While conducting photo research for the George Nipe book "Blood, Steel, and Myth" in the summer of 2011, author Remy Spezzano came across a roll of film that had some rare never before seen shots showing panzer crewmen and officers from II.Abteilung / SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 / SS-Panzergrenadier-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler" during the Battle of Kursk, July 1943.
The images were scanned from an original 35mm contact sheet. Unfortunately the quality of the images are not worthy of reproducing in a book due to all the scratches. However they are of interest to share with fellow enthusiasts on line.
The photos were taken by Waffen-SS Kriegsberichter (war correspondent) Max Büschel who was attached to the Leibstandarte during the summer offensive. Büschel managed to capture a moment in time when the company commanders regrouped after an earlier tank battle.
The photos are shown in the sequence they were taken.
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Wilhelm Drewes (26 May 1907 - 14 July 1982) received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 27 October 1943 as Hauptmann and Führer I.Bataillon / Panzergrenadier-Regiment 13 / 5.Panzer-Division. During the heavy defensive battles along the Dnieper Drewes and his Bataillon held off a Soviet onslaught along a broad front. He and his Kampfgruppe defended the crossing point north of Joltscha on 28 September 1943, and by attacking into the enemy’s left flank Drewes was able to prevent the Soviets from thrusting in a westerly direction. He would later receive the Ritterkreuz for his actions during this battle.
Drewes received the Eichenlaub #458 for his Ritterkreuz on 20 April 1944 as Major and Kommandeur I.Bataillon / Panzergrenadier-Regiment 13 / 5.Panzer-Division. During the relief of Kovel in early 1944 Drewes and his Bataillon attacked the chain of hills west of Smidyn on 31 March 1944. He and his men then captured the western part of Smidyn in accordance with their orders. However when he saw that the bridges between the two parts of the village were undamaged, he continued attacking into the eastern part of Smidyn on his own initiative. He stormed this place with only 2 Kompanien and 2 Panzers, and in doing so created an important bridgehead. By this action the conditions were established for the 4. and 5. Panzer-Divisionen to continue their relief efforts on the other side of the large ring of swampy land around Kowel, which eventually led to the relief of the city itself. Drewes would be decorated with the Eichenlaub for the major achievement brought about by his own initiative here.
Source :
ECPAD archives (LWEK F7096 L02)
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/29125/Drewes-Wilhelm.htm
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General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel (Kommandierender General Deutsches Afrikakorps) directs the movements of his force with Oberst Erwin Menny (Kommandeur 15.Schützen-Brigade / 15.Panzer-Division) in North Africa. The picture was taken before Menny received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (26 December 1941).
Erwin Rommel conferred with his two officers in the North African desert. As usual, the Desert Fox is wearing his daughter's scarf and British captured goggle. No exact information about when or where this pic was taken.
Ernst Kühl
Date of Birth: 18.03.1888 - Breslau, Schlesien (German Empire)
Date of Death: 02.02.1972 - Münster, Nordrhein-Westfalen (West Germany)
NSDAP Number: unknown (joined 01.05.1933)
Promotions:
00.00.1911 Leutnant der Reserve
00.00.1936 Oberleutnant der Reserve
01.08.1939 Hauptmann der Reserve
00.00.1940 Major der Reserve
01.02.1942 Oberstleutnant der Reserve
17.10.1942 Oberst der Reserve
Career:
00.00.1910 - 00.00.1911 one-year volunteer in Reiter-Abteilung / Feld-Artillerie-Regiment Nr. 11
00.00.1914 Drafted again in Fußartillerie-Regiment Nr. 22
00.00.1919 Released from the military
00.00.1928 Landrat (District Administrator) in Münster
00.00.1932 Acquiring Flugzeugführerschein (private pilot's license)
00.00.1936 Accepted in the Luftwaffe
00.00.1939 Kampfgeschwader 55 (KG 55)
00.09.1940 Wounded in action
00.03.1941 Gruppenkommandeur II.Gruppe / Kampfgeschwader 55 (KG 55)
00.08.1942 Geschwaderkommodore Kampfgeschwader 55 (KG 55)
00.11.1942 Lufttransportfuhrer Morosowskaja
08.08.1943 Fliegerführer Nord
00.02.1944 Kommandeur 3. Flieger-Division
00.07.1944 Fliegerführer Drontheim (Fliegerführer 4)
19.12.1944 - 31.01.1945 Kommandeur 5. Flieger-Division
00.03.1945 Kommandeur 14. Flieger-Division
00.05.1945 - 00.09.1947 Taken prisoner by the British
00.00.194_ Member of the expert committee for the reorganization of the federal territory
00.00.1955 Delegated to the expert committee for the reorganization of the federal territory
Awards and Decorations:
00.00.191_ 1914 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
00.00.191_ 1914 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
00.00.193_ Ehrenkreuz für Frontkämpfer 1914-1918
00.00.1936 Flugzeugführerabzeichen
00.00.1939 1939 spange zum 1914 Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse
00.00.1940 1939 spange zum 1914 Eisernes Kreuz I.Klasse
00.00.1940 Verwundetenabzeichen in Schwarz
20.12.1941 Luftwaffe Ehrenpokale für besondere Leistungen im Luftkrieg
21.08.1942 Deutsches Kreuz in Gold
17.10.1942 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes #620, as Oberstleutnant der Reserve and Geschwaderkommodore Kampfgeschwader 55 (KG 55). Awarded for the outstanding leadership of his Gruppe and later Kampfgeschwader on the Eastern front, as well as his personal achievements over the course of 230 sorties. In this time his units flew mostly on the southern sector of the Eastern front, flying a number of missions against targets at Stalingrad in 1942.
18.12.1943 Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes mit Eichenlaub #356, as Oberst der Reserve and Geschwaderkommodore Kampfgeschwader 55 (KG 55) "Greif". Awarded for the continued successes of his Geschwader up until he gave up command of the unit on 08.08.1943. In this time he and his men had flown transport missions to Stalingrad, attacked the tank factory at Gorki and the refineries at Saratov, and participated in support of Operation Citadel in July 1943. Particularly noteworthy was the Geschwader’s support of the II. SS-Panzer-Korps on the 07.07.1943 near Gremutschi and Krassaja, where his pilots flew 178 missions against targets as close as 200 metres away from friendly lines. By the time of his reception of the Eichenlaub Kühl had also reached a personal mission count of 314, a remarkable achievement given his age!
11.04.1944 Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht: "Fliegende Verbände unter Führung von Oberst Kühl und ein Flakregiment unter Oberstleutnant Bulla zeichneten sich besonders aus" (Flying units under the leadership of Oberst Kühl and an anti aircraft regiment under Oberstleutnant Bulla distinguished themselves exceptionally)
24.06.1944 Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht
00.00.194_ Frontflugspange für Kampfflieger in Gold mit Anhänger
00.00.19__ Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or Bundesverdienstorden
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Ernst Kühl (March 28, 1888 in Breslau; February 2, 1972 in Münster) was a German legal scholar, doctorate in administrative law and head of the cultural department of the Westphalian Provincial Association under Governor Kolbow, as well as an officer in the German Army and the Wehrmacht, most recently Oberst der Reserve der Luftwaffe, bomber pilot and Eichenlaubträger in World War II. At the end of the war he was commander of the 5. Flieger-Division. With between 315 and 400 enemy flights. Alongside Werner Baumbach, Joachim Helbig, Dietrich Peltz and Hermann Hogeback, he was considered the most successful bomber pilot in the Luftwaffe.
Ernst Kühl studied law in Königsberg and Berlin and, after graduating, worked as a government trainee in the Prussian administration. In 1910 and 1911 he served as a one-year volunteer in the cavalry department of the 1st Kurhessian Field Artillery Regiment No. 11 and was discharged as a reserve lieutenant.
As Leutnant d.R. drafted again, he fought in the First World War in the Foot Artillery Regiment No. 22. After the end of the war he was released from the Provisional Reichswehr in 1919 and became District Administrator in Münster in 1928. After acquiring his private pilot's license in 1932 (he completed three Germany flights as a sports pilot and took part in various flying competitions), he was accepted into the new Luftwaffe as a reserve officer in 1936. On August 1, 1939, after a military exercise, he was promoted to Hauptmann d. R. promoted. At the beginning of the war he was transferred to Kampfgeschwader 55, with which he took part in the Polish and western campaigns.
In September 1940 Major Dr. Kühl wounded during Operation "Adlerangriff" (Eagle Attack) when his He 111 P-2 was shot down by the Royal Air Force. He landed in the English Channel, he and his crew were finally rescued by the pilots of the Seenotdienst. Kühl was taken to the hospital in Cherbourg. In March 1941, after more than 100 enemy flights, he was appointed commander of II. Gruppe of the squadron and in August 1942 he was appointed commander of KG 55.
After 230 enemy flights, he was awarded the Ritterkreuz on October 17, 1942. In November 1942 he was also "Lufttransportfuhrer Morosowskaja" (Transport Pilot 2), from where he led the subordinate He 111 to supply supplies to Stalingrad. After the fall of Stalingrad, the remainder of the fighter squadron flew missions on the Don. On August 8, 1943, he relinquished command of the squadron to become Fliegerführer "Nord" (Fliegerführer Nordmeer) on the Arctic Ocean. On December 18, 1943 he was awarded the Eichenlaub. In February 1944 he took over the 3. Flieger-Division, in July 1944 he was appointed Fliegerführer Drontheim (Fliegerführer 4).
On December 19, 1944 he finally became commander of the 5. Flieger-Division in Bardufoss-Heggeli or Narvik, on February 1, 1945 he was replaced by Major General Walter Storp. In March 1945 he was appointed commander of the 14. Flieger-Division in Westphalia, but he was no longer able to take up his post due to the disruption in air communications from Norway. At the end of the war he was taken prisoner by the British.
In September 1947, Kühl, who had been taken prisoner by the British at the end of the war, returned to Germany and wrote several works and was a member of the expert committee for the reorganization of the federal territory. He also drew up a memorandum on the reorganization of the federal territory for the Prime Minister at the time, Karl Arnold. In 1955 he was delegated to the expert committee for the reorganization of the federal territory under the former Reich Chancellor Hans Luther.
Furthermore, during this time, Dr. Kühl manned the Aero-Club Münster, of which he was appointed 1st chairman. Later, the Bundestag delegated him as a representative of the newly founded Luftwaffe of the Federal Republic of Germany to the personnel expert committee for the review and recruitment of generals and colonels in the Bundeswehr armed forces, e.g. also Pöschl, Westhoven and many more.
For his work in the post-war period, Oberst d.R. a.D Dr.jur. Ernst Kühl received the Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Ernst Kühl achieved a total of about 400 operational sorties during the Second World War.
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Near Bad Reichenhall, Bavaria - Newly awarded Ritterkreuzträger Franz Doff reporting on his wartime experiences to his family in his parents' house during home leave. 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 was taken by Kriegsberichter Hochscheidt in August 1942.
