Ritterkreuzträger of Kampfflieger (Bomber Pilots)

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.

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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/