▁Military ▁Committee ▁ 1 9 7 1 – 1 9 7 4 . ▁In ▁ret irement , ▁Stein hoff ▁became ▁a ▁widely ▁read ▁author ▁of ▁books ▁on ▁German ▁military ▁av iation ▁during ▁the ▁Second ▁World ▁War ▁and ▁the ▁experiences ▁of ▁the ▁German ▁people ▁at ▁that ▁time . ▁ ▁He ▁was ▁the ▁father - in - law ▁of ▁econom ics ▁professor ▁and ▁former ▁American ▁Republican ▁politician ▁Michael ▁Bird . ▁ ▁Early ▁years ▁Johannes ▁Stein hoff ▁was ▁born ▁on ▁ 1 5 ▁September ▁ 1 9 1 3 ▁in ▁B ott endorf , ▁Th uring ia , ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁an ▁agricult ural ▁mill - worker ▁and ▁his ▁traditional ▁house w ife . ▁He ▁had ▁two ▁brothers , ▁Ber nd ▁and ▁Wolf , ▁and ▁two ▁sister s , ▁Gre ta ▁and ▁Charlotte . ▁His ▁sister ▁Charlotte ▁was ▁married ▁to ▁Ludwig ▁H ahn . ▁H ahn ▁was ▁the ▁chief ▁of ▁the ▁S icher heit sp ol ize i ▁and ▁S icher heits dienst ▁in ▁occupied ▁Wars aw ▁and ▁participated ▁in ▁the ▁destruction ▁and ▁ev acu ation ▁of ▁the ▁Wars aw ▁Gh etto . ▁ ▁Stein hoff ▁graduated ▁from ▁the ▁K lost ersch ule ▁Ro ß leben ▁convent ▁school ▁after ▁having ▁" stud ied ▁the ▁class ics ▁and ▁languages ▁such ▁as ▁French , ▁English , ▁Latin ▁and ▁Greek ," ▁and ▁from ▁ 1 9 3 2 – 1 9 3 4 ▁he ▁read ▁phil ology ▁at ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁J ena , ▁where ▁he ▁was ▁a ▁member ▁of ▁the ▁Land sm ann schaft ▁Sue via ▁academic ▁f