Unteroffizier Gerhard Proske from Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54)

Image size: 1305 x 1600 pixel. 497 KB

Date: Thursday, 1 October 1942

Place: Krasnowardeisk airfield, Kharkov, Ukraine (Soviet Union)

Photographer: Unknown

This picture show one of the pilots who flew in the shadows of the aces. He is Unteroffizier Gerhard Proske of 1.Staffel / Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54) near the tail of his Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-2 “Weiße 7”, Werknummer 10411. Note Gruppe and Geschwader emblem under the cockpit. Picture taken on 1 October 1942 on Krasnowardeisk airfield. Until this day Unteroffizier Proske, who had joined I.Gruppe/JG 54 during spring of 1941, accumulated 20 claims. Some of them while flying as Katschmarek (wingman) of Gruppenkommandeur Hauptmann Erich von Selle (2 July 1941 – 14 December 1941) and Hauptmann Franz Eckerle (14 December 1941 – 14 February 1942. KIA). Gerhard Proske was awarded the Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse and Frontflugspange in Bronze. Also note the fur lined trousers. On 30 January 1944 Feldwebel Gerhard Proske (take-off 08:30 hours with Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-6 “Gelbe 1”, Werknummer 550899) was shot down by Russian fighters together with newcomer Obergefreiter Helmut Wilhelm (Fw 190 A-5 “Gelbe 2”, Werknummer 304719) during a familiarisation flight over the front area of Vitebsk-Boburisk. He was taken prisoner and return to Germany after the war. He accumulated a total 29 victory claims.

Source :
Luftwaffe im Focus - Edition No.1 2002

Press Conference after the Air Battle in Wilhelmshaven

Image size: 1600 x 1063 pixel. 854 KB
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

Image size: 1171 x 1600 pixel. 671 KB
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

Studio Portrait of Luftwaffe Ace Wilhelm Batz

Image size: 1113 x 1600 pixel. 384 KB
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

Günther Rall and His Men with Unit Mascot

Image size: 1600 x 1184 pixel. 408 KB
Date: Saturday, 6 March 1943
Place: Kerch Strait, Crimea, Soviet Union
Photographer: Reissmüller

"Wie spricht Rata?" (how does Rata?) Eichenlaubträger Oberleutnant Günther Rall (Staffelkapitän 8.Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 52) and the men of his Staffel (Fighter Wing) during a short break between two feindflüge (combat missions). The standing squadron dog is named "Rata". Front, from left to right: Unteroffizier Manfred Lotzmann (15 Abschüsse), Unteroffizier Werner Höhenberg (33 Abschüsse), and Leutnant Hans Funcke (19 Abschüsse). Rear : Oberleutnant Günther Rall (275 Abschüsse), Leutnant Hans Martin Markoff (15 Abschüsse), Feldwebel Karl-Friedrich Schumacher (56 Abschüsse), and Oberleutnant Gerhard Luety (38 Abschüsse). The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Reissmüller in March 1943. Günther Rall (10 March 1918 – 4 October 2009) was the third most successful fighter ace in history. He achieved a total of 275 victories during World War II: 272 on the Eastern Front, of which 241 were against Soviet fighters. He flew a total of 621 combat missions, was shot down 8 times and was wounded 3 times. He fought in the invasion of France, the Battle of Britain, in the Balkan Campaign and over Crete. He began the conflict as a young Leutnant (Second Lieutenant), and was a Major and Kommodore of JG 300 at the surrender. He claimed all of his victories in the Messerschmitt Bf 109.

Source:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-J14142,_Jagdflieger_G%C3%BCnther_Rall_mit_Kameraden.jpg

http://www.jg52.net/2010/05

Four of the Best Pilots From Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51) "Mölders"

Image size: 1600 x 1117 pixel. 352 KB
Date: Friday, 22 May 1942
Place: Soviet Union
Photographer: Unknown

Four of the best pilots from Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51) "Mölders" posed together for the camera. From left to right: Oberfeldwebel Heinrich "Dicke" Höfemeier (Flugzeugführer in 1.Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 51; Ritterkreuz 5 April 1942; final score 96 air victories from 490 combat missions); Leutnant Erwin Fleig (Staffelkapitän 2.Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 51; Ritterkreuz 12 August 1941; final score 66 air victories from 506 combat missions), Hauptmann Oskar-Heinrich "Heinz" Bär (Gruppenkommandeur I.Gruppe/Jagdgeschwader 77; Ritterkreuz 2 July 1941, Eichenlaub 14 August 1941; Schwerter 16 February 1942; final score 220 air victories from over than 1,000 combat missions); and Oberleutnant der Reserve Heinrich "Gaudi" Krafft (Staffelkapitän 3.Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 51; Ritterkreuz 18 March 1942; final score 78 air victories). Bär was former Staffelkapitän of 1.Staffel/Jagdgeschwader 51 before being promoted as Gruppenkommandeur of I.Gruppe/Jagdgeschwader 77 in 11 May 1942. The accumulation of the air victories from these four pilot is 460 kills! After the Winter offensive in the Eastern Front there followed a lull in operational intensity, with April–June 1942 seeing little fighting in the air. However, JG 51 lost three of its experten in less than ten days; Lt. Hans Strelow,(68 victories) was lost on 22 May; 2. JG 51's Oblt. Erwin Fleig (66 victories), ex-wingman to Werner Mölders, bailed out and captured on 29 May; and two days later Hptm. Josef Fozo (27 victories), Kommandeur I./JG 51, was severely injured in a landing accident and would never return to first-line service!

Source:

http://www.historicalwarmilitariaforum.com/topic/3401-my-research-and-collecting-interest-sudeten-rkt-and-dkig-tr%C3%A4gers/

Luftwaffe Ace Gerhard Tyben Receiving The Knight's Cross

Image size: 1277 x 1600 pixel. 471 KB
Date: Friday, 22 December 1944
Place: Libau/Liepāja, Kurland/Courland, Latvia
Photographer: Kriegsberichter Stachelscheid (Prop.-Kp. Wm Kb. Abt. Luftwaffe)

Oberleutnant Gerhard "Gerd" Thyben (24 February 1922 – 4 September 2006) on the day he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross) at Libau in 22 December 1944 as an Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of 7.Staffel/III.Gruppe/Jagdgeschwader 54. Thyben was a Luftwaffe fighter pilot who flew 385 feindflug (combat missions) and claimed 157 fliegerabschüße (aerial victories). He claimed 152 victories on the Eastern Front, including 28 Il-2 Sturmoviks and five victories on the Western Front. He also flew 22 fighter-bomber missions on which he claimed two aircraft and seven trucks destroyed on the ground! He received the Ritterkreuz after destroyed 116 of his opponents in the sky. The award ceremony was held days after the actual announcement (6 December 1944), and Thyben would racked his kills in the months ahead that he also got the more prestigious award: Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes #822 in 8 April 1945. On 8 May 1945 he claimed his last victory over the Baltic Sea. He shot down a Petlyakov Pe-2 that was almost certainly looking for German refugee ships escaping from the besieged Courland Pocket. Thyben caught the reconnaissance Pe-2 at 07:54 and achieved what very well might have been the last Focke-Wulf Fw 190 victory of World War II! The Pe-2 crew, consisting of Starshiy Leytenant Grigoriy Davidenko, Kapitan Aleksey Grachev, and Starshina Mikhail Murashko were all killed in the engagement. Thyben surrendered to the British on touching down. Following his release in 1946 he traveled to Spain and Argentina before serving as an instructor with the Colombian Air Force.

Source:

Bundesarchiv  Bild 183-2007-1218-500. Prop.-Kp. Wm Kb. Abt. Luftwaffe Film-Nr. L419/22 Bildberichter: Stachelscheid Text: dto. Ort: Libau Datum: 22.12.44

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-2007-1218-500,_Gerhard_Thyben.jpg

http://www.das-ritterkreuz.de/index_search_db.php4?modul=search_result_det&wert1=6548&searchword=thyben

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gerhard-Thyben-signed-photo-Luftwaffe-Oakleaves-Ace-/200827517707

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerhard_Thyben

Luftwaffe Ace Hauptmann Rolf Pingel

Image size: 1103 x 1600 pixel. 381 KB
Date: Saturday, 14 September 1940
Place: Wissant, Pas-de-Calais, France
Photographer: Unknown photographer from Heinrich Hoffmann Firma

Informal portrait of Hauptmann Rolf Peter Pingel, a Messerschmitt 109 ace pilot from Germany, in 14 September 1940 at Wissant, France, in the day he received Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross). Rolf Pingel was born on 1 October 1913 at Kiel. Following completion of his flying training, Leutnant Pingel was posted to the newly formed I./JG 134 based at Wiesbaden-Erbenheim on 15 March 1937. Pingel served in the Spanish Civil War with the Condor Legion from September 1937. Leutnant Pingel was assigned to 2. Staffel of J 88. He recorded six victories, flying some 200 missions, during his service in Spain. He was awarded the Spanienkreuz in Gold mit Schwerten for his achievements in that conflict. On his return to Germany, Pingel was appointed Staffelkapitän of 2./JG 334 on 1 October 1937. On 1 November 1938, 2./JG 334 was redesignated 2./JG 133 and  2./JG 53 on 1 March 1939. Oberleutnant Pingel shot down a French Mureaux 113 army reconnaisance aircraft over Saarlautern on 10 September 1939 for his first victory in World War 2. On 30 September, he led 2./JG 53 in a successful interception of five RAF Battle single-engine bombers attempting a reconnaisance over the Saarbrücken-Merzig area. Four of the bombers were shot down, including one claimed by Pingel, and the fifth crash-landed on its return to base and was destroyed. On 5 June 1940, Hauptmann Werner Mölders was shot down by French fighters to become a prisoner of war. Hauptmann Pingel was temporarily placed in command of III./JG 53 to replace Mölders. On 11 June, Pingel shot down two French Morane fighters to record his 7th and 8th victories of World War 2. Pingel relinquished temporary command of III./JG 53 to Hauptmann Harro Harder (22 victories, killed in action 12 August 1940) in July 1940. He returned as Staffelkapitän to 2./JG 53. On 22 August 1940, Hauptmann Pingel reported to JG 26 to take up the role of Gruppenkommandeur of I. Gruppe. He was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 14 September for 15 victories. On 28 September, Pingel shot down a RAF Hurricane fighter over Maidstone but his own aircraft, Bf 109 E-4 (W.Nr. 3756), was badly damaged in the combat. He ditched near Hastings and was rescued by the German air-sea rescue services. It is thought that Pingel’s victim in this engagement was the South African ace Albert Lewis (16 destroyed, 2.5 probable and 2 damaged victories) of 249 Sqn, RAF who baled out badly burned. It is also thought that Pingel was, in turn, shot down by British ace John Beard (6 destroyed, 1 probable and 3 damaged victories) of 249 Sqn, RAF. Pingel achieved his 20th victory of World War 2 on 22 June 1941, when he shot down a RAF Spitfire fighter near Dunkirk in an engagement with the British Circus No. 18 attacking Hazebrouck. The British Circus No. 42 targeted Chocques on 10 July 1941. Three RAF Stirling four-engine bombers, accompanied by their fighter escort, were intercepted by Pingel’s I./JG 26. Pingel followed a damaged Stirling bomber back to England, further damaging its tail section. However, the gunners’ return fire hit his Bf 109 F-2 (W.Nr. 12 764) “<< +” in the engine. He descended to low altitude but was intercepted by Spitfires. He force-landed his aircraft in a grain field near Dover and was taken into captivity. He was promoted to the rank of Major during his imprisonment. Rolf Pingel was credited with 28 victories in 550 combat missions, including 200 flown during the Spanish Civil War. Included in his total are six victories gained during the Spanish Civil War. All his World War 2 victories were recorded over the Western front. Awards : Ritterkreuz (14 September 1940)

Source:

http://www.das-ritterkreuz.de/index_search_db.php4?modul=search_result_det&wert1=4794&searchword=pingel

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ww2images/6902251279/

http://elektra.bsb-muenchen.de/jsp/frames/documentframe.jsp;jsessionid=B9A4CBD61AADFE863392ED4799C70E7B?database=BILDARC@BSBBild$0&position=6&timeout=10

http://www.luftwaffe.cz/pingel.html

Adolf Galland Waiting for the Führer

Image size: 1600 x 1082 pixel. 415 KB
Date: Tuesday, 24 December 1940
Place: Château de Bonnance, Port-le-Grand, Abbeville, Picardie, France
Photographer: Unknown

Oberstleutnant Adolf "Dolfo" Galland, Kommodore of JG/Jagdgeschwader 26 (26th Fighter-Wing) "Schlageter" with his officers waiting for the Führer Adolf hitler one day before Christmas 1940 at château de Bonnance in Abbeville. In the background are three Gruppenkommandeur, from left to right: Hauptmann Gerhard Schöpfel (Kommandeur III.Gruppe/JG 26 "Schlageter"), Hauptmann Walter Adolph (Kommandeur II.Gruppe/JG 26 "Schlageter"), and Hauptmann Rolf Pingel (Kommandeur I.Gruppe/JG 26 "Schlageter"). Hitler arrived at the castle Point-de-Briques at 16.05 hours. There he visited the squadron Galland and he joined the Christmas activities of the squadron there. At 16.50 hours he was back at his train in Abbeville. From there he was taken to Laboissière. The train left at 19.15 hours and arrived at 21.15 hours

Source:

http://forum.axishistory.com/

http://www.hitlerpages.com/pagina33.html

Oberstleutnant Karl-Gottfried Nordmann, Luftwaffe Ace

Image size: 1072 x 1600 pixel. 245 KB
Date: April 1943
Place: Smolensk, Smolensk Oblast, Soviet Union
Photographer: Bildberichter Paul Fischer from Luftwaffe Kriegsberichter-Zug

Oberstleutnant Karl-Gottfried Nordmann, Kommodore of  Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51) Mölders, posed for the photographer, showing all of his prestigious medals. Nordmann (born 22 November 1915 in Gießen – died 22 July 1982 in Greenwich, Connecticut (USA)) was a German World War II Luftwaffe flying ace who claimed 78 aerial victories (69 on the Eastern front) in over 800 combat missions. At the start of the war Nordmann was serving with I./Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing). By March 1940 he was an Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 3./JG 77. In November 1940 Nordmann, having achieved 8 air victories, was transferred to command 12 Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—51st Fighter Wing). In July 1941 Hauptmann Nordmann was appointed to command IV./JG 51 flying on the Eastern Front and in August was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross) after a total of 31 victories. Future 'ace' Unteroffizier Franz-Josef Beerenbrock flew as Nordmann's Rottenflieger (wing man) around this time. In April 1942, now a Major, Nordmann was appointed Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of JG 51. On 17 January 1943 Nordmann's Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was when involved in a collision with Oberleutnant Rudolf Busch, Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 51. Busch was killed and Nordmann, severely injured, did not fly operationally again. In April 1944 Oberstleutnant Nordmann was made Jagdfliegerführer Ostpreussen before in May 1944 appointed to Jagdfliegerführer 6. In February 1945 Nordmann was made Inspekteur der Tagjäger Ost until the end of the war. His last rank was Oberst.

Source:
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-2008-0704-500
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-2008-0704-500,_Smolensk,_Karl_Gottfried_Nordmann.jpg