Generalmajor Ramcke with His Family in the Christmas of 1941

Image size: 2048 x 1312 pixel. 578 KB
Date: Thursday, 25 December 1941
Place: Germany
Photographer: Unknown

Generalmajor Hermann-Bernhard Ramcke (Kommandeur Ergänzungseinheiten und Schulen des XI. Fliegerkorps) in a formal picture with his family on Christmas Day of 1941. The mother of the children is Ruth Göldner - daughter of Generalleutnant Paul Göldner - who is 20 years younger than her husband. The couple had eight children, with the youngest being Volker Ramcke, who was born in 1952, a year after his father was released from an Allied prison camp. In the photo itself General Ramcke is wearing a Luftwaffe kleinerrock suit, with a bunch of medals pinned to the chest. Of course the most prestigious medal is the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes in his neck, which he got on August 21, 1941, four months before this photo was taken. Ramcke himself then completed his Ritterkreuz "collection" with three more of even higher tiers: Eichenlaub (13 November 1942), Schwerter (19 September 1944), and Brillanten (19 September 1944). The latter made him one of only 27 soldiers in the entire Wehrmacht and SS to have it! The couple's six children make the mother, Ruth Ramcke, eligible for the Mutterkreuz (Mother's Cross), a special medal bestowed by the German government on every mother who gives birth to five or more children, as a token of appreciation for their dedication and sacrifices in raising so many children.


Source:
https://twitter.com/x3892555/status/1220459234988646411

German General Ulrich Kessler Reading American Book

Image size: 1587 x 2048 pixel. 376 KB
Date: Wednesday, 13 June 1945
Place: North Atlantic
Photographer: Unknown

Captured General der Flieger Ulrich Kessler (Chief of the Luftwaffe Liaison Staff Tokyo and, at the same time, Air Attaché at the German Embassy in Japan) reading the American book "After the War--What?" aboard a U.S. submarine. Official Caption: "Rome. 6/13/45--Captured German General reads--Maj. Gen. Ulrich Kessler, German Air Force Officer, reads a book written by an American as he sits in the galley of a U.S. Coast Guard ship after being removed from a German submarine which surrendered in the North Atlantic on May 13, 1945. The U-Boat gave up five days after Germany surrendered unconditionally to the Allies. The 16-ton enemy vessel, bearing several other German Air Force Officers as well as General Kessler and its crew, was intercepted by U.S. surface vessels and then escorted to Portsmouth, a port on the northeast coast of the U.S. The vessel was reported to have been en route to Japan. The bodies of two Japanese, who had committed suicide aboard the submarine, had been buried at sea.--PPA Photo--Serviced by Rome OWI (A List out). Approved by appropriate military authority. 6690." Portsmouth, New Hampshire. May 1945. The photograph itself is the courtesy of Isaac "Ike" Bethel Utley, who was born in Smith Mills, Kentucky on 3 March 1920. Ike enlisted in the Army Air Corps on 19 January 1942. He was shipped overseas to the European Theatre and worked with a supply division based out of the city of Naples with an office set up in a residential villa. Utley worked with the Office of War Information and used their photographs in news articles to inform soldiers of the progress of the war. At war's end, Utley returned stateside. A trunk full of over 800 photographs from the O.W.I. arrived on his doorstep from his office in Italy, sender unknown. This collection consists of those photographs.

Source :
https://www.ww2online.org/image/captured-german-general-kessler-reading-american-book-new-hampshire-may-1945

Fallschirmjäger Officers at Heraklion

 

Image size: 1146 x 1600 pixel. 430 KB
Date: Saturday, 31 May 1941
Place: Heraklion, Crete Island, Greece
Photographer: Unknown

31 May 1941: Officers of Fallschirmjäger (German paratroopers) from the 7. Flieger-Division are seen resting in Heraklion, Crete, shortly after they seized that part of the Greek island from the defending British and Australian forces. Fierce fighting took place from 20 May 1941, and German troops only managed to capture Heraklion nine days later. There was a tinge of exhaustion on the faces of those officers who had not shaved for days. Wearing the Ritterkreuz on his neck is Oberst Bruno Bräuer (Kommandeur Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1 and Kampfgruppe Ost), who won the prestigious medal on 24 May 1940 during the German invasion of the Lower Countries. All of the officers who appear in this photo are all Ritterkreuzträger (Ritterkreuz recipients). From left to right: Major Erich Walther (Kommandeur III.Bataillon / Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1; Ritterkreuz on 24 May 1940, Eichenlaub on 2 March 1944 and Schwerter on 1 February 1945), Hauptmann Gerhart Schirmer (Kommandeur III.Bataillon / Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 2. Ritterkreuz on 14 June 1941), Oberst Bräuer, and Hauptmann Wolf-Werner von der Schulenburg (Kommandeur I. Bataillon / Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1; Ritterkreuz on 20 June 1943).

Source :
https://www.alamy.com/search.html?qt=heraklion%201941&imgt=0
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=2317700#p2317700
https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/the-nazi-propaganda-picture-from-may-1941-shows-german-news-photo/1058620538
http://wehrmachtss.blogspot.com/2021/01/para-perwira-fallschirmjager-di.html

Hermann Göring Visit "Der Sieg im Westen" Exhibition

Image size: 1600 x 1159 pixel. 550 KB
Date: Monday, 18 November 1940
Place: Heldenplatz, Vienna, Ostmark (Austria)
Artist: Unknown

This photo was taken on 18 November 1940, and it shows Nazi and Wehrmacht officials as guests at the Wehrmacht exhibition entitled "Der Sieg im Westen" (Victory in the West), which were held at Heldenplatz, Vienna, Ostmark (Austria). This exhibition features a series of propaganda relating to the resounding victories of German troops in the invasion of France and the Lower Countries a few months earlier. The identification of the persons pictured here are, front row from left to right: Hugo Jury (Gauleiter Reichsgau Niederdonau und Reichsstatthalter Niederösterreich), Baldur von Schirach (Gauleiter und Reichsstatthalter Reichsgau Wien), Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe), and Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm List (Oberbefehlshaber 12. Armee). Some additional identification: in the back row between Jury and Schirach is Character als Generalmajor Edmund Glaise-Horstenau (General z. B.V. beim Oberkommando der Wehrmacht); whose head blocked by Göring is SS-Gruppenführer Dr.jur. Ernst Kaltenbrunner (Höherer SS- und Polizeiführer Donau); between Göring and List is General der Kavallerie Eberhard von Mackensen (Chef des Generalstabes 12. Armee); and at the far right behind List is Generalleutnant Hans Graf von Sponeck (Kommandeur 22. Luftlande-Infanterie-Division).

Source :

https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=1385037#p1385037

https://ww2colorfarbe.blogspot.com/2020/08/goring-at-wehrmacht-exhibition.html

Three German Commanders in St.-Lô area

Image size: 1600 x 1094 pixel. 434 KB
Date: Sunday, 16 July 1944
Place: Villebaudon, St.-Lô, Normandy, France
Photographer: Unknown

Three senior German commanders in the Battle against Allied troops in St.-Lô area, Normandy, 16 July 1944. From left to right: General der Fallschirmtruppe Eugen Meindl (Kommandierender General II. Fallschirmkorps), SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Paul Hausser (Oberbefehlshaber 7. Armee), and Generalleutnant Dipl.Ing. Richard Schimpf (Kommandeur 3. Fallschirmjäger-Division). Behind Schimpf is SS-Hauptsturmführer Karl-Heinz Boska (Adjutant Oberbefehlshaber 7. Armee). In this meeting Meindl told his commander, Hausser, that the German defense position at St.-Lô was untenable any longer due to the superiority of the Allied forces on land and in the air. The next day Hausser forwarded this message to his commander, Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel (Oberbefehlshaber Heeresgruppe B). Unknowingly, on the same day Rommel was badly wounded by Allied air strikes and went to the intensive treatment at the hospital! This photo is most likely taken at Villebaudon which is the base of II. Fallschirmkorps.

Source:

https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=29879&p=2124764&hilit=schimpf#p2124764

http://www.specialcamp11.co.uk/General%20der%20Fallschirmtruppe%20Eugen%20Meindl.htm

Front-Line Conference of Wolfram von Richthofen and Richard Koll

Image size: 1558 x 1600 pixel. 656 KB
Date: Autumn 1941
Place: Soviet Union
Photographer: Helmut Ritgen

The close support given to the armour by the ground-attack aircraft of the Luftwaffe is symbolised by this snapshot of General der Flieger Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen (Kommandierender General VII. Fliegerkorps), the renowned Air Corps commander of the Stuka squadrons, after he had landed his Fieseler Fi 156 Storch liaison aircraft for a front-line conference with Oberst Richard Koll (Kommandeur Panzer-Regiment 11 / 6.Panzer-Division) in autumn 1941. The fire of combat rises only 200 yards beyond! Just visible on Von Richthofen's right forearm is the rare and prized cuff-title commemorating service with the First World War fighter wing commanded by his cousin, "The Red Baron" Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen.

Source:

Helmut Ritgen photo collection

Book "The 6th Panzer Division: 1937-45" by Oberst a.D. Helmut Ritgen

Schwertern Award Ceremony For Rainer Stahel

Image size: 1600 x 1064 pixel. 205 KB
Date: Tuesday, 1 August 1944
Place: Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze, Rastenburg, Ostpreußen/East Prussia
Photographer: Unknown

Presentation of the Schwertern zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub (Oak Leaves and Swords of the Knight's Cross) #79 to Generalleutnant Rainer Stahel (15 January 1892 - 30 November 1955) that held in Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze, Rastenburg, 1 August 1944. As a Generalmajor and Kommandant Fester Platz Wilna (commanding officer of the stronghold at Vilnius), he was responsible for tying down large enemy forces so, on 18 July 1944, was awarded the Swords and promoted to Generalleutnant. While commanding operations in Bucharest (Rumania) he fell into Russian captivity. In 1955, he died in Russian Gulag from a heart attack as news of his release was broken to him! Also present in this picture: Generaloberst Heinz Guderian (Generalinspekteur der Panzertruppen und Chef des Generalstabes des Heeres) and Oberst Nicolaus von Below (Luftwaffen-Adjutant der "Adjutantur der Wehrmacht beim Führer und Reichskanzler").

Source:

Fotos aus dem Führerhauptquartier - Hermann Historica München

Luftwaffe General Werner Kreipe and Eckhard Christian

Image size: 1600 x 1066 pixel. 312 KB
Date: Wednesday, 2 August 1944
Place: Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschanze, Rastenburg, Ostpreußen/East Prussia
Photographer: Unknown

Eventual General der Flieger Werner Kreipe (right, Chefs des Generalstabes der Luftwaffe) in conversation with Oberst Eckhard Christian (persönlicher Generalstabsoffizier des Chef der Oberkommando Wehrmacht). During his time at the Military College in Münich, Kreipe (12 April 1904 - 7 September 1967) participated in Hitler's march on Feldherrnhalle, and therefore he wears the ribbon of 9 November 1923, the so-called "Blutorden" (Blood Order) award, on his right breast pocket. He also sporting his Deutsches Kreuz in Gold which he received in 29 June 1942 as an Oberst i.G. (im Generalstab) and Chef des Generalstabs des I. Fliegerkorps. Following the assassination attempt on 20 July 1944, from which Generaloberst Günther Korten (26 July 1898 - 22 July 1944) was critically wounded and died shortly afterwards, Kreipe was temporarily entrusted with the business of Luftwaffe Chief of the General Staff.

Source:

Fotos aus dem Führerhauptquartier - Hermann Historica München

Adolf Hitler and Hermann Göring at the Demonstration of Hetzer

Image size: 1138 x 1600 pixel. 698 KB
Date: Thursday, 20 April 1944
Place: Near Schloss Klessheim, Wals-Siezenheim, Austria
Photographer: Walter Frentz

Adolf Hitler (Führer und Reichskanzler; Oberbefehlshaber der Wehrmacht; Oberbefehlshaber des Heeres) and Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (Oberbefehlshaber der deutschen Luftwaffe) at the demonstration of the newly developed Hetzer tank destroyer at a closed highway near Klessheim Palace (Schloss Klessheim), west of Salzburg (Austria), on the occasion of Adolf Hitler's 55th birthday, 20 April 1944. In the left behind Hitler wearing ledermantel (leather jacket) is General der Flieger Karl-Heinrich Bodenschatz (Chef des Ministeramts im Reichsluftfahrtministerium und gleichzeitig Verbindungsoffizier Görings zu Hitler), while in the far left (face cropped) is Generalfeldmarschall Wilhelm Keitel (Chef des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht). Last, the man wearing black hat behind Göring is Dr. Ferdinand Porsche (Austrian-German automotive engineer).

Source:

http://www.ww2shots.com/gallery/v/People/Adolf+Hitler/Hitler+und+Hermann+G_ring-color+photo-ww2shots-people.jpg.html

General Hermann Plocher Arrived at Milsbeek

Image size: 1507 x 1600 pixel. 735 KB
Date: Tuesday, 19 September 1944
Place: Milsbeek, Limburg, Netherlands
Photographer: Unknown

This image, taken in the morning of Tuesday September 19, 1944, shows the moment of the arrival of Generalleutant Hermann Lukas Plocher (5 January 1901 - 8 December 1980), Chef des Generalstabes der Luftflotte 3, at Milsbeek, Netherlands, to organize operations against the "Landing Zone N" (LZ "N"), which has lowered the 505th PIR of the 82nd U.S. Airborne Division. Several of his subordinates have been quick to approach his car (Plocher is the one in the seat next to the driver), to put the current situation. This officer, who served as Chief of Staff of the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War, has been fielded by General der Flieger Friedrich Christiansen, who is the Commander of the "Wehrmacht-Befehlshaber Niederlande" (Command of the Wehrmacht in the Netherlands), and under the responsibility of this administration in the area of occupancy of communications, tanks, rail service, moving supplies, military installations, and the coordination of the various branches of the German armed forces present in the area.

Source:

Book "Kampfraum Arnhem - A photo study of the German Soldier fighting in and around Arnhem, September 1944" by Harlan Glenn & Remy Spezzano

http://www.rzm.com/books/rzm/rzmbk012.cfm
Photo courtesy of Alvaro Casanova Mora at http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201089909671282&set=o.303273499761263&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf 

A curious group of Dutch children, the first of which fits the traditional wooden clogs, viewed from the entrance of Milsbeek mill, the arrival of Generalleutant Hermann Plocher and members of his staff, which has been sent to provide a defense against American releases in the field of "Landing Zone N". He should coordinate in the first stage, the use of a varied amount of training and replacement units, which include men from Heer, Luftwaffe, and even Kriegsmarine! The mill, built in 1910 was used to drain water from Somonpolder until it fell into disuse in the 1930's. In the picture, a subordinate inform the news report (l "pass the party") to Plocher

Wilhelm Haehnelt (Last Rank General der Flieger) as Generalleutnant in January 1941

Image size: 1600 x 1111 pixel. 490 KB
Date: January 1941
Place: Germany
Photographer: Unknown

Wilhelm Haehnelt as a Generalleutnant of Luftwaffe (German Air Force) in January 1941. He was born in 12 March 1875 in Posen, and died in Soviet captivity at Lager Sachsenhausen on 10 March 1946. Army 1895-1920, Luftwaffe 1936-42. Early in his career, he served with the Luftschiffer Bataillon 1908-1909: certified free balloon pilot 22 January 1909. Pilot training 1913-14. Commander Feldflieger Abteilung April 1914, and Aviation Staff Officer in the General Staff of 5th Army 1914-1917. Commander of aviation 2nd Army February-August 1918. Vice President of the Aero Club in Germany 1919-35. Promotion dates: Fähnrich (14 Feb 1895); Leutnant (27 Jan 1896); Oberleutnant (18 Oct 1904); Hauptmann (13 Sep 1911); Major (27 Jan 1918); Charakter als Oberstleutnant (21 Jan 1921); Oberst (01 May 1936); Generalmajor (01 Jan 1939); Generalleutnant (01 Dec 1940); General der Flieger (01 Mar 1942). Decorations and awards: 1914 Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse, 1914 Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse, Kgl. Preuss. Flugzeugführer-Abzeichen, Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer, and Wehrmacht-Dienstauszeichnung IV. bis I. Klasse.

Source:
Ron C. photo collection
http://www.geocities.com/~orion47/WEHRMACHT/LUFTWAFFE/General/HAEHNELT_WILHELM.html
http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/people/21580-hauptmann-h%E4hnelt.html
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=646111

Newly Promoted Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring

Image size: 1159 x 1600 pixel. 848 KB
Date: Friday, 19 July 1940
Place: Berlin, Germany
Photographer: Heinrich Hoffmann

Reichsmarschall (literally translated as Marshal of the Empire, but the German term is used in English) Hermann Wilhelm Göring (January 12, 1893 - October 15, 1946) in his first official photograph after his promotion to Reichsmarschall. He is holding his Luftwaffe Feldmarschall's baton, given to him by Reichskanzler (Reichchancellor) Adolf Hitler on February 4, 1938, encrusted with gold crosses and eagles, and capped in diamonds. He appeared in a similar sky blue Luftwaffe uniform in a large portrait at the entrance to the Berlin Headquarters. He designed his own uniforms and would change five times a day, depending on his mood. In a speech to the Reichstag (German Parliament) in September 1939, Hitler had appointed Göring as his successor. In an evening ceremony at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin (Berlin Opera House), Hitler awarded twelve generals promotions to Feldmarschall (Field Marshal) and elevated Göring from Feldmarshall to Reichsmarschall. Other officers were promoted as well for their actions in the Battle of France. The promotions gave the armed forces a clear line of succession and was intended to prevent fighting over command if Hitler was incapacitated or assassinated. Göring's subordinates felt that his promotion to Reichsmarschall was the last day the Luftwaffe had a leader; he retired after the ceremony for a party at his Berlin residence, stoked with foodstuffs from the subjugated nations of the Reich, and enjoyed his new position. The ceremony, held at the height of the Battle of Britain, allowed Hitler to call for the British to surrender or face "unending suffering and misery." Göring was unable to bring the Royal Air Force to destruction; the Luftwaffe's losses were unsustainable. The other Luftwaffe officers promoted at the same time had no relief for the rest of the war. After failing to supply the surrounded 6th Army during the battle of Stalingrad in 1942, Göring increasingly fell out of favor. When the Royal Air Force and the United States 8th Air Force began bombing Germany "around the clock" despite a maximum effort by the Luftwaffe, Hitler blamed Göring; the Führer was encouraged by Martin Bormann, who wanted to discredit Göring. Göring retreated into the high life; collecting stolen works of classic art, hunting on his estate confiscated from Jews, and abusing drugs and food. Luftwaffe officers had to come to him. When he did rarely appear in front of Luftwaffe pilots and his own ground forces, he stunned them with his appearance, overweight, sweaty, disconnected, angry, and sometimes wearing makeup. Göring would berate his men for failing to stop the bombers, but never listened to their entreaties for more training, production, better gunsights and aircraft. By 1945, Göring was totally out of favor, and no longer welcome in the Führer's presence. He took Hitler's decision to stay in Berlin as a sign to act on his decree of succession. Enraged over a suspected coup d'etat, Hitler ordered his arrest and execution of Göring and his family on April 25. Göring survived and was arrested by the Allies on May 9. This same uniform, without the medals and the baton, was the one he wore during his press conference with western reporters in Augsburg on May 11. He was the third highest ranking Nazi to stand trial in Nürnberg. After a vitriolic and spirited defense (he wore a double-brested uniform too large for him since he lost weight in prison and was denied drugs), he cheated the hangman a few hours before his scheduled execution by taking cyanide! Göring's baton is on display at the National Infantry Museum in Fort Benning, Georgia. 

Source:

http://www.worldwar2database.com/gallery3/index.php/wwii0036