Oberst Hans-Georg Brandt, Stalingrad Ritterkreuzträger

Oberst Hans-Georg Brandt (4 November 1903 - 4 January 1943) had commanded his battalion in Grenadier-Regiment 577 from the first day of its creation. In fact, it is probably correct to say he even commanded it before that because he led III./Infanterie-Regiment 520, the unit which was transferred en masse on 4 December 1940 to form II./Infanterie-Regiment 577. When regiment commander Oberst Max Voigt was transferred home at the end of September 1942 due to heart problems, Major Brandt took over as Regimentsführer and led the regiment in an exemplary manner. The fighting in Stalingrad-North had been a severe test but his superiors were impressed by his performance and he received a promotion to Oberstleutnant in November 1942. Brandt cared deeply for his men. One example will suffice. On 2 July, Gefreiter Franz Winter, a messenger on the staff of 6. Kompanie in Brandt’s II. Battalion, witnessed a shocking event during a Soviet tank attack that would ultimately demonstrate how Brandt felt about his men: "We had a good view over the battlefield from our elevated position. What we saw happening there caused the blood to freeze in our veins: to the left of us, in the hollow of a valley, the third platoon of our fifth company was attacked. We saw how they surrendered and ran towards the tanks with their hands above their heads. These monsters circled around our comrades, opened fire and pulped them under their tracks". Winter’s unit was ordered to fall back and the situation gradually eased. It was then that Winter and his comrades saw Major Brandt: "Sitting in a roadside ditch, surrounded by officers, was our battalion commander, a beaten man. I had never seen a German officer in such a state. A person who was otherwise seen by us ordinary soldiers to be head and shoulders above us, in appearance and conduct, now sat there and we could see that he was also only a human, like us, how he was depressed and tormented by anxiety. He had observed the tragedy down below through binoculars. He probably also felt responsible for it."

Source :

"Island Of Fire: The Battle For the Barrikady Gun Factory In Stalingrad November 1942 - February 1943" by Jason D. Mark

SS-Obersturmführer Jacques Leroy

Jacques Leroy, on the left of the photo, after having lost his right arm and right eye in the battle for the Cherkassy Pocket (he wears a glass eye). On the right is his younger brother Claude Leroy, then 17, who would also join the Waffen-SS “Wallonien” Division and be killed in action, along with hundreds of other European volunteers, in March 1945 in the fighting for the Oder River Bridgehead

Jacques Leroy was born on 10 September 1924 in Binden, Belgium. In 1943 he joined the 5.SS-Sturmbrigade “Wallonie” to battle communism on the Eastern Front. His two brothers would follow suit in the next year for the same reason. They saw the Soviet Red Terror as the greatest threat to Western Civilization. After completing an officer’s training course, SS-Untersturmführer Jacques Leroy arrived on the southern part of the Eastern Front with the “Wallonie” Assault Brigade in November 1944. During the difficult battle to escape from the encirclement around Cherkassy in February 1944, SS-Ustuf. Leroy was severely wounded, losing both his right arm and right eye. Fortunately his comrades were able to assist him out to safety.

Following an extensive convalescence, Leroy returned to his old unit, which was now the 28th SS Freiwilligen Panzergrenadier Division “Wallonien” and in early 1945 he accompanied the “Wallonien” battlegroup, (SS Regiments 69 and 70 and SS Artillery Detachment 28) to the Pomeranian front where he was to serve as a liaison officer between the headquarters staff and the combat elements and was not supposed to see action. However after the I. Battalion of SS Grenadier Reg. 69 lost its commander and sustained heavy losses, the now SS-Obersturmfürer Leroy assumed command of the unit and personally led it in several fierce close-combat engagements.

In March 1945, with a task force of 40 surviving members of the battalion, Jacques Leroy led them in the defense of Altdamm at the mouth of the Oder River. For three days and nights this band of Walloon volunteers held off sizable enemy assaults, even turning back an attack by 19 Red tanks on 17 March 1945, destroying many of them in the process. When they were finally relieved, only 8 of the defenders were still alive; 32 of them had been killed in action, including Jacques Leroy’s younger brother Claude. His other brother, a platoon leader, would fall in defense of the Finkenwalde railroad station, three days before the Soviet offensive on the Oder sector temporarily halted.

On 20 April 1945, SS-Ostuf. Jacques Leroy was decorated with the Knight’s Cross to the Iron Cross for his personal heroism and the performance of his command at the Altdamm Bridgehead in March 1945. At the end of the war he went into British captivity and was soon transported back to Belgium to face a long imprisonment and much ill-treatment at the hands of the new leftist Belgian authorities. Deprived of his basic rights in Belgium, Leroy moved as soon as he could to Bavaria and became a German citizen.

The after effects of his severe war wounds would plague him for the rest of his life. In 1992 he had to seek the assistance of state provided medical care. It was soon obvious that the doctor sent to him was actually more interested in making a “political statement” than in helping him. This individual immediately accused him of “fighting against his country”, to which Leroy replied: “That was not the case, I only fought against Bolshevism!” The physician responded by saying: “I hope you are now as much an anti-Nazi as you were an anti-Bolshevik.” Jacques Leroy was too astounded to respond to this as he only sought medical help and not a political confrontation from an expert “care giver”. In any event he always remained true to his comrades and was always proud of his service in the Waffen-SS.

Source :
'Siegrunen 80' by Richard Landwehr

Color Picture of Felix Steiner

 

 

Felix Steiner – not only the most important single influence behind the development of the dynamic tactical theories adopted by Waffen-SS, but one of the most innovative field commanders of World War II. He believed in the creation of highly mobile, well trained, elite troops, both physically and mentally, to fight within the battlegroup and emphasized teamwork rather than mindless obedience on the field of battle. Felix Steiner created a capable formation from disparate elements, and he commanded the Wiking Division competently through the many battles in the east from 1941 until his promotion to command the III. (Germanic) SS-Panzerkorps in April 1943. Felix Steiner was promoted to SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS on July 1 1943. After the surrender, he was incarcerated until 1948. Felix Steiner faced charges at the Nürnberg Trials, but they were all dropped and he was released. He dedicated the last decades of his life to writing his memoirs and several books about the World War II. Felix Steiner died on May 12 1966. Award among others: Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords

Source :
http://stabswache-de-euros.blogspot.com/2012/10/our-rules-are-here-to-encourage.html

Otto Skorzeny being Interrogated after Surrender

SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny being interrogated by U.S. officers on May 1945. Skorzeny was interned for two years before being tried as a war criminal at the Dachau trials in 1947 for allegedly violating the laws of war during the Battle of the Bulge. He and nine officers of the Panzerbrigade 150 were tried before a U.S. Military Tribunal in Dachau on 18 August 1947. They faced charges of improper use of U.S. military insignia, theft of U.S. uniforms, and theft of Red Cross parcels from U.S. POWs. The trial lasted over three weeks. The charge of stealing Red Cross parcels was dropped for lack of evidence. Skorzeny admitted to ordering his men to wear U.S. uniforms; but his defence argued that, as long as enemy uniforms were discarded before combat started, such a tactic was a legitimate ruse de guerre. On the final day of the trial, 9 September, F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas, a former British SOE agent, testified that he and his operatives wore German uniforms behind enemy lines; the Tribunal acquitted the ten defendants. The Tribunal drew a distinction between using enemy uniforms during combat and for other purposes including deception and were unable to prove that Skorzeny had given any orders to actually fight in U.S. uniforms.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Skorzeny
http://www.historicalwarmilitariaforum.com/search/?q=skorzeny&type=forums_topic

Color Picture of Otto Skorzeny

  

 

SS-Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny (12 June 1908 - 5 July 1975) was an extraordinary military man who specialized in guerrilla warfare and commando-style raids during World War II. He mounted numerous operations with varying degrees of success that involved either the rescue, kidnapping, assassination, or defense of numerous wartime leaders in Europe. As a result, he became Hitler’s favorite commando and dubbed “the most dangerous man in Europe” by the Allies. Skorzeny certainly looked the part. He was an imposing figure at 6’ 4” that sported a deep scar on his left cheek from a fencing duel. Though loyal to Hitler and a staunch Austrian Nazi, Skorzeny would ultimately turn on his former compatriots and become a hitman for Israel at the end of the war.

Source :
https://allthatsinteresting.com/otto-skorzeny
http://www.historicalwarmilitariaforum.com/search/?q=skorzeny&type=forums_topic

Heinrich Kodré and Kurt Oppenländer

From left to right: Oberstleutnant im Generalstab Heinrich Kodré (Chef des Stabes 305. Infanterie-Division) and Generalmajor Kurt Oppenländer (Kommandeur 305. Infanterie-Division). This picture was taken during the opening days of Operation 'Blau', summer of 1942. Heinrich Kodré (8 August 1899 - 22 May 1977) received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 14 May 1941 as Major and Führer I.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment 123 / 50.Infanterie-Division, while Kurt Oppenländer (11 February 1892 - 17 March 1947) received the same medal on 25 July 1942 as Generalmajor and Kommandeur 305. Infanterie-Division.

Source :

"Island Of Fire: The Battle For the Barrikady Gun Factory In Stalingrad November 1942 - February 1943" by Jason D. Mark

Ritterkreuz Award Ceremony for Eitel-Friedrich Kentrat

A set of seven larger photos (9cm x 13cm) and one smaller (6cm x 9cm), showing the Ritterkreuz award ceremony for Eitel-Friedrich Kentrat, on 31 December 1941. Footnote: Kentrat sailed with the U-8, U-74 and U-196, sinking twenty-one ships on seven patrols, for a total of 42,433 gross register tons (GRT) of Allied shipping including the HMCS Levis. He is noted for completing World War II longest combat patrol. U-196 had left Kiel on 13 March 1943 and reached Bordeaux on 23 October 1943, 225 days later. Kentrat was a witness to battleship Bismarck's last battle on 27 May 1941. Naval command had ordered U-556 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Herbert Wohlfarth to retrieve Bismarck 's war diary. The order was then passed on the U-74. Both U-boats failed to reach Bismarck on time. U-74 picked up three sailors, Georg Herzog, Otto Höntzsch, and Herbert Manthey, from a rubber raft. Kentrat was severely criticised by the Befehlshaber der U-Boote (BdU) for his lack of support for U-197. Commander Robert Bartels of U-197 had radioed a distress signal on 20 August 1943. The correct response by any boat in the vicinity, according to orders, would have been to come to aid at top speed. The BdU twice ordered U-196 to come to aid before Kentrat responded accordingly by that time U-197 and the entire crew were lost at sea.

Source :
https://www.emedals.com/knight-s-cross-award-ceremony-photos-of-korvettenkapitan-eitel-friedrich-kentrat-u-8-u-74-and-u-196

Generalmajor Karl Arndt and Heer Officer

Generalmajor Karl Arndt (left) chatting with another Heer officer. Arndt (10 March 1892 - 30 December 1981) received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 23 January 1942 as Oberst and Kommandeur Infanterie-Regiment 511 / 293.Infanterie-Division / XXXV.Armeekorps / 2.Armee / Heeresgruppe Mitte, and Eichenlaub #719 for his Ritterkreuz on 1 February 1945 as Generalleutnant and Kommandeur 359.Infanterie-Division / LIX.Armeekorps / 17.Armee / Heeresgruppe A. Born at Gross-Kauen in Silesia, Karl Arndt began his military career as a private in 1908. He fought in the 1914-18 war in Inf.Rgt. 46. In 1917, he was a deputy officer and rose to the rank of Leutnant in 1918. He was taken prisoner by the British in September 1918 and released in March of the following year. In September 1939, he commanded an infantry battalion, with the rank of Oberstleutnant. Promoted to Oberst on 20 October 1940, he took command of Inf.Rgt. 511. As commanding officer of 293. Inf.Div. (10 January 1943), he rose to the rank of Generalmajor on 10 March 1943, then Generalleutnant on 8 November 1943. He went on to command 359. Inf.Div. (20 November 1943) then, at the same time, LIX. A.K. (17 January 1945). He took over command of XXXIX. Pz.K. on 25 April 1945. He was taken prisoner by the Americans on 8 May 1945, and released on 5 July 1947. He died at Balve-Langenholthausen in 1981.

Source :

"Panzertruppen: Les Troupes Blindees Allemandes German Armored Troops 1935-1945" by Francois de Lannoy and Josef Charita

A Colorized Picture of Ernst Kupfer

A really nice colorized picture of Oberstleutnant Dr.jur. Ernst Kupfer (2 July 1907 - 6 November 1943) in the cockpit of his aircraft. He was a Stuka pilot who commanded Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (StG 2) "Immelmann" during World War II. He is wearing the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on his neck, which he received on 23 November 1941 as Hauptmann and Staffelkapitän 7.Staffel / III.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann". Kupfer was also received the Eichenlaub #173 for his Ritterkreuz on 8 January 1943 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur II.Gruppe / Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann", and the Schwerter for his Ritterkreuz on 11 April 1944 (posthumous) as Oberst and Geschwaderkommodore Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 "Immelmann"

Source :
https://www.boredpanda.com/a-collection-of-colourised-images-of-messerschmitt-bf-109s-and-pilots/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Kupfer

Alfred Müller in Tita Binz Postcard Nr. R 296

Feldwebel Alfred Müller (11 November 1916 - 26 June 1944) in a "Heroes" postcard series Nr. R 296 by Tita (Juanita) Binz. He received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 8 May 1943 as Feldwebel and Zugführer in 2.Kompanie / I.Bataillon / Grenadier-Regiment 256 / 112.Infanterie-Division / LIII.Armeekorps / 2.Panzerarmee / Heeresgruppe Mitte. Müller fell on the Eastern Front on June 1944. Other medals and decorations he receives: Eisernes Kreuz II.Klasse und I.Klasse; and Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (19 May 1942).

Source :
https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/M%C3%BCller,_Alfred_(1916)
http://pantorijn.blogspot.com/2013/06/tita-binz.html

Werner Mölders in a Hoffmann Postcard

Oberst Werner Mölders in a Hoffmann Postcard Nr. R3. Mölders (18 March 1913 – 22 November 1941) was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot, wing commander, and the leading German fighter ace in the Spanish Civil War. He became the first pilot in aviation history to claim 100 aerial victories—that is, 100 aerial combat encounters resulting in the destruction of the enemy aircraft, and was highly decorated for his achievements. Mölders was instrumental in the development of new fighter tactics that led to the finger-four formation. He died in an air crash in which he was a passenger. Mölders joined the Luftwaffe, the air force of Nazi Germany, in 1934. In 1938, he volunteered for service in the Condor Legion, which supported General Francisco Franco's Nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War, and shot down 14 aircraft. With the start of World War II, he took part in the "Phoney War", Battle of France, and the Battle of Britain. With his tally standing at 68 victories, Mölders and his unit, the Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51), were transferred to the Eastern Front in June 1941 for the opening of Operation Barbarossa, achieving 101 victories by mid-July 1941. Prevented from flying further combat missions for propaganda reasons, at the age of 28 Mölders was appointed Inspector of Fighters. He was inspecting the Luftwaffe units in the Crimea when he was ordered to Berlin to attend the state funeral of Ernst Udet, a Luftwaffe general and World War I flying ace. On the flight to Berlin, the aircraft in which he was traveling as a passenger attempted an emergency landing due to an engine failure. It crashed at Breslau, killing Mölders and two others. The Wehrmacht and the West German Bundeswehr both honoured him by naming two fighter wings, a destroyer and barracks after him. In 1998, the German Parliament decided that members of the Condor Legion such as Mölders, should "no longer be honoured". In 2005, the German Ministry of Defence decided to remove the name "Mölders" from the fighter wing still bearing his name.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_M%C3%B6lders
http://pantorijn.blogspot.com/2014/06/hoffmann-postcards-knight-cross-holders.html

Georg-Hans Reinhardt during Operation Barbarossa

General der Panzertruppe Georg-Hans Reinhardt (Kommandierender General XXXXI. Armeekorps) in the Russian Front during Unternehmen Barbarossa, summer of 1941. His force led the advance of Heeresgruppe Nord to the outskirts of Leningrad in October 1941. On October 5 Reinhardt was given command of the 3. Panzerarmee in Heeresgruppe Mitte, and took part in Operation Typhoon, the advance towards Moscow. After the German defeat in the Battle of Moscow, his army was driven back by Soviet counter-attack during the winter of 1941−42.

Source :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg-Hans_Reinhardt
http://histomil.com/viewtopic.php?t=3918&start=7090

Alexander Conrady and Hans Gollnick (1942)

Reporting to the division commander, Orel area, 1941. From left to right: Oberstleutnant Alexander Conrady (Kommandeur I.Bataillon / Infanterie-Regiment [motorisiert] 118 / 36.Infanterie-Division [motorisiert]) and Generalmajor Hans Gollnick (Kommandeur 36. Infanterie-Division [motorisiert]). We see that they're both wearing the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes. Conrady received his medal on 17 October 1942, while Gollnick on 27 November 1942. Both would also received the Eichenlaub for their Ritterkreuz: Conrady on 22 August 1942, while Gollnick on 24 August 1943.

Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=29879&start=11550

Alfred Ziemann in Front of a Nashorn

Hauptmann and Ritterkreuzträger Alfred Ziemann from schwere-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 93 with one of the NCO of his company. The latter is wearing the collar patches adopted for the grey Sturmartillerie-feldjacke in May 1940. Ziemann received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 9 January 1944 as Oberleutnant and Chef 1.Kompanie / schwere-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 93. Behind them is a Panzerjäger Nashorn (Sd.Kfz. 164) of their unit. The schwere Panzerjäger-Abteilung 93 (sometimes listed as schwere Heeres-Panzerjäger-Abteilung 93) was formed on 26 July 1943 from Panzerjäger-Abteilung 93 and was equipped with Nashorn tank destroyers. It was destroyed on the Eastern front in August 1944. It was refitted and saw action on the Western Front and ended the war in the Ruhr pocket.

Source :
"German Army Uniforms: Heer 1933-1945" by Ricardo Recio Cardona & Antonio González Sánchez
https://www.axishistory.com/books/153-germany-heer/heer-other-units/4491-schwere-heeres-panzerjaeger-abteilung-93

Josef Schreiber in Tita Binz Postcard Nr. R 356

Eichenlaubträger Oberfeldwebel Josef Schreiber (24 December 1919 - 28 January 1945) in a "Heroes" postcard series Nr. R 356 by Tita (Juanita) Binz. He is wearing the field cap (Einheitsfeldmütze) adopted in June 1943. This cap bore a machine woven national emblem on a triangular base on which a cocarde with the colors of the Reich was also woven.

Source :

"German Army Uniforms: Heer 1933-1945" by Ricardo Recio Cardona and Antonio González Sánchez

http://pantorijn.blogspot.com/2013/06/tita-binz.html

Ritterkreuz Award Ceremony for Michael Wittmann and Bobby Woll

On 14 January 1944, panzer ace Michael Wittmann was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross) along with his gunner, Bobby Woll, for their achievements which have so far destroyed 88 enemy tanks. The presentation was made at Vinnitsa, Ukraine, by his divisional commander SS-Oberführer Theodor "Teddy" Wisch, who also nominated him for the Eichenlaub to his Ritterkreuz. This picture shows Wittmann with his crew, from left to right. SS-Panzerschütze Werner Irrgang (Funker), SS-Rottenführer Bobby Woll (Richtschütze), SS-Untersturmführer Michael Wittmann (Zugführer in 13.Kompanie (schwere) / IV.Abteilung / SS-Panzer-Regiment 1 / 1.SS-Panzer-Division "Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler"), SS- Panzerschütze Sepp Rößner (Ladeschütze), and SS-Sturmmann Eugen Schmidt (Fahrer). Behind them is Wittmann's Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger I Ausf.F "S04", with 88 victory rings on its barrel. Actually the Ritterkreuz recommendation sent by Divisionskommandeur Wisch to the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW) on 10 January 1944 "only" included Wittmann's winnings as 66 tanks, but something incredible happens: in the four day span between the submission of the proposal to the official approval notification, this tank master went berserk and destroyed no fewer than 22 additional tanks to hoist his winning score to a total 88!

Source :
https://ww2images.blogspot.com/2019/02/ritterkreuz-award-ceremony-for-michael.html

General der Artillerie Maximilian de Angelis

Born on 2 October 1889 in Budapest, Maximilian de Angelis was an Oberleutnant in thé artillery in 1910 and ended the 1914-18 World War I as a Hauptmann. He pursued his career in the Austrian army, rising to the rank of Oberst on 28 June 1933. Promoted to Generalmajor on 15 March 1938 then Generalleutnant on 1 June 1940 and General der Artillerie on 1 March 1942. During World War II, he commanded 76. Infanterie-Division. (1 September 1939), then XXXXIV. Armeekorps (26 January 1942). We again find him in command of 6. Armee (22 November-19 December 1943 and 8 April 1944-17 July 1944) then 2. Panzerarmee (18 July 1944). He kept this command until the end of the war. Sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by the Yugoslav authorities and to 25 years by the Soviet authorities, he was released on 11 October 1955. He died at Graz in Austria on 6 December 1974. Awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes (9 February 1942) mit Eichenlaub #323 (12 November 1943).

Source :
"Panzertruppen: German Armored Troops 1935-1945" by François de Lannoy & Josef Charita
http://alifrafikkhan.blogspot.com/2014/03/album-foto-76-infanterie-division.html

Otto Weiß with His Dog

A human's best friend: A member of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) poses for a photo with his German Shepherd dog. The Eichenlaubträger (recipient of Oakleaves) is Major Otto Weiß (25 September 1907 - 19 August 1955), the first ground-attack pilot who received the Eichenlaub for his Ritterkreuz. He received the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes on 18 May 1940 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the II.Gruppe (Schlacht) / Lehrgeschwader 2 (LG 2), and the Eichenlaub on 31 December 1941 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the II.Gruppe (Schlacht) / Lehrgeschwader 2 (LG 2). Weiß flew more than 500 combat missions with the Henschel Hs 123 and the Messerschmitt Bf 109.

Source :
https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=29879&start=16035#p2186587

Helmut Wick in a Hoffmann Postcard Nr. R2

Major Helmut Wick (5 August 1915 - 28 November 1940) in a Hoffmann postcard Nr. R2. Wick joined the Luftwaffe in 1935 at the age of twenty. He was posted to Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" just before war broke out and scored his first aerial victory in November 1939. This was followed by a further twelve confirmed and two unconfirmed during the 1940 French campaign. His success continued into the Battle of Britain, reaching his 22nd victory on 26th August 1940, for which he was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes. Yet more victories followed, and on 5th October 1940 he shot down five RAF fighters in a single day. This feat earned him the Eichenlaub for his Ritterkreuz. Within two weeks he was promoted to Major (the youngest in the Luftwaffe), and given command of the now famous JG2. On 6th November 1940, Wick again shot down five RAF fighters in a single day, and by 28th November his total had reached 55. This briefly made him the world's most successful fighter ace. Later that same day his unit became involved in combat over the Isle of Wight. Wick shot down yet another Spitfire (his 24th) but was then attacked by Flight Lieutenant John Dundas of No.609 Squadron. His Bf109 severely damaged, Wick was forced to bale out over the English Channel. His body was never found.

Source :
https://www.aviartnutkins.com/individuals/IN1_Major_Helmut_Wick.php
http://pantorijn.blogspot.com/2014/06/hoffmann-postcards-knight-cross-holders.html

U-Boat Ace Günther Prien in the First Series of Hoffmann Postcard

U-boat ace Korvettenkapitän Günther Prien in a Hoffmann Postcard nr. R001. This is the first of the Ritterkreuzträger postcard series published by the Photo-Hoffmann company in Münich (owned by Hitler's personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffmann). These series depicted the Ritterkreuzträger, recipients of the German Knight's Cross of the Iron Crosses, the most prestigious medal for the extreme bravery or the brilliant leadership in the battlefield.

Source :
http://pantorijn.blogspot.com/2014/06/hoffmann-postcards-knight-cross-holders.html