Ritterkreuzträger of Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 (StG 1)

Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 (StG 1) was a prominent Luftwaffe dive bomber wing during World War II, primarily equipped with the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka (including B, R, and D variants) and operating from May 1939 until its redesignation as Schlachtgeschwader 1 (SG 1) on 18 October 1943, after which it transitioned toward close air support and ground-attack roles. Formed with I. Gruppe at Insterburg in East Prussia on 1 May 1939 from I./StG 160 under Major Werner Rentsch, followed by the Stab at Juterbog on 18 November 1939 under Oberst Eberhard Baier (later succeeded by Oberstleutnant Walter Hagen and Gustav Pressler), and subsequent II. and III. Gruppen in 1940, StG 1 flew some of the earliest missions of the war on 1 September 1939, striking the Dirschau bridge and Polish targets to open the invasion of Poland as an independent Gruppe under Luftflotte 1. It participated extensively in Operation Weserubung in Norway with long-range Ju 87R aircraft for maritime interdiction, sinking or damaging numerous Allied warships and supply vessels; supported the Western Campaign and Battle of Britain under VIII. Fliegerkorps with anti-shipping strikes in the English Channel; took part in the Balkans Campaign; and then played a major role on the Eastern Front during Operation Barbarossa and subsequent campaigns, including the battles of Bialystok-Minsk, Smolensk, and Kursk, providing close air support to the Heer while suffering heavy losses (60 Ju 87s in aerial combat by the end of Barbarossa alone). Throughout its existence, StG 1 conducted precision dive-bombing for offensive counter-air, anti-tank warfare, air interdiction, and limited anti-partisan operations across multiple theaters, earning numerous Knight's Cross awards for its crews and commanders such as Paul-Werner Hozzel, Helmut Mahlke, and Anton Keil, before its reorganization reflected the Luftwaffe's shift from dedicated dive bombing to more versatile Schlacht units amid growing Allied air superiority.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EICHENLAUBTRÄGER


Generalmajor Walter Hagen (1897-1963) was a German Luftwaffe officer and highly decorated Stuka pilot who rose from World War I cavalry and naval aviation service to command key dive-bomber formations in the Second World War. Born in Kiel, Hagen volunteered for the Husaren-Regiment 13 in 1915, transferred to pilot training in 1917, and flew with naval aviation units before becoming a Junkers test pilot in the interwar years; he re-entered the Luftwaffe in the 1930s, establishing the carrier-based I./Trägergeschwader 186 (Stuka component) in 1938. As Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the I./186 (later redesignated III./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1), he led his unit through the Polish and French campaigns, where its precision attacks on airfields, bridges, troop concentrations, railway facilities, and an ammunition train near Beaune exemplified the devastating effectiveness of Ju 87 dive-bombers in close air support; for these achievements and the Gruppe’s overall successes, Hagen received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 21 July 1940. Promoted to Oberstleutnant and appointed Geschwaderkommodore of Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 in June 1940, he directed operations over the English Channel, the Balkans, the Mediterranean from bases in Trapani (striking Malta, Tobruk, and naval targets), and then the Eastern Front after June 1941. By late 1940 his Geschwader had sunk 210,000 GRT of Allied shipping and heavily damaged another 306,500 GRT, a record that, together with sustained battlefield impact across multiple theaters, earned him the Eichenlaub (77th award) on 17 February 1942 as Oberstleutnant. Later commands included Fliegerführer roles in Tunisia, Albania, and Kroatien (redesignated Fliegerführer Nord-Balkan), culminating in leadership of the 17. Flieger-Division until war’s end; promoted to Generalmajor on 1 July 1944, he was wounded in a Fi 156 crash in Tunisia in March 1943, mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht, and ultimately released from U.S. captivity in 1947, dying in his native Kiel after a long illness.



Hauptmann Robert-Georg Freiherr von Malapert (1912-1942) was born on 7 August 1912 in Darmstadt, the second of six children of Oberstleutnant Johannes von Malapert-Neufville; after studying mechanical engineering at the Technische Hochschule Darmstadt from 1932 to 1934 he entered the Wehrmacht in autumn 1934 with Infanterie-Regiment 19, attended the Kriegsschule in Potsdam, transferred to the Luftwaffe as Oberfähnrich in autumn 1936, completed pilot training at the Flugzeugführerschule Salzwedel, and was commissioned Leutnant on 1 April 1937 while posted to I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 165 at Schweinfurt, flying the Henschel Hs 123 and Junkers Ju 87. Promoted Oberleutnant in May 1939, he joined the newly formed I./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 at Insterburg and soon became Staffelkapitän, participating in the Polish campaign (where he earned the Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse), the Norwegian Campaign and the final stages of the Battle of France (receiving the Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse in May 1940); from 9 July 1940 he commanded 5./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1, whose Staffel sank approximately 100,000 GRT of Allied shipping in Channel and coastal operations (about 20,000 GRT credited personally to him) before moving to Sicily in February 1941 for attacks on Malta and the British Mediterranean Fleet, then supporting the Balkan campaign and the invasion of Crete. From June 1941 he flew with II./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 on the Eastern Front during Operation Barbarossa, advancing from Raczki through Belorussia; for the outstanding performance of his Staffel he became the first German soldier awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold on 15 October 1941, and on 6 January 1942 he received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of 5./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 for 315 combat sorties and the Staffel’s successes in the West and Mediterranean. Promoted Hauptmann, he assumed command of II./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 in March 1942; on his 510th mission on 21 May 1942, while attacking a bridge near Moscow from the airfield at Sechtschinskaja, his Ju 87 was hit by Soviet anti-aircraft fire, forcing a crash-landing in no-man’s-land; he and his Bordfunker Oberfeldwebel Otto Mees attempted to reach German lines on foot, but von Malapert was fatally shot by a Soviet sniper just short of safety, while Mees escaped—his body was later recovered by a patrol of Infanterie-Regiment 10 and buried at Sechtschinskaja. Posthumously awarded the Eichenlaub (99th recipient) on 8 June 1942 in recognition of his leadership and total of 510 combat sorties, he remains remembered as one of the early Stuka aces of the Luftwaffe.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturzkampfgeschwader_1
https://www.ww2.dk/air/attack/stg1.htm

Bio of Major Theodor Nordmann (1918-1945)

Full name: Theodor Nordmann
Nickname: Theo

Date of Birth: 18.12.1918 - Dorsten, Westphalia (Germany)
Date of Death: 19.01.1945 - 4 km southeast of Schiiten, north of Achtfelde near Insterburg, East Prussia (Germany)

Battles and Operations: Western Campaign, Battle of Britain, Mediterranean Theater (Malta), Eastern Front

NSDAP-Number: No information
SS-Number: No information
Religion: No information
Parents: Heinrich Nordmann (lawyer) and mother unknown
Siblings: Sixth of eight children (names unknown)
Spouse: Viviane Günther (married 23.10.1944 in Insterburg)
Children: No information

Promotions:
01.11.1937 enlisted in the Luftwaffe
Leutnant (by 1941)
Oberleutnant (by October 1942)
01.04.1944 Major

Career:
01.11.1937 joined the Luftwaffe and trained at Luftkriegsschule Berlin-Gatow as reconnaissance pilot
01.12.1938 transferred to Aufklärungsgruppe (H) 11
03.1940 transferred to 1./StG 186 (later III./StG 1), trained as Stuka pilot on Ju 87
1940 participated in Western Campaign (France) and Battle of Britain
1941 Mediterranean operations against Malta (sank approx. 5,000 GRT shipping)
06.1941 transferred to Eastern Front with StG 1
10.1941 appointed Staffelkapitän of 8./StG 1
1942 Staffelkapitän during operations over Orel, flew 600th sortie
12.1942 appointed acting commander III./StG 1
05.1943 retrained on Fw 190 in France
10.1943 Gruppenkommandeur II./SG 3 (formerly StG 3)
12.1944 appointed Kommodore of Schlachtgeschwader 3
Flew nearly 1,300 combat sorties (approx. 1,111 by death), destroyed approx. 80 Soviet tanks and 43,000 GRT shipping

Awards and Decorations:
Eisernes Kreuz 2. Klasse 24.05.1940
Eisernes Kreuz 1. Klasse 29.08.1940
Luftwaffe Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistungen im Luftkrieg 12.04.1941
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes #325 (17.09.1941) as Leutnant and pilot in 8./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1. By the time the award was approved, Nordmann had completed approximately 190–200 combat sorties. These included 60 missions during the 1940 Western Campaign and Battle of Britain with III./StG 1, followed by Mediterranean operations from Sicily against Malta in early 1941. There, flying the Ju 87, he contributed to the sinking of roughly 5,000 gross register tons of Allied merchant shipping, including one confirmed 5,000-ton vessel struck in a steep dive that sent it to the bottom after a direct hit amid heavy anti-aircraft fire from escort warships and shore batteries. Harbor installations and airfields on Malta were also hammered with pinpoint bomb runs that left runways cratered and supply dumps burning.
On 22 June 1941 the entire Gruppe transferred east for the opening day of Operation Barbarossa. Operating in support of Army Group North and later Center, Nordmann’s Staffel flew repeated low-level attacks on Soviet armored spearheads, supply columns, and Flak positions during the rapid advances toward Leningrad and the Smolensk-Moscow axis. In the first three months of the campaign his aircraft destroyed 21 Soviet tanks—many claimed during rolling barrages where entire columns were caught in the open—and silenced 14 anti-aircraft batteries. The typical mission involved forming up in Staffelkeil formation, climbing to 4,000–5,000 meters, then pushing over into the characteristic 70–80-degree dive with the Jericho-Trompeten siren howling, releasing the 250- or 500-kilogram bomb at 400–600 meters before pulling out low over the treetops under small-arms and machine-gun fire. These sorties were flown almost daily in the chaotic early weeks of Barbarossa, often in the face of intense Soviet fighter opposition and rapidly thickening ground defenses. The Ritterkreuz citation highlighted this sustained record of destruction and the personal leadership that kept his section intact through the first brutal summer on the Eastern Front.
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold 20.10.1942 (as Oberleutnant in III./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1)
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #214 (17.03.1943) as Oberleutnant and acting commander III./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1. The award recognized Nordmann’s 700th combat sortie, reached on 1 February 1943. By August 1942, as Staffelkapitän of 8./StG 1 during the intense fighting around the Orel salient, he had already flown his 600th mission—the first Stuka pilot to reach that milestone. Operations over Orel involved repeated strikes against Soviet counter-attacks, rail junctions, and armored concentrations in support of the German Ninth Army. Missions often lasted several hours, with aircraft returning to forward fields riddled with bullet holes, engines overheating from low-level runs, and crews exhausted by the constant pressure of providing close air support to infantry holding shrinking bridgeheads.
On 22 August 1942 Nordmann personally accounted for his 60th confirmed tank kill during one such engagement when his Gruppe attacked a large Soviet armored formation attempting to break through German lines near Orel. The unit’s Ju 87s dove through heavy flak barrages, bombs cascading onto T-34s and KV-1s that were maneuvering in the open steppe, many bursting into flames or shedding tracks. Nordmann’s own log and unit reports credit him with multiple direct hits that day amid smoke and dust that made target identification difficult. By early 1943, as acting Gruppenkommandeur of III./StG 1, he continued these high-tempo operations through the winter fighting around the Rzhev salient and the lead-up to the Battle of Kursk preparations, though he was briefly withdrawn for test-flying duties at Rechlin before returning east. The Eichenlaub was presented for this unbroken string of 700 sorties and the growing tally of armored vehicles destroyed—ultimately reaching around 80 tanks across his career—while maintaining operational readiness in a Gruppe that suffered heavy losses from both enemy action and the brutal weather.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub und Schwertern #98 (17.09.1944) as Major and Gruppenkommandeur II./Schlachtgeschwader 3. The award came after Nordmann’s 1,140th combat sortie. By then he had converted first to the Fw 190 in mid-1943 and taken command of II./SG 3 (formerly II./StG 3) in October 1943. The 1944 fighting on the Eastern Front, particularly during the Soviet summer offensive (Operation Bagration) and subsequent defensive battles, was described in his own letters as the most punishing phase of the war. On 30 July 1944 he wrote home after successfully defending two forward airfields against direct Soviet tank assaults: “I had just finished my conversion training when Russian tanks threatened the airfield directly. Up to now I have successfully defended two airfields against tank attacks and we were airborne until we had ensured the fields remained secure.” His Gruppe, operating a mix of Ju 87s and Fw 190 F-8s in the Schlacht role, flew from dawn until dusk—often 3:00 a.m. takeoffs through oppressive summer heat, long approach legs, and only three to four hours of sleep per 24-hour cycle.
Missions consisted of low-level strafing and bombing runs against massed Soviet armor and motorized columns advancing through the shattered German front lines. Nordmann’s unit claimed more than 40 tanks, 700 trucks, and 10 aircraft shot down in a single intense period, with Nordmann himself continuing to add to his personal score while leading from the front. In one letter dated 12 July 1944 he described the conditions: “On our shoulders rested—without any sort of help—in the first week of the Russian offensive the main burden of the fighting in the air … from 03:00 in the morning until late in the evening we flew our brave Ju-87s against the enemy under the most difficult fighting conditions. Our successes are achieved only with very hard sacrifices.” Shifting bases almost daily, operating in rain, fog, and mud, and facing ever-increasing Soviet fighter and anti-aircraft opposition, the Gruppe’s “daredevilry and commitment,” as one postwar account put it, kept German ground forces from being completely overrun in several sectors. Nordmann reached his 1,000th sortie in April 1944 and continued flying until the Swords were awarded after the 1,140th, by which point he had flown roughly 200 missions in the Fw 190 alone.
Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Silber
Ärmelband Kreta
Frontflugspange für Kampfflieger in Gold mit Anhänger "1.200"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Theodor Nordmann was a German Luftwaffe officer and one of the most successful dive bomber and ground attack pilots of the Second World War. Born on 18 December 1918 in Dorsten in Westphalia he rose to the rank of major and commanded Schlachtgeschwader 3 by the final months of the conflict. He flew nearly thirteen hundred combat sorties more than any other Stuka or assault pilot except Hans Ulrich Rudel and was credited with the destruction of approximately eighty Soviet tanks along with substantial shipping and ground targets. Nordmann received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords one of the highest decorations for bravery in the Wehrmacht and was killed in action on 19 January 1945 at the age of twenty six during the defense of East Prussia.

Nordmann grew up as the sixth of eight children in a middle class family in Dorsten. His father Heinrich Nordmann was a local lawyer and the household emphasized discipline and education. After completing his Abitur at the Gymnasium Petrinum he performed compulsory service in the Reich Labour Service before enlisting in the Luftwaffe on 1 November 1937. He began his military training at the Luftkriegsschule in Berlin Gatow where he qualified first as a reconnaissance pilot. In December 1938 he was posted to Aufklärungsgruppe 11 and in March 1940 transferred to 1 Staffel of Sturzkampfgeschwader 186 which later became part of III Sturzkampfgeschwader 1. There he converted to the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka and prepared for his first combat operations.

His early wartime service took him through the Western Campaign and the Battle of Britain in 1940. Flying the Ju 87 he participated in close air support missions over France and repeated attacks on British shipping and airfields across the Channel. In early 1941 his unit moved to the Mediterranean theater operating from bases in Sicily against the strategically vital island of Malta. During these sorties Nordmann contributed to the sinking of roughly five thousand gross register tons of Allied merchant shipping including a confirmed direct hit on a five thousand ton vessel that sank after a steep dive bombing run executed under heavy antiaircraft fire from escort warships and shore batteries. Harbor installations and airfields on Malta were also struck with precision causing extensive damage to runways and supply depots. These missions honed his skills in high angle diving attacks often carried out in the face of intense defensive fire.

On 22 June 1941 Nordmann's Gruppe transferred to the Eastern Front on the first day of Operation Barbarossa. Operating initially in support of Army Group North and later Army Group Center the unit flew repeated low level strikes against Soviet armored columns supply trains and antiaircraft positions during the rapid advances toward Leningrad and the Smolensk Moscow axis. In the chaotic first three months of the campaign he completed around one hundred and ninety combat sorties destroying twenty one Soviet tanks and silencing fourteen flak batteries. Typical missions involved climbing to four or five thousand meters in Staffelkeil formation then pushing into a seventy to eighty degree dive with the Jericho Trompeten siren wailing before releasing two hundred and fifty or five hundred kilogram bombs at four to six hundred meters and pulling out low over the treetops amid small arms and machine gun fire. The cumulative impact of these daily operations under growing Soviet fighter opposition and thickening ground defenses earned him the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on 17 September 1941 as the three hundred and twenty fifth recipient.

By August 1942 as Staffelkapitän of 8 Staffel Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 Nordmann had flown his six hundredth mission during intense fighting around the Orel salient. His unit repeatedly attacked Soviet counterattacks rail junctions and armored concentrations supporting the German Ninth Army. Missions often stretched for hours with aircraft returning riddled by bullets and crews exhausted from providing close air support to infantry holding shrinking bridgeheads. On 22 August 1942 he personally accounted for his sixtieth confirmed tank kill when the Gruppe struck a large Soviet armored formation near Orel. The Ju 87s dove through heavy flak barrages bombing T 34 and KV 1 tanks maneuvering in the open steppe many of which burst into flames or lost their tracks. By early 1943 as acting commander of III Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 he continued high tempo operations through the winter fighting around the Rzhev salient reaching his seven hundredth sortie on 1 February 1943. For this sustained record of leadership and destruction he received the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 17 March 1943 as the two hundred and fourteenth recipient.

In mid 1943 Nordmann retrained on the Focke Wulf Fw 190 fighter bomber and in October took command of II Schlachtgeschwader 3 formerly II Sturzkampfgeschwader 3. The year 1944 brought the most punishing phase of the war on the Eastern Front particularly during the Soviet summer offensive known as Operation Bagration. His Gruppe operating a mix of Ju 87s and Fw 190 F 8s flew from dawn until dusk often with three o'clock morning takeoffs through summer heat and only three to four hours of sleep. Missions consisted of low level strafing and bombing runs against massed Soviet armor and motorized columns advancing through shattered German lines. In one intense period the unit claimed more than forty tanks seven hundred trucks and ten aircraft shot down with Nordmann leading from the front and adding to his personal score. By April 1944 he had reached his one thousandth sortie and on 17 September 1944 after one thousand one hundred and forty missions he was awarded the Swords to the Knight's Cross as the ninety eighth recipient and promoted to major. Shortly afterward he was appointed Kommodore of Schlachtgeschwader 3.

Nordmann maintained close correspondence with his family throughout the war describing harsh conditions on the Eastern Front his successes and his firm commitment to the National Socialist cause. After the failed assassination attempt against Hitler on 20 July 1944 he expressed outrage toward the conspirators in letters home. During home leave in Dorsten he was celebrated by local Party organizations the Hitler Youth and his former school becoming the first entry in the town's Golden Book after receiving the Oak Leaves. In 1943 while training in Cognac he met Viviane Günther whom he married in Insterburg on 23 October 1944 only three months before his death. On 19 January 1945 during his one thousand one hundred and eleventh combat flight Nordmann's Fw 190 F 8 collided with his wingman's aircraft in bad weather four kilometers southeast of Schiiten north of Achtfelde near Insterburg in East Prussia. Both pilots were killed. His radio operator gunner Feldwebel Gerhard Rothe had earlier become one of only fifteen Stuka gunners to receive the Knight's Cross. Nordmann's record of nearly thirteen hundred sorties and his progression from young Stuka pilot to senior ground attack commander exemplified the extreme demands placed on Luftwaffe Schlachtflieger in the later years of the war.

Leutnant Theodor Nordmann (Flugzeugführer in 8.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 1) in the cockpit of his Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" aircraft. The picture was taken in September 1941 by Kriegsberichter Helmut Grosse. Other pictures from this sequence can be seen HERE.

Leutnant Theodor Nordmann (Flugzeugführer in 8.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 1).

Leutnant Theodor Nordmann in 1941-1942.

Oberleutnant Theodor Nordmann.

Ritterkreuzträger Theodor Nordmann in his former school, Gymnasium Petrinum Dorsten in Nordrhein-Westfalen.


Stuka ace Oberleutnant Theodor Nordmann (Staffelkapitän 8.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 1) boarding a Junkers Ju 87 Stuka aircraft before takeoff for a combat mission, 1942. In the backseat is his trusted Bordschütze (rear gunner/radio operator), Feldwebel Gerhard Rothe (later promoted to Fahnenjunker). Rothe flew hundreds of missions with Nordmann (estimates around 850 total for Rothe, most of them paired with Nordmann). He was one of only about 15 Stuka gunners awarded the Ritterkreuz (in November 1943), recognizing his skill in defensive fire and overall contributions during dive-bombing operations. Other pictures from this occasion can be seen HERE.

The welcoming ceremony for Stuka ace Oberleutnant Theodor “Theo” Nordmann (Staffelkapitän 8.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 1) and his gunner Feldwebel Gerhard Rothe, after their 600th mission, 22 August 1942. Other pictures from this occasion can be seen HERE.


Ritterkreuzträger Oberleutnant Theodor Nordmann (Gruppenkommandeur III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 1), serving as a dive-bomber pilot in the central sector of the front, recently returned safely from his 700th combat mission. The daring 24-year-old pilot has held the Ritterkreuz since August 1941. He has already flown in France, England, the Mediterranean, Crete, and Africa. The picture was taken on 12 February 1943 by Kriegsberichter Knittel.

Oberleutnant Theodor Nordmann standing with a map at an airfield, 1943.

Hauptmann Theodor Nordmann (Gruppenkommandeur II.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 3) in March-April 1944. The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Richard Kamm.

Major Theodor Nordmann.

Major Theodor Nordmann (Gruppenkommandeur II.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 3) being greeted with a bouquet on reaching a landmark 1111th sortie (one thousand one hundred and eleven) at Spilve, Riga (Latvia), August 1944. Other pictures from this occasion can be seen HERE.

Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_Nordmann
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_Nordmann
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/25331/Nordmann-Theodor.htm
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/N/NordmannT.htm
https://falkeeins.blogspot.com/2019/05/hptm-theo-nordmann-kommodore.html
http://www.dorsten-lexikon.de/nordmann-theodor/
https://www.geni.com/
Obermaier, Ernst: Die Ritterkreuzträger der Luftwaffe, Verlag Dieter Hoffmann, Mainz, 1976
Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer: Elite of the Third Reich, Helion & Company, Solihull, 2003
Patzwall, Klaus D. & Scherzer, Veit: Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945, Band II, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2001
Kwasny, A. & Kwasny, G.: Die Eichenlaubträger 1940-1945, Deutsches Wehrkundearchiv, 2001
https://rk.balsi.de/index.php?action=list&cat=300
https://forum.axishistory.com/
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/
https://www.unithistories.com/units_index/index.php?file=/officers/personsx.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027052912fw_/http://geocities.com/orion47.geo/index2.html
https://books.google.com/ (search for Nordmann Luftwaffe)
https://aircrewremembered.com/KrackerDatabase/?q=units
https://www.ww2.dk/lwoffz.html
https://grokipedia.com/

The 700th Mission of Stuka Ace Theodor Nordmann

Ritterkreuzträger Oberleutnant Theodor Nordmann (Gruppenkommandeur III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 1), serving as a dive-bomber pilot in the central sector of the front, recently returned safely from his 700th combat mission. The daring 24-year-old pilot has held the Ritterkreuz since August 1941. He has already flown in France, England, the Mediterranean, Crete, and Africa. The picture was taken on 12 February 1943 by Kriegsberichter Knittel.

On 12 February 1943, amid the frozen expanses of the Eastern Front, Hauptmann Theodor “Theo” Nordmann, commander of III./Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 (StG 1), touched down after a combat sortie that marked a rare milestone in Luftwaffe history. Ground crews and fellow airmen gathered at the airfield to celebrate his 700th operational mission (Feindflug). Bundesarchiv photographs from that exact date (notably Bild 183-B23442) capture the scene: a young but battle-hardened pilot stepping from his Junkers Ju 87 Stuka, greeted with the traditional Luftwaffe honors reserved for such achievements—bouquets of flowers, enthusiastic handshakes, and the camaraderie of men who understood the grim odds of dive-bombing survival.

This was no ordinary landing. By early 1943, Nordmann had already emerged as one of the Luftwaffe’s premier Stuka aces. His 700th mission came at a critical juncture in the war on the Eastern Front, just weeks after the fall of Stalingrad and during the intense fighting around Kharkov. The ceremony was both a morale booster for his unit and public recognition of one of the most demanding flying careers in aviation history.

Source :
https://www.bild.bundesarchiv.de/dba/en/search/?yearfrom=&yearto=&query=theodor+nordmann#

The 600th Mission of Stuka Ace Theodor Nordmann

 

In the sweltering summer of 1942, as German forces clashed with the Red Army in the bloody battles around the Orel salient on the Eastern Front, one young Luftwaffe pilot etched his name into Stuka legend. Oberleutnant Theodor “Theo” Nordmann, Staffelkapitän of 8. Staffel / Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 (8./StG 1), climbed out of his battle-scarred Junkers Ju 87 after completing his 600th operational sortie, 22 August 1942. He became the first Stuka pilot in the entire Luftwaffe to reach this extraordinary milestone!

The occasion was marked by a heartfelt welcoming ceremony on the forward airfield, a brief but emotional pause amid the unrelenting grind of the Eastern Front campaign. Ground crews, fellow pilots, and unit officers gathered around the aircraft as Nordmann taxied in, engines still ticking as they cooled. Bouquets of flowers—scavenged from local fields or brought from rear-area supply runs—were thrust into his hands. Handshakes, back-slaps, and cheers echoed across the dusty dispersal area. A small toast with whatever schnapps or captured Soviet vodka was available sealed the moment. It was a ritual repeated in many Luftwaffe units for milestone flights, but this one carried special weight: 600 combat missions in a slow, vulnerable dive-bomber against increasingly determined Soviet defenses was a feat of survival, skill, and sheer endurance few could match.

Source :
https://www.bild.bundesarchiv.de/dba/en/search/?yearfrom=&yearto=&query=theodor+nordmann#

Stuka Ace Theodor Nordmann and His Gunner Gerhard Rothe

Stuka ace Oberleutnant Theodor Nordmann (Staffelkapitän 8.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 1) boarding a Junkers Ju 87 Stuka aircraft before takeoff for a combat mission, 1942. In the backseat is his trusted Bordschütze (rear gunner/radio operator), Feldwebel Gerhard Rothe (later promoted to Fahnenjunker). Rothe flew hundreds of missions with Nordmann (estimates around 850 total for Rothe, most of them paired with Nordmann). He was one of only about 15 Stuka gunners awarded the Ritterkreuz (in November 1943), recognizing his skill in defensive fire and overall contributions during dive-bombing operations.

Source :
https://www.bild.bundesarchiv.de/dba/en/search/?yearfrom=&yearto=&query=theodor+nordmann#

Bio of Oberfeldwebel Heinz Bevernis (1914-1942)

Heinz Bevernis

Date of Birth: 11.12.1914 - Stralsund, Pommern (German Empire)
Date of Death: 19.07.1942 - Staraya Russa, Novgorod Oblast (Soviet Union)
Buried: Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof Solzy (Soviet Union)

Promotions:
00.00.194_ Oberfeldwebel

Career:
00.00.194_ Bordschütze in 7.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 (StG 1)

Awards and Decorations:
00.00.19__ Flugzeugführerabzeichen
00.00.19__ Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
00.00.19__ Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
24.11.1941 Luftwaffe Ehrenpokale für besondere Leistungen im Luftkrieg
00.00.194_ Frontflugspange für Kampfflieger in Gold
11.05.1942 Deutsches Kreuz in Gold
19.09.1942 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (posthumously), as Oberfeldwebel and Bordschütze in 7.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 (StG 1). Awarded in recognition of his contribution to the successes of pilot and Ritterkreuzträger Hauptmann Hartmut Schairer over the course of 562 sorties. He was the first wireless-operator/gunner of the entire Stuka arm to be so honoured.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heinz Bevernis (December 11, 1914 in Stralsund; died July 19, 1942 near Staraya Russa in Russia) took part in hundreds of enemy flights over France (1940 Western Campaign), England (Operation Eagle Attack), Crete (Operation Mercury), Malta, North Africa (Operation Africa) and the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa). From July 1940 he was Hartmut Schairer's on-board radio operator/gunner.

On July 19, 1942, while the Battle of Demyansk was raging, Schairer's squadron had to engage in dive combat against advancing Soviet tanks, which they succeeded in doing. The Russians retreated. As squadron commander, it was his job to inspect the battlefield and the aftermath of the attack afterwards, which he did at low altitude. His Ju 87 D-1 (factory no. 2360) was hit by enemy anti-aircraft guns south-southeast of Lake Ilmen. The burning machine fell Staraya Russa (Novgorod region) inexorably towards the earth.

Captain Schairer and his faithful radio operator/gunner Oberfeldwebel Heinz Bevernis fell as they flew – together for Germany. Heinz' younger brother Bruno Bevernis (October 29, 1919 in Sralsund) died just two days later on July 21, 1942 as a private on the eastern front near Samoschje.

On September 19, 1942, Bevernis was the first shipboard radio operator/gunner to be awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes posthumously in World War II.

Hauptmann Hartmut Schairer and his trusted gunner Oberfeldwebel Heinz Bevernis in the cockpit of a Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka", May-July 1942. The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Helmut Grosse of KBK Lw 5 (Kriegsberichter-Kompanie Luftwaffe 5).

Source :
"Memoirs of a Stuka Pilot" by Helmut Mahlke
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=1314999#p1314999
https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Bevernis,_Heinz
https://www.feldgrau.com/ww2-german-stuka-assault-pilot-knights-cross-holders/
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/21968/Bevernis-Heinz.htm

Bio of Hauptmann Hartmut Schairer (1916-1942)

Hartmut Schairer

Date of Birth: 16.09.1916 - Nagold, Schwarzwald, Baden-Württemberg (German Empire)
Date of Death: 19.07.1942 - Staraya Russa, Novgorod Oblast (Soviet Union)
Buried: Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof Solzy (Soviet Union)

Promotions:
00.00.1939 Oberleutnant
00.00.194_ Hauptmann

Career:
00.00.1936 Joined the Kriegsmarine
00.00.1936 Transferred to the Luftwaffe
01.09.1939 - 00.09.1939 Assigned to the Luftwaffenpersonalamt des Reichsluftfahrtministerium
00.09.1939 Staffelführer 1.Staffel (Sturzkampf) / Trägergruppe 186
09.07.1940 Staffelführer 7.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 (StG 1)

Awards and Decorations:
00.00.19__ Flugzeugführerabzeichen
00.00.19__ Dienstauszeichnung der Wehrmacht IV.Klasse (4 Jahre)
00.00.19__ Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
00.00.19__ Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
00.00.194_ Luftwaffe Ehrenpokale für besondere Leistungen im Luftkrieg
00.00.194_ Frontflugspange in Gold
30.08.1941 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän 7.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 (StG 1). Awarded after flying considerably more than 150 sorties as a ground attack pilot.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hartmut Schairer (September 16, 1916 in Nagold; died July 19, 1942 near Staraja Russa in Russia) was a German officer in the Wehrmacht, most recently a captain in the Luftwaffe, dive fighter pilot and recipient of the Knight's Cross in World War II. In a relatively short time, Schairer completed 562 enemy flights with his Junkers Ju 87 against warships, troop carriers, enemy tanks and enemy positions, etc. in support of infantry and armored forces.

The Black Forest Schairer joined the Kriegsmarine in 1936 with the aim of becoming a sea pilot, but there were only limited positions and opportunities for advancement in the sea pilot associations. In the same year, the young ensign was transferred to the Luftwaffe, where he later became a Leutnant. After training as a pilot, he was assigned to the Air Force Personnel Office of the Reich Aviation Ministry at the beginning of September 1939.

From the RLM, Schairer was commanded to the 1.Staffel (Sturzkampf) / Trägergruppe 186, which was equipped with Junkers Ju 87 B (until September 2, 1939 in Stolp-West with the 1. Flieger-Division, until September 6 in breasterort, then stationed in Lauenburg, Danzig and Radom until October 1939). With the Tr.Gr.186 he took part in the Polish campaign and the western campaign in 1940. The 1./Tr.Gr.186 was stationed in Bastogne, Guise, Buzanzy, Villenauxe, Auxerre and Falaise.

On July 9, 1940, Schairer joined the 7th Squadron of the III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 1. Schairer was now assigned a new radio operator, Heinz Bevernis, with whom he was to fly continuously for the next two years. The group flew sorties with VIII. Fliegerkorps against sea targets in the Channel and near-shore targets in southern England during Operation Eagle Strike. In September the group was transferred to St. Pol near St. Omer and assigned to the II. Fliegerkorps. Under strong fighter cover, the group continued to fly missions against ships in the Thames estuary until mid-November. After that, only raids against sea targets in the Thames estuary were flown in bad weather or at night. On December 8, 1940, a supplementary squadron for the squadron was formed in Schaffen-Diest.

At the beginning of 1941 the III.Gruppe of the Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 stationed in Ostend. From mid-February 1941, the group moved to Trapani in Sicily, where it was deployed to the staff of X. Fliegerkorps against the British Mediterranean fleet of the Royal Navy and the British Mediterranean island of Malta.

From April 10th to May 8th the group with two squadrons (without 9th squadron) was deployed in Derna under Fliegerführer Afrika against sea targets and in support of the German Afrikakorps. The 9th squadron remained in Sicily and flew night missions against Malta from Comiso.

On May 23, the III. Gruppe, still without the 9 Squadron, transferred to Argos-South Greece to join the VIII. Fliegerkorps in support of Operation Merkur, the conquest of Crete. Squadron leader (possibly already squadron captain) Schairer sank a destroyer and four supply ships in the Mediterranean and damaged six other enemy ships, some of them severely. He had still managed to become a kind of naval aviator. At the beginning of June 1941, the group in Kitzingen and Cottbus was briefly refreshed.

At the beginning of the Russian campaign, the group was subordinate to its own squadron headquarters at VIII. Fliegerkorps. The group was used for attacks on troop targets, enemy movements, bridges, transport hubs and centers of resistance, the group supported the army's advance across the Berezina, the breakthrough through the Dnieper and Duna lines at Vitebsk and Polotsk, the encirclement battle of Smolensk, the Battle of Roslavl, at Rogachev and Gomel-Klinzy. This was followed by the encirclement battle of Kiev, the double battle of Bryansk-Vyazma and the advance on Orel and Tula under the VIII. Fliegerkorps. After suffering heavy losses, the group was withdrawn from action on December 6, 1941 and transferred to Schweinfurt for refreshment.

At the beginning of 1942, the II. Gruppe of the Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 was stationed in Schweinfurt for refreshment. In February 1942 the group moved via Neukuhren to Gostkino and Gorodjetz. The group was deployed in 1942 in the northern sector of the eastern front under the command of I. Fliegerkorps at the front focal points there.

On July 19, 1942, while the Battle of Demyansk was raging, Schairer's squadron had to engage in dive combat operation against advancing Soviet tanks, which they succeeded in doing. The Russians retreated. As squadron commander, it was his job to inspect the battlefield and the aftermath of the attack afterwards, which he did at low altitude. His Ju 87 D-1 (factory no. 2360) was hit by enemy anti-aircraft guns south-southeast of Lake Ilmen. The burning machine fell in Staraya Russa (Novgorod region) inexorably towards the earth. Hauptmann Schairer and his faithful radio operator/gunner Oberfeldwebel Heinz Bevernis fell as they flew – together for Germany. On September 19, 1942, Bevernis was the first Stuka Bordfunker (radio operator) / gunner to be awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross posthumously in World War II.

Ritterkreuzträger Leutnant Erich Hanne took over the leadership of the 7. Staffel for a short time, but he also stayed ahead of the enemy - he fell on September 5, 1942. After an attack on enemy tanks and a hit by anti-aircraft guns, he was able to intercept his damaged machine and gain height. brought his Ju 87 D-1 behind his own lines, ordered his gunners to parachute out, but before he could follow him over the wooded terrain, his machine stalled, leaving Hanne trapped in it.

Flew a total of 562 sorties as a Ju 87 pilot.

Oberleutnant Hartmut Schairer with the Ritterkreuz.

Oberleutnant Hartmut Schairer (Staffelkapitän 7.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 1) is seen cleaning his Leica camera. This Luftwaffe officer and Stuka ace was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes medal on 30 August 1941 after he completed 150 combat missions as a ground-attack pilot. Hauptmann Schairer died in action nearly a year later - on July 19, 1942 to be precise - after the Junkers Ju 87 he piloted crashed in Staraya Russa, Soviet Union, on his 562nd combat mission. His trusted gunner who had accompanied him since 1940, Oberfeldwebel Heinz Bevernis, also died with him. The gunner was later awarded the Ritterkreuz posthumously on September 19, 1942, and was recorded as the first Stuka gunner / radio operator in the entire Luftwaffe to receive such a high honor!



Theodor Nordmann (left) and Hartmut Schairer (right)



Hauptmann Hartmut Schairer and his trusted gunner Oberfeldwebel Heinz Bevernis in the cockpit of a Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka", May-July 1942. The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Helmut Grosse of KBK Lw 5 (Kriegsberichter-Kompanie Luftwaffe 5).

Source :
"Luftwaffe Officer Career Summaries: Section S-Z" by Henry L. deZeng IV and Douglas G. Stankey
"New Images of Nazi Germany: a Photographic Collection" by Paul Garson
http://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2013/05/saat-para-fotografer-beraksi.html
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/69001/Schairer-Hartmut.htm