During the Second World War, the Luftwaffe's Kampfflieger branch formed the backbone of Germany’s bomber force, conducting strategic, operational, and tactical air operations across every major theater of the war. Organized into bomber wings such as Kampfgeschwader 1 "Hindenburg", Kampfgeschwader 2 "Holzhammer", Kampfgeschwader 26 "Löwengeschwader", and Kampfgeschwader 55 "Greif", these units initially achieved notable success during the campaigns in Poland, Norway, the Low Countries, France, and the early stages of the war against the Soviet Union. Flying aircraft including the Heinkel He 111, Junkers Ju 88, Dornier Do 17, and later the Heinkel He 177, Kampfflieger crews carried out bombing missions against enemy troop concentrations, transportation networks, industrial facilities, ports, and shipping. The branch produced numerous highly decorated airmen, with awards such as the Ritterkreuz, Eichenlaub and Schwerter, recognizing exceptional leadership and combat achievements. Notable Kampfflieger commanders included figures such as Generalfeldmarschall Albert Kesselring, Oberst Werner Baumbach, and Oberst Dietrich Peltz, whose operational experience shaped Luftwaffe bombing doctrine. However, the failure to defeat Britain during the "Luftschlacht um England", increasing Allied air superiority, fuel shortages, and mounting losses gradually reduced the effectiveness of the Kampfflieger arm. By the final years of the conflict many bomber units were forced into night operations, anti-shipping missions, or emergency ground-attack roles, yet they continued to fight until Germany’s surrender in May 1945.
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SCHWERTERTRÄGER
Oberst
Werner Baumbach (1916-1953) was one of the Luftwaffe’s most highly
decorated Kampfflieger and a leading specialist in anti-shipping warfare
during the Second World War. Serving with Kampfgeschwader 30, he gained
early distinction flying the Junkers Ju 88 against Allied naval and
merchant targets in the North Sea, Atlantic, and Norwegian campaigns. As
a Leutnant and pilot of 5./Kampfgeschwader 30, Baumbach earned the
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 8 May 1940 after a series of daring
and highly successful maritime strike missions, including attacks
against Allied warships and transport vessels during the Norwegian
campaign, which demonstrated exceptional flying skill and tactical
leadership. Continuing to lead combat operations with outstanding
success, he was awarded the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen
Kreuzes on 14 July 1941 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of
1./Kampfgeschwader 30 after significantly increasing the tonnage of
Allied shipping sunk or damaged under his command and establishing
himself as one of Germany’s foremost bomber aces. By 17 August 1942, as
Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of I./Kampfgeschwader 30, Baumbach
received the Schwerter zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit
Eichenlaub in recognition of his continued achievements in maritime air
warfare, his leadership of bomber formations, and his cumulative
destruction of large amounts of Allied shipping, eventually exceeding
300,000 gross register tons. Later in the war he played a major role in
the development of advanced Luftwaffe weapons and special operations,
eventually commanding Kampfgeschwader 200, the Luftwaffe’s secret
special-missions wing. Promoted to Oberst, Baumbach remained one of the
most influential bomber commanders of the war and authored postwar
memoirs before his death in an aircraft accident in Argentina in 1953.
Oberst Joachim Helbig (1915-1985) was a highly decorated German bomber pilot in the Luftwaffe who served almost his entire career with Lehrgeschwader 1 (LG 1), distinguishing himself as one of the most successful anti-shipping specialists of World War II. Born in Dahlen, Saxony, he joined the military in 1935, transferred to the Luftwaffe, and by the outbreak of war was an observer and later pilot flying He 111 and Ju 88 aircraft. He earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 24 November 1940 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän of the 4. Staffel, II. Gruppe, LG 1, after completing 75 combat sorties that included support missions over Dunkirk, attacks on Loire bridges, operations against targets in England such as the Worthy Down airfield on 15 August 1940 where his damaged Ju 88 barely returned, and the sinking or damaging of over 33,000 GRT of Allied shipping during the campaigns in Poland, Norway, the Low Countries, France, and the Battle of Britain. Transferred to the Mediterranean theater in early 1941, Helbig continued relentless operations against Malta, British convoys, the Suez Canal, and ports in North Africa while supporting the Afrika Korps; he became Gruppenkommandeur of I. Gruppe, LG 1 in November 1941 and received the Eichenlaub on 16 January 1942 as the 64th recipient after 210 sorties, including damaging HMS Illustrious, sinking a 10,000 GRT troop transport in Piraeus harbor, and numerous anti-shipping strikes. His most spectacular feat came on 11 May 1942 south of Crete when, leading a wave of Ju 88s from I./LG 1, he personally sank the destroyer HMS Kipling and contributed to the destruction of HMS Lively, HMS Jackal, and crippling of others in a daring low-level attack against four British destroyers, actions that, combined with over 330 sorties and the sinking of approximately 182,000 GRT of shipping, earned him the Schwerter on 28 September 1942 as the 20th recipient while still a Hauptmann. Later promoted to Oberst and Geschwaderkommodore of LG 1, Helbig commanded operations in Italy, France, and the Eastern Front before surrendering in May 1945; he lived a civilian life afterward and died in a car accident in 1985.
Generalmajor Dietrich Peltz (1914-2001), born on 9 June 1914 in Gera and died on 10 August 2001 in Munich, was a German Luftwaffe bomber pilot and commander who became the youngest Generalmajor of the Wehrmacht during World War II after flying roughly 320 to 390 combat missions. Initially serving in the Heer before transferring to the Luftwaffe in 1935, he flew as Staffelkapitän of the 1. Staffel of Sturzkampfgeschwader 76 in the Ju 87 during the invasion of Poland, completing 45 missions against railway lines, bridges, traffic junctions, and targets including the Bombing of Wieluń, which earned him the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse. In the Battle of France he continued dive-bombing operations against similar infrastructure and shipping at Calais and Dunkirk, sinking a transport vessel across eight missions for a total of 57 additional sorties without loss to his unit and receiving the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse. After converting to the Junkers Ju 88 and joining Kampfgeschwader 77, he flew about 70 daytime and nocturnal missions in the Battle of Britain, often conducting solo low-level attacks on specific targets, leading to the award of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 14 October 1940 after roughly 130 combat missions overall. As Gruppenkommandeur of II./Kampfgeschwader 77 during Operation Barbarossa, Peltz developed innovative accurate bombing techniques that allowed his Gruppe to achieve precision strikes on railway stations, marshalling yards, canals, and lock gates in the northern sector with smaller forces than previously needed; after reaching about 250 sorties he was awarded the Eichenlaub on 31 December 1941 as the 46th recipient. Later appointed Angriffsführer England and commander of IX. Fliegerkorps, he consolidated multiple Kampfgeschwader units for a renewed night bomber offensive against Britain including Operation Steinbock, while earlier leading specialized efforts with precision-guided munitions against Allied shipping in the Arctic and Mediterranean; for his personal flights exceeding 300 and outstanding leadership he received the Schwerter on 23 July 1943 as the 31st recipient. He subsequently held commands overseeing aspects of the Defense of the Reich, including planning for Operation Bodenplatte and advocating ramming tactics, before finishing the war as Kommandierender General of I. Fliegerkorps.
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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER
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SCHWERTERTRÄGER
Oberst Joachim Helbig (1915-1985) was a highly decorated German bomber pilot in the Luftwaffe who served almost his entire career with Lehrgeschwader 1 (LG 1), distinguishing himself as one of the most successful anti-shipping specialists of World War II. Born in Dahlen, Saxony, he joined the military in 1935, transferred to the Luftwaffe, and by the outbreak of war was an observer and later pilot flying He 111 and Ju 88 aircraft. He earned the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 24 November 1940 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän of the 4. Staffel, II. Gruppe, LG 1, after completing 75 combat sorties that included support missions over Dunkirk, attacks on Loire bridges, operations against targets in England such as the Worthy Down airfield on 15 August 1940 where his damaged Ju 88 barely returned, and the sinking or damaging of over 33,000 GRT of Allied shipping during the campaigns in Poland, Norway, the Low Countries, France, and the Battle of Britain. Transferred to the Mediterranean theater in early 1941, Helbig continued relentless operations against Malta, British convoys, the Suez Canal, and ports in North Africa while supporting the Afrika Korps; he became Gruppenkommandeur of I. Gruppe, LG 1 in November 1941 and received the Eichenlaub on 16 January 1942 as the 64th recipient after 210 sorties, including damaging HMS Illustrious, sinking a 10,000 GRT troop transport in Piraeus harbor, and numerous anti-shipping strikes. His most spectacular feat came on 11 May 1942 south of Crete when, leading a wave of Ju 88s from I./LG 1, he personally sank the destroyer HMS Kipling and contributed to the destruction of HMS Lively, HMS Jackal, and crippling of others in a daring low-level attack against four British destroyers, actions that, combined with over 330 sorties and the sinking of approximately 182,000 GRT of shipping, earned him the Schwerter on 28 September 1942 as the 20th recipient while still a Hauptmann. Later promoted to Oberst and Geschwaderkommodore of LG 1, Helbig commanded operations in Italy, France, and the Eastern Front before surrendering in May 1945; he lived a civilian life afterward and died in a car accident in 1985.
Generalmajor Dietrich Peltz (1914-2001), born on 9 June 1914 in Gera and died on 10 August 2001 in Munich, was a German Luftwaffe bomber pilot and commander who became the youngest Generalmajor of the Wehrmacht during World War II after flying roughly 320 to 390 combat missions. Initially serving in the Heer before transferring to the Luftwaffe in 1935, he flew as Staffelkapitän of the 1. Staffel of Sturzkampfgeschwader 76 in the Ju 87 during the invasion of Poland, completing 45 missions against railway lines, bridges, traffic junctions, and targets including the Bombing of Wieluń, which earned him the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse. In the Battle of France he continued dive-bombing operations against similar infrastructure and shipping at Calais and Dunkirk, sinking a transport vessel across eight missions for a total of 57 additional sorties without loss to his unit and receiving the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse. After converting to the Junkers Ju 88 and joining Kampfgeschwader 77, he flew about 70 daytime and nocturnal missions in the Battle of Britain, often conducting solo low-level attacks on specific targets, leading to the award of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 14 October 1940 after roughly 130 combat missions overall. As Gruppenkommandeur of II./Kampfgeschwader 77 during Operation Barbarossa, Peltz developed innovative accurate bombing techniques that allowed his Gruppe to achieve precision strikes on railway stations, marshalling yards, canals, and lock gates in the northern sector with smaller forces than previously needed; after reaching about 250 sorties he was awarded the Eichenlaub on 31 December 1941 as the 46th recipient. Later appointed Angriffsführer England and commander of IX. Fliegerkorps, he consolidated multiple Kampfgeschwader units for a renewed night bomber offensive against Britain including Operation Steinbock, while earlier leading specialized efforts with precision-guided munitions against Allied shipping in the Arctic and Mediterranean; for his personal flights exceeding 300 and outstanding leadership he received the Schwerter on 23 July 1943 as the 31st recipient. He subsequently held commands overseeing aspects of the Defense of the Reich, including planning for Operation Bodenplatte and advocating ramming tactics, before finishing the war as Kommandierender General of I. Fliegerkorps.
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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER
Generalleutnant
Martin Harlinghausen (1902-1986), a Luftwaffe officer and the first
Kampfflieger of the Luftwaffe to receive the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen
Kreuzes, was awarded it on 4 May 1940 while serving as Chef des Stabes
of the X. Fliegerkorps, Luftwaffe, for his outstanding achievements as a
staff officer and bomber pilot against shipping during the Norwegian
Campaign, in which he personally sank 20 steamers with over 100,000
gross register tons. He subsequently received the Eichenlaub to the
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 30 January 1941, again as
Chef des Stabes of the X. Fliegerkorps, Luftwaffe, for continuing his
record of destroying merchant vessels using the innovative tactic of
attacking enemy ships broadside with bombs.
Source :
https://aerocorner.com/blog/german-bombers-ww2/
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