Erwin Rommel and Luftwaffe Officers in Africa

General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel (center, Befehlshaber Panzergruppe "Afrika") is chatting with General der Flieger Hans Geisler (Kommandierender General X. Fliegerkorps), while behind Rommel stands Oberstleutnant im Generalstab Siegfried Westphal (Ia Panzergruppe "Afrika"). The picture was taken in Derna, Libya, on 30 September 1941. Note the building walls in the background that have been carefully painted in camouflage!

From left to right: Generalmajor Stefan Fröhlich (Fliegerführer Afrika), General der Flieger Hans Geisler (Kommandierender General X. Fliegerkorps), General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel (Befehlshaber Panzergruppe "Afrika"), Oberstleutnant im Generalstab Siegfried Westphal (hidden, Ia Panzergruppe "Afrika"), and Generalmajor Alfred Gause (Chef des Generalstabes Panzergruppe "Afrika"). The picture was taken in Derna, Libya, on 30 September 1941.

Source :
http://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2012/03/album-foto-erwin-rommel-sebagai_1308.html

Three Officers of Kampfgeschwader 76

Three officers from Kampfgeschwader 76 (KG 76) in a picture taken on 8 December 1940. From left to right: Major Walter Storp (Gruppenkommandeur II.Gruppe / Kampfgeschwader 76), Generalmajor Stefan Fröhlich (Geschwaderkommodore Kampfgeschwader 76), and Major Alois Lindmayr (Gruppenkommandeur III.Gruppe / Kampfgeschwader 76).

 
Source :
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-german-pilots-talking-1940-48337414.html?imageid=8CAAF8E9-7035-4D09-820B-36912BBB66A0&p=291611&pn=1&searchId=814e342b9cbcb911b466bccd633c04aa&searchtype=0

Ritterkreuz Award Ceremony for Hermann Hogeback

 

Ritterkreuz award ceremony for Oberleutnant Hermann Hogeback (Staffelkapitän 9.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Lehrgeschwader 1), which was held on 8 September 1941 in North Africa. The officer who awarded the medal is Generalmajor Stefan Fröhlich (Fliegerführer Afrika). The Ritterkreuz #318 was awarded to Hogeback for his successes as a bomber pilot during the course of 163 sorties over the Mediterranean, Yugoslavia and North Africa.

Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?p=2344847#p2344847
https://www.tracesofwar.com/persons/29704/Hogeback-Hermann.htm

Bio of General der Flieger Stefan Fröhlich

Stefan Fröhlich (7 October 1889 - 2 October 1978) was the most senior operational recipient of the
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes in 1940, and the first Austrian to receive it. He joined the Austrian Heer in 1908 and served throughout the First World War as an engineer officer, reaching the rank of Hauptmann. He remained in the Heer after the war and by 1937 had reached the rank of Major and was responsible for flight equipment. Following promotion to Oberstleutnant he was in charge of the Flight Training Regiment. After Austria’s incorporation into the German Reich, Fröhlich joined the Luftwaffe, and in February 1939, after a short attachment to III.Gruppe / Kampfgeschwader 255 (KG 255), took command of I.Gruppe / Kampfgeschwader 158 (which became I./KG 76 in May 1939). After the Poland Campaign, by which time Fréhlich had been promoted to Oberst, he was given command of Kampfgeschwader 76 (KG 76), which he led until February 1941. During this time, he led his Geschwader successfully in the Battle of France, Battle of Britain and the Blitz, flying on a number of missions. For example, on 15 August 1940 (by which time he had been promoted to Generalmajor) during an attack on the airfield at Redhill, his pilot, Oberleutnant Hans Lommatsch, was wounded but managed to return to France; although Fröhlich was uninjured, Lommatsch died of his wounds on 7 September 1940. After having handed over the Geschwader to Oberst Ernst Bormann, Fröhlich became Fliegerführer Afrika for the next fourteen months. A series of senior staff appointments followed and he ended the war with the rank of General der Flieger.

Source :

"Knights of the Battle of Britain: Luftwaffe Aircrew Awarded the Knight's Cross in 1940" by Chris Goss

"Uniforms of the Third Reich - A Study in Photography" by A. Hayes dan J. Maguire

Fröhlich, Gause and Rommel

From left to right: Generalmajor (Luftwaffe) Stefan Fröhlich (Fliegerführer Afrika), Generale di Brigata Aerea Ferdinando Raffaelli (Commanding Officer Eastern Sector, North African Italian Air Command), Generalmajor Alfred Gause (Chef des Generalstabes Panzergruppe Afrika), and General der Panzertruppe Erwin Rommel (Kommandierender General Panzergruppe Afrika). The picture was taken between September-November 1941.

Source :
NARA/Tom Nutter collection