Meritorious Military Pilot of the German Democratic Republic

Meritorious Military Pilot of the GDR (German: Verdienter Militärflieger der DDR) was the highest honorary title awarded to military pilots of the East German National People's Army. It was given in form of a Medal. Established on August 1, 1974 by the Council of Ministers of the GDR, it was awarded until the dissolution of the GDR in 1990.

Meritorious Military Pilot of the GDR Verdienter Militärflieger der DDR
Obverse
Type	One class honorary title
Awarded for	Distinguished performance of military pilot
Country	East Germany
Presented by	NPA
Eligibility	Military pilots of the German Democratic Republic
Status	No longer awarded
Established	August 1, 1974
First award	1974
Final award	1990
Total	137+
Total recipients	see table below
Ribbon bar
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order for Merit for the Nation and Fatherland
Equivalent	Honorary title "Meritorious Member of the National People’s Army"
Next (lower)	Distinguished Service Medal of the NPA

Award criteria

The honorary title could be awarded for:

• Distinguished performance of military pilot compared with:
  • Outstanding results in the political and military adjunction as well as
  • Outstanding results as to the development of the NPA combat readiness
• Military pilot's performance level: Class I
• No aviation accidents or incidents

The number of awarded people was limited to 10 military pilots per year.

Medal description

The medal is gold-colored, has the shape of an irregular vertically symmetrical pentagon standing on its tip, and is 31.5 mm wide by 41.5 mm tall. On the lower tip is a colorfully-enameled aircraft roundel of the National People's Army.

The biggest part of the medal is occupied by a MiG-23 or MiG-21 taking off steeply, behind which are sunrays emanating from the roundel. Left of the aircraft is a laurel bough, and right of it is the oblique wording VERDIENTER MILITÄRFLIEGER.

The reverse side of the medal is empty and glossy.

Different versions have been issued:

• 1974–1976: Medal from nonferrous metal gold colored, varnished, size with arched eye 40.5 × 30 mm, reverse glossy. Medal on small medal bar 14 × 25 mm.
• 1976–1989: ditto varnished, medal with round eye, on pentagon bar with gibbon bar 14 × 25 mm, reverse glossy, ditto brass-plated, with reverse ornamented.

Wear

The medal was worn on the left breast suspended from a pentagonal sky blue ribbon of 25 × 14 mm size. The ribbon bar was the same color as the medal ribbon, and also featured a miniature, all gold colored version of the NPA roundel.^[1]

Recipients (complete list)

The individuals below were recipients of the honorary title of "Honoured Military Pilot of the GDR".^[2]

Year	Service rank	Name, first name	Service position
1974	Oberst	Baarß, Klaus-Jürgen [de]	Dep./A3 Fighter Aviation of the Air Defence, Kdo. LSK/LV
	Colonel	Spitzenberg, K-Heinz	Commander (Cdr) Jagdfliegergeschwader 2 (JG-2)
	LtCol	Adler, Gottfried	DepCdr/Kampfhubschraubergeschwader 34 (KHG-34)
	LtCol	Hamilton, Richard	Cdr 2nd Fighter Training Squadrin (FTSqn)/Flieger Ausbildungsgeschwader 25 (FAG-25)
	LtCol	Otto, Hans-Peter	Cdr Jagdfliegergeschwader 3 (JG-3)
	LtCol	Wingelsdorf, Horst	Head Air tactics/Air firing Jagdfliegergeschwader 1 (JG-1)
	LtCol	Wolf, Eberhard	DepCdr Fighter Squadron (FSqn)/Jagdfliegergeschwader 8 (JG-8)
	Major	Grünberg, Horst	DepCdr FSqn/Jagdfliegergeschwader 9 (JG-9)
1975	Colonel	Wolfgang Büttner	DepCdr/3. LVD
	Colonel	Gleis, Wolfgang	Cdr Hubschraubergeschwader 34 (HG-34)
	LtCol	Berger, Rolf [de]	Branch Chief Training Fighter Aviation (FA)/Fighter Bomber Aviation (FBA) Kdo. LSK/LV
	LtCol	Maxwitat, Karl-Heinz	Flight instructor/Fliegerausbildungsgeschwader 15 (FAG-15)
	LtCol	Oswald, Gerhard	Cdr Zieldarstellungsstaffel-33 (ZDS-33)
	LtCol	Schikor, Walter	Aviation Chain Cdr/ Transportfliegerstaffel 24 (TS-24)
	LtCol	Teil, Otto	Flight inspector/Transportfliegergeschwader 44 (TG-44)
1976	LtGen	Reinhold, Wolfgang	Deputy Ministers and Commander LSK/LV
	Colonel	Deisenroth, Karl-Heinz	DepCdr/1. LVD
	Colonel	Dittrich, Georg	DepCdr/Officer High School of the LSK/LV
	Colonel	Menges, Kurt	Cdr FAG-25
	Colonel	Ullmann, Roland	Chief Navigator Kdo. LSK/LV
	LtCol	Bauer, Reiner	Cdr FBSqn/Jagdbombenfliegergeschwader-31 (JGB-31)
	LtCol	Bohla, Wolfgang	Navigator JG-7
	LtCol	Schäbitz, Herbert	DepCdr FSqn/JG-2
1977	MajGen	Baustian, Gerhard [de]	DepCdr LSK/LV for the Air Force
	LtCol	Heichler, Reinhard	Flight inspector Kdo. LSK/LV
	LtCol	Jähn, Sigmund	Astronaut candidate
	LtCol	Köllner, Eberhard	Astronaut candidate
	LtCol	Kulitscher, Dieter	Cdr FAG-15
	LtCol	Oldenburg, Alfred	Cdr HS-16
	LtCol	Schönherr, Peter	Head Lufttaktik/Luftschießen JG-2
	LtCol	Seifert, Manfred	Flight inspector/JG-7
	LtCol	Wiedemann, Frank	Cdr FSqn/JG-3
1978	LtCol	Anschütz, Bernd	Cdr FSqn/JG-1
	LtCol	Bauer, Horst	Head Lufttaktik/Luftschießen 1. LVD
	LtCol	Becker, Horst	Flight instructor FAG-25
	LtCol	Irmscher, Peter	A3 Fighter Aviation/3. LVD
	LtCol	Lüttkopf, Peter	DepCdr/HG-34
	LtCol	Meyfarth, Rudolf	Cdr TASqn/TG-44
	LtCol	Pastor, Siegmar	Stellvertreter FSqn/JG-3
	LtCol	Pippig, Manfred	Cdr FAG-15
	LtCol	Zimmermann, Klaus [de]	Cdr JG-9
1979	Captain at sea	Leithold, Günter	Cdr Marinehubschraubergeschwader 18 (MHG-18)
	LtCol	Häusler, Horst	DepCdr/FAG-15
	LtCol	Kresse, Hasso	Flight inspector Kdo. LSK/LV
	LtCol	Lange, Kurt	DepCdr FSqn/FAG-25
	LtCol	Lorenz, Siegfried	Navigator FSqn/JG-8
	LtCol	Minkewitz, Peter	DepCdr FSqn/JG-1
	LtCol	Pätz, Wolfgang	DepCdr/JG-9
	LtCol	Priese, Horst	Cdr JG-2
	LtCol	Weise, Siegfried	DepCdr/JBG-31
	LtCol	Wolf, Gerald	Cdr HSqn/HG-34
1980	Colonel	Fiß, Gerhard	DepCdr/ OHS of the LSK/LV
	Colonel	Golbs, Eberhard	Chief Navigator Kdo. LSK/LV
	LtCol	Berthold, Roland	Cdr TS-24
	LtCol	Heise, Claus	Flight inspector 3. LVD
	LtCol	Junghans, Gunter	Cdr JG-7
	LtCol	Petermann, Werner	Navigator FSqn/JG-2
	LtCol	Unger, Jürgen	Cdr JBS/JBG-31
	LtCol	Weiß, Manfred	Flight inspector HG-34
1981	Colonel	Bienek, Klaus	Cdr FAG-25
	Fkpt	Arndt, Manfred	DepCdr HSqn/MFG-18
	LtCol	Driesel, Klaus	Head Air firing/Flight tactics JG-9
	LtCol	Heinz, Günter	Chief sub branch Transport aviation Kdo. LSK/LV
	LtCol	Jandik, Karl-Heinz	Flight inspector HG-54
	LtCol	Moos, Heinz	Cdr aviation chain HS-16
	LtCol	Noak, Peter	DepCdr FSqn/JG-8
	LtCol	Tetzel, Joachim	Flight inspector TS-24
	LtCol	Wehner, Wolfgang	Flight inspector JG-3
1982	Colonel	Thonke, Wolfgang	Cdr Fighter Aviation/Kdo. LSK/LV
	LtCol	Beutel, Gustav	Cdr FSqn/JG-7
	LtCol	Biermann, Bernd	Head Air firing/Flight tactics HG-
	LtCol	Brucke, Joachim	KettenCdr JG-8
	LtCol	Günther, Karl-Heinz	DepCdr FSqn/JG-9
	LtCol	Jakob, Rainer	DepCdr/TG-44
	LtCol	Müller, Rolf	Head Air firing/Flight tactics AS-31
	LtCol	Petzold, Dieter	DepCdr/JG-2
	LtCol	Schäfer, Heinz	DepCdr/FAG-25
1983	Colonel	Kleemann, Dieter	Chef FrFK/Kdo. LSK/LV
	LtCol	Fischer, Bernd	DepCdr THSqn/THG-34
	LtCol	Haufe, Christian	Chief navigator 1.LVD
	LtCol	Köhler, Peter	DepCdr FSqn/JG-9
	LtCol	Neufeld, Hans	DepCdr FSqn/JG-7
	LtCol	Ripl, Claus	Cdr Transportfliegerausbildungsstaffel 45 (TAS-45)
	LtCol	Schammer, Ulrich	Flight inspector FOFAFK
	LtCol	Seidel, Wolfgng	Flight inspector 3. LVD
	Fkpt	Weibezahl, Lutz	Dep A3 MHG-18
	LtCol	Worm, Wolfgang	DepCdr FTSqn/FAG-15
1984	Colonel	Dieckmann, Jürgen	Cdr JG-8
	Colonel	Jenichen, Manfred	Cdr JBG-37
	Colonel	Paul, Dieter	DepCdr 3. LVD
	Colonel	Richter, Henry	Professor section helicopter training/ OHS LSK/LV
	LtCol	Franz, Lothar	Navigator FSqn/JG-8
	LtCol	Herzbecher, Gunter	Cdr JG-2
	LtCol	Klocke, Bernd	Head Air firing/Flight tactics KHG-34
	LtCol	Kubitz, Hans	DepCdr TSqn/TG-44
	LtCol	Skeris, Manfred	Head training Fighter Aviation 1. LVD
	LtCol	Worm, Werner	Flight inspector FAG-15
1985	Colonel	Gleitsmann, Karl-Heinz	Branch chief training Fighter Aviatoion/Kdo. LSK/LV
	Colonel	Langener, Rainer[3]	Cdr JAG-15
	LtCol	Fischer, Albrecht	Cdr TSqn/TG-44
	LtCol	Kurzhals, Rainer	Chief navigator 3. LVD
	LtCol	Pilz, Bernd	DepCdr/THG-34
	LtCol	Rösler, Werner	Head working group Front Aviation/Kdo. LSK/LV
	LtCol	Stammberger, Heinz	Cdr aviation chain JG-3
	LtCol	Reichel, Siegfried	Cdr aviation chain TS-24
	Major	Rolof, Christian	1. Aircraft pilot TS-24
	Major	Stübner, Hermann	1. Aircraft pilot TS-24
1986	LtCol	Beutel, Reinhard	Navigator FSqn/JG-2
	LtCol	Fritsch, Peter	DepCdr/JG-1
	LtCol	Gyurkewitsch, Gerd	DepCdr/ Army Aviation Operations Command
	LtCol	Hoffmann, Joachim	Cdr JBG-37
	LtCol	Patzer, Rudolf	Flight inspector Kdo. LSK/LV
	LtCol	Rehfeld, Siegfried	DepCdr/JG-7
	LtCol	Straßburg, Rainer	Flight inspector 1.LVD
	Fkpt	Thate, Heinz	Cdr HSqn/MHG-18
	LtCol	Walter, K-Heinz	Cdr FSqn/JG-9
1987	Colonel	Pampel, Frank	Cdr JG-7
	Colonel	Reuschel, Gerhard [de]	Cdr JG-3
	LtCol	Bornschein, Eberhard	Flight inspector 1. LVD
	LtCol	Böttger, Hermann	DepCdr FS/JG-9
	LtCol	Manigk, Manfred	Cdr aviation chain JBG-77
	LtCol	Seidel, Günter	DepCdr FSqn/JG-3
	Fkpt	Zeschmann, Klaus	Cdr HSqn/MHG-18
1988	Colonel	Kernchen, Wilfried	Cdr JG-1
	Colonel	Wukasch, Ralf	Cdr JG-9
	LtCol	Andreas, Peter	Flight inspector OHS for military pilots
	LtCol	Dalsch, Gerhard	AL JFK/1. LVD
	LtCol	Härtel, Lothar	Sub branch Flight Safety Kdo. LSK/LV
	LtCol	Nützmann, Erwin	Cdr FSqn/JG-3
	LtCol	Tröger, Udo	Cdr aviation chain JG-7
	LtCol	Wöge, Hans-Peter	Flight inspector THG-34
1989	Colonel	Weber, Rudolf	Chief Navigator Kdo. LSK/LV
	LtCol	Exner, Peter	Head Training Fighter Aviation 3. LVD
	LtCol	Kernchen, Michael	Cdr JG-8
	LtCol	Krummhaar, Klaus	Cdr Taktische Aufklärungsfliegerstaffel (TAFS-47)
	LtCol	Ressel, Rudolf	DepCdr/TG-44
	LtCol	Roske, Jürgen	Cdr Marinefliegergeschwader 28 (MFG-28)