“There can be no doubt now. The evil which has found a foothold in Nazi Germany has grown ripe, and spawned yet another monster.” — Winston Spencer Churchill, upon hearing the news of the Nazi “Super-man,” 8 June 1936.
Name: Konrad Rahn AKA Der Flieger (“The Airman”), Piorun (“Thunderbolt”), Mr. Messerschmitt.
Nationality: German.
Political Affiliation: Nazi (National Socialist).
Education: Gymnasium at Hamburg. Officer Schooling at Bad Tölz.
Rank: Obersturmbannführer (SS). Honorary member of the Luftwaffe.
Decorations: Knight’s Cross to the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds. SS Honor Ring. SS Honor Sword. Pilot Badge in Gold with Diamonds. General Assault Badge.
DOB: 6/1/16 Hamburg, Germany.
DOD: 8/21/44 London, England (killed by anti-aircraft fire).
Known Parahuman Abilities:Rahn, the first known parahuman, could fly at speeds exceeding 800 miles per hour and was the first human to break the sound barrier. He was known to utilize his sonic boom to knock Allied aircraft out of the air with its devastating shockwave.
Despite the torturous forces generated by flying at such speeds, Rahn suffered no ill effects; he could also fly at any altitude without suffering from lack of air or heat (though he could not achieve orbit, and rarely flew above 10,000 feet.)
History: Rahn was born in Hamburg in the midst of Germany’s great depression, near the end the Great War. In 1923 Rahn’s father, Johann Rahn, a veteran of the war and later a National Socialist, was killed during the failed “Beer Hall Putsch” masterminded by Hitler and Göring. Konrad Rahn followed his sainted father’s example. When Hitler came to power in 1933 as chancellor, Rahn joined the Hitler youth movement with a fanatical fervor.
On April 30, 1936, Rahn discovered his flight ability. After demonstrating his power to German military authorities, he quickly became a favorite of Hitler. Rahn lit the torch at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, after demonstrating his flight ability to the public for the first time. He later participated in the invasion of Poland, frightening cavalry with his sonic booms and nearly single-handedly knocking the Polish air force out of the sky.
During the Blitz of London, Rahn was responsible for downing more than 35 Allied fighters, and in defense of German airspace he destroyed 15 British bombers over Berlin. He gained the name “Mr. Messerschmitt” from a terrified British populace.
Rahn was a constant symbol of Nazi superiority and was often seen at Hitler’s side. He appeared in numerous recruiting films and newsreels and often worked spreading German propaganda in recently occupied countries. (He did so to great effect in Holland, Denmark and Norway.)
Der Flieger twice confronted Allied Talents in the war, and was once defeated. The Polish TalentCien knocked Rahn out of the sky over Normandy with a telekinetic shadow.
In late 1944, Rahn was killed over London by the newly developed proximity fuse of the American Army. Rahn had previously proven too fast for anti-aircraft guns to track, but these new rounds exploded when they detected an object moving within their explosive range. Rahn was blown to pieces over London during a fly-over while dumping propaganda leaflets on the ruined House of Commons.
Pieces of his body were recovered by British authorities and preserved for science.
After the liberation of Europe, all files on Rahn were lost to the occupying Soviet forces. Few records exist on early Nazi experiments testing the limits of his capabilities.