Oberstleutnant von der Heydt, 1943

Friedrich August Freiherr von der Heydte was a German Luftwaffe officer who served with the Fallschirmjäger during World War II, reaching the rank of Oberstleutnant. After the war, he served in the Bundeswehr, reaching the rank of Brigadegeneral der Reserve. Image File history File links VDHmain. ... Image File history File links VDHmain. ... The Deutsche Luftwaffe or (help· info) (German: Air Arm, IPA: [luftvafÉ™]) is the commonly used term for the German air force. ... Fallschirmjäger over Rotterdam during the invasion of the Low Countries, May 10, 1940   Fallschirmjäger?, often rendered Fallschirmjager in English, is the German word for paratrooper. ... Combatants Allies: • Soviet Union, • UK & Commonwealth, • USA, • France/Free France, • China, • Poland, • ...and others Axis: • Germany, • Japan, • Italy, • ...and others Casualties Military dead: 18 million Civilian dead: 33 million Full list Military dead: 7 million Civilian dead: 4 million Full list World War II, also known as the Second World... Oberstleutnant is the German Army (Bundeswehr) equivalent to Lieutenant Colonel, above Major, and below Oberst. ... The Bundeswehr ( (help· info)) is the armed forces of Germany and its administration. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ...

Early life

Friedrich August von der Heydte was born into the nobility in Munich, Bavaria on 30 March 1907. Von der Heydte's father, a Freiherr (roughly equivalent to a Baron) had enjoyed a successful career with the Bavarian Army, serving with distinction during the First World War. The von der Heydtes were stout Roman Catholics, and Friedrich attended a Munich Catholic school, achieving excellent grades. Munich and the Bavarian Alps Munich (German: München (pronounced listen) is the largest city and capital of the German Federal State of Bavaria. ... The Free State of Bavaria  (German: Freistaat Bayern), with an area of 70,553 km² (27,241 square miles) and 12. ... Freiherr (German for Free Lord) is a title of lower nobility in Germany, the Baltic states and Austria-Hungary, considered equal to the title Baron. ... Spaytans brader Baron is a specific title of nobility or a more generic feudal qualification. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...

After completion of his schooling, Friedrich followed his father's path and joined up with the Reichswehr. After an unsuccessful application to join the cavalry, Friedrich was posted to Infanterie-Regiment Nr.19 on 1 April 1925. He did not give up on his goal of joining the cavalry, and soon secured a posting as an officer cadet in Kavallerie-Regiment Nr.18. The Reichswehr (help· info) (literally National Defense or Imperial Defense) formed the military organization of Germany from 1919 until 1935, when the government rebranded it as the Wehrmacht (Defence Force). ... Cavalry is also a common misspelling of the Biblical hill Calvary. ... Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. ...

Soon after this, Friedrich was released from military service to attended Innsbruck University, studying Law. During this time, he became a private tutor to pay his university fees, as despite their noble status, his family was in dire financial troubles. In 1927, von der Heydte was awarded his degree in Law, and travelled to Berlin to continue his studies. Late in the year, he secured a posting to a diplomatic school in Vienna. During his time at university, the young von der Heydte developed decidedly liberal views, and on his return to Germany, found himself at odds with popular opinion. Law (from the Old Norse lagu) in politics and jurisprudence, is a set of rules or norms of conduct which mandate, proscribe or permit specified relationships among people and organizations, intended to provide methods for ensuring the impartial treatment of such people, and provide punishments of/for those who do... // English secondary schools In English Secondary Schools the Form Tutor is similar to an American Home Room Teacher. ... (help· info), IPA: , is the capital city as well as a state of Germany, and also the countrys largest city. ... Vienna (German: Wien [viːn]; Slovenian: Dunaj, Croatian and Serbian: Beč Romanian: Viena, Hungarian: Bécs, Czech: Vídeň, Slovak: Viedeň, Romany Vidnya;) Vienna is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... Look up liberal on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Liberal may refer to: Politics: Liberalism American liberalism, a political trend in the USA Political progressivism, a political ideology that is for change, often associated with liberal movements Liberty, the condition of being free from control or restrictions Liberal Party, members of...

By 1934, von der Heydte had gotten involved in several brawls with pro-Nazi students, and only evaded the Gestapo by rejoining his old cavalry regiment. In 1935, he was transferred to Kavallerie-Regiment Nr.15 and promoted to Leutnant. He again secured his temporary release from the military for study, and travelled to the Netherlands where he furthered his education at The Hague. The Deaths Head emblem similar to Skull and crossbones, often used as the insignia of the Gestapo The (help· info) (contraction of Geheime Staatspolizei; secret state police) was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. ... Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned rank in many armed forces. ... Arms of The Hague The Hague (with capital T; Dutch: officially s-Gravenhage, commonly Den Haag) is the third-largest city in the Netherlands after Amsterdam and Rotterdam, with a population of 472,087 (January 1, 2005) (700,000 in the larger metropolitan area) and an area of approximately 100...

Late in 1935, his company of the regiment was transformed from a cavalry to an anti-tank company. After studying for over two years in The Hague, von der Heydte returned to the military, where he attended a General Staff Officer's course over the winter of 1938-39. In August 1939, he was recalled to his company in preparation for the planned Invasion of Poland, Fall Weiß. Anti-tank, or simply AT, refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. ... Staff officers in the U. S. Navy provide specialized support to Line Officers and to all other persons in the organization. ... Polish Defensive War of 1939 Conflict World War II Date 1 September - 6 October 1939 Place Poland Result Decisive German and Soviet victory The Polish September Campaign or Defensive War of 1939 (Polish: Wojna obronna 1939 roku) was the conquest of Poland by the armies of Nazi Germany, the Soviet... Fall Weiss (German spelling Fall Weiß) translates as Case White following the German militarys naming convention. ...

Early War Career