Career
The Knight"s Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Hubertus Hitschhold joined the military service in the Reichswehr on 1 April 1930 after receiving his Abitur. He was immediately selected for flight training.
Beginning in April 1930 until March 1931 he was trained at the Deutsche Verkehrsfliegerschule at Schleißheim and received his pilot license.
He continued his flight training at Lipetsk in Russia, where he was trained as a fighter pilot. On 1 October 1931 he was transferred to the 2.
(Pr) Reiterregiment. Promoted to Leutnant on 1 August 1933 he transferred to the newly formed Luftwaffe in 1935.
In 1936 he became one of the first Stuka pilots and a Staffelkapitän in 1937. The I./StG 2 under the command of Hitschhold participated in the Battle of Crete and sank the British destroyers Greyhound on 22 May 1941 and the Kelly and Kashmir on 23 May 1941.
Bibliography.