About Hanna Reitsch
Hanna Reitsch was a German aviator and test pilot. Reitsch was among the very last people to meet Adolf Hitler before his suicide in the Führerbunker in April 1945. Following her capture, she provided information about her departure from Berlin and denied that she might have helped Hitler escape. She also founded a gliding school in Ghana, where she worked for Kwame Nkrumah. As well as instructional duties, she set an endurance record for women of 11 hours and 20 minutes but this had to be "unofficial" because the observations that were necessary for a record were not fulfilled. While in Argentina, she became the first woman to earn the Silver C Badge, the 25th in the world. During the 1930s, Reitsch set more than 40 flight altitude records and women's endurance records in gliding and unpowered flight.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.