Hermann Staiger was born at Tennenbronn in the Villingen region of Baden. At the beginning of World War 2, Staiger was serving 1./JG 20. He scored his first victory on 31 May 1940 over a RAF Spitfire. 1./JG 20 was renamed 7./JG 51 on 4 July 1940. Staiger flew combat during the Battle of Britain and achieved eight further victories. Staiger was appointed Staffelkapitän of 7./JG 51 on 25 August 1940. He led the unit in the invasion of Russia. Staiger claimed three Russian SB bombers shot down on 22 June 1941 and followed this with a further four on 30 June 1941 to record victories 17 through 20. However he was to be shot down by Russian flak in Bf 109 F-2 (WNr 8083) and seriously wounded on 13 July 1941. Oberleutnant Staiger was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 16 July for 26 victories and the many ground attack missions he had performed while based in Russia. Following a spell instructing, Staiger transferred as Staffelkapitän to 12./JG 26 on the Channel Front arriving there on 5 July 1943. Here he soon came into contact with the American bomber raids and succeeded in shooting down five B-17s in a little over a week at the end of July 1943. On 10 October, he claimed a B-17 shot down near Münster but was, in turn, wounded by return fire from the bombers. He received additional injuries when he crash-landed his damaged Bf 106 G-6 (WNr 15920) “Blue 2” near Dorsten. He was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 29 October for 34 victories.On 8 March 1944, Staiger took temporary command of III./JG 26 when Hauptmann Klaus Mietusch (75 victories, RK-EL) was shot down and wounded. His most successful day occurred on 24 April. Staiger led III./JG 54 in an attack on 108 B-17s headed for Oberpfaffenhofen. In the subsequent combat, Staiger was to claim three B-17s shot down and a further two Herausschüsse. On 15 May, he was promoted Hauptmann and appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 26. On 1 August 1944, Hauptmann Staiger was transferred as Gruppenkommandeur to II./JG 1. Then followed a transfer on 12 January 1945 as Gruppenkommandeur to II./JG 7 flying Me 262 jet fighters. Staiger died on 22 June 1964 at Freiburg.
    Hermann Staiger ended the war with 63 victories. 49 of his victories were recorded over the Western front, including 26 four-engined bombers. He achieved 14 victories over the Eastern front.
 

No.	Date	Time	A/c Type	Unit	Comments	Opponent
1.	31.5.1940	-	Spitfire	1./JG 20
2.	1940	-	E/a	7./JG 51
3.	1940	-	E/a	7./JG 51
4.	1940	-	E/a	7./JG 51
5.	5.8.1940	-	Spitfire	7./JG 51	Dover
-	15.8.1940	-	Ballon Luftsperre	7./JG 51
6.	7.9.1940	-	Spitfire	7./JG 51	London
7.	7.9.1940	-	Spitfire	7./JG 51	London
8.	14.9.1940	-	Hurricane	7./JG 51	Dungeness
9.	15.9.1940	-	Hurricane	7./JG 51	Tonbridge
10.	13.3.1941	-	Spitfire	7./JG 51
11.	1941	-	E/a	7./JG 51
12.	1941	-	E/a	7./JG 51
13.	22.6.1941	-	SB-2	7./JG 51	Eastern Front
14.	22.6.1941	-	SB-2	7./JG 51	Eastern Front
15.	22.6.1941	-	SB-2	7./JG 51	Eastern Front
16.	6.1941	-	E/a	7./JG 51	Eastern Front
17.	30.6.1941	-	SB-2	7./JG 51	Eastern Front
18.	30.6.1941	-	SB-2	7./JG 51	Eastern Front
19.	30.6.1941	-	SB-2	7./JG 51	Eastern Front
20.	30.6.1941	-	SB-2	7./JG 51	Eastern Front
21.	7.1941	-	E/a	7./JG 51	Eastern Front
22.	7.1941	-	E/a	7./JG 51	Eastern Front
23.	7.1941	-	E/a	7./JG 51	Eastern Front
24.	7.1941	-	E/a	7./JG 51	Eastern Front
25.	7.1941	-	E/a	7./JG 51	Eastern Front
26.	7.1941	-	E/a	7./JG 51	Eastern Front
27.	17.7.1943	9:28	B-17	12./JG 26	German Bight	B-17 of 351 BG, USAAF
28.	25.7.1943	16:50	B-17	12./JG 26	N Wesermündung
29.	26.7.1943	11:54	B-17	12./JG 26	Wesermündung
30.	29.7.1943	9:40	B-17	12./JG 26	Kiel	B-17 of 306 BG, USAAF
31.	29.7.1943	9:40	B-17	12./JG 26	Kiel	B-17 of 306 BG, USAAF
32.	17.8.1943	15:20	B-17	12./JG 26	W Pesch
33.	3.10.1943	18:30~	Spitfire	12./JG 26	Beauvais	Spitfire of 222 Sqn, RAF
34.	10.10.1943	-	B-17	12./JG 26	W Münster	B-17 of 385 BG, USAAF
35.	5.11.1943	-	B-17	12./JG 26	Dortmund	B-17 of 388 BG, USAAF
36.	21.1.1944	-	Spitfire	12./JG 26	E St Pol
37.	21.1.1944	-	Spitfire	12./JG 26	E Amiens
38.	24.1.1944	11:00	P-47	12./JG 26	SW Brussels	P-47 of 78 FG, USAAF
39.	22.2.1944	15:23	P-47	12./JG 26	Mönchen-Gladbach	P-47 of 353FG USAAF
40.	24.2.1944	12:20	B-17	12./JG 26	S Quackenbrück-Rheine
41.	25.2.1944	13:00	B-17	12./JG 26	Birkweiler-Sedan
42.	2.3.1944	11:50	B-17	12./JG 26	W Limburg
43.	8.3.1944	-	B-17	12./JG 26	W Hannover	B-17 of 388 BG, USAAF
44.	8.3.1944	-	B-17	12./JG 26	Potsdam
45.	16.3.1944	12:10	B-24	12./JG 26	SW St Dizier-Worms	B-24 of 445 BG, USAAF
46.	18.3.1944	-	B-17	12./JG 26	Colmar
47.	27.3.1944	14:35	P-47	12./JG 26	NE Chartres	P-47 of 359 FG, USAAF
48.	13.4.1944	13:34	B-17	12./JG 26	W Trier	P-38 of 364 FG, USAAF
49.	13.4.1944	16:20	P-38	12./JG 26	NW Kaiserlautern
50.	23.4.1944	14:15	B-17	12./JG 26	SE W Neustadt
?	24.4.1944	13:30	B-17	12./JG 26	Donauwörth
51.	24.4.1944	13:30	B-17	12./JG 26	Donauwörth
52.	24.4.1944	13:55	B-17 HSS	12./JG 26	S München
53.	24.4.1944	13:55	B-17 HSS	12./JG 26	S München
54.	24.4.1944	13:55	B-17	12./JG 26	S München
55.	7.6.1944	15:58	P-47	Stab I./JG 26	N Lisieux	P-47 of 362 FG, USAAF
56.	7.6.1944	16:00	P-47	Stab I./JG 26	N Lisieux	P-47 of 362 FG, USAAF
57.	15.6.1944	7:05~	B-17 HSS	Stab I./JG 26	80km S Chartres
58.	20.6.1944	17:35	P-38	Stab I./JG 26	Chateau Thierry	P-38 of 370 FG, USAAF
59.	23.6.1944	12:20	Spitfire	Stab I./JG 26	W Rouen-NW Bayeux
60.	25.6.1944	15:30	P-38	Stab I./JG 26	SW Rouen	P-38 of 370 FG, USAAF
?	10.8.1944	14:10	Spitfire	Stab II./JG 1
?	26.11.1944	-	B-17	Stab II./JG 1
?	5.12.1944	11:15	P-51	Stab II./JG 1	15 Ost S/CF, S Waren
?	24.12.1944	-	B-17	Stab II./JG 1
63.	?	-	Viermot	Stab II./JG 1

Victories : 63
Awards : Knight`s Cross
Units : JG 20, JG 51, JG 26, JG 1, JG 7