Born on July 30, 1917, Fritz Tegtmeier was posted to 1./JG 54 as an Unteroffizier in October 1940, shortly after the unit had been wihdrawn from offensive operations over the English Channel.

On November 17, 1940, Tegtmeier was seriously injured in a flight accident at Jever. After he recovered from his injuries, he joined 2./JG 54 and saw action against the USSR. He scored his first victory already on June 22, 1941.

In late spring 1943, when he had developed into one of the most successful NCOs of I./JG 54 Grünherz, he was placed as a fighter instructor for a period. After the summer of 1943, he returned to I./JG 54 for a third operational tour, this time with 3. Staffel.

Tegtmeier scored his 75 Abschusse in the fall of 1943. On February 18, 1944, I./JG 54 was shifted to Wesenberg/Estonia, to help counter the Red Army offensive in this area. Operating from this base, Tegtmeier reached his 100-victory-mark in May 1944, and was promoted to Leutnant and appointed Staffelkapitän 3./JG 54.

Three months later when I./JG 54 operated in the so-called Courland pocket in northern Latvia, and it was here that the Geschwader achieved its 8,000th victory on August 15, 1944. Another 1,000 Soviet aircraft would fall before the guns of the JG 54 aircraft during the next four months.

In March 1945, Leutnant Tegtmeier was instructed to fly out of the Courland pocket to join Me 262-equipped JG 7. Fritz Tegtmeier ended the war with a total of 146 victories, all on the Eastern Front, on 700 combat missions.