Reinhard Seiler
| Reinhard Seiler | |
|---|---|
Reinhard Seiler
|
|
| Born |
30 August 1909 Rawitsch, Province of Posen |
| Died | 6 October 1989 (aged 80) Grafengehaig, Bavaria |
| Allegiance |
 Nazi Germany
|
| Service/branch |
 Luftwaffe
|
| Years of service | 1935–45 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | Condor Legion, JG 54, JG 104 |
| Commands held | I./JG 54, JG 104 |
| Battles/wars |
|
| Awards | Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves |
Reinhard Seiler (30 August 1909 – 6 October 1989) was a Spanish Civil War and World War II Luftwaffe Major and ace, commander of Jagdgeschwader 104 and a winner of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany; for the fighter pilots, it was a quantifiable measure of skill and combat success. Reinhard Seiler was credited with 100 victories during World War II, over the course of about 500 combat missions. He recorded an additional 9 victories during the Spanish Civil War.
Seiler was born on 30 August 1909 in Rawitsch, in the Province of Posen at the time a Prussian province in the German Empire and now in Poland. He joined the fledgling Luftwaffe in 1935. After completing his pilot training, he was sent to Spain with the Condor Legion, and served from 1938–1939 with 2./JGr 88 (2nd Squadron of Jagdgruppe 88). During that time he established himself as one of the top aces in the Condor Legion, returning to Germany with 9 victories, and in June 1939 he was awarded the Spanish Cross in Gold with Diamonds.
After his return, on May 1939, he was appointed the Staffelkapitän (Squadron leader) of the newly established 1./Jagdgeschwader 70 (JG 70—70th Fighter Wing) based near Nürnberg, being declared operational in July 1939. As war opened in September 1939 it was kept back on Home Defence duties. Soon after, on 15 September, the Gruppe was re-designated I./Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing)—with Seiler's unit now renamed 1./JG 54—and transferred to the Western Front to cover the southernmost region of the French border. He scored his first victory of the war on 10 January 1940, shooting down a French reconnaissance Potez southwest of Freiburg. He scored a second victory on 7 April west of Strasbourg. However he scored no further in the subsequent Battle of France, when his unit covered the Panzer advance through the Ardennes forests and later over the Dunkirk bridgehead. Pulled out early, back to occupied Netherlands as the campaign wound down, I./JG 54 was then one of the first units to re-occupy the Pas de Calais, in early August 1940 in anticipation of the upcoming Battle of Britain. On a bomber escort mission over Dover on 5 August 1940 Oberleutnant Seiler scored his third victory (a Spitfire), but was bounced by a Hurricane squadron, shot down and severely injured. Taking to his parachute over the English Channel, he was rescued and hospitalised, but was out of action for over 6 months.
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