Profile

Born in rural part of Bavaria on 13.01.1916 as younger of two brothers, Hugo Boss was an aviator from his childhood. Like many German schoolboys of his generation he was part of local flying club, using a primitive glider that he and his friends built themselves in a shed. After the Gymnasium Hugo took government-sponsored piloting course while studying aviation engineering at University of Würzburg. After Luftwaffe was created in 1935, Reich called pilots for whose training government paid for to service; in 1937, Boss was compelled to join Luftwaffe as civilian instructor. He adamantly refused enlistment into Luftwaffe until late 1938, when one to many of his cadets - an infantry Hauptmann trying to become a pilot – refused to take orders from mere civilian. Hugo enlisted and the next day Hauptmann was furious to be fired from the course by instructor he outranked. Boss spent next couple of years rising through the ranks as valued instructor. A flier by calling and soldier by necessity, he was preparing pilots that took part of invasions of Poland, Norway, Low Countries and France, and fought in Battle of Britain. He was content to fly, teach and stay out of the fighting until a personal tragedy changed everything. August, the older brother of Hugo, has volunteered to join the Luftwaffe to avoid being drafted into Heer. He served as pilot of Ju 88 bomber; in October 1940 his plane crashed during takeoff for night bombing sortie over England, killing the crew. Blaming himself for staying in piloting school while his brother fought and died, Hugo set out to become a combat pilot himself. Despite efforts of his superiors to keep him as instructor, Leutnant Hugo Boss passed through additional training and, on 05.07.1940, begun his service with Jg 3 His days of peaceful flying were over.