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Thursday, July 16, 2020

Bio of Bomber Ace Werner Baumbach


Werner Baumbach (27 December 1916 – 20 October 1953) was a German bomber pilot during World War II. He commanded the secret bomber wing Kampfgeschwader 200 (KG 200) of the Luftwaffe, the air force of Nazi Germany. Baumbach received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern for the destruction of over 300,000 gross register tons (GRT) of Allied shipping.
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Baumbach entered the Luftwaffe in 1936 and, after initial training at the 2nd Air Warfare School (RAF Gatow|), was trained as a bomber pilot. He was one of the first pilots to fly the Junkers Ju 88 bomber and flew various bombing missions with Kampfgeschwader 30 (KG 30). On 19 April 1940, he bombed and damaged the French cruiser Émile Bertin for which he was awarded the Ritterkreuz.

In 1942, Baumbach was removed from active pilot duty and started working on new bomber designs; among others, he helped design the composite bomber system, Mistel. In 1944, he was placed in command of the newly formed Kampfgeschwader 200 (KG 200) and was in charge of all Luftwaffe special missions. Baumbach was promoted to Oberstleutnant on 15 November 1944 and was the acting General der Kampfflieger for two months.

After the war, Baumbach spent three years as a prisoner of war before he moved to Argentina where he worked as a test pilot. He died in a plane crash on 20 October 1953 near Berazategui, while evaluating a British Lancaster bomber for the Argentine Air Force. He was interred in his hometown, Cloppenburg, Lower Saxony.

Awards:
Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe for Bomber Pilots in Gold with Pennant "200" in Silver (22 March 1941) & in Gold (1942)
Pilot/Observer Badge in Gold with Diamonds (14 July 1941)
Iron Cross (1939) 2nd Class (28 September 1939) & 1st Class (4 May 1940)
Knight's Cross on 8 May 1940 as Leutnant and pilot in the 5./KG 30
Oak Leaves on 14 July 1941 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 1./KG 30
Swords on 17 August 1942 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the I./KG 30

Source :
Jim Haley photo collection
https://www.facebook.com/groups/152986901863424/

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