Hanna Reitsch: The record-breaking aviator who became a central figure in Nazi aviation history.

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Hanna Reitsch was the preeminent female pilot of the 20th century, setting over 40 flight records. Yet, her legacy is inextricably linked to the Third Reich. From testing cutting-edge rocket aircraft to visiting Hitler in his final bunker, she remains one of history's most complex and controversial aviation pioneers.

Born in 1912, Hanna Reitsch rose to prominence as a glider pilot, eventually becoming the first woman to earn a captain’s license and the first female helicopter pilot. Her technical prowess was undeniable; she tested everything from the Focke-Achgelis Fa 61 helicopter to the jet-powered Messerschmitt Me 262. By 1937, she had earned the honorary title of Flugkapitän, and in 1942, she became the first German woman awarded the Iron Cross, First Class, following a severe crash while testing the rocket-propelled Me 163 Komet.

Beyond her technical achievements, Reitsch became a fixture of Nazi propaganda. Her career took a dark turn toward the end of World War II when she joined a voluntary suicide squad. She was among the last individuals to see Adolf Hitler alive in his Berlin bunker in April 1945, later providing detailed accounts of his personality's disintegration during her 15-month internment by the U.S. Army. She consistently denied claims that she helped Hitler escape, maintaining that her final flight out of Berlin was purely a departure from the collapsing capital.

Post-war, Reitsch continued her aviation career, directing a gliding school in Ghana from 1962 to 1966 and publishing her autobiography, Flying Is My Life, in 1951. She remained active in the sport until her death in 1979, setting her final gliding record in the United States that same year. Her life remains a subject of intense historical scrutiny, balancing her status as a trailblazing female aviator against her deep, voluntary involvement with the leadership of the Nazi regime.

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