Introduction
Edgar Petersen (26 April 1904 – 10 June 1986) was a German bomber pilot in the Luftwaffe during World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross of Nazi Germany.
Petersen also served in the position of Kommandeur der Erprobungstellen (commander of all Luftwaffe test stations) as an Oberst later in the war, in which capacity from September 1942 onwards became centrally involved with the further development work required for the Luftwaffe's only operational heavy bomber, the Heinkel He 177A, to make it combat ready, mostly focusing on the fire-prone DB 606 and DB 610 powerplants used for powering the He 177A's airframe. In September 1942 Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring had rescinded the 1937-imposed mandate for the He 177A to perform moderate-angle dive bombing missions. From the time of his appointment as the "KdE", at Rechlin, Oberst Petersen would head the development program to govern and manage the task of applying the substantial number of upgrades required for the troubled He 177A to be successful in service.
Awards
- Iron Cross (1939) 2nd and 1st Class
- Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 21 October 1940 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Kampfgeschwader 40
- Mentioned twice in the Wehrmachtbericht (3 October 1940, 20 June 1941)
- Scherzer 2007, p. 589.