The 1000th Mission of Stuka Ace Hans-Ulrich Rudel

Oberleutnant Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Staffelkapitän 1.Staffel / I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann") and Hauptmann Martin Möbus (Gruppenkommandeur II.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann") enjoying the meal that was organized to celebrate the return of Oberleutnant Rudel from his 1000th mission, 10 February 1943.

On 10 February 1943, flying from an airfield near Tatsinskaya in the Voroshilovgrad region, Oberleutnant Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Staffelkapitän 1.Staffel / I.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann") completed his 1000th combat mission (Feindflug). He thus became the first pilot in history to reach this extraordinary tally. The sortie took place amid operations near Izyum (Roven'ky-Horlivka area), where StG 2 supported ground forces in defensive and counter-attacking actions following the Soviet winter offensive.

Details of the specific target for this milestone flight are not extensively documented, consistent with the routine nature of many ground-attack missions - likely involving strikes on Soviet troop concentrations, artillery positions, or armored vehicles. What made the occasion remarkable was the sheer volume of sorties flown in under two years of active combat, a testament to the high sortie rate demanded on the Eastern Front and Rudel's exceptional endurance.

His comrades in StG 2 celebrated the achievement with traditional Luftwaffe gestures of good luck: a chimney sweep figure and a pig, along with an honor goblet filled with milk (reflecting Rudel's known abstinence from alcohol). The milestone received widespread coverage in German media, turning Rudel into a propaganda icon. It symbolized the Luftwaffe's commitment and the individual prowess of its pilots amid the grinding attrition of the war in the East.

Shortly after, Rudel was promoted to Hauptmann. He was granted leave, during which the propaganda apparatus further amplified his image as a model Stuka ace.

The 1000th mission served as a springboard for further innovations. Following this milestone, Rudel became involved in testing and developing the anti-tank variant of the Ju 87, the Ju 87G (Kanonenvogel), equipped with two 37 mm Bordkanone BK 3,7 cannons under the wings. He participated in experiments with this platform and later achieved notable successes against Soviet armor, including during the Battle of Kursk in July 1943, where he claimed multiple tank kills in single sorties.

In the months after February 1943, Rudel continued flying with StG 2 (later redesignated SG 2). He sank numerous landing craft in the Kuban bridgehead and destroyed his first tanks with the new weaponry. His awards accumulated rapidly: the Eichenlaub followed in April 1943, presented personally by Adolf Hitler. By the end of the war, Rudel had flown over 2,530 missions, claiming 519 tanks destroyed, among other targets, and received the unique Ritterkreuz mit Goldenem Eichenlaub.

Rudel's 1000th mission occurred during a critical phase of the Eastern Front war. After Stalingrad, German forces were on the defensive but still mounted major operations like the one at Kharkov. The high number of sorties reflected both the pilot's dedication and the desperate need for close air support in a theater where air superiority was increasingly contested.

While Rudel's achievements were heavily promoted by the Nazi regime, they also came at great cost. Many Stuka crews were lost to flak and fighters. Rudel himself was shot down multiple times but survived through skill and luck until late in the war. His post-war activities, including emigration to Argentina and involvement in far-right circles, remain controversial and separate from his wartime record.

Source :
© Willibald Wanderer/ECPAD/Defense
DAA 2705 L02A and DAA 2705 03
https://www.facebook.com/groups/222855636020791/posts/1305392441100433/?__cft__[0]=AZY3VicK_ZkeKETYJJNL64YVlBP65CwBezyTwmiBZWm9Tdl0NGZuMKAXz53JE7fvXY4e8UoykKRJm8cMBMCqGDYg400JBiwob0ogWA2i2HGh67ZyNjp_Z1_gBhPCSs7F8_eBVVdxduq6L4zKrhARZj6yItHkte-VlDdcSHWbDY53qv7cISRaBrjAbAI3ZOF_OGKUnnkkUgs0bud-267bCZWW&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

The 1111th Mission of Stuka Ace Theodor Nordmann

On a warm day in August 1944, Hauptmann Theodor Nordmann, the commanding officer of the second group of Schlachtgeschwader 3, stepped from the cockpit of his Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter-bomber after touching down on a forward airfield at Spilve, Riga (Latvia). Ground crew and fellow pilots immediately surrounded him, presenting a large floral wreath adorned with a prominent white sign that read “1111. Feindflug” along with a bouquet of fresh flowers. One comrade held a small wooden plaque shaped like a house with a silhouette of an aircraft marked by a cross, a symbolic tally of the milestone just achieved. Nordmann, still wearing his flight jacket and leather gloves, smiled as he accepted the honors, the wreath momentarily placed on the aircraft’s canopy before being carried away in celebration. The moment, captured in photographs that have since become historical records, marked the completion of his one thousand one hundred and eleventh combat sortie, an extraordinary feat even among the Luftwaffe’s most experienced Schlachtflieger.

Theodor Nordmann was born on 18 December 1918 in Dorsten, Westphalia, the sixth of eight children in a family that would see him grow into one of the most decorated dive-bomber and ground-attack pilots of the Second World War. He joined the Luftwaffe in November 1937, initially training as a reconnaissance pilot before transferring in March 1940 to the carrier-intended 1. Staffel of Trägergruppe 186, which flew the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka. The unit was soon redesignated and integrated into Sturzkampfgeschwader 1, where Nordmann flew conventional bombing missions over France and Britain in 1940, earning both classes of the Iron Cross that year. By 1941 his group had moved to the Mediterranean, where he claimed the sinking of a 5,000-ton merchant vessel during operations against Malta. That autumn, after roughly 190 sorties and the destruction of twenty Soviet tanks on the Eastern Front, he received the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.

Nordmann’s operational pace intensified during the grueling campaigns in the East. In the summer of 1942, as Staffelkapitän of 8. Staffel of StG 1, he reached his 600th combat mission over the Orel sector, becoming the first Stuka pilot to achieve that milestone. On 1 February 1943 he flew his 700th sortie, and in March of that year he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight’s Cross. By April 1944, now serving as Gruppenkommandeur of II. Gruppe of Schlachtgeschwader 3 after a brief period of test flying, he had completed his 1,000th mission. The transition from the Ju 87 to the more versatile Fw 190 had begun, allowing the unit to continue its punishing close-support role against Soviet armor and supply lines. Nordmann personally accounted for the destruction of approximately eighty enemy tanks and the sinking or damaging of 43,000 gross register tons of shipping across his career, figures that underscored the lethal effectiveness of the Schlachtflieger in supporting the German army’s desperate defensive battles.

Reaching 1,111 sorties placed Nordmann in rare company. Very few pilots in any air force during the war accumulated such a staggering number of combat flights, particularly in the high-risk environment of low-level ground attack where anti-aircraft fire and fighter interception claimed many lives. The celebration on that August day was not merely ceremonial; it reflected the Luftwaffe’s tradition of honoring exceptional endurance and leadership. The wreath and plaque, traditional symbols used for milestone flights, were presented with genuine respect by men who understood the constant danger Nordmann had faced day after day. He continued flying after the event, and on 17 September 1944 he was awarded the Swords to the Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves, the 98th such decoration of the war, after approximately 1,140 missions.

By the final months of the conflict Nordmann had been promoted to major and had flown nearly 1,300 combat missions in total, roughly 200 of them in the Fw 190. On 19 January 1945, while operating near Insterburg in East Prussia, his aircraft collided in poor weather with that of his wingman, Oberfeldwebel Sroka. Both pilots were killed instantly. Nordmann was thirty-six years old. His death came just weeks after his marriage and at a time when the Eastern Front was collapsing under overwhelming Soviet pressure. The 1,111th-mission celebration, preserved in those black-and-white images of flowers, smiles, and the handwritten sign on the wreath, stands as a poignant snapshot of a pilot who had pushed the limits of human endurance in one of history’s most demanding aerial roles.

Major Theodor Nordmann (Gruppenkommandeur II.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 3 (SG 3) being greeted with a bouquet on reaching a landmark 1111th sortie (one thousand one hundred and eleven) at Spilve, Riga (Latvia), August 1944. The picture wasw taken by Kriegsberichter Seidat and was first published on 13 September 1944.

Major Theodor Nordmann (Gruppenkommandeur II.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 3 (SG 3) being greeted with a bouquet on reaching a landmark 1111th sortie (one thousand one hundred and eleven) at Spilve, Riga (Latvia), August 1944. Picture above from Hans Schuh's article on Nordmann's Feldpostbriefe in Luftwaffen Revue. Nordmann's Fw 190 F-8 via expired Ebay auctions.



Major Theodor Nordmann (Gruppenkommandeur II.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 3 (SG 3) being greeted with a bouquet on reaching a landmark 1111th sortie (one thousand one hundred and eleven) at Spilve, Riga (Latvia), August 1944. A rare image from expired ebay auctions. Note the diving crow emblem used by I./StG 1 and II./StG 3 that became I./SG 1 and II./SG 3 in October 1943, and then converted to Fw 190 respectively around December 1943 and June 1944.



Major Theodor Nordmann (Gruppenkommandeur II.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 3 (SG 3) being greeted with a bouquet on reaching a landmark 1111th sortie (one thousand one hundred and eleven) at Spilve, Riga (Latvia), August 1944. A rare image from expired ebay auctions.

The latest Exito Decals 'pack' release features Nordmann's Kommandeur II./SG 3 Fw 190 F-8 as illustrated by Janusz Swaitlon and based on the photos reproduced here. This new Exito decal set is entitled 'Luftwaffe Ground Attackers vol.1' and covers three different German assault aircraft. As usual with Exito you get a nice decal set of new "first-time" subjects, full colour A-4 glossy prints of each "subject" and detailed colour camouflage discussion as the artist explains how he arrived at his "colour decisions".

Sources:
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodor_Nordmann
www.falkeeins.blogspot.com/2019/05/hptm-theo-nordmann-kommodore.html
www.tracesofwar.com/persons/25331/Nordmann-Theodor.htm
www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Personenregister/N/NordmannT.htm
Ritterkreuzträger records and contemporary Luftwaffen Revue articles referenced in secondary sources.

Coffee and Toast for the Newly Decorated Friedrich Salamon

Coffee and toast for the newly decorated Ritterkreuzträger, Stabsarzt Dr.med. Friedrich Salamon (10 May 1912 - 17 April 1985). Salamon received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 20 July 1944 as Bataillonsarzt of II.Bataillon / Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26 / 24.Panzer-Division.

Source :
Ian Jewison photo collection
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10160238653063869&set=gm.803226007983748&idorvanity=222855636020791

Hans-Ulrich Rudel Celebrates His 2000th Mission

This picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Rothkopf and it shows Major Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Gruppenkommandeur III.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 2) celebrates the successful completion of his 2,000th combat mission - and 301 tanks destroyed - on 1 June 1944. He was among the first pilots of l./St.G 2 "Immelmann" to test the Ju 87D, armed with two Flak 18 cannons, which became the prototype of the Ju 87G. A true master of anti-tank combat, Rudel fought almost exclusively with Stukas until the end of the war, ending it with no less than 519 Soviet tanks destroyed. Saluting at left is Oberleutnant Hendrik Stahl (Staffelkapitän 8.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 2).

Major Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Gruppenkommandeur III.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 2) celebrates the successful completion of his 2,000th combat mission - and 301 tanks destroyed - on 1 June 1944.

Source :
https://military.wikireading.ru/62401

Celebration for Ernst Kupfer's 500th Mission

Major Dr.jur. Ernst Kupfer (Gruppenkommandeur II.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann") is congratulated after returning from his 500th combat mission, 30 October 1942. Behind him is a Junkers Ju-87D "Stuka" dive-bomber. The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Klaus Niermann.

Major Dr.jur. Ernst Kupfer (Gruppenkommandeur II.Gruppe / Schlachtgeschwader 2 "Immelmann") and his rear gunner are congratulated after returning from their 500th combat mission, 30 October 1942. Behind him is a Junkers Ju-87D "Stuka" dive-bomber. The picture was taken by Kriegsberichter Klaus Niermann.

Source :
https://www.grenadierauctions.com/news.html
https://www.reddit.com/r/WW2info/comments/199jemb/the_commander_of_ii_stg2_major_ernst_kupfer_is/

Hans-Ulrich Rudel's 1,500th Combat Mission

9 October 1943: The jubilant return from the historic combat sortie of III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) "Immelmann". At left is Oberfeldwebel Erwin Hentschel (1,200th sortie) with bottles of Champagne, while at right is Gruppenführer Hauptmann Hans-Ulrich Rudel (1,500th sortie) with a piglet. At center is Gruppe Adjutant Leutnant Helmut Fickel.

In the late summer and fall of 1943 Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) "Immelmann" are devotedly trying to help the striking Wehrmacht units in stopping the Soviet troops, which are attacking in an extended line. However, along with their ground army comrades, they have to retreat ever farther west. The Geschwader's consecutive bases are: Karaychev, Bryansk, Kharkov, Dnepro-petrovsk, Barvinovka, Stalino, Pavlovka, Bolshaya Kostromka and eventually Krivoy Rog. October 1943 sees fierce fighting in the arch of the Don. On the 9th Hauptmann Hans-Ulrich Rudel (Gruppenführer III. Gruppe) becomes the first pilot in history to fly a 1,500th combat sortie. Kriegsberichter (War correspondent) Josef "Jupp" Müller-Marein witnessed this action:

"It's Hptm. Rudel's 1,500th sortie. Morning, about 8 o'clock. The air is misty. Clouds are hanging low. Only for off above the horizon can one see a fragment of clear blue sky framed by white curls of clouds — it looks like a tiny banner, an area of a friendly color above the grim ground, where the frontline runs.

Hptm. Rudel has completed 1,499 combat sorties, so this is going to be the 1,500th. Indeed, if this number be the sum of all the dangers, it shall also be that of all the great and daring combat actions. Yes, a number can become a monument — a monument to great victories.

Hptm. Rudel has appeared. The light-grey of the vest which he has put on his suit is contrasting with his sun-burnt face. It is a proportional face of a very manly but at the same time boyish expression. He climbs into his machine with a sportsman's skill. But later, after he has taken off at the head of his Gruppe, there is occasion to look upon him as an airman: Hauptmann Rudel operates the controls with such ease and feel that one may forget about the heavy bombs carried under the fuselage. From time to time he takes the map and scans it. Sometimes he thoughtfully raises his hand against the forehead to scrutinize the sky in search for enemy fighters. At times, he points his index finger up as if in order to admonish himself or his comrades. Turned in the opposite direction is his radio-operator sitting behind his back, with whom he has been flying for quite some time — they are inseparable like brothers. The Radio-operator, who's flying his 1,200th combat sortie on this mission, is constantly looking into the distance from behind the handle of his machine gun. A farm boy from the heart of Saxony, he remains cold-blooded. Now he's an Oberfeldwebel, but he remembers how it was when instead of flying over trenched fields of crops he slowly and meditatively followed the plough.

How beautiful and powerful the impression is also today, in this misty sky, of the speeding aircraft of our dive-bomber Gruppe! Their bodies with bent wings, clearly outlined against the grey cloud cover, look like armed, dangerous hornets. And over there, where the light-blue fragment of the sky is to be seen, ruins the frontline.

Then sounds a voice indicating the exact target of the raid: enemy troops concentrated at front attacking positions. Yellowish curls of pungent smoke are rising from below — the sign of advanced German positions. Is there no-man's-land here at all? No, right before the German lines are Soviet troops, sticking in the ground and waiting to attack. Gun by gun, tank by tank. Yes, that which is happening below is only a short break before an oncoming strike. The Stukas should hit there.

Attack!' — it is commander Hauptmann's voice, a voice that is so calm on this 1,500" combat sortie as during his first action back in Poland. The dance of the hornets has already begun. Their every turn is just an attempt to break through the net mesh formed by enemy gunfire. And after a while everything follows quickly. The commander is the first to dive. The other aircraft follow him, which looks as if the aircraft were linked with a magnetic tape. The diving and then steeply pulling-up aircraft disappear in the smoke plumes generated by their bombs blowing up. Aircraft cannons and machine guns are dispatching tracers in the direction of the trenches occupied by Soviets, who are cowering under the fire. A Soviet tank is rolling by, seeking shelter among sparse vegetation somewhere aside. The Stukas are circling over the battlefield, repeating low-flying attacks over an over again. This is the 1,500th combat sortie!

Task accomplished, the Gruppe lands on their decent airfield, Hptm. Rude! being first to leave the aircraft, and his face and movements as fresh as before take-off.

The general who commands the Fliegerkorps appears at the airfield. He expresses his congratulations in a few simple words. His comrades bring two squealing pigs to satisfy the superstition. What else can be given to a commander who does not smoke or drink? They bring cakes, pies, flowers. Hptm. Rudel is smiling heartily holding all these gifts in his hands."

Source :
"St.G2 Immelmann" by Marek J. Murawski

1,000th Mission of Georg Jakob

19 June 1944: Generalleutnant Walther Wenck (left, Chef des Generalstabes Heeresgruppe Südukraine) and Generaloberst Ferdinand Schörner (Oberbefehlshaber Heeresgruppe Südukraine) congratulates Major Georg Jakob (Geschwaderkommodore Schlachtgeschwader 10) who has just completed his 1000th Feindflug (combat mission)! For this extraordinary achievement, on 30 September 1944 Jakob was awarded the Eichenlaub for his Ritterkreuz (which he had previously obtained on 27 April 1942). In this photo, Jakob hugs the mascot of SG 10, a pig, with the number "1,000" written on the animal's body.

Source :
http://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2014/05/album-foto-schnellkampfgeschwader-10.html
https://fotobethge.com/index.php?auswahl=Onlineshop

Bio of Oberstleutnant d.R. Curt Ehle (1899-1986)

Curt Ehle

Date of Birth: 21.10.1899 - Salzwedel, Sachsen-Anhalt (German Empire)
Date of Death: 16.08.1986 - Uelzen, Niedersachsen (West Germany)

Battles and Campaigns: Invasion of Poland (1939), Battle of France (1940), North African Campaign (1941-1943), Operation Battleaxe (1941), Operation Crusader (1941), Battle of Gazala (1942), First Battle of El Alamein (1942), Second Battle of El Alamein (1942), Eastern Front (1943-1945)

Promotions:
00.00.1939 Leutnant der Reserve
00.00.1940 Oberleutnant der Reserve
00.00.1940 Hauptmann der Reserve
01.10.1941 Major der Reserve
01.11.1944 Oberstleutnant der Reserve (RDA 09.11.1944)

Career:
15.06.1917 Fahnenjunker in Infanterie-Regiment 93
00.05.1920 Left the Military
00.00.1936 Reserve officer
00.00.1939 Nachr.Zugf. in Infanterie-Regiment 93 / 13.Infanterie-Division (mot.)
00.09.1939 Führer 9.Kompanie / Infanterie-Regiment 93 (mot.)
00.11.1940 Served with Kradschützen-Bataillon 15 / 15.Panzer-Division
00.00.1944 went on a course for Regimentskommandeur
00.04.1944 Served with Panzergrenadier-Regiment 93
Summer 1944 moved to the Neuruppin to join Panzer-Brigade 102
00.00.1945 Kommandeur Panzergrenadier-Regiment 7
Last days of the war fought in the north of Berlin.

Awards and Decorations:
00.00.191_ 1914 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
00.00.191_ 1914 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
00.00.191_ Schlesischer Adler
00.00.193_ Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer 1914-1918
07.10.1939 1939 spange zum 1914 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
21.06.1940 1939 spange zum 1914 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
00.00.194_ Panzerkampfabzeichen in Silber
00.00.194_ Verwundetenabzeichen 1939 in Schwarz
27.07.1941 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes #401, as Hauptmann der Reserve and Führer 1.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 15 / 15.Panzer-Division. Awarded for preventing a British breakthrough attempt that was ultimately intended to result in the recapture of Cyrenaica. Submitted on 24.07.1941. Preliminary document and decoration on 28.07.1941 to Afrikakorps.
00.00.1943 Ärmelband Afrika
29.11.1944 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #673, as Major der Reserve and Führer Panzer-Brigade 102 / 561.Panzergrenadier-Division. Awarded for the achievements of his Panzer-Brigade, which first saw action in August 1944. It distinguished itself first at Ostrolenka and later in the defensive battles for East Prussia. Submitted on 19.11.1944.
17.02.1945 Mentioned in Wehrmachtbericht

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Curt Ehle joined the ranks on September 1, 1939 as a Leutnant d.R. into the Wehrmacht. In 1941 he was leader of the 1.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 15 in the 15th P.D. in Africa. After Ehle prevented the attempted breakthrough by the English in Bardia, it became possible to reconquer Cyrenaice. For this courageous act he was awarded the Ritterkreuz on July 27, 1941. Curt Ehle acquired the oak leaves in Russia as the leader of the Panzer Brigade 102 on the Eastern Front and later in the fighting in East Prussia with the 3rd Panzer Army.

Ritterkreuz award ceremony for Hauptmann der Reserve Curt Ehle (Führer 1.Kompanie / Kradschützen-Bataillon 15 / 15.Panzer-Division) which were held on 1 August 1941 near Fort Capuzzo, Libya. The medal was presented by Generalmajor Walter Neumann-Silkow (right, Kommandeur 15. Panzer-Division). Ehle formally received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 27 July 1941. The medal was awarded for preventing a British breakthrough attempt that was ultimately intended to result in the recapture of Cyrenaica. The Ritterkreuz recommendation was submitted on 24 July 1941, while preliminary document and decoration were sent to the headquarters of Afrikakorps on 28 July 1941. The picture was taken by Bildberichter Weisgärber of PK (Propaganda-Kompanie) "Afrika". Other pictures from this sequence can be seen HERE.

Curt Ehle as Hauptmann der Reserve.

Curt Ehle (second from left) in a party.

Oberstleutnant der Reserve Curt Ehle wearing the Eichenlaub which he received on 29 November 1944 as Major der Reserve and Führer Panzer-Brigade 102 / 561.Panzergrenadier-Division. The medal was awarded for the achievements of his Panzer-Brigade, which first saw action in August 1944. It distinguished itself first at Ostrolenka and later in the defensive battles for East Prussia. The Eichenlaub recommendation was submitted on 19 November 1944 previously.

Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=2494170#p2494170
https://wwii.germandocsinrussia.org/de/nodes/1450#page/109/mode/inspect/zoom/4
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi11cHm5cWBAxWkzzgGHSz7A7E4ChAWegQIBhAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ritterkreuztraeger.info%2Frkel%2Fe%2FEL673Ehle.pdf&usg=AOvVaw2kiL0ksNSy1UDPaA0BtBxJ&opi=89978449
https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Curt_Ehle
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums/forum/wehrmacht-era-militaria/photos-and-paper-items-forum/984299-rkt-identifications#post7416439

Waldemar Riefkogel and Erwin Meierdrees

Officers of SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Totenkopf" celebrating the Summer Solstice in the Eastern Front. On the right hand side of the photograph is SS-Obersturmführer Waldemar Riefkogel (Chef 1.Kompanie / I.Abteilung / SS-Panzer-Regiment 3 "Totenkopf"), in the middle is SS-Hauptsturmführer Erwin Meierdrees (Kommandeur I.Abteilung / SS-Panzer-Regiment 3 "Totenkopf"), while the SS-Obersturmführer on his right is not identified. The picture was taken on 20-21 June 1943 just before Unternehmen Zitadelle (Battle of Kursk).

Source :
http://charkow-43.ucoz.ru/photo/personalii/waldemar_riefkogel/113
https://www.tumblr.com/fallschirmjager/6869377152/3rd-ss-panzer-regiment-totenkopf-celebrating-the

Welcoming Ceremony for Erwin Meierdrees

SS-Hauptsturmführer Erwin Meierdrees (Kommandeur I.Abteilung / SS-Panzer-Regiment 3 "Totenkopf" / SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Totenkopf") in Germany after being awarded the Eichenlaub to his Ritterkreuz by Hitler. Konstantinos Laios photo collection.

Source :
KL Archive
https://www.facebook.com/groups/691098008051629

Celebration of Horst Quednau's 400th Mission

Jubiläumsflug (anniversary flight) of Hauptmann Horst Quednau (center), Staffelkapitän of 8.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Kampfgeschwader 27 (KG 27) "Boelcke", after he is returning from his 400th mission. In the background is a Heinkel He 111H belong to Quednau. Back to the camera, at left is Leutnant Thiedemann while at right is "der Spieß" of the squadron. The picture was taken near Kursk or Polta on 21 April 1943.

Jubiläumsflug (anniversary flight) of Hauptmann Horst Quednau (2nd from right), Staffelkapitän of 8.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Kampfgeschwader 27 (KG 27) "Boelcke", after he is returning from his 400th mission. In the background is a Heinkel He 111H belong to Quednau. Back to the camera, at left is Leutnant Thiedemann while at right is "der Spieß" of the squadron. The picture was taken near Kursk or Polta on 21 April 1943.



Hauptmann Horst Quednau (Staffelkapitän of 8.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Kampfgeschwader 27) after the celebration of his Jubiläumsflug (anniversary flight) of  (KG 27), the completion of his 400th mission. In the background is a Heinkel He 111H belong to Quednau. The picture was taken near Kursk or Polta on 21 April 1943.

Source :
https://reibert.info/threads/kampfgeschwader-27-boelcke-kg-27.405759/

Celebration for the Award of the Ritterkreuz for Franz Doff

Bavaria, near Bad Reichenhall - Celebration on the occasion of the award of the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes to Oberjäger Franz Doff, who sits at the front of the table (back to the camera). Doff received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 20 July 1942 as a Gefreiter and Gruppenführer in 10.Kompanie / II.Bataillon / Gebirgsjäger-Regiment 98 / 1.Gebirgs-Division. The picture itself was taken by Kriegsberichter Hochscheidt in August 1942.

Source :
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=franz%20doff