Otto Creutzmann

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Otto Creutzmann
Otto Creutzmann with Kampfeinsitzerstaffel 4 b.jpg
Birth date 8 January 1892(1892-01-08)
Place of birth Spickendorf, Saalkreis, Province of Saxony, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Death date ᛣ⚔ 12 January 1943 (aged 51)
Place of death Proskurov, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, Eastern Front
Allegiance  German Empire
 National Socialist Germany
Service/branch Iron Cross of the Luftstreitkräfte.png Imperial German Army
Luftwaffe eagle.jpg Luftwaffe
Rank Leutnant d. R. (WWI)
Oberstleutnant d. R. (WWII)
Commands held Jagdstaffel (Jasta) 46
Awards Iron Cross
Wound Badge
Military Order of Saint Henry
House Order of Hohenzollern
Other work Lord of the manor

Otto Creutzmann (8 January 1892 – 12 January 1943) was a German officer of the Imperial German Army and the Wehrmacht, finally Lieutenant Colonel of the Reserves during World War II.

Life

Obituary of the family

Otto was the son (other sources state grandson) of the wealthy farmer Friedrich Otto Creutzmann (b. 1842 in Eismannsdorf) with agricultural lands Spickendorf and Eismannsdorf. This allowed young Otto to attend a Gymnasium and achieve his Abitur. It can be presumed that he completed his mandatory military service as a one-year volunteer (Einjährig-Freiwilliger) c. 1911/12.

Creutzmann joined the German army in 1914, as World War I began. He saw ground combat as a member of the Royal Saxon 5th Field Artillery Regiment No. 64 until June 1915, when he was wounded by shellfire. He then joined the Fliegertruppe and was trained as a pilot.

Creutzmann began his flying service with Kampfgeschwader (Tactical Bombing Wing) 2 (Kagohl 2). He transferred to Kampfstaffel 33, then moved on to Kampfstaffel (Tactical Bomber Squadron) 23 (Kasta 23) of Kampfgeschwader (Tactical Bombing Wing) 4 (Kagohl 4). One of Creutzmann's observers in this assignment was Lothar von Richthofen. On 6 February 1917, he transferred to Jagdstaffel 20 (Jasta 20). On 11 July 1917, he shot down an Airco DH.4 from No. 57 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) over Ledgehem, Belgium for his first aerial victory. On 12 August 1917, he was forwarded to Kampfeinsitzerstaffel (Combat Single-seater Squadron) 4 b (Kest 4 b).

On 20 February 1918, 2nd Lieutenant of the Reserves Creutzmann transferred yet again, to Jagdstaffel 43. He suffered a slight wound in May 1918. He stayed until June 1918, upgrading to flying a Fokker Dr.I Triplane while with the squadron. He was then promoted to command as a Staffelführer (squadron leader), and scored his last three victories with his Fokker D.VII while commanding Royal Prussian Jagdstaffel 46 (Jasta 46) as a part of the Jagdgruppe 2 until 11 November 1918.

Flying ace

Creutzmann became a flying ace with eight confirmed victories Luftsiege on the Western Front between 11 July 1917 and 10 August 1918.[1]

Between wars

Creutzmann, a husband and father, returned to his family in 1919. He leased the domain Tilleda (270 ha) near Sangerhausen from Kuno Botho Fürst zu Stolberg-Roßla-Ortenberg and the estate Rittergut II (204 ha) in Tilleda from the family von Wintzingerode. As tenant of the domain Tilleda (Domänenpächter), located on the edge of the Kyffhäuser Mountains and at the foot of the Kyffhäuserburg on the southern edge of the Goldene Aue, he also received the title of Oberamtmann (senior district official/chief bailiff).[2] His older brother Curt Creutzmann took over the estate in Spickendorf. At the suggestion of the then Chamber of Agriculture of the Province of Saxony (Halle an der Saale), Otto Creutzmann began to cultivate lentils. In 1926, his variety, known as "Creutzmann's Kyffhäuser lens" (LENS 98), was the first and only lentil variety to receive official approval in Germany.

Creutzmann also remained loyal to flying and was a member of the German Air Sports Association e. V (DLV). He took part in competitions with the Klemm L25d (equipped for the first time with low-pressure tires and brakes), e.g. Deutschlandflug in May/June 1935 and the Alpenflug on 22 September 1935. In 1937, he was a delegate and deputy district director (under Rittmeister a. D. Koch-Dössel) at the general meeting (Generalversammlung) of the North German Hail Insurance Company. As a reserve officer of the new Luftwaffe, he served with the Fliegergruppe Merseburg, the later bomber wing Kampfgeschwader 153, equipped with Junkers Ju 52/3m, later also with Dornier Do 23 and Junkers Ju 86.

WWII

For WWII, Creutzmann was reactivated and served with te Kampfgeschwader 77, equipped with Dornier Do 17 Z. On 16 June 1942, possibly after having been wounded, he was transferred to the Wehrwirtschaftliche Ersatz-Abteilung 5 (Military Economic Replacement Department 5) with headquarters in Kassel. In addition to the registration and preparation of agricultural specialists for deployment, the care of the called-up specialists and their military and technical training were among the affairs of Department 5.

Death

Creutzmann was severly wounded on 10 January 1943 on the Eastern Front (Flugplatz Proskurow), possibly on the way to the Zerstörergeschwader 1 (ZG 1), where he, as one source claims, was to take over the II. Gruppe (2nd Wing Group) with headquarters in Dnjepropetrowsk (Dnipro). But it is also possible that he was on a mission for the Military Economic Replacement Department 5.

He was a passenger on a Junker Ju 86 G of the Kampfgruppe z. b. V. 22 which crashed at the airport Proskurov (west Ukraine) due to engine fire (possibly due to an enemy Flak attack). The pilot (Flugzeugführer) Feldwebel Arno Karl Müller (b. 21 October 1916 in Großdobritz) was killed,[3] the radio operator (Bordfunker) Unteroffizier Wilhelm von Elsberger and the on-board engineer (Bordmaschinist) Heinrich Behnisch were wounded. 1st Lieutenant Oskar Genrich[4] (b. 18 September 1919 in Pfeilsdorf, Kreis Briesen), formerly with the 2. (Fern-)Staffel/Reconnaissance Group 11 and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross, also on the way to the II./ZG 1 (possibly as Creutzmann's adjutant) was also killed.[5] Lieutenant Colonel Creutzmann was transferred to the reserve war hospital of the VI. Armee-Korps in Proskurov (Reserve-Kriegslazarett 15/VI Proskurow) where he died two days later on 12 January 1943.[6]

Awards and decorations

References

  1. ↑ Otto Creutzmann
  2. ↑ In Prussia, the title was also awarded honorarily to particularly deserving domain tenants.
  3. ↑ Arno Karl Müller
  4. ↑ Genrich, Oskar
  5. ↑ Oskar Genrich
  6. ↑ Otto Creutzmann
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