
Edgar Petersen

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 177 A, to make it combat ready, mostly focusing on the fire-prone DB 606 and DB 610 powerplants used for powering the He 177 A's airframe. In September 1942 "Reichsmarschall" Hermann Göring had rescinded the 1937-imposed mandate for the He 177 A to perform moderate-angle dive bombing missions.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 177 A to be successful in service.