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In 1914, at the age of three, Eduard lost his mother, and his father not long afterwards. He and his sister Else came into the affectionate, but strict guidance of their grandmother, after the Great War the family moved to Germany.
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In [[1928]] Eduard went to [[Berlin]] to Study Mechanical and Aviation Engineering. It was here that he discovered his enthusiasm for flight and quickly became a member of the ‘Akakflieg’ [[Glider]] club in [[1929]].
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In [[1934]] he began training with on the [[Fi 5R]] aircraft, then later the same year he joined the fledgling [[Luftwaffe]], which was still under secret construction. In Schleissheim he received final combat training, Neumann was then deployed to II./JG 132 ‘Richthofen’ in [[July]] [[1935]].
After the re-training on the BF 109D at Barth in August 1937 he was transferred to the Luftwaffe’s ‘[[Condor Legion]]’ which was to be sent to aid [[General Franco]]’s [[Fascists]] in the [[Spanish Civil War]] along with other notable personalities like [[Adolf Galland]] and [[Werner Mölders]].
After a year’s service Neumann returned to Germany at the rank of [[Oberleutnant]] with two victories and the Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords
The day after scoring his first (World War Two) victory during the opening phase of the [[Battle of Britain]], a RAF [[236 Squadron]] [[Blenheim]] off the coast of [[Cherbourg]] on the 20th July 1940, he was appointed Gruppenkommandeure (Group Commander) of I./JG 27 to Replace Helmut Riegel shot down by Hurricanes off the Island of Alderney.
After a brief participation In the Invasion of Yugoslavia, in April 1941 the unit moved to Ain-elGazala, Libya, North Africa on the 18 April 1941.
On 8th June 1942 he was promoted to Major and [[GeschwaderKommodore]] of the squadron, which he successfully led up to 22 April 1943
In March 1943 Neumann was promoted to [[Oberstleutnant]] (Lieutenant Colonel), and later in [[1944]] to [[Colonel]].
Eduard Neumann finished the war as the Commander of all Fighter Forces in Northern Italy.
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