Neumann was born in the city of Molodia, in the Duchy of Bukovina of the Austro-Hungarian Empire on 5 June 1911. In 1914, at the age of three, Eduard and his sister was sent to live with his grandparents after his mother died, and his father was conscripted due to the start of the First World War. His father was killed on the Russian front in November that year.[1] He attended school in Czernowitz until 1928 before moving to Germany, studying for a year at Dresden before attending University at Berlin.[1]
Luftwaffe service
Neumann learned to fly in Berlin in the early 1930s, and in 1934 joined the Luftwaffe. In 1935, after completing training, he joined II. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 132 (II./JG 132), flying the Heinkel He 51 fighter.[2]
On 8 June 1942 he was promoted to Major and Geschwaderkommodore of JG 27, which he successfully led until 22 April 1943 when he joined the Staff of General der Jagdflieger. In March 1943 Neumann was promoted to Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel), and later in 1944 to Oberst (Colonel).[5] Neumann finished the war as the Commander of Fighter Forces in Northern Italy.
After the war
After the war Neumann worked as a technical consultant on the Hans-Joachim Marseille biographical film, Der Stern von Afrika, (The Star of Africa), directed by Alfred Weidenmann and starring Joachim Hansen as Marseille.
Patzwall, Klaus D.; Scherzer, Veit (2001). Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 – 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II [The German Cross 1941 – 1945 History and Recipients Volume 2] (in German). Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall. ISBN978-3-931533-45-8.
Prien, Jochen; Rodeike, Peter; Stemmer, Gerhard (1998). Messerschmitt Bf 109 im Einsatz bei Stab und I./Jagdgeschwader 27 1939 – 1945 [Messerschmitt Bf 109 in Action with the Headquarter Unit and I./Jagdgeschwader 27 in 1939 – 1945] (in German). Eutin, Germany: Struve-Druck. ISBN978-3-923457-46-5.
Roland, Bernard (May–June 2019). "J'étais le chef de «Jochen» Marseille: «Edu» Neumann, un as méconnu". Avions (in French). No. 229. pp. 6–20.
Scutts, Jerry (1994). Bf 109 Aces of North Africa and the Mediterranean. Aircraft of the Aces. Vol. 2. London, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN978-1-85532-448-0.