British POW with Luftwaffe Soldiers

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Date: Monday, 18 December 1939
Place: Wilhelmshaven, Niedersachsen, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

On 18 December 1939 German fighters met a formation of 22 Wellington bombers and almost annihilated them. They destroyed 14 bombers; four were very badly damaged, and the remaining four were less badly damaged. One of the destroyed bombers was a Wellington Mk I, N2936, LF-J of 37 RAF Squadron which was shot down into the sea close to the German coast, most probably by Oberstleutnant Carl Schumacher (Geschwaderkommodore Jagdgeschwader 1) at 14:35. The whole crew led by bomber pilot Sergeant Herbert Ruse was rescued by the Germans and taken prisoner. Here we see Ruse escorted by Luftwaffe soldiers. In the background parked a Junkers Ju 52 “Tante” transport aircraft.

Source :
Book "Luftwaffe at War: Luftwaffe Aces of the Western Front" by Robert Michulec

Press Conference after the Air Battle in Wilhelmshaven

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Date: Wednesday, 20 December 1939
Place: Berlin, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

Berlin, 20 December 1939 – a press conference organized by Dr. Otto Dietrich of Goebbels’ Propaganda Ministry on the occasion of a great victory over British bombers achieved by German fighters over the Wilhelmshaven area on 18 December 1939. The German military counted over 50 bombers, and after the fight claimed to have shot down 36. The numbers were exaggerated, but they indicate the scale of the air battle, and of course the Germans naturally wanted to exploit it! The conference was a great success, many foreign journalists arrived to ask questions or to listen to stories told by participants. Seated at the table are pilots who fought in this battle. On the extreme right is Oberleutnant Wolfgang Falck of I.Gruppe / Zerstörergeschwader 76 (ZG 76); third from the right is Oberstleutnant Carl Schumacher, Gruppenkommandeur Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1); between Falck and Schumacher is Dr. Otto Dietrich in SS-Gruppenführer uniform; and third from the left is Oberleutnant Johannes Steinhoff of 10.(N)Staffel / III.Gruppe / Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26) “Schlageter”. Both Oberleutnants (Falck and Steinhoff) claimed two victories in the battle, while the commander of the whole formation (Schumacher) claimed one.

Source :

Book "Luftwaffe at War: Luftwaffe Aces of the Western Front" by Robert Michulec

Portrait Photo of Hans-Joachim Marseille

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Date: Sunday, 28 June 1942
Place: Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze, Rastenburg, East Prussia, Germany
Photographer: Unknown photographer from Heinrich Hoffmann Firm

Oberleutnant Hans-Joachim Marseille, Staffelkapitän 3.Staffel / I.Gruppe / Jagdgeschwader 27 (JG 27) "Afrika", posed for the studio camera of Heinrich Hoffmann Firm in the day he received the coveted Schwerter zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #12 (Swords for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves) from Adolf Hitler, 28 June 1942 (Marseille already received the telegram from 18 June 1942). On 3 June he achieved his 75th victory, and on 17 June his 101st victory, which made him the most efficient fighter pilot of the Western Front and brought him the Eichenlaub in 6 June 1942 and Schwertern in 18 June, only a couple of days later! There is no doubt that he is the best German ace at this time. Moreover, he was also the most famous and popular German pilot who achieved enormous successes against the Britsih flyers. Marseille was described by Adolf Galland, the most senior German ace, with these words : "He was the unrivaled virtuoso among the fighter pilots of World War II. His achievements were previously considered impossible."

Source:

http://ww2colorfarbe.blogspot.com/2014/12/luftwaffe-ace-hans-joachim-marseille.html

Jagdtiger Abandoned in Neustadt

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Date: Friday, 23 March 1945
Place: Landauer Strasse, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
Photographer: Unknown
 

Panzerjäger Tiger Ausf.B mit 12,8cm PaK 44 L/55 "Jagdtiger"(Sd.Kfz.186) Nr. 331 of schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 653 after she was abandoned in Landauer Strasse in Neustadt an der Weinstrasse. The vehicles are shown here being examined by American soldiers from the 10th Armored Division, on 23 March 1945. Leutnant Kasper Geoggler commanded the Jagdtiger No.331, also the third Kampfgruppe from 3.Kompanie / sPzJg.Abt.653. Geoggler had nerves of steel, and was very keen to prove himself. He was awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (German Cross in Gold) on 10 May 1943 whilst fighting on the Eastern Front. He had already had several kills to his credit with his Jagdtiger. In 22 March 1945, Geoggler had three Jagdtigers including his own placed into a good position north of Neustadt with a commmanding view of the approach roads to the town. From camouflage postions, the three Jagdtigers engaged in U.S. tank column; the first and last vehicles were shot up followed by the rest. The Shermans and M10 tank destroyer returned fire. Two Jagdtigers - Geoggler's and another, No.323 - were hit ten times between them. They withdrew into Neustadt. After the battle, 25 US tanks were claimed destroyed, while none of the Jagdtiger crew suffered any serious injuries! The thick sloping-armor had done its job.

Source:

http://ww2colorfarbe.blogspot.com/2015/01/jagdtiger-no331-of-leutnant-kasper.html

Studio Portrait of Luftwaffe Ace Wilhelm Batz

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Date: Tuesday, 25 July 1944
Place: Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze, Rastenburg, East Prussia, Germany
Photographer: Walter Frentz

Sun-tanned Hauptmann Wilhelm "Willi" Batz (21 May 1916 - 11 September 1988) smile for a formal portrait by Walter Frentz after the award ceremony with Adolf Hitler and two other Luftwaffe officers (Major Herbert Lamprecht and Hauptmann der Reserve Heinz Strüning) at Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze (Rastenburg) in 25 July 1944. Only five days before (20 July 1944) Batz received the telegram from Oberkommando der Luftwaffe which informed him of the bestowal of Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (vorschlagnummer 526) for his remarkable achievement as a fighter pilot with 188 confirmed victories. At that time he was a Gruppenkommandeur of III.Gruppe / Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52) / VIII.Fliegerkorps / Luftflotte 4. He was operating with such luminaries as Hauptmann Erich “Bubi” Hartmann (352 victories, RK-Br), Oberleutnant Friedrich “Fritz” Obleser (120 victories, RK) and Oberleutnant Walter Wolfrum (137 victories, RK) among the high-scoring pilots of III./JG 52 at that time. In the end of the war, Batz flew 445 combat missions and claimed 237 enemy aircraft shot down. 234 of these victories were achieved over the Eastern Front, including at least 46 Il-2 Sturmoviks, but he did claim three victories, including one four-engine bomber against the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) over the Ploieşti oil fields. He was wounded three times and was shot down four times.  At war’s end he was able to extricate his unit and men from Hungary and Austria back to Germany to surrender to American forces. He was thus able to avoid the prolonged Soviet captivity that befell the personnel of other two JG 52 Gruppen.

Source:

http://ww2colorfarbe.blogspot.com/2015/01/wilhelm-batz-in-studio-portrait-after.html