Dietrich "Dieter" Hrabak was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1935 until the end of World War II on 8 May 1945 and again in the Bundeswehr from 1955 until his retirement on 30 September 1970. During World War II he shot down 125 enemy aircraft achieved in over 1000 combat missions. 109 of his victories were claimed over the Eastern Front, with 16 against the Western Allies. Hrabak showed an interest in aviation from an early age, but joined the German navy in 1934. Two years later he transferred to the Luftwaffe, and qualified as a pilot. In 1938 Hrabak was posted to the Vienna Jagdgruppe, I./JG 138. This unit was later redesignated I./JG 76 during the Polish Campaign, before becoming II./JG 54 in April 1940. During the Polish Campaign, Hrabak was shot down (the first of 11 times) on his first mission, making a belly landing. On 13 May 1940, he claimed his first victory, a French Potez 63 and he claimed five more victories before the armistice. During the Battle of Britain, Hrabak was a member of JG 54, becoming Gruppenkommandeur II./JG 54 on 26 August 1940. During the Battle of Britain he added ten victories against Royal Air Force (RAF) fighters and Field Marshal Hermann Göring personally decorated Hrabak with the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes). Hrabak served in the Balkans campaign and when Operation Barbarosa began in the Soviet Union, he flew on the northern front and over Leningrad. In November 1942, he left JG 54 to become Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing). Under Hrabak JG 52 became the highest scoring Geschwader with over 10,000 victories. In August 1943 he got his 100th victory and in November was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross, the 337th soldier to be thus awarded. He had 118 victories. On 20 September 1944, Hrabak scored the last of his 125 victories. In October 1944 Hrabak returned to JG 54, serving as its last Geschwaderkommodore until the end of the war. His greatest contribution to the Luftwaffe was not his combat record however but his command, tactical and leadership qualities, which endeared him to the men under his command and sealed his reputation within the Luftwaffe leadership. After the war, he worked in the automotive and chemical industry until 1953 when Chancellor Konrad Adenauer asked him to help form the new German Air Force. In 1956 he commanded the Advanced Pilot Training Center at Fürstenfeldbruck. In 1962 he took charge of the air defense covering northern Germany and the Netherlands. In 1964 he was named NATO's Chief of Air Defense/Central Europe until becoming special manager for the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter programme. As a major general, he commanded the GAF's tactical command. His award certificate for the Knight's Cross Oak Leaves reads "The on all theatres of war well proven 52nd Fighter Wing under the leadership of its Wing Commander, Oak Leaves bearer Oberstleutnant Hrabak, achieved its 10,000th aerial victory. ...more

Lieutenant-General Gerhard "Gerd" Barkhorn was the second most successful fighter ace of all time after fellow Luftwaffe pilot Erich Hartmann. Barkhorn joined the Luftwaffe in 1937 and completed his training in 1939. Barkhorn flew his first combat missions in May 1940, during the Battle of France and then the Battle of Britain without scoring an aerial victory—that is an aerial combat encounter resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft. His first victory came in July 1941 and his total rose steadily against Soviet opposition. In March 1944 he was awarded the third highest decoration in the Wehrmacht when he received the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords (Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern) for 250 aerial victories. Despite being the second highest scoring pilot in aviation history, Barkhorn was not awarded the Diamonds to his Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords after achieving his 300th victory on 5 January 1945. Barkhorn flew 1,104 combat sorties and was credited with 301 victories on the Eastern Front against the Soviet Red Air Force piloting the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9. He flew with the famed Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—Fighter Wing 52), alongside fellow aces Hartmann and Günther Rall, and Jagdgeschwader 2 (JG 2). Less than two weeks later he left JG 52 on the Eastern Front and joined Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3), defending Germany from Western Allied air attack. Barkhorn survived the war and was taken prisoner by the Western Allies in May 1945 and released later that year. His total included 110 Yak fighters, 87 LaGG fighters, 21 Il-2s and 12 twin-engined medium bombers. He was shot down 9 times, bailed out once and was wounded 3 times. After the war Barkhorn joined the Luftwaffe of the Bundeswehr also called colloquially Bundesluftwaffe, serving until 1976. ...more

Kurt Dahlmann is a retired German pilot, attorney, journalist, newspaper editor and political activist. He was trained as a bomber and ground attack pilot flying both Junkers Ju 88 and FW 190 in that role. He participated in the Polish Campaign, the Battle of Britain, the campaign against France as well as the North African Campaign under Rommel at the controls of a Junkers Ju 88. He was never shot down although, according to him, he did have to leave his aircraft involuntarily on various occasions. Dahlmann later specialized in solo night bombing attacks against specific high value targets. Some of these missions included weapons factories in Britain, British airfields, late war harassing bombing raids over London and attacking the Remagen bridge which was the first Allied open crossing over the Rhine river into Germany among others. He was also personally assigned a specially stripped down, high speed, FW 190 for target marking, pathfinding, missions. He flew over 350 combat missions throughout Europe between September 1940 and 5 May 1945 (VE Day), and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (No. 711) for flying 200 missions and subsequently the Oak leaves for having successfully completed 300 combat missions becoming the highest decorated German Jabo (Schlachtflieger)] pilot of the war. He finished the war as a Major commanding a total of three squadrons, I./SKG 10, III./KG 51 and NSG 20, all were equipped with variations of fast noctunal attack aircraft based on the (FW 190). He is one of less than twenty Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and Oak Leaves holders still alive today. ...more

Franz Kieslich was a highly decorated Major in the Luftwaffe during World War II. During his career, Franz Kieslich was credited with flying 1078 missions, sinking 10 ships totaling 23,000 BRT, a destroyer and a submarine. Awards include the Aviator badge (22 February 1937), Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant "1000", Anschluss Medal (16 December 1938), Sudetenland Medal (1 October 1939), Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (5 May 1941), 1st Class (10 August 1941), Wound Badge (1939) in Black (18 May 1944), Eastern Front Medal (13 August 1942), Crimea Shield (15 March 1943), German Cross in Gold on 10 July 1942 as Oberleutnant in the 7./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight's Cross on 5 January 1943 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 7./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77, and the 619th Oak Leaves on 10 October 1944 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Schlachtgeschwader 77....more

Wilhelm Crinius was a German Luftwaffe fighter ace during World War II credited with 114 aerial victories claimed in approximately 400 combat missions. He recorded 100 victories over the Eastern Front. Of his 14 victories claimed over the Western Front, one was a four-engined bomber. On 23 September 1942, Crinius became the only German fighter pilot to be awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. In Africa, Crinius claimed 14 victories, including a B-17 Flying Fortress over Bizerte. On 13 January 1943, he engaged in aerial combat with 10 Royal Air Force (RAF) Supermarine Spitfire fighters near El Kala, Crinius' aircraft was hit and he was wounded in the thigh. Breaking off combat, he headed for his base but his engine then caught fire. He ditched his damaged Bf 109 G-2 in the sea. He spent 24 hours in the water before being rescued by French sailors and Arabs. After hospitalisation for his wounds, Crinius became a prisoner of war. Lot includes TWO autographed photos....more

Günther Schack was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1939 until the end of World War II in 1945. He claimed 174 enemy aircraft shot down, all of them on the Russian front. He survived being shot down 15 times during his 780 combat missions. After the war he lived secluded in the Eifel Mountains, and devoted himself to philosophical research. After being trained as a fighter pilot, Gefreiter (Private) Schack was posted to 7th Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51—7th Squadron of the 51st Fighter Wing) on 18 March 1941. Schack claimed his first aerial victory in combat on 23 July 1941 on the Eastern Front. Unlike many of the new pilots on the Eastern Front in 1941, he struggled to score against the poorly led and poorly trained Soviet pilots. He only achieved his third air victory after 100 combat missions, on 10 November 1941. He flew his 250th combat mission on 30 July 1942, when he claimed only his 5th aerial victory. In that time though, he had been promoted to the rank of Unteroffizier (Corporal). In November 1942, with his personal score now at 18, his unit returned to Jesau in East Prussia to reequip onto the new Focke Wulf Fw 190A fighter. Five men all wearing military uniforms and decorations standing in row. The man on the far right is shaking hands with another man whose back is facing the camera. Another man is standing behind the men shaking hands. He returned to the Eastern Front, still serving in the 7./JG 51, whereupon his career started to take off. On 17 December 1942, on his first mission back at the front, Schack shot down five Soviet Petlyakov Pe-2 bombers within minutes of each other. Six weeks later, on 29 January 1943 Schack almost repeated this when his Schwarm (flight of four aircraft), on a Junkers Ju 87 escort mission, encountered eight Soviet Petlyakov Pe-2 flying in a line astern crossing the German lines at Novosil. Within five minutes all eight were shot down including four by Schack.[8][9] He was promoted to Leutnant (Second Lieutenant) on 1 January 1943, and after his 48th aerial victory (on 1 April 1943), he was ordered back to Germany to serve as a flight instructor with Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost. He returned to the front in early July 1943, this time posted to 8./JG 51, and back on the Bf 109-G. Part of III./JG 51, it was based at Bryansk covering the northern pincer attack for the Battle of Kursk. He claimed 10 victories in July and but then a further 40 in August. Flying out of Konotop on 1 September, he flew four missions, and had to belly-land after each one. He reached his century-mark in aerial combat on 3 September 1943, and was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 26 October for 116 victories. On 9 December 1943, as an Oberleutnant, he was made Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) of 9./JG 51. 1944 saw the German forces pushed inexorably out of Russia and III./JG 51 covered the retreat of Army Group Centre, moving from Orsha to Terespol then back to Minsk and Kaunus, with Günther scoring consistently. Oberleutnant Schack was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub) on 20 April 1944 for 133 aerial victories. Schack was then promoted to Hauptmann (Captain) on 1 July 1944 and on 13 August became the 28th pilot to score 150 victories. On 16 December 1944, he became a Gruppenkommandeur (Group Commander), in charge of I./JG 51. By now, the Gruppe had been forced back to the Baltic coast in East Prussia. On 12 April he had to bale out following aerial combat, and suffered serious burns. Soon after, in late April, the Gruppe was disbanded, and on 1 May 1945, he was named the final commander of the IV./ JG3 "Udet". By the end of the war, he had scored 174 victories in 780 aerial combats, and was shot down 15 times (taking to his parachute four times)....more

Georg-Hermann Greiner was a German former Luftwaffe night fighter ace, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and a squadron commander in the prestigious Nachtjagdgeschwader 1, translated in English as the "1st Night Fighter Wing", the most successful Night Air Superiority unit of any nation during World War II. Greiner primarily engaged British RAF crews in their bombing campaigns over greater Germany and was credited with 51 aerial victories over allied aircraft, having destroyed four American bombers during daylight hours and 47 British bombers at night. Following the conclusion of the War, Greiner and close friend Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer were arrested illegally crossing the German-Swiss border attempting an escape to Argentina. Both Greiner and Schnaufer were detained in an Allied prisoner of war camp and released in 1947. Greiner went on to study law and returned to service in the West German Luftwaffe in 1957, retiring with the rank of Oberstleutnant in 1972. Two signed photographes for one price. ...more

A Group Photo of Knight's Cross Receipents Obslt. Buhligen, Obslt. Jabs, Obslt. Jope & Obslt. Batcher - signed by all four of the participates - rare example!...more

Herbert Wittmann was a highly decorated Oberst in the Luftwaffe during World War, flying HE-111 Bombers thru the war. His awards include: the Spanish Cross in Bronze with Swords (6 June 1939), Flugzeugführerabzeichen Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold, Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (19 May 1940), 1st Class (5 June 1940), German Cross in Gold (15 November 1943), Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight's Cross on 23 November 1941 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän of the Stabsstaffel/Kampfgeschwader 53 "Legion Condor". the 735th Oak Leaves on 11 February 1945 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the II./Kampfgeschwader 53 "Legion Condor" and the Ärmelband Condor Legion. ...more

Hans-Joachim Jabs was both a day and night fighter ace[Notes 1] in the German Luftwaffe during World War II. 50 victories[Notes 2] were scored. Jabs flew variants of the Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstörer heavy day fighter and night fighter. Born in Lübeck in 1917, Jabs joined the Luftwaffe in 1937. Originally trained as a Messerschmitt Bf 109 pilot, Jabs was posted to Zerstörergeschwader 76 (ZG 76), flying the Messerschmitt Bf 110, in March 1940. A member of II./ZG 76, Jabs operated over France in mid 1940, claiming four French aircraft and RAF fighters. He then flew over the British Isles during the Battle of Britain. Despite the vulnerability of the Bf 110 against the more nimble Royal Air Force (RAF) aircraft, and the heavy losses incurred, Jabs claimed eight Spitfires and four Hurricanes destroyed. By the end of the year Jabs was one of the top scoring Zestörer (destroyer) pilots, with 16 victories. In 1941 the majority of the Bf 110 units were withdrawn from daylight fighting, and Jabs was transferred to night fighting and Defense of the Reich. Retrained by October 1941, Jabs joined Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 stationed near Hamburg, protecting the port and Kriegsmarine installations. Opportunities for scoring remained elusive however, with just one more kill by June 1942. In November 1942 he transferred to IV./NJG 1. By January 1944 he had 45 kills to his credit, and in March 1944 became NJG 1 Geschwaderkommodore. On 29 April 1944 his Bf 110-G night fighter was caught on a daylight air test by a flight of six Spitfires from No. 132 Squadron RAF, led by Squadron Leader Geoffrey Page (an ace with 15 kills). The Spitfires came in at too high a speed and Jabs shot down one Spitfire, flown by P/O R. B. Pullin, which went down in flames, killing the pilot. Another Spitfire flown by F/O J.J. Caulton then attacked Jabs head on, though the heavy forward armament of the 110 took effect and the stricken Spitfire glided around and belly-landed onto Deelen Air Base. Jabs then conducted a surprise forced landing, quickly scrambling for cover before his aircraft was destroyed by strafing. He meet Caulton on the field and became friends. Hans-Joachim Jabs was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves (Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) on 24 March 1944. He remained Kommodore of Nachjagdgeschwader 1 until the end of the war. He ended his career as an Oberstleutnant with 50 kills to his credit, 22 of these being day victories against Allied fighters technically far superior to his Bf 110. Jabs flew a total of 710 missions. Jabs became a businessman in Westphalia after the war. He was a vice-president of the Gemeinschaft der Jagdflieger. ...more

Hartmann Grasser was a World War II German fighter ace. He was credited with shooting down 103 Allied aircraft while flying 700 missions on the Western Front (8 victories), Eastern Front (83 victories), and in North Africa (12 victories.) At the beginning of the war, Grasser was serving with Jagdgruppe (JG) 152 and was assigned to the 3./JG 152. After a short service in Poland, the group was relocated to the west in mid-September 1939.[5] He participated in the Battle of France and shot down a French observation balloon on 16 September 1939. Grasser shot down a French Curtiss H75 fighter near Hornbach on 24 September, which marked his first victory over an aircraft. In January 1940, JG 152 was redesignated I./ZG 52 and equipped with Messerschmitt Bf 110 and in June 1940, I./ZG 52 was renamed II./ZG 2. Grasser was assigned to the 6./ZG 2 during the Battle of Britain and shot down two aircraft, raising his total kills to six. In October 1940, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 51 as adjutant to Werner Mölders. On 1 December 1940, Grasser shot down a Royal Air Force (RAF) Hawker Hurricane near Kent. Oberleutnant Grasser participated in Operation Barbarossa and shot down a Soviet Tupolev SB on the first day of the invasion of the Soviet Union. He shot down two enemy aircraft on 29 June 1941 which were respectively his ninth and tenth victories. Grasser passed the 20 kill mark on 29 July, a day on which he shot down a Soviet Ilyushin DB-3. On 1 August, he was appointed Staffelkapitän of 5./JG 51, and achieved his 30th victory on 7 September after downing a Soviet I-61 near Karlewez. Grasser was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 51 on 4 September and received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 29 victories. He achieved his 40th victory on 14 December after shooting down a Soviet Petlyakov Pe-2. On 24 January 1942, after achieving his 45th victory, Grasser was shot down in his Messerschmitt Bf 109, sustaining a severe eye injury. However, he was able to bail out, landing behind Soviet lines, but eventually reached German forces. Grasser spent several months in hospital but returned to flying duty after recovering from his eye injury. He achieved his 50th victory on 23 June 1942 after shooting down a Soviet Polikarpov I-153. On 5 July, Grasser destroyed six Soviet aircraft, including three Ilyushin Il-2 ground-attack aircraft. He achieved his 70th and 80th victories on 13 August and 29 August respectively. When he was transferred from the Eastern Front, he had racked up a total of 91 kills. In November 1942, Grasser was assigned to command II./JG 51 in North Africa. In Tunisia, he added 12 more kills, increasing his total to 103. Grasser was awarded the Eichenlaub on 31 August. On 28 April 1944, he was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 1 based in Germany replacing Hauptmann Friedrich Eberle who had been wounded in combat with the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). He stayed with this unit for a short time and then passed the command of III./JG 1 to Hauptmann Erich Woitke. In December 1944, Grasser was assigned to JG 110 and given command of the II. Gruppe. At the end of World War II, Grasser was handed over to the Soviet Union and was imprisoned until 1949. Grasser's views on military service radically changed after his return from Soviet prison, and he swore to never again wear a military uniform. He traveled to India in 1949 to train civil pilots in Allahabad and New Delhi. In 1950 he became an adviser to the Syrian Air Force. After his return from Syria, he began the manufacturing of industrial pressed parts made of steel. ...more

Erich Weissflog was a highly decorated Oberleutnant in the Luftwaffe during World War II, and was the gunner/radio/radar operator for Hauptmann Hans-Joachim Jabs (see previous lot). Awards include the Flugzeugführerabzeichen Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe, Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class, 1st Class, German Cross in Gold (31 August 1943), Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 24 June 1944 as Leutnant and communication officer and radio/wireless operator in Nachtjagdgeschwader 1. ...more

Gerhard "Stutz" Stüdemann was a highly decorated Hauptmann in the Luftwaffe during World War II, credited with destroying 117 tanks in 996 missions flying Stukas. “Stultz” Studemann joined Erganzungs-Stukastaffel. VIII Fliegercorps in October 1940. In February 1941 he was posted to 2./St.G.77 on the Channel Front, before taking part in the Balkan Campaign. Transferring to the Russian Front he took part in most of the major operations in that theatre, including the Battle of Kursk, the Battle of Sevastopol, and the Crimea. He served as Grupprnadjutant I./St.G.77 until April 1943. Staffelkapitian 7/St.G.151 until July 1943, Staffelkapitan 9/SG 77 until the end of 1944, and finally Gruppenkommandeur III./SG 77. “Stutz” flew 996 combat missions, and was awarded the Knight’s Cross-with Oak Leaves. Awards include: Flugzeugführerabzeichen Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold with Pennant "900", Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (13 July 1941), 1st Class (20 August 1941), Eastern Front Medal, Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (2 April 1942), German Cross in Gold on 21 August 1942 as Leutnant in the I./Schlachtgeschwader 77, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight's Cross on 26 March 1944 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 9./Sturzkampfgeschwader 77, and the 813th Oak Leaves on 28 March 1945 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Schlachtgeschwader 77. ...more

Walter "Gulle" Oesau was a German World War II fighter ace who served in the Luftwaffe from 1934 until his death in 1944. He rose to command Jagdgeschwader 1, which was named in his honor after his death. He served with the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War, with 3 Staffel of Jagdgruppe 88 (3./J 88), claiming 8 aircraft during the campaign, becoming one of only 28 people to earn the award of the Spanish Cross in Gold and Diamonds. At the start of World War II, Oesau was given command of 2 Staffel, Jagdgeschwader 20. The group was moved to the Eastern Front at the start of the Invasion of Poland, moving back to the Western Front later as the redesignated III Gruppe, Jagdgeschwader 51 (III./JG 51). After his first victory of World War II in the Battle of France, Oesau operated on both the Western and Eastern Fronts, where he was wounded and received the Silver Wound Badge. He returned to operations as Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 1 (JG 1). He was killed in action on 11 May 1944 aged 30. JG 1 was given the suffix "Oesau" in his honor. Oesau started his operational career with the Condor Legion, along with future contemporary aces such as Werner Mölders and Adolf Galland. He was one of the first to join 3. Jagdgruppe 88 in Spain in April 1938. The Staffel, commanded by Mölders, took part in the Spanish Civil War where Oesau claimed eight victories, flying 130 combat missions. For this he received the Spanish Cross (Spanienkreuz) in Gold with Diamonds.He was also wounded in this conflict which earned him the Spanish Wound Badge. He also received the Medalla de la Campana and the Medalla Militar. Oesau got his first World War II victory during the Battle of France on 13 May 1940, when he claimed a French Curtiss P-36 Hawk over Halsteren in the Netherlands, earning him the Iron Cross 1st class (Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse). On 31 May, he claimed three Spitfires during a patrol North West of Dunkirk and next day he claimed a Bristol Blenheim. On 13 June 1940, he shot down the last French aircraft kill claimed by JG 51, a French Amiot bomber. By the end of hostilities in France on 25 June, his World War II tally stood at 5 (13 including Spanish kills). Following the Battle of France, the Luftwaffe started its attacks on Channel convoys as a prelude to the Battle of Britain. On 7 July 1940 Oesau claimed one Spitfire. Oesau's III./JG 3 was then involved in Operation Barbarossa the invasion of Russia, launched on 22 June 1941. Oesau shot down his first Soviet aircraft on 24 June 1941, and by 30 June 1941 had reached his 60th victory, downing a Tupolev SB bomber. Next day he downed three more SB bombers near Lvov (modern Lviv, Ukraine). This earned him his 3rd entry in the Wehrmachtbericht. On 10 July 1941, Oesau claimed 5 more aircraft and two more kills by 11 July 1941. On 12 July 1941, he shot down 7 Soviet aircraft in one sortie. In the five weeks since moving to the Eastern Front, Oesau was credited with 44 Soviet aircraft downed. He became the third pilot to reach 80 victories, the 80th kill an Ilyushin DB-3 bomber. He was awarded the Swords to his Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves (Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern) on same day. He was the third person to earn the swords. He was again then wounded, receiving heavy splinter injuries in face and knee. A fortnight later he was transferred to the Western Front to take over JG 2. JG 2 was tasked with defending targets in occupied France against the RAF fighter offensive. For the next two years Oesau led JG 2 through the war of attrition waged by the RAF. On 10 August 1941 Oesau claimed a Spitfire for his first kill with JG 2. Over the next two days, he claimed four more Spitfires. He participated in the Luftwaffe air cover of the Channel Dash. Two B-17 C Flying fortresses of No. 90 Squadron attacked the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. In one of the highest altitude interceptions of World War II, the bombers were attacked by I./JG 2, resulting in the destruction of one. Oesau claimed his 100th kill on 26 October 1941, the third pilot to do so. This earned him 4th entry in the Wehrmachtbericht. He was then grounded from flying on operations, as his experience and leadership qualities were regarded as too valuable to risk further in front line combat. He did fly on occasional sorties, the most famous involving the shooting down of a Lancaster bomber of No. 44 Squadron RAF piloted by Warrant Officer G. T. Rhodes in April 1942, during a rare RAF daylight raid on targets in Augsberg. The ban on Oesau's combat flying was lifted while commanding JG 1, Oesau became an expert (Experten) at shooting down 4 engine bombers, with 14 bomber kills claimed. He was awarded the Combined Pilots-Observation Badge in gold and diamonds on 17 October 1943. He was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 10 January 1944. On 8 May 1944 he claimed a Thunderbolt shot down over Hanover his last kill....more

Fritz Müller was an Oberst in the Wehrmacht during World War II who received his Knights Cross for defending against over-whelming Soviet forces in the Kuban. Fritz Müller was captured by American troops in 1945. Awards: Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (28 October 1939), 1st Class (28 October 1939), Wound Badge (1939) in Silver, Eastern Front Medal, Infantry Assault Badge, German Cross in Gold on 19 May 1942 as Hauptmann in the II./Jäger-Regiment 38, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight's Cross on 25 August 1942 as Hauptmann and commander of II./Jäger-Regiment 38, the 477th Oak Leaves on 14 May 1944 as Oberst and commander Grenadier-Regiment 208 and mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht on 29 April 1944 - "In the heavy fighting in recent days, the German Grenadier Regiment 208 under the leadership of Knight's Cross bearer Colonel Fritz Müller, and the Romanian Cavalry Regiment 11 under command of Colonel Cheruvin have particularly distinguished themselves". ...more

Franz-Josef Beerenbrock was one of the most successful German fighter aces of World War IIclaimed 117 aerial victories in approximately 400 combat missions, all on the Eastern Front. In November 1942 he became a Prisoner of War for the rest of the war in Russia. Beerenbock joined a flak artillery unit on 1 October 1938 and in 1939 was trained as a pilot. In March 1941, Beerenbrock was transferred to 12./Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51). Unteroffizier Beerenbrock was soon promoted to Oberfeldwebel. He achieved his first aerial victory on 24 June 1941. On 1 August 1942 he claimed nine more victories and reached his 100th aerial victory often flying as wingman of Karl-Gottfried Nordmann. At that point he was the most successful fighter pilot of JG 51. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. In air combat on 9 November 1942 with numeralically superior Russian fighters over Welish, he downed three Russian fighters but his Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 fighter received a hit in the radiator and he went down over Russian-held territory and was taken prisoner of war. A few days later, the Russian fighter units in this area suddenly started using the very same tactics as Beerenbrock had used with such success. Some of Beerenbrock's old friends in JG 51 were certain. Beerenbrock, who had a Russian mother, has gone over to the Russian side, although there are no facts and is merely speculation. It has been said that Beerenbrock in Russian captivity was one of the founders – together with General Walther von Seydlitz-Kurzbach and others – of the well-known pro-Soviet German prisoners' organisation, the League of German Officers (German: Bund deutscher Offiziere), but this also is only speculation. Several years after the war in mid-December 1949 Beerenbrock returned to West Germany. In 1955 he joined the Luftwaffe as an officer of the Bundeswehr. Franz-Josef Beerenbrock was credited with 117 victories in approximately 400 missions, all on the Eastern Front of which at least 12 were Il-2 Sturmoviks. ...more

Heinrich Boigk was a Leutnant der Reserves in the Wehrmacht during World War II, and received the Knights cCross for leading anti-tank operations against the Soviets during the fight at the bridgehead Wolchow in 1944. Awards: Iron Cross 2nd Class (27 June 1940), 1st Class (29 September 1941), Wound Badge (1939) in Black, in Silver, Eastern Front Medal, Crimea Shield, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight's Cross on 5 May 1943 as Oberjäger der Reserve and group leader in the 2./Jäger-Regiment 49/28.Jäger-Division, the 370th Oak Leaves on 18 January 1944 as Feldwebel der Reserve and platoon leader in the 2./Jäger-Regiment 49/28.Jäger-Division. ...more

Willi Thulke was a highly decorated Oberstleutnant in the Wehrmacht during World War II and an Oberstleut in the Bundeswehr. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. His commanding officers had nominated Thulke for the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords in December 1943 for his exceptional combat successes. This request was denied in February 1945 due to a paperwork error. Awards: Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (22 July 1941), 1st Class (17 December 1941), Wound Badge in Black, Eastern Front Medal, Infantry Assault Badge, Close Combat Clasp in Bronze, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight's Cross on 7 January 1943 as Oberleutnant der reserve and Chef 6. / Grenadier-Regiment 501, and the 424th Oak Leaves on 13 March 1944 as Hauptmann der Reserve and I. / Grenadier-Regiment 501. ...more

Benno Reuter was a highly decorated Leutnant der Reserve in the Wehrmacht during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Awards: Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (9 November 1939), 1st Class (5 July 1940), Wound Badge (1939) in Black, Eastern Front Medal, Infantry Assault Badge, Crimea Shield Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight's Cross on 8 February 1944 as Stabsfeldwebel and commander of 7. / Jäger-Regiment 49, and the 633rd Oak Leaves on 28 October 1944 as Stabsfeldwebel and commander of 6. / Jäger-Regiment 49. ...more

Erich Lorenz was a highly decorated Oberst der Reserve in the Wehrmacht who commanded the 85. Infanterie-Division during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. He was also awarded the very rare Close Combat Clasp in Gold, one of only 631 such decorations. Awards: Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (25 August 1941), 1st Class (26 September 1941), Wound Badge (1939) in Black, in Silver, in Gold, Close Combat Clasp in Bronze, in Silver (1 May 1944) in Gold (12 March 1945), Infantry Assault Badge, Eastern Front Medal, 2 Tank Destruction Badges for Individual Combatants, Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Knight's Cross on 14 November 1943 as Major der Reserve and commander of Grenadier-Regiment 287, and the 467th Oak Leaves on 4 May 1944 as Oberstleutnant der Reserve and commander of Grenadier-Regiment 287 ...more

Ferdinand Wegerer was an Oberfeldwebel in the Wehrmacht during World War II, and one of only 882 recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. He fought in the Invasion of Poland, Battle of the Netherlands, Battle of France, Battle of Greece, Operation Barbarossa, Battle of Uman, Battle of Kiev (1941), Battle of Voronezh (1942), Battle of Kursk, Invasion of Normandy, Falaise pocket, Battle of Aachen, Battle of the Bulge and the Ruhr Pocket. ...more

Otto Eduard Weddigen was a German U-boat commander during World War I. In 1910 he was given command of one of the first German submarines, U-9. On 22 September 1914, while patrolling in the region of the southern North Sea known to the British as the "Broad Fourteens", U-9 intercepted the three warships of the Seventh Cruiser Squadron. Weddigen fired off all six of his torpedoes, reloaded while submerged, and in less than an hour sank the three British armoured cruisers HMS Aboukir, HMS Hogue and HMS Cressy. Sixty two officers and 1,397 men were killed, only 837 survived. Weddigen was awarded the Iron Cross, second and first class. After sinking HMS Hawke and some merchant ships, Weddigen received Prussia's highest military order, the Pour le Mérite. He also received the highest military honors of the other kingdoms of the German Empire: The Knight's Cross of the Military Order of Max Joseph of the Bavaria (making him one of only six non-Bavarians to receive this), the Knight's Cross of Saxony's Military Order of St. Henry and the Knight's Cross of Württemberg's Military Merit Order. Weddigen died while commanding the submarine U-29. On 18 March 1915 U-29 was rammed by the British battleship HMS Dreadnought in the Pentland Firth. U-29 had broken the surface immediately ahead of Dreadnought after firing a torpedo at HMS Neptune and Dreadnought cut the submarine in two after a short chase. There were no survivors from the submarine. ...more

Heinrich Dammeier (9 February 1914 in Beckedorf – 16 May 2001 in Beckedorf) was a German U-boat machinist in World War II. Heinrich Dammeier started his naval career in July 1933 at the age of 19. He got a technical training and then rode on the cruiser Deutschland (renamed Lützow in 1940). On the Deutschland he took part on a patrol in Spanish waters during the Civil War. He received the Spanish Cross with Swords. In September 1940 he changed to the U-boat force and became the Obermaschinist on U-129. On 10 patrols he saved the boat on several occasions after it had been badly damaged during enemy attacks and thus became the first Obermaschinist to receive the Knights Cross. When U-129 was taken out of service in Lorient in July 1944, Heinrich Dammeier joined the crew of U-270. The boat tried to reach La Pallice in August 1944. Unfortunately U-270 was sunk by an Australian aircraft only three days after leaving Lorient. Heinrich Dammeier and the majority of the crew found themselves prisoners of war. He then spent more than three years in allied captivity. ...more

Friedrich Oskar Ruge was an officer in the German Navy and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross as well as being the Naval advisor to Erwin Rommel. Joining the Imperial German Navy as a cadet in March 1914, he was soon a participant in the 1914, 1915, and 1916 Baltic Sea operations. In 1917 and 1918, he sailed with the destroyer raids in the North Sea and English Channel. After the armistice, Ruge was an officer aboard the German destroyer B-112, interned at Scapa Flow and in June 1919, he played a role in the scuttling of the German Fleet. Returning to Germany to continue his naval career in the service of the new Weimar Republic, for the next two decades he concentrated on mines and mine warfare. From 1921 to 1923, he commanded a minesweeper. After studies at Berlin Institute of Technology, he was the senior officer of a flotilla of minesweepers, and, in 1937, achieved the top post in that division. In World War II, he was a part of the Polish Campaign in 1939 and the North Sea-English Channel operations during 1940. From 1940 to 1943, he was stationed in France, rising through the upper ranks to become Vice Admiral in 1943. Sent to Italy in 1943, he served as Senior German Naval Officer until mid-summer. He was appointed as Naval Advisor to Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in November 1943. In August 1944, he became the Kriegsmarine's Director of Ship Construction, a position in which he served till the end of World War II. At the end World War II, he became a POW. In 1946, he started a new life as a translator, writer and educator in Cuxhaven. He was one of four Flag Officers who made up the Naval Historical Team at Bremerhaven, sponsored by the United States Navy. During the early 1950s, he advised as to how the navy could be restructured in the new Bundesmarine, as detailed in Searle's Wehrmacht Generals. Called out of retirement when Germany became a part of NATO, Ruge was appointed Inspector of the Navy (a position similar to the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations), a post he occupied until 1961. Two signed notes. ...more

Karl-Heinz Marbach began his naval career in April 1937. He served for some months in 1939 on the light cruisers Leipzig and Nürnberg. Before he transferred to the U-boat force in autumn 1940, he spent a year in a staff position. After his U-boat training he was assigned to U-101, commanded by Kptlt. Ernst Mengersen. From March to November 1941 Marbach made three patrols on U-101, during which Mengersen sank three ships. He left U-101 in February 1942. After a short commander training course, Marbach was promoted to commanding the school boats U-28 and U-29 for over six months. In December 1942 he commissioned the Type VIIC U-boat U-953. After seven patrols he received the Knights Cross for acts of bravery. He was in Berlin to receive his decoration from the BdU, when US troops encircled the U-boat base at Brest in France. Oblt. Herbert A. Werner then took over U-953 and Marbach went to the AG Weser shipyard in Bremen to commission a new Type XXI U-boat. In December 1944 he took command of U-3014, but he never saw combat with this boat. After the surrender he became a POW and remained imprisoned until February 1948, being among the last U-boat men to be set free. ...more