World War II, he was a high-ranking and influential member of the Luftwaffe, and a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves and Swords was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership.
After World War II Hermann became a lawyer whose high-profile cases included the defense of neo-Nazis and Holocaust deniers.
Beginning his military career as an infantry officer, Herrmann was commissioned in the newly formed Luftwaffe in 1935. From 1936 until 1937, he was a bomber pilot in the Condor Legion. During the Spanish Civil War, Herrmann joined KG-4. When World War II began, he flew bombing missions into Poland and Norway. By 1940, he was Commander of the 7th Staffel of KG-4, and took part in the Battle of Britain. In February 1941, his group went to Sicily, from where it attacked Malta and Greece. In one such attack, Herrmann dropped a single bomb on an ammunition ship, the SS Clan Fraser; the resulting explosion sank 11 ships and made the Greek port of Piraeus unusable for many months. In early 1942, he was commander of III./KG 30, attacking Arctic convoys from Norway, including the attacks on Convoy PQ 17. In July 1942 he was assigned to the general staff in Germany, where he became a close confidant of Hermann Göring, the head of the Luftwaffe. During his career as a bomber pilot, Herrmann flew 320 missions and sank 12 ships totalling 70,000 tons.
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