Ritterkreuzträger of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) "Immelmann"

Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) "Immelmann" was one of the most famous and effective dive-bomber wings of the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, operating exclusively with the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka and carrying the honorary title of the First World War ace Max Immelmann. Officially formed on 1 May 1939, the Geschwader traced its origins to the pioneering Stuka formations of the mid-1930s and quickly became a key component of German air power. StG 2 participated in nearly every major campaign fought by the Luftwaffe, including the invasion of Poland, the Westfeldzug, Battle of Britain, the Balkan campaign, the Battle of Crete, operations against Malta, North Africa, and the vast campaigns of the Ostfront. Under notable commanders such as Oskar Dinort, Paul-Werner Hozzel, Ernst Kupfer, and Hans-Karl Stepp, the unit earned a formidable reputation for precision dive-bombing, close air support, maritime strike missions, and anti-tank warfare. During Operation Barbarossa and subsequent battles around Leningrad, Moscow, Stalingrad, and Kursk, StG 2 became particularly renowned through the exploits of pilots such as Hans-Ulrich Rudel, whose extraordinary combat record made him the most decorated servicemen in German military history. The Geschwader developed innovative battlefield techniques, including specialized anti-tank attacks and the use of modified munitions for maximum effect against ground targets. As Soviet fighter strength and anti-aircraft defenses increased, the vulnerability of the Ju 87 in traditional dive-bombing operations became increasingly apparent, leading the Luftwaffe to reorganize its Stuka formations. Consequently, on 18 October 1943, StG 2 was redesignated as Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann", marking the end of the Geschwader's existence under its original title while preserving its combat traditions within the new ground-attack formation. Throughout its wartime service, StG 2 produced numerous recipients of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and its higher grades, making it one of the most highly decorated combat wings in the Luftwaffe.

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SCHWERTERTRÄGER


Major Alwin Boerst (1910-1944) was born on 20 October 1910 in Osterode am Harz and after completing his Abitur studied physics, mathematics and Flugwissenschaften in Göttingen while already flying Segelflugzeuge during his school years. On 4 April 1934 he entered the Heer, serving first with Kraftfahrern and later with Panzerjägern, before transferring in 1937 as Unteroffizier to the Luftwaffe and joining the 7. Staffel of Kampfgeschwader 157 “Boelcke”; he was soon promoted to Leutnant and posted to the I. Gruppe of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 “Immelmann”. During the Polish campaign he flew 39 Frontflüge and received the Eisernes Kreuz II. Klasse on 27 September 1939; in the Westfeldzug he attacked Fort Eben-Emael, Lüttich, Namur, Calais and Amiens, completing 113 sorties and earning the Eisernes Kreuz I. Klasse in June 1940. After operations in the Battle of Britain his Staffel moved to the Mediterranean; as Staffelkapitän of the 3. Staffel he flew against the Metaxas-Linie and southern Greece, then conducted 22 Einsätze over Crete, where on 23 May 1941 he helped sink the British destroyers Kelly and Kashmir. Transferred to the Eastern Front in June 1941, he served with Heeresgruppe Mitte and later Nord, participated in the attack on the Baltic Fleet at Kronstadt, and after more than 300 sorties, including the destruction of vital bridges over the Lovat and Dnieper, was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 5 October 1941 as Oberleutnant and Flugzeugführer in the 3. Staffel. He later received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 5 June 1942; following further service that included the Battle of Stalingrad and a total of 624 Feindflüge he was withdrawn from the front in September 1942 and on 28 November 1942 received the Eichenlaub (149th award) as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 3. Staffel. Returning to command in March 1943 and becoming Gruppenkommandeur of the I. Gruppe in August 1943, he completed his 1 000th Feindflug on 29 January 1944. On 30 March 1944, during his 1 061st sortie and first mission in a Ju 87 G-1 Kanonenvogel against Soviet tanks north of Iași, his aircraft was shot down by Flak; both Boerst and his Bordfunker Oberfeldwebel Ernst Filius were killed. Posthumously promoted to Major and awarded the Schwerter (61st award) on 6 April 1944 as Gruppenkommandeur of the I. Gruppe of Schlachtgeschwader 2 “Immelmann”, he had flown approximately 1 060 combat missions.



Oberst Dr. jur. Ernst Kupfer (1907-1943) was born on 2 July 1907 in Coburg, where he attended the Ernestium secondary school before completing a banking apprenticeship; after a period of unemployment he finished his Abitur and studied jurisprudence for several semesters at the University of Heidelberg, earning his Dr. jur. degree on 4 March 1937. On 1 October 1928 he entered military service with the 5. Eskadron of the 17. Bayerisches Reiterregiment of the Reichswehr, rising through the ranks of the Heer to Rittmeister before transferring to the Luftwaffe in 1939 and undergoing training as a Stuka pilot. Assigned in September 1940 to Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 „Immelmann“, he soon became Staffelkapitän of the 7. Staffel (nicknamed 7. Schwadron in reference to his cavalry background) and flew his first combat sorties during Unternehmen Merkur over Crete. On 22 May 1941 he contributed decisively to the sinking of the British cruiser HMS Gloucester with a direct hit; later, during attacks on the Soviet Baltic Fleet at Kronstadt in September 1941, he claimed a cruiser and scored a 1 000 kg bomb hit on the battleship Oktyabrskaya Revolutsiya, yet was himself shot down three times by ground fire, the final crash leaving him with multiple skull-base fractures, other broken bones and severe concussion. While still in hospital he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 23 November 1941 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän 7./StG 2 „Immelmann“ after approximately 260 sorties. Recovered, he assumed command of II. Gruppe / StG 2 on 1 April 1942 as Major, once landing under fire beside a downed crew to rescue them; for his bold leadership of the Staffeln against the factory districts of Stalingrad and for completing his 500th combat mission he received the Eichenlaub on 8 January 1943. Promoted to Geschwaderkommodore of StG 2 in March 1943, he directed the unit through the Kuban battles and Operation Citadel at Kursk, temporarily commanding the ad-hoc Gefechtsverband „Kupfer“. In September 1943 he was appointed General der Schlachtflieger and Oberstleutnant, advocating the replacement of the Ju 87 and Hs 123 by the Fw 190. After 636 combat missions he was killed on 6 November 1943 when the Heinkel He 111 in which he was returning from an inspection flight crashed in bad weather in the Belasiza mountains roughly 60 km north of Thessaloniki; posthumously promoted to Oberst, he was awarded the Schwerter on 11 April 1944 for his personal and command successes over the Kuban, Kursk and the Orel salient.

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EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Generalmajor Oskar Dinort (1901-1965) was one of the Luftwaffe’s most prominent Stuka leaders and later rose to the rank of Generalmajor. A pre-war aviation pioneer, glider record holder, and early Luftwaffe officer, Dinort gained particular distinction as commander of I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann" during the Polish Campaign and subsequently as Geschwaderkommodore of StG 2. His aggressive leadership and the effectiveness of his dive-bomber formations during the campaigns in Poland, France, and the early stages of the air war against Britain led to the award of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 20 June 1940 while holding the rank of Major and Gruppenkommandeur of I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) "Immelmann". Under his command, the Geschwader achieved notable successes against Allied ground forces, shipping, and logistical targets, including the highly effective attack on Convoy OA 178 in July 1940. Dinort’s greatest operational achievement came during the opening phase of Operation Barbarossa in June–July 1941, when StG 2, operating under Fliegerkorps VIII, played a decisive role in supporting Army Group Centre during the encirclement battles of Białystok–Minsk and Smolensk. The precision attacks of his Ju 87 units against Soviet troop concentrations, airfields, transport routes, and retreating formations contributed significantly to the rapid German advance and the destruction of large Soviet forces. In recognition of these successes and his outstanding leadership of one of the Luftwaffe’s most effective Stuka formations, Dinort was awarded the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 14 July 1941 as Oberstleutnant, becoming the 21st recipient of the decoration and the first Stuka pilot to receive the Eichenlaub. He remained in command of StG 2 until October 1941, later serving in senior staff and training commands, and also became known for introducing the “Dinort-Stäbe,” an innovation that improved the blast effect of Luftwaffe bombs during operations in Greece and Crete.



Generalmajor Hubertus Hitschhold (1912-1966) was an experienced ground-attack pilot in the Luftwaffe who, after joining the Reichswehr in 1930, completing pilot training including secret instruction at Lipetsk in the Soviet Union, and transferring to the newly formed Luftwaffe, rose through the ranks as a Stuka pilot to become Staffelkapitän and then Gruppenkommandeur of I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"; as Hauptmann and Kommandeur of I./StG 2 he led his Gruppe with outstanding success throughout the Westfeldzug, earning the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 21 July 1940 for the unit’s decisive contributions that included precision attacks on the Belgian forts of Eben-Emael, Pontisse and Flamelle, the destruction of key French positions and artillery batteries near Gembloux which paved the way for the decisive German armoured breakthrough across the Dyle position, repeated strikes against retreating British troops and shipping at Boulogne, Calais, Dunkirk and Gravelines that heavily damaged three destroyers, three cruisers and ten transports while accounting for the destruction or severe damage of shipping totalling 164,000 GRT, the elimination of six enemy batteries during the Aisne crossing near Soissons, the halting of an armoured counter-attack in the Nesle-Roye area, the neutralisation of batteries at Vailly-Bourg on the Aisne sector, and further missions against the Marne sector at Château-Thierry and along the Seine. Promoted to Major shortly afterwards, Hitschhold continued to command I./StG 2 through the Luftschlacht um England, the Balkanfeldzug and Unternehmen Merkur; the Gruppe particularly distinguished itself by supporting the breakthrough at the Rupel Pass, attacking the British evacuation fleet in Megara Bay, and during the Crete landings sinking the destroyers HMS Greyhound on 22 May 1941 and HMS Kelly together with HMS Kashmir on 23 May 1941, achievements that, together with the Gruppe’s early successes in Operation Barbarossa, brought him the Eichenlaub zum Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 31 December 1941 as the 57th recipient. He later commanded the Sturzkampffliegerschule 1 in Wertheim, returned to the front in June 1942 as Kommandeur of Schlachtgeschwader 1 where he oversaw its conversion to the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, served as Fliegerführer Sardinien, and from November 1943 as General der Schlachtflieger until the end of the war, by which time he had been promoted to Generalmajor.



Major Friedrich Lang (1915-2003) was born on 12 January 1915 in Mährisch Trübau, Austria-Hungary, and died on 29 December 2003 in Hannover; he became one of the most distinguished Stuka pilots of the Luftwaffe in the Second World War, completing a total of 1008 operational sorties from the first to nearly the last day of the conflict without ever being shot down, forced to crash-land or abandon his aircraft. After studying aeronautical engineering and joining the service in 1935, he trained on various types before transferring to Sturzkampfgeschwader units and flying the Junkers Ju 87; he took part in the campaigns in Poland, France, Yugoslavia, Greece and Crete. On the latter operation he achieved notable success by scoring heavy hits that sank one British destroyer and damaged another east of Crete, contributions that formed part of the roughly 300 sorties completed by the time he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 23 November 1941 as Oberleutnant and Flugzeugführer in 1./Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 “Immelmann”. Transferred to the Eastern Front, he continued intensive ground-attack missions, rising to Staffelkapitän of the same Staffel; after approximately 700 sorties he received the Eichenlaub on 21 November 1942 as Hauptmann. Later appointed Kommandeur of III./Schlachtgeschwader 1, he flew his 1000th combat mission in March 1944 and, having reached 1007 sorties while demonstrating outstanding leadership, was awarded the Schwerter on 2 July 1944 as Major. He briefly assumed temporary command of Schlachtgeschwader 2 in early 1945 in place of the wounded Hans-Ulrich Rudel before the war’s end, after which he served in the Bundeswehr, retiring as Oberst in 1973.



Major Bruno Dilley (1913-1968) was born on 29 August 1913 in Gumbinnen, East Prussia, and entered the Luftwaffe as Leutnant in 1935 after officer training at the Höhere Polizeischule Potsdam-Eiche. Promoted to Oberleutnant on 1 June 1938, he became Staffelkapitän of the 3. Staffel of I. Gruppe of Sturzkampfgeschwader 1. At 04:45 on 1 September 1939 he led the first Luftwaffe combat mission of the Second World War, dropping the first bomb of the conflict to sever the demolition charges on the Weichselbrücke at Dirschau. After further sorties over Poland his Staffel took part in Unternehmen Weserübung in Norway, the campaign in France, the Battle of Britain, the Balkan campaign, and operations in North Africa supporting the Afrikakorps. In the Balkans he force-landed behind enemy lines yet escaped capture with his Bordfunker. In January 1942 he returned to the front as Gruppenführer of I. Gruppe of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 “Immelmann” on the Eastern Front. On 12 February 1942 his aircraft was hit by Flak near Staraja Russa, overturned on emergency landing, and he was pulled unconscious from the wreck by Oberfeldwebel Ernst Kather; the two men then walked for three days through bitter cold to reach German lines in the Demjansk pocket. After 325 Feindflüge he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 4 June 1942 as Hauptmann and Kommandeur of I. Gruppe, Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 “Immelmann”. Shot down three more times during the winter of 1942–43, he always returned to his unit. For more than 600 sorties and distinguished leadership of his Sturzkampfgruppe he was awarded the Eichenlaub on 8 January 1943 as the 174th recipient. By war’s end he had flown nearly 700 Feindflüge. From September 1943 he commanded the training formation Sturzkampfgeschwader 101, later redesignated Schlachtgeschwader 103, at Metz. In 1956 he joined the Bundeswehr, rose to Oberstleutnant, commanded the Flugzeugführerschule A at Landsberg, and ended his career as Kommandeur of the Verteidigungskreis Reutlingen. He died on 31 August 1968.



Oberstleutnant Gustav Preßler (1912-1985) was born on 13 October 1912 in Hamburg and initially served as an official in the Schutzpolizei before joining the Deutscher Luftsportverband in 1934, where he received pilot training and was appointed Staffelkapitän of the 4. Staffel of Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 on 1 April 1939. He flew combat missions in the Polish campaign, the western campaign and the Battle of Britain before taking command of the III. Gruppe of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 “Immelmann” as Gruppenkommandeur in October 1941. During the defensive fighting of the winter of 1941/42 he led his Gruppe with marked success, and on 13 January 1942 he received the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold as Hauptmann. For his personal achievements, which included the sinking of a transport ship in the English Channel, and for the effective leadership of his Gruppe after approximately 300 Feindflüge, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 4 February 1942 while still serving as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the III. Gruppe of Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 “Immelmann”. Continuing operations on the Eastern Front, he completed roughly 450 sorties and was decorated with the Eichenlaub to the Ritterkreuz on 26 January 1943 as the 188th recipient, again as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the same Gruppe. In December 1942 he was transferred to Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 and on 1 April 1943, by then promoted to Major, assumed the post of Geschwaderkommodore. He retained command until 30 April 1944, when he handed over the Geschwader and, as Oberstleutnant, became Ausbildungsleiter with the Luftwaffenmission in Sofia. From 15 December 1944 until the end of the war he commanded Schlachtgeschwader 104, having flown a total of some 530 Feindflüge. After the war Preßler entered the Bundeswehr in 1956 and retired in 1965 with the rank of Oberstleutnant. He died in Lippstadt on 9 October 1985.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturzkampfgeschwader_2