They Fought for Europe

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Hubert Strassl
24 May 1918 – 8 July 1943
8.Staffel / Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"
SHOT DOWN 67 ENEMY AIRCRAFT
Killed in action at Kursk. He bailed out but his parachute failed to deploy. His first victory was in 1942, achieving a total of 67 victories in only 221 missions.





Joachim Brendel
27 April 1921 – 7 July 1974
Kommandeur, III. Gruppe, Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"
SHOT DOWN 191 ENEMY AIRCRAFT including over 90 heavily armored Ilyushin Sturmoviks. Matthews and Foreman, authors of "Luftwaffe Aces – Biographies and Victory Claims" researched the German Federal Archives and found records for 191 confirmed aerial victories.





Fritz Losigkeit
17 November 1913 – 14 January 1994
Geschwaderkommodore / Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"
SHOT DOWN 68 ENEMY AIRCRAFT
Awarded the Spanish Cross in Silver with Swords for his service in the Spanish Civil War 1936-1939.





Günther Rübell
4 May 1921 – 1 November 1985
6.Staffel / Jagdgeschwader 51 "Mölders"
SHOT DOWN 50 ENEMY AIRCRAFT
An excellent fighter-bomber pilot with over 800 combat missions.

[Farwell Kirk]

Those are pretty damn cool ! What website did you get them from?

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Originally Posted by Farwell Kirk

Those are pretty damn cool ! What website did you get them from?

On VK:

https://vk.com/eric52

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SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 48 'General Seyffard'
SS-Panzergrenadier-Regiment 49 'de Ruyter'
SS-Artillerie-Regiment 23
SS-Nachrichten-Abteilung 23
SS-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 23
SS-Pionier-Bataillon 23
SS-Flak-Abteilung 23
SS-Feldersatz-Bataillon 23
SS-Nachschubtruppen 23

This division was composed of Dutch volunteers arounf a cadre of German officers that produced 23 Knight's Cross awards and 30 German Cross in Gold awards. Nederland was given the number 23 when the Kama division was disbanded.

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Detlev Rohwer Hauptmann

Detlev Rohwer was born on 14 November 1917 at Kiel. At the outbreak of World War 2, Rohwer was serving with JG 3. Leutnant Rohwer was assigned to the Stabsstaffel of I./JG 3. He participated in the French campaign and claimed his first victory on 6 June 1940, when he shot down a RAF Blenheim twin-engine bomber.

During the Battle of Britain, Rohwer added three RAF fighters to his victory total. However on 2 September 1940, during a covering mission over Manston, his Bf 109 E was hit in the radiator in aerial combat with RAF Hurricane fighters. He was forced to ditch in the sea just off the coast of France. Fortunately he was observed doing so by several of his colleagues and a motorboat was able to rescue him. Rohwer was fortunate to escape injury on 16 November, when he ground-looped on take-off from St Omer in Bf 109 E-7 (W.Nr. 3760).

Rohwer participated in the invasion of Russia. He claimed three Russian twin-engine bombers shot down on 26 June 1941, to record his sixth through eighth victories. Rohwer recorded his 10th victory on 29 June, when he shot down two Russian Pe-2 twin-engine bombers near Ostrow. He recorded 10 victories in July, including three victories on 13 July (14-16) and 16 July (17-19) and his 20th victory on 31 July. However, he was also shot down twice in July: on 9 July his Bf 109 F-2 (W.Nr. 5449) was damaged in aerial combat necessitating a forced-landing near Dolbov with Rohwer receiving minor injuries; on 16 July, his Bf 109 F-2 (W.Nr. 8187) “Black < +” suffered radiator damage in aerial combat with Russian SB-2 twin-engine bombers which also resulted in a forced-landing, this time near Kazatin.

Rohwer was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 5 October for 28 victories. He had also claimed six aircraft destroyed on the ground. At the beginning of October 1941, I./JG 3 was withdrawn to Germany for rest and refit after which it was relocated to the German and Dutch coastal region. On 15 January 1942, I./JG 3 was redesignated II./JG 1. Rohwer commanded the Stabskompanie and, from 20 March, 6./JG 1.

On 20 June 1942, Oberleutnant Rohwer was appointed acting Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 1. He relinquished command to Hauptmann Robert Kijewski (24 victories, DK, killed in action 16 April 1943) on 14 October 1942. Rohwer was appointed Staffelkapitän of 2./JG 3, based on the Eastern front, on 14 October 1942. He was badly wounded by flak during a low-level attack near Chir on 29 November. He managed to bring his Bf 109 G-2/R1 (W.Nr. 13 910) to friendly territory where he landed safely. His recovery period was a lengthy one for he did not return to his unit until August 1943, by which time it had relocated to the Western front on Reichsverteidigung duties.

On 5 December 1943, Rohwer was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 3. Rohwer engaged USAAF B-17 four-engine bombers on 29 March 1944. His Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 440 295) “Black << +” was hit by return fire from the bombers necessitating a belly-landing at Mettingen. No sooner had he put his aircraft on the ground than a USAAF P-38 twin-engine fighter strafed him and he suffered severe wounds. He was hospitalised at Ibbenbüren where he had a leg amputated. Unfortunately, he succumbed to his wounds on 30 March.

Detlev Rohwer was credited with 38 victories. He recorded 26 victories over the Eastern front.

Victories : 38
Awards : Ritterkreuz (5 October 1941)
Units : JG 3, JG 1

Originally found at Aces of the Luftwaffe - Detlev Rohwer

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Walter “Gulle” Oesau Oberst

Walter “Gulle” Oesau was born on 28 June 1913 at Farnewinkel in the Dithmarschen region of Holst. He enlisted in the army in 1933 and served in an artillery regiment. By 1934 he had become a Fahnenjunker and was undertaking flying training with the Deutschen Verkehrsfliegerschule. On completing his flying training he was posted to Jagdgeschwader “Richtofen”.

Leutnant Oesau was one of the first fighter pilots to join J/88 in Spain in April 1938. Here he served with 3. J/88 and gained nine victories. He became one of only 27 recipients of the Spanienkreuz in Gold mit Brillanten . He was also wounded in this campaign and was awarded the Spanish Wound Badge. On 1 March 1939, Oesau joined the Stabsschwarm of I./JG 2. On 15 July, Oberleutnant Oesau was appointed Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 20 which was later redesignated 7./JG 51. Oesau gained his first victory of World War 2 on 13 May 1940. He ended the French campaign with five victories to his credit. On 18 August 1940 he became the fifth Luftwaffe pilot to reach 20 World War 2 victories, bringing him the award of the Ritterkreuz.

On 25 August 1940, Hauptmann Oesau was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 51. On 11 November 1940, Oesau was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 3. He led the Gruppe to the Eastern front where the invasion of Russia was launched. He recorded his 40th victory on 5 February 1941.

On 6 February, he was awarded the Eichenlaub (Nr 9). He recorded his 50th victory on 30 June. He claimed five enemy aircraft shot down on 10 July 1941 for his 64th to 68th victories. He recorded his 70th victory on 11 July and his 80th on 17 July.

On 15 July his victory tally had reached 80 and he became only the third man to be awarded the Schwertern. At the end of July 1941 he was recalled to the Western Front to take command of JG 2. He recorded his 100th victory on 26 October, only the third Luftwaffe pilot to reach this landmark. He was forbidden to fly further combat missions, his combat experience and leadership qualities being considered too valuable to risk. A series of staff appointments followed, including being appointed Jagdfliegerführer 4 Brittany.

Stabschwarm and Kommodore JG 2: Oblt. Erich Leie (118 v.), Maj. Walter Oesau, Oblt. Rudi Pflanz (52 v.) and Ofw. Günther Seeger (56 v.)

On 12 November 1943, Oberst Oesau returned to combat when he was appointed Kommodore of JG 1 following the death of Oberst Hans Philipp (206 victories, RK-S). He soon added at least 14 victories against the USAAF formations of B-17 and B-24 four-engined bombers.

On 11 May 1944, Oesau, leading three aircraft of the Stabsschwarm, took off from Paderborn to intercept Allied bombers raiding north-eastern Belgium and Luxembourg. During his attack on the bombers he was bounced by escorting P-38s. In the ensuing combat he was shot down and killed in his Bf 109 G-6/AS (W.Nr. 20 601) “Green 13” near St Vith.

“Gulle” Oesau scored 127 victories in over 300 combat missions. 9 victories were scored during the Spanish Civil War, 74 were scored on the Western front including 14 four-engined bombers (one B-17 as engültige Vernichtung) and 44 over the Eastern front.

Victories : 127
Awards : Knight`s Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords
Units : J/88, JG 51, JG 3, JG 2, JG 1

Originally found at Aces of the Luftwaffe - Walter Oesau

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Rudolf Sinner Major

Rudolf “Rudi” Sinner was born in 1915 in Austria. In 1936, he was serving in the Austrian Army in the horsedrawn artillery. During the invasion of Poland, he served with an anti-aircraft artillery unit before transferring to the Luftwaffe in 1940. Sinner began his aerial combat career with JG 3, based on the Western front, but was then transferred to JG 27 serving in North Africa.

He was assigned to 2./JG 27. It was with JG 27 that Sinner gained his greatest successes. He claimed his first victory on 12 October 1941, when he shot down a RAF P-40 fighter near Sidi Omar. On 4 June 1942, Sinner was appointed Staffelkapitän of 6./JG 27.

On 10 June, Oberleutnant Sinner was shot down near Bir Hacheim by the British Ace, Charles Overton (5.5 confirmed, 1 probable and 0.5 damaged victories), flying a Spitfire Vb fighter of 145 Squadron, RAF. Then, on 24 June, Sinner’s aircraft was hit in the engine during combat with RAF Hurricane fighters and he was forced to make a forced-landing.

On 10 July, he shot down a Hurricane fighter with only one of his 7.92mm MG 17 machine-guns functioning. Sinner recorded his 10th victory on 13 July and his 20th on 24 July.

On 31 August, Sinner shot down a Hurricane near Alam el Haifa. His victim was South African Ace, John “Harry” Gaynor (5.5 destroyed and 6 damaged victories) of 1 Sqn, SAAF, who crash-landed unhurt. He claimed his 30th victory on 3 September.

In June 1943, Hauptmann Sinner was appointed Gruppenkommandeur IV./JG 27 then based at Kalamaki, Greece. However, his stay with the unit was destined to brief. On 30 July 1943, Sinner was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of IV./JG 54, based on the Russian front, taking over from Hauptmann Erich Rudorffer (224 victories, RK-S). Sinner led the Gruppe until 10 February 1944.

He added three further victories to his victory total during his time with the unit. In March 1944, Hauptmann Sinner became Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 54 located on the Western front.

On 6 March 1944, Sinner shot down a USAAF B-17 four-engine bomber for his 36th victory. However, his aircraft was hit by the bombers’ defensive fire and Sinner was badly wounded. He successfully baled out of his stricken Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 410 557) “2”.

By 12 June 1944, Sinner was again serving with JG 27, based on the Invasion front in France, in command of I. Gruppe. He was to lead the Gruppe until 1 August 1944.

On 1 January 1945, Major Sinner was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 7 flying Me 262 jet fighters. At this time his victory total stood at 36, including 32 victories achieved over North Africa. Sinner was to add three confirmed victories to his tally flying the jet, including two USAAF B-24 four-engine bombers near Rathenow on 3 March.

On 4 April, Sinner led seven other Me 262s off from Rechlin. Emerging from the clouds shortly after take-off, the flight was bounced by P-51 fighters of the 339th Fighter Group, USAAF. In the ensuing combat “Rudi” Sinner’s aircraft was hit. With his face and hands badly burned, he baled out at low level. His parachute deployed at the last moment, but did not completely fill, and he was hanging by just the left strap when he hit the ground heavily in a ploughed field and dragged into a barbed wire fence. He reported that the P-51s then attempted to strafe him, but he feigned death and, as the P-51 fighters departed, he made his way to the safety of a deep furrow. Sinner’s wounds were serious enough to keep him out of the rest of war.

Rudolf Sinner was credited with 39 victories in 305 missions. 36 of his victories were achieved over the Western front, including three four-engine bombers and three flying the Me 262 jet fighter. Three victories were achieved over the Eastern front. He was shot down 12 times, baling out on three occasions, and was wounded five times.

Victories : 39
Awards : Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (27 October 1942)
Units : JG 3, JG 27, JG 54, JG 7

Originally found at Aces of the Luftwaffe - Rudolf Sinner

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Wolf Ettel Oberleutnant

Wolf Ettel was born on 26 February 1921 at Hamburg. In spring 1942, Ettel was posted to JG 3 based on the Eastern front. Leutnant Ettel was assigned to 4./JG 3. On 24 June, he gained his first two victories when he shot down two Russian Il-2 Sturmovik ground-attack aircraft.

He was shot down near Voronezh on 10 July, after shooting down a Russian Boston twin-engine bomber. He baled out of his stricken Bf 109 F-4 (WNr 8363) “White 1” behind Russian lines, 15km north of Woronesh, but managed, barefoot and having had to swim across the River Don, to return to his unit four days later. Ettel claimed three victories on 24 July to record his eighth through 10th victories, and followed up with three more on 26 July (11-13). He recorded his 20th victory on 9 August and his 30th victory on 7 October.

On 31 October, Ettel shot down three enemy aircraft (32-33). When 4./JG 3 was relocated to the Kuban bridgehead in February 1943, Ettel had 36 victories to his credit. In March 1943, Ettel claimed 28 Russian aircraft shot down, including his 40th victory on 12 March, four Russian fighters shot down on 19 March (46-49), his 50th on 20 March, four enemy aircraft shot down on 25 March (54-57), three Russian fighters shot down on 27 March (59-61) and three Russian fighters shot down on 28 March (62-64).

He claimed 36 victories in April, including five shot down on 11 April (66-70) and four on 22 April and 23 April. From 6 May to 11 May, Ettel claimed 20 enemy aircraft shot down, including six Russian fighters shot down on 10 May.

He recorded his 120th victory on 11 May but was shot down by flak. He belly-landed his Bf 109 G–4 (W.Nr. 19 453) “White 10” in no-man’s land and managed to return to German lines despite Russian troops bombarding him with rifle fire and grenades. Later that night, Ettel led a combat patrol back to his damaged aircraft to salvage important equipment. Ettel was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 1 June in recognition of this feat.

On 5 June 1943, Ettel was appointed Staffelkapitän of 8./JG 27 based in Greece. He shot down a RAF Spitfire fighter over Sicily on 14 July. On 16 July, he shot down two USAAF B-24 four- engine bombers and a Spitfire. Ettel was shot down and killed by flak on 17 July 1943, while making ground-attacks on British positions around Catania. His Bf 109 G-6 (W.Nr. 18 402) crashed near the village of Lentini. Ettel was posthumously awarded the Eichenlaub (Nr 289) on 31 August.

Wolf Ettel was credited with 124 victories in over 250 missions. Included in his 120 victories achieved over the Eastern front are 21 Il-2 Sturmovik ground-attack aircraft. He recorded four victories over the Western front including two four-engine bombers.

Victories : 124
Awards : Ehrenpokal (25 June 1943)
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (23 December 1942)
Ritterkreuz (1 June 1943)
Eichenlaub (31 August 1943)
Units : JG 3, JG 27

Originally found at Aces of the Luftwaffe - Wolf Ettel

[Farwell Kirk]

In Toliver and Constable's great book about Luftwaffe aces, they use Sinner as an example of how hard it was for a fighter pilot to win the Knight's Cross. If any American or British ace had scored 39 victories they would have gotten the Medal Of Honor or Victoria Cross. Sinner never won the Knights Cross.

[Farwell Kirk]

I would like to see one of these for Otto Carius or Kurt "Panzer" Meyer.

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



Theodor Weissenberger, Heinrich Ehrler and Rudolf Müller

German ace Heinrich Ehrler

Heinrich Ehrler - Wikipedia





Horst Ademeit achieved a total of 166 victories. He achieved 146 victories on the Eastern Front. On 7 August 1944, Ademeit, flying a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-5, pursued a Russian Il-2 Sturmovik aircraft eastwards over Russian lines near Dünaburg, He failed to return from this mission and is considered missing in action since.

(Note: recent archive discoveries have confirmed 14 more victories on the Eastern front, and 6 more as yet unconfirmed).



Max-Hellmuth Ostermann (11 December 1917 – 9 August 1942). He is credited with 102 enemy aircraft shot down. The majority of his victories were claimed over the Eastern Front with eight claims over the Western Front. Shortly before he was killed in action he had went home on leave to get married. On the way to his wedding he was arrested and jailed until his identity was confirmed. It was believed because of his short stature and boyish appearance that he was a schoolboy illegally wearing a well decorated Luftwaffe officer's uniform.



Helmut Lent is officially credited with 110 victories. The total includes 103 victories at night, during which he destroyed 59 four-engine bombers and one Mosquito, among other types. Lent is remembered as a night fighter pilot, but he was also a decorated night bomber pilot. Lent's victories as a fighter pilot were the second highest in night aviation history, for which he became one of only 27 men in the entire German armed forces to receive the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords & Diamonds. He was married to a Russian woman in 1941. They had 2 daughters, the last child born the day before Lent died from injuries in an airplane accident. Lent's awards were auctioned at Sotheby's, London, on 18 July 1966. The items were bought in one lot by an anonymous bidder for the total sum of £500. The purchaser turned out to be none other than Luftwaffe Ace Adolf Galland, who donated Lent's medals to the modern German military. A barracks is now named in Lent's memory.



Peter "Bonifazius" Düttmann (23 May 1923 – 9 January 2001) was a Luftwaffe flying ace who achieved 158 kills, scoring his first victory on 21 May 1943. Recent research discovered in the German Federal Archives has revealed another 45 further unconfirmed as yet claims.



A fascinating story of triumph and tragedy, and how one of the Luftwaffe's most noble men has been dishonored.

In 1934 Mölders applied for flight training with the Luftwaffe, passing all but one test - the centrifugal spin chair which made him dizzy and caused him to vomit. A doctor then recommended that Mölders was unfit to become a pilot. Mölders was determined though, and practiced with the chair until he passed. Flying sickness would continue with Mölders during the early part of his career, but in the end he would overcome the problem with determination and an iron will to succeed. Mölders opened his World War II account by scoring in the opening weeks of the French campaign when he had become the first Luftwaffe pilot to reach 20 victories. Mölders scoring tactic was to hit enemy airplanes hard from close range. When a captured French aviator was sentenced to death by the Germans for beating Mölders, Mölders approached Hermann Göring and requested clemency, which was granted. Mölders demanded that all Allied aviators captured by those under his command be treated civilly, and often would invite captured pilots to dine with him. Mölders career was tragically cut short when a plane he was a passenger had an accident and crashed, killing him instantly.

On April 13, 1968, a Destroyer of the Federal German Navy was christened "Mölders". It was in Service between 1969 and 2003. On November 9, 1972 a base of a Battalion of the 34th Signal Regiment of the Federal German Army received the name "Mölders". Most notably, the Fighter Squadron 74 (Jagdgeschwader (JG) 74), stationed in Neuburg on Danube received the name "Mölders" in 1973. However, the cowardly Jewish controlled German government in 2005 decided to remove all designations with the name "Mölders" from its military, citing that the name Mölders ... " should not be honored any more."



He was known as “The Night Ghost of St Trond.” Heinz Wolfgang Schnaufer is the highest scoring Night Fighter Ace in aviation history. Schnaufer’s greatest one-off success came on 21 February 1945, when he destroyed 9 RAF heavy bombers in the course of one day, two in the early hours of the morning and a further seven in the evening. For this outstanding feat he received the Goblet for Outstanding Achievements in Aerial Warfare (post-war research documents that in fact his total that day was 10, one claim not having been acknowledged). At the end of the war Schnaufer’s official tally stood at 121, which now is amended to 122.



The Luftwaffe left a remarkable legacy of military aviation records, starting with the highest-scoring ace of all time. Among the less remembered but equally remarkable records were those set by Emil Lang, including the most enemy planes downed in a single day. Lang outdid himself—and every other fighter pilot in the world. During a morning patrol near Kiev he attacked a formation of Il-2 Shturmoviks and their Yak-7 fighter escorts at 9:31 a.m., and by 9:42 he had accounted for four of the armored Il-2s and three Yaks. Around 1 p.m. he downed an La-5, followed by an unidentified Soviet plane in a third sortie. During his fourth mission he had a series of encounters starting at 2:16 p.m. that by 2:49 had doubled the day’s bag, with two La-5s, two Yak-9s and five Il-2s. As he returned to his airfield, his face blackened with gunpowder and grime, a grinning Bully Lang thrust his fist in the air in triumph. He had brought the day’s total to 18, edging out the 17-victory record set over North Africa by JG.27’s famous Me-109 virtuoso, Hans Joachim Marseille !!

JG.26’s commander, Lt. Col. Josef “Pips” Priller, requested Captain Lang to replace his transferred II Gruppe commander. His wider responsibilities notwithstanding, Bully showed no inclination of leading from behind a desk, and his ebullience re-energized morale among the group’s pilots. Priller's request for Lang’s promotion best summed it: “Captain Lang is a fully motivated character, serious and calm in his demeanor, yet definitive and energetic when strength was needed. Very good attitude as an officer. Demands of himself first. He understands how to reach the men under his command correctly. Captain Lang possesses an exemplary concept of service, has initiative and talent for improvisation to a large degree, well rooted in National Socialist ideas.” His total tally includes 144 air victories on the Eastern Front and 29 on the Western Front. Of those 29, 28 occurred on the Normandy Invasion Front, more than any other German Fighter Ace of that campaign. Beyond his 173 air victories, he sunk one Soviet torpedo boat. On September 3, 1944, while having mechanical problems with his aircraft, he was surprised by a group of P-51 Mustangs and shot down, his plane exploding when it crashed into the ground near Overhespen. Emil was killed on impact.



His accomplishments were extraordinary considering his short career. On 20 May 1944, Wolfrum shot down 6 aircraft, an "ace-in-a-day" achievement. He became a double "ace-in-a-day" following 11 aircraft shot down on 30 May 1944. The next day, he again shot down 6 aircraft, again making him an "ace-in-a-day." On 1 June 1944, Wolfrum was credited with his 100th aerial victory. He was the 74th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark. On 16 July, Wolfrum again became a double "ace-in-a-day" when he shot down 10 aircraft in combat near Kamionka, northeast of Lviv. Following his 10th victory, he was severely wounded requiring a lengthy period of convalescence, during which time he was promoted to Staff position in September 1944 as Wing Commander of Jagdgeschwader 52. At the end of the war, Wolfrum surrendered most of his unit to the US 90th Infantry Division.

After the war he became a successful aerobatics pilot, winning the German Championship in 1962 and taking second place in 1961, 1963, 1964 and 1966.




Wilhelm Crinius joined the Luftwaffe in January 1940 and underwent fighter pilot training. In February 1942, Crinius was posted to JG 53 based in Sicily. Gefreiter Crinius was assigned to 3./JG 53. Between mid-March and the end of April, he flew 60 missions over Malta. On 1 April, he received promotion to the rank of Unteroffizier. In May 1942, I./JG 53 was relocated to the Eastern front. Operating from Kursk, Crinius achieved his first victories on 9 June when he shot down two Russian Il-2 Sturmovik ground-attack aircraft. On 8 July, Crinius shot down two Russian Boston twin-engined bombers attacking a bridge west of Voronezh. During the engagement his aircraft was hit by Russian anti-aircraft fire. He belly-landed his Bf 109 F-4 between the lines where he was rescued by a German army patrol and returned to his unit. In late July 1942, I./JG 53 was relocated to the southern sector of the Eastern front. Crinius claimed his 15th victory on 1 August. He shot down three Russian aircraft on 12 August to record his 25th through 27th victories. Crinius recorded his 49th victory on 27 August which was also the 1,000th victory for I./JG 53. He recorded his 55th victory on 1 September and was promoted to the rank of Feldwebel. Flying with Wolfgang Tonne (122 victories, RK-EL, killed in action 20 April 1943) and Friedrich-Karl “Tutti” Müller (140 victories, RK-EL, killed in flying accident 29 May 1944) in I./JG 53, Crinius was particularly successful, recording 40 victories in August and 46 victories between 1 and 22 September, including 100th victory on 22 September. He was awarded the Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub on 23 September and promoted to the rank of Leutnant. In November 1942, Crinius transferred with I./JG 53 to Tunisia. Here he was to record 14 victories, including his only four-engined bomber on 26 December and his 110th victory on 4 January 1943. On 13 January 1943, in aerial combat with RAF Spitfire fighters near La Calle, 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 stricken Bf 109 G-2 in the sea. He spent 24 hours in the water before being rescued by French sailors and Arabs. After hospitalization for his wounds, Crinius became a prisoner of war.

Wilhelm Crinius was credited with 114 victories in approximately 400 missions. He recorded 100 victories over the Eastern front. Of his 14 victories recorded over the Western front, one was a four-engined bomber.

[alex revision]

The Men - U-boat Commanders




Joachim Schepke



Joachim Schepke giving a speech in Berliner Sportpalast, February 1941 (six weeks prior to his death).

Kapitanleutnant Joachim Schepke - German U-boat Commanders of WWII - The Men of the Kriegsmarine - uboat.net



Kapitanleutnant Joachim Schepke - German U-boat Commanders of WWII - The Men of the Kriegsmarine - uboat.net



Fregattenkapitan Erich Topp - German U-boat Commanders of WWII - The Men of the Kriegsmarine - uboat.net








Wilhelm Max Rollmann joined the Reichsmarine in in April 1926. After serving on several ships, including the light cruiser Karlsruhe, in May 1937 he transferred to the U-boat force. After a thorough pre-war training he took over command of the type VIIA U-boat U-34 in October 1938. Two of his more notable successes were the sinking of the British destroyer HMS Whirlwind and the British submarine Spearfish.On 20 February 1943 he commissioned the large type IXD2 U-848. The boat was sunk with all hands on her first patrol by US aircraft southwest of Ascension Island, in the South Atlantic on 5 November 1943. Conning tower photo of U-34 is an example of the effort U-Boat crews put into their artwork.



Jürgen Oesten joined the Reichsmarine in April 1933. Following standard training he spent more than a year on the battleships Admiral Graf Spee and Karlsruhe. In May 1937 he transferred to the U-boat arm, receiving a thorough pre-war training. In October 1937 he became a Watch Officer on U-20. On 12 August 1939 he commissioned U-61. After his eighth patrol he left U-61, and one month later commissioned the much larger type IXB U-106. Oesten received his Knights Cross on his second patrol in African waters, where he sank eight ships totalling 44,820 tons. His attack on one vessel during the battle against a convoy was unintended but effective: he aimed at the shadow of a ship in bad light conditions and did not realize that the torpedo had hit the British Battleship HMS Malaya. Oesten left U-106 in October 1941 to become commander of the 9th Flotilla at Brest in France. In March 1942 Jürgen Oesten became Commander of U-Boats Northern Waters. In July 1943 he left Norway and on 2 September, 1943 commissioned the type IXD2 U-861. U-861 left Kiel on 20 April 1944 and first operated in Brazilian waters, sinking two ships. The U-861 found her next victim south of Madagascar before she reached Penang on 23 September 1944, and sank another ship off Somalia. On the return journey the boat struck an iceberg south of Greenland, but Oesten, through good seamanship, reached Trondheim, Norway on 19 April 1945.Jürgen Oesten died peacefully on 5 Aug 2010 and was buried at sea. Ruhe in Frieden Jürgen.



Erwin Rostin began his naval career in October 1932. After serving on the WWI battleship Schlesien, he commanded the minesweepers M-98 and M-21 1940-41. In March 1941 he transferred to the U-boat force. Following standard training, but without any previous combat experience, he commissioned the large type IXC U-boat U-158 on 25 Sep 1941. After four months of working up the boat and crew, he took U-158 out for the first war patrol, off the US east coast, during which he sank five ships with a total of over 38,000 tons. One month after her return, U-158 left for the second war patrol, this time in the Gulf of Mexico, on 4 May 1942. This turned out to be one of the most successful patrols of the war in terms of tonnage, with 12 ships totaling 62,536 tons sunk. Its outcome was not successful for the boat and her crew, however. U-158 was sunk by depth charges from US aircraft on 30 June 1942 and went down with all hands. Erwin Rostin had been awarded the Knights Cross via radio two days before his death.



Hans Jenisch joined the Kriegsmarine in April 1933 and after a year on the cruiser Deutschland transferred to the U-boat force in May 1937. After training he became the first watch officer on U-32 in January 1938. Two years later he took over this U-Boat as Commander. Hans Jenish claim to fame was the sinking of the largest warship by any German U-Boat, the 42,348 ton Emress of Britain.

On October 30th 1940 during the 6th combat patrol, U 32 came under depth charge attack by two British Destroyers (HMS Harvester en HMS Highlander) and got sunk Northwest of Ireland with the loss of nine man. Hans Jenisch and 32 man managed to escape the sinking ship and became prisoners of war. Jenish spent nearly 7 years in All Lied captivity before finally being released in 1947.



Engelbert Endraß began his naval career in April 1935. Like Prien and Metzler, he had previously spent some years in the merchant navy. After some months serving on the pocket battleship Deutschland and some escort vessels, he was assigned to the U-Boat force in October 1937. He joined U-47 in December 1938 and was 1WO when Günther Prien made his famous Scapa Flow attack and sank HMS Royal Oak. It was Endraß who painted the famous snorting bull emblem on U-47's conning tower before they returned. He stayed on U-47 until December 1939, and after some training courses took command of U-46, His first patrol with U-46 was very successful. Endraß sank five ships with a total of 35,347 tons, including the British 20,077 ton warship HMS Carinthia. Although hampered by a damaged main attack periscope, he repeated that success on his second patrol, sinking five ships, in total 27,038 tons, including the British 15,007 ton warship Dunvegan Castle. After returning from this patrol Endraß was awarded the Knights Cross. After the seventh patrol, the Oak Leaves were added. In September 1941 he left U-46 and a month later took over the new VIIC U-Boat U-567. Endraß was killed on 21 December 1941, when U-567 was sunk with all hands (47 men) by depth charges from the British HMS Deptford and the British HMS Samphire NE of the Azores.



Werner Hartmann spent the first years of his career as commander of the torpedo boats Seeadler and Albatros. In 1935 he transferred to the U-Boat arm and remained there through the end of World War II. With his first U-boat, U-26, he patrolled in Spanish waters during the Spanish Civil War in 1937-38. During the first months of the war Hartmann was Commander of U-37. After only three patrols Hartmann received the Knights Cross. In November 1940 he became the Commander of the 2nd ULD, and a year later took command of the 27th Flotilla in Gotenhafen. In November 1942 he took over one of the large type IXD2 boats and completed with U-198 the third longest (200 days) patrol ever undertaken.



Günther Müller-Stöckheim joined the Kriegsmarine in April 1934 and served on the battleship Schlesien. In July 1941 he took command of U-67, going on eight patrols in the North Atlantic and Caribbean. He had one patrol where he sank 8 ships, but was the center of controversy as he became enraged after returning shortly from another patrol when all the torpedoes fired struck several ships but were duds. Later, he eventually returned to action only to be killed in action when U-67 was sunk in the Sargasso Sea on 16 July 1943 by bombs from an Avenger aircraft from the escort carrier USS Core. Only three of her crew of 51 survived. Such was the triumph and the tragedy of many of our U-Boat Heroes who risked their lives in service to humanity against the All-Lied forces of darkness. Ruhe in Frieden Günther Müller-Stöckheim.



Moehle entered the navy in April 1930 at the age of 19 and spent his initial training aboard Schleswig-Holstein. He transferred to the U-Boat force in March 1936 took command of his first boat, U-20 on 1 October 1937. He made six patrols in U-20, operating in the North Sea. He was moderately successful, sinking eight allied ships. He left U-20 on 17 January 1940 and took command of U-123, where he went on to achieve a high rate of kills. His first patrol sank six merchants, including four on 19 October. His second patrol was also highly successful, when on the morning of 23 November he sank five ships over a period of five hours, for a combined total of 23,084 GRT. Moehle carried out another four patrols, sinking another five ships. On 26 February 1941 he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. He stepped down as commander of U-123 on 19 May 1941 and became the commander of 5th U-boat Flotilla.
After the surrender of Germany, Moehle, a very well decorated and unrepentant "Nazi," was arrested and sentenced to five years imprisonment, but was released in November 1949.



Wilhelm Schulz began his Kriegsmarine career in October 1933. On 27 September 1935 he joined the U-Boat force. In January 1939 he got his first command and commissioned U-64 on 16 Dec 1939. Her only patrol was in Norwegian waters: she was hit and sunk by a 350-pound bomb and raked with machine gun fire from a British Swordfish aircraft on 13 April 1940. Schultz was among the 38 survivors. Two months later Schulz commissioned U-124, another type type IXB U-boat. He achieved particularly notable success on his fourth patrol, during which he sank 11 ships with a total 52,379 tons and damaged two others. Schulz left the boat in September 1941. Schulz then took over command of the 6th and later the 25th Training Flotillas.