Hanna was a pilot.
She loved to fly in the sky. She flew planes without engines. She also flew a new kind of helicopter. Hanna was very good at flying. She broke many records. Do you like to fly?
Hanna was a great pilot.
She flew planes that had no engines. She also flew a new kind of helicopter.
Hanna was very good at flying. She broke many records for how high she could go. She even worked as a stunt pilot for a movie. Later, she helped teach others how to fly in a new land.
She was a very famous flyer.
Hanna Reitsch was a famous German pilot.
She was very good at flying gliders. These are planes that fly without engines. In the 1930s, she set more than 40 records. She broke records for how high she could fly. She also set records for how long she could stay in the air.
Hanna was also a test pilot. This means she flew new types of planes to see how they worked. She was the first female helicopter pilot. She flew the Fa 61, which was the first fully controllable helicopter. She even flew a rocket-powered plane called the Me 163. One crash in that plane caused her many injuries. She spent five months in a hospital to get well.
During World War II, she met Adolf Hitler. She was one of the last people to see him. She left Berlin in a small plane in April 1945. Later, she moved to Ghana. There, she helped start a school for gliding.
She lived until 1979.
Hanna Reitsch was a famous German aviator and test pilot.
She was born on March 29, 1912, in Hirschberg, Silesia. Her father, Dr. Wilhelm Reitsch, managed an eye clinic. Her mother, Emy Helff-Hibler von Alpenheim, was part of the Austrian nobility. Hanna grew up in a Protestant home. She had two siblings named Kurt and Heidi. She started learning to fly gliders in 1932 at the School of Gliding in Grunau. Later, she studied medicine in Berlin and learned to fly powered aircraft at Staaken.
Reitsch was an expert at flying without engines. Gliding is a way to fly using air currents instead of a motor. In the 1930s, she set over 40 records for altitude and endurance. This means she flew very high and stayed in the air for a long time. She even worked as a stunt pilot for a film called "Rivals of the Air." During a trip to Argentina in 1934, she became the 25th woman in the world to earn the Silver C Badge. She also worked as a test pilot for the DFS. A test pilot flies new or experimental planes to see how they behave. She tested many different types of aircraft, including transport gliders like the DFS 230.
Her flying career included many important firsts and honors. She was the first female helicopter pilot. She flew the Focke-Achgelis Fa 61, which was the first fully controllable helicopter. In 1941, she received the Iron Cross, Second Class, from Adolf Hitler. She also tested rocket-powered planes like the Messerschmitt Me 163 in 1942. One crash in this plane caused her serious injuries. She had to stay in a hospital for five months to recover. After that accident, she earned the Iron Cross, First Class. This made her one of only three women to receive that honor.
Reitsch was present during the final days of World War II in Berlin. In late April 1945, she flew to the city with Robert Ritter von Greim. They landed a Fieseler Fi 156 on a makeshift runway in the Tiergarten. This park was near the Brandenburg Gate.
She was among the very last people to meet Hitler before he died. Reitsch said she left Berlin on April 30, 1945. Some historians disagree on the exact time she escaped. She later told a journalist she saw another plane waiting nearby. After leaving the city, she flew to places like Lübeck and Graz. Her family faced a very sad tragedy in Salzburg during this time.
Later in life, Reitsch worked in different parts of the world. In the 1960s, the West German foreign office hired her as a technical adviser. She traveled to Ghana to help there. She even started a gliding school in Ghana. During her time there, she worked for the leader Kwame Nkrumah. Reitsch lived until August 24, 1979. Her life was full of many different roles, from a student to a record-breaking pilot. She showed that women could be leaders in the world of flight. Her story connects the history of early aviation to the modern world.
Hanna Reitsch was a prominent German aviator and test pilot.
She was born on March 29, 1912, in Hirschberg, Silesia. Her father, Dr. Wilhelm Reitsch, managed an ophthalmology clinic. Her mother, Emy Helff-Hibler von Alpenheim, was a member of the Austrian nobility. Reitsch grew up in a Protestant household despite her mother's Catholic faith. She had two siblings, a brother named Kurt and a younger sister named Heidi. Her early life prepared her for a career defined by technical skill and daring flight.
Reitsch began her journey into aviation in 1932 at the School of Gliding in Grunau. Gliding involves flying unpowered aircraft using air currents. While studying medicine at the University of Kiel, she also trained in powered aircraft at Staaken. She flew a Klemm Kl 25 during this period. In 1933, she left medical school to become a full-time glider instructor in Baden-Württemberg. She even worked as a stunt pilot for the Ufa Film Company. In a film called "Rivals of the Air," she performed difficult maneuvers, including landing in a lake.
During the 1930s, Reitsch became a highly successful record-breaker. She set more than 40 flight altitude records and endurance records for women. In 1934, she joined an expedition to South America to study thermal conditions. While in Argentina, she became the 25th woman in the world to earn the Silver C Badge. She later joined the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug, known as the DFS. As a test pilot at the DFS, she flew transport and troop-carrying gliders. One notable example was the DFS 230, which was used during the Battle of Fort Eben-Emael.
Reitsch's career was marked by several technological milestones. She was the first female helicopter pilot. She flew the Focke-Achgelis Fa 61, which was the first fully controllable helicopter. This achievement earned her the Military Flying Medal. She also tested many dangerous and advanced aircraft. These included the Junkers Ju 87 dive bomber and the Dornier Do 17. In 1942, she tested the rocket-propelled Messerschmitt Me 163. A crash during her fifth flight in the Me 163 caused severe injuries. She spent five months in a hospital recovering from the accident. This bravery led her to receive the Iron Cross, First Class.
During World War II, Reitsch was involved in controversial military projects. In 1944, she proposed "Operation Suicide" to Adolf Hitler. This plan involved pilots sacrificing themselves using human glider-bombs. Approximately 70 volunteers joined the Suicide Group. Reitsch and Heinz Kensche tested the Me 328, which was carried by a Dornier Do 217. They also tested the Fieseler Fi 103R Reichenberg, an adaptation of the V-1 flying bomb. This version included different models for training and operation. However, the plan was never used in actual combat due to other war concerns.
In late April 1945, Reitsch was present during the final days of the Battle of Berlin. She flew to the city with Robert Ritter von Greim. They landed a Fieseler Fi 156 on an improvised airstrip in the Tiergarten. This airstrip was located on the Straße des 17. Juni near the Brandenburg Gate.
Reitsch was among the last people to meet Hitler before his suicide. She claimed to have left Berlin on April 30, 1945. Historians have debated the exact timing of her escape. Some suggest she left as early as April 29. After escaping, she flew to Lübeck and later to Graz, Austria. During this chaotic time, her family suffered a tragedy in Salzburg.
After the war, Reitsch transitioned into international technical roles. In the 1960s, the West German foreign office sponsored her as a technical adviser. She traveled to Ghana and worked with the leader Kwame Nkrumah. While there, she founded a gliding school to teach others. Reitsch lived until August 24, 1979. Her life connects the early era of experimental flight to the post-war world. She remains a significant figure in the history of both gliding and powered aviation. Her experiences reflect the complex and often difficult history of the 20th century.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (5)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.