Arved Crüger

Arved Crüger (25 June 1911 – 22 March 1942) was a Luftwaffe wing commander during World War II and Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross recipient. He married the German movie actress Carola Höhn in 1941. He was appointed Geschwaderkommodore (Wing Commander) of Kampfgeschwader 77 (KG 77—77th Bomber Wing) in 1942. Crüger was posted as missing in action on 22 March 1942.

Gustav-Arved Crüger was born on 25 June 1911 in Pillau, district of Samland in East Prussia. He joined the military service as a Fahnenjunker (Officer Cadet) in the 2nd Infantry Regiment (Infanterie-Regiment 2) on 1 April 1931. He then attended the infantry school in Dresden from 1 October 1932 until 1 June 1933. With graduation he was promoted to Fähnrich and transferred to the 6th Communications-Department (Nachrichtenabteilung 6). He then attended the Artillery School in Jüterbog before transferring to the Luftwaffe in 1934.

Hauptmann Arved Crüger received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 19 June 1940 in recognition of his leadership as Staffelkapitän of the 5th Staffel (Squadron) of Kampfgeschwader 30 (KG 30—30th Bomber Wing) during the anti-shipping campaign against the British Home Fleet and during the Battle of France.

On 29 March 1941 Crüger and led his group in an attack against a British task force southwest of Crete. The group claimed three hits on the aircraft carrier HMS Formidable earning him a reference on 30 March 1941 in the Wehrmachtbericht (armed forces report), an information bulletin issued by the headquarters of the Wehrmacht. To be singled out individually in this way was an honour and was entered in the Orders and Decorations' section of a soldier's Service Record Book.

Crüger married the German actress Carola Höhn in April 1941. The marriage produced a posthumous son, Arved-Michael, who was born in June 1942.

After his wedding vacation Crüger took command as Geschwaderkommodore of the Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 on 30 September 1941 at the Eastern Front. He then became Geschwaderkommodore of Kampfgeschwader 77 on 13 March 1942. Fighting in the Mediterranean theater of operations Crüger went missing in action on 22 March 1942. Flying the Junkers Ju 88 A-4 3Z+AA (Werknummer 8627—factory number) he failed to return from a combat mission against the British forces on Malta.

Crüger and his crew appear to have been shot down by Royal Navy AA fire while attacking shipping en route to Malta.

• Anschluss Medal (2 October 1938)
• Sudetenland Medal (25 August 1939)
• Iron Cross (1939)
  • 2nd Class (17 March 1940)
  • 1st Class (4 May 1940)
• Officer of the Order of the Crown of Romania (6 May 1940)
• Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for Bomber Pilots in Gold
  • in Silver (19 May 1941)
  • in Gold (15 October 1941)
• Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 19 June 1940 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän of the 5./Kampfgeschwader 30
• Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 30 March 1941

• ^ Kaiser 2010, p. 126.
• Fellgiebel 2000, p. 155.
• Scherzer 2007, p. 263.