| Meritorious Military Pilot of the GDR Verdienter Militärflieger der DDR | |
| Presenter: | NPA |
| Type: | One class honorary title |
| Awarded For: | Distinguished performance of military pilot |
| Status: | No longer awarded |
| Established: | August 1, 1974 |
| Firstawarded: | 1974 |
| Lastawarded: | 1990 |
| Total Awarded: | 137+ |
| Total Recipients: | see table below |
| Higher: | Order for Merit for the Nation and Fatherland |
| Same: | Honorary title "Meritorious Member of the National People’s Army" |
| Lower: | Distinguished Service Medal of the NPA |
Meritorious Military Pilot of the GDR 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.
The honorary title could be awarded for:
The number of awarded people was limited to 10 military pilots per year.
The golden medal had the shape of a pentagon with the top below tip, width 31.5 mm and high 41.5 mm. On the lower tip there is to be seen the aircraft emblem of the National People's Army (NPA), a stand on the head flag of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), that is colorful enameled. The biggest part of the medal is occupied by a MiG-23 or MiG-21 that steeply takes off to the sky in front of the bright rising sun.
Left to the aircraft there is a laurel-bough, and right to it the oblique wording is to be seen. The reverse, however, is empty and glossy.
Different versions have been issued:
The medal was worn on the left breast suspended from a pentagonal sky blue ribbon of 25 × 14 mm size. The ribbon bar was adequate and showed additionally the golden aircraft emblem of National People's Army of the German Democratic Republic in miniature format.[1]
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 | Dep./A3 Fighter Aviation of the Air Defence, Kdo. LSK/LV | ||
| Colonel | Spitzenberg, K-Heinz | Commander (Cdr) Jagdfliegergeschwader 2 (JG-2) | |
| 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) | |
| Grünberg, Horst | DepCdr FSqn/Jagdfliegergeschwader 9 (JG-9) | ||
| 1975 | Colonel | Wolfgang Büttner | DepCdr/3. LVD |
| Colonel | Gleis, Wolfgang | Cdr Hubschraubergeschwader 34 (HG-34) | |
| LtCol | 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 | 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 | DepCdr LSK/LV for the Air Force | ||
| LtCol | Heichler, Reinhard | Flight inspector Kdo. LSK/LV | |
| LtCol | Astronaut candidate | ||
| LtCol | 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 | Cdr JG-9 | ||
| 1979 | 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 |
| Year | Service rank | Name, first name | Service position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Colonel | 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 | 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) | |