Youngest, Oldest, The First, The Most, and Other Records

[AlifRafikKhan]

German highest-ranking POWs before the total surrender in 1945 : Generalfeldmarschall Friedrich Paulus and Generaloberst Hans-Jürgen von Arnim...

Friedrich Paulus story :
By January 8, 1943 the Soviets offered Paulus surrender terms. He refused. At the end of January, sensing the situation was hopeless, Hitler promoted Friedrich Paulus to Field Marshall. His reason? A not-so-subtle reminder that no German Field Marshall had ever surrendered. Paulus had only one option, according to the Fuhrer: commit suicide...
By January 24, the Soviets had overrun Paulus' last airfield. His position was untenable and surrender was the only hope for survival. Hitler wouldn't hear of it: "The 6th Army will hold its positions to the last man and the last round." Paulus held out until January 31, when he finally surrendered. Of more than 280,000 men under Paulus' command, half were already dead or dying, about 35,000 had been evacuated from the front, and the remaining 91,000 were hauled off to Soviet POW camps. Paulus eventually sold out to the Soviets altogether, joining the National Committee for Free Germany and urging German troops to surrender. Testifying at Nuremberg for the Soviets, he was released and spent the rest of his life in East Germany...

Hans-Jürgen von Arnim story :
Over the next two months before the total Axis capitulation in African continent, the Germans fought splendidly in the face of superior odds and dwindling supplies. On several occasions, units under Arnim and Hasso von Manteuffel caught and severely punished American and British columns straying too close to German lines. But Arnim’s tanks were so low on fuel that the Germans began distilling Tunisian wine to obtain some. Eventually, the general had no recourse but to ensconce his troops at Tunis and await the Allied onslaught. By mid-May, Eisenhower and a new general, George S. Patton, were hammering away at paper-thin German defenses while Allied aircraft bombed and strafed every ship in the harbor. At one point, British warplanes attacked an Italian warship carrying 700 British prisoners of war. Arnim hastily cabled British Gen. Harold Alexander, apprised him of the situation, and the attack was suspended. This chivalrous intervention spared several hundred British lives, and afterward Alexander personally thanked the old Prussian. By the time Arnim surrendered 350,000 men on May 12, 1943, the German presence in North Africa vanished forever. He had fought exceedingly well, but, outnumbered and unsupplied by superiors too cowardly to reproach Hitler, the best he could do was to honorably surrender. Harold subsequently cabled Prime Minister Winston Churchill, declaring, “We are masters of the North African shores.”
Arnim was subsequently taken to England, the highest-ranking German prisoner after Rudolph Hess. The British were painfully polite to their distinguished captive, housing him in a comfortable cottage and even letting the old general congratulate his daughter on her wedding day by telegram. Arnim was finally freed in 1947, but his home in Prussia was in the Soviet sphere and had been confiscated by the communists, so he resettled in West Germany. Crusty, proud “Dieter” died in Bad Wildungen on September 1, 1962. His squabble with Rommel was a serious blot on an otherwise meritorious career, but this gallant anachronism fought with courage and humanity—to the great credit of German arms...


Source :
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=47787
http://www.awesomestories.com/history/b ... -surrender
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-hist ... le&id=6688
http://warandgame.blogspot.com/2009/01/ ... arnim.html
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... schaft.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... k_Camp.jpg

[Adam Carr]

Adam Carr wrote:
Has anyone noticed that the photo of Christian Lohrey on page 1 of this thread has been "flipped"? His Luftwaffe eagle is on the wrong pocket and the swastika is the wrong way around. Yet his signature on the photo is the right way around. Was gibt?

The mirror image has been exchanged with the "correct" version on behalf of chris44. / Bernd, Mod

But now his signature is mirror image. He must have signed a "mirror image" photo, or else the signature is fake... or something.

[chris44]

you re right
he signed the "mirror picture"

chris

[AlifRafikKhan]

At the end of July, 1940 at age 48, later Generalleutnant Theo Osterkamp was officially ordered to cease combat flying. Since the formation of JG 51 in 1939 (which he commanded), he had flown constantly, and added 6 more victories to his World War One score(32 WWI). He received the Knight's Cross in August of 1940 to go along with his Pour le Mérite...

In World War II he led Jagdgeschwader 51 through the Battle of Britain and claimed a further 6 victories, in the process becoming one of only a few men to score victories in both World Wars!

On 19 September 1939 Oberst Osterkamp was appointed Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 51 (JG 51). During the Battle of France he claimed four victories, the first on 12 May 1940. During the Kanalkampf period of the Battle of Britain he claimed a further two victories, bringing his total to six...

In the end, Theo Osterkamp was credited with 38 victories. He recorded 32 victories during World War 1. He recorded two confirmed and at least four unconfirmed victories in World War 2, all claimed over the Western front...

Here is the data of his air victory in World War II :
1. 12 May 1940 against Fokker G-1 at Soesterburg : confirmed
2. 22 May 1940 against Hurricane at Roubaix : not confirmed
3. 31 May 1940 against Hurricane at Dunkirk : not confirmed
4. 1 June 1940 against Blenheim at Dunkirk : not confirmed
5. 13 July 1940 against Spitfire at Dover : not confirmed
6. 13 July 1940 against Spitfire at Dover : confirmed

Source :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theo_Osterkamp
http://www.luftwaffe.cz/osterkamp.html
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... erkamp.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... _Braut.jpg

[Adam Carr]

How often do we see photos of Luftwaffe and RAN crew smoking in and near their aircraft? Were there rules about this? I wonder many craft and crew were lost through smoking related fires?

[VtwinVince]

The list of Luftwaffe pilots who scored victories in both conflicts is small, including my uncle, Hauptmann Dr. Albrecht Ochs, who scored one victory in 1918 and four during the French campaign and the BoB. Other notables include Harry von Bülow-Bothkamp and Dr. Erich Mix.

[Marcus]

The list of Luftwaffe pilots who scored victories in both conflicts is small, including my uncle, Hauptmann Dr. Albrecht Ochs, who scored one victory in 1918 and four during the French campaign and the BoB. Other notables include Harry von Buelow-Bothkamp and Dr. Erich Mix.

As far as I know these were the only Germans to do that:
Gerhard "Küken" Hubrich - 12 victories in WW1, 2 unconfirmed victories in WW2 (Lehrgeschwader 2)
Alfred Lindenberger - 12 victories in WW1, 4 victories in WW2 (Jagdgeschwader 300)
Dr. Erich Mix - 3 victories in WW1, 8 victories in WW2 (Jagdgeschwader 1 Oesau)
Theodor "Theo" Osterkamp - 32 victories in WW1 (PLM holder), 6 more in WW2 (Jagdgeschwader 51 Mölders)
Friedrich Vollbracht - 2 victories in WW1, 2 in WW2 (Zerstörergeschwader 2)

List from http://www.axishistory.com/index.php?id=9616

/Marcus

[Peter H]

Bruno Bräuer was the first jump qualified Fallschirmjäger.

Photo from Jean-Yves Nasse's Fallschirmjäger in Crete.

[Adam Carr]

Can no-one answer my question about whether Field Marshal von Bock was the most senior officer of any nation killed by enemy action in World War II? The only other officer of camparable rank I can think of is Admiral Tom Phillips, who went down with the Prince of Wales, but I think a German Field Marshal outranks a British Admiral.

[Doktor Krollspell]

Can no-one answer my question about whether Field Marshal von Bock was the most senior officer of any nation killed by enemy action in World War II? The only other officer of camparable rank I can think of is Admiral Tom Phillips, who went down with the Prince of Wales, but I think a German Field Marshal outranks a British Admiral.

Hello Adam!

...of any nation? Then I would say the Japanese Grandadmiral Isoruko Yamamoto who was Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Japanese Navy. He was shot down by american pilots on 18.04.1943.


Regards,

Krollspell

[Adam Carr]

Yes I had forgotten about him. I suppose a Japanese Grand Admiral who is head of his Navy outranks a semi-retired German Field Marshal.

I always thought that Marshal Rydz-Smigly was killed by the Germans while he was fighting with the Polish underground, but I now read in Wikipedia that in fact he died of natural causes in Warsaw in 1941.

[AlifRafikKhan]

Kapitän zur See Hans Wilhelm Langsdorff was the first high ranking Wehrmacht who killed himself in the World War II...

Langsdorff was taken to the Naval Hotel in Buenos Aires, where he wrote letters to his family and superiors. He wrote on the 19 December 1939:

I can now only prove by my death that the fighting services of the Third Reich are ready to die for the honour of the flag. I alone bear the responsibility for scuttling the pocket-battleship Admiral Graf Spee. I am happy to pay with my life for any possible reflection on the honour of the flag. I shall face my fate with firm faith in the cause and the future of the nation and of my Führer.

He lay on Admiral Graf Spee's battle ensign and shot himself,[1] forestalling any allegations that he had avoided further action through cowardice. Another motivation was Langsdorff's desire to go down with the Graf Spee. He was talked out of such an action by his officers, who convinced him that his leadership was still needed in seeking amnesty for his crew. Once the fate of the Graf Spee's crew was decided, Langsdorff killed himself over her ensign as a symbolic act of going down with his ship...

Hans Langsdorff was buried in the German section of the La Chacarita Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina and was honoured by both sides in the battle for his honourable conduct...

Source :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Langsdorff
http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_di ... age_13.htm

[AlifRafikKhan]

Hans-Ulrich Rudel (2 July 1916 – 18 December 1982) is famous for being the most highly decorated German serviceman of the war. Rudel was one of only 27 military men to be awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, and the only one to be awarded the Knight's Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds...

Rudel flew 2,530 combat missions and successfully attacked many tanks, trains, ships, and other ground targets, claiming a total of 2,000 targets destroyed - including 800 vehicles, 519 tanks, 150 artillery guns, a destroyer, two cruisers, one Soviet battleship, 70 landing craft, 4 armored trains, several bridges and nine aircraft which he shot down...

On 23 September 1941, he sank the Soviet battleship Marat, during an air attack on Kronstadt harbor in the Leningrad area, with a hit to the bow using a 1,000 kg bomb. By the end of December, he had flown his 400th mission and in January 1942 received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. On 10 February 1943, he became the first pilot in history to fly 1,000 sorties. Around this time he also started flying anti-tank operations with the 'Kanonenvogel', or G, version of the Ju-87, through the Battle of Kursk, and into the autumn of 1943, claiming 100 tanks destroyed...

In total he was wounded five times and rescued six stranded aircrew from enemy territory, although the two mentioned above were recaptured. The vast majority of his missions were spent piloting the various models of the Junkers Ju 87, though by the end of the war he often flew the ground-attack variant of the Fw 190...

He went on to become the most decorated serviceman of all the fighting arms of the German armed forces (the only person to become more highly decorated was Hermann Göring who was awarded the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross), earning by early 1945 the Wound Badge in Gold, the German Cross in Gold, the Pilots and Observer's Badge with Diamonds, the Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe with 2,000 sorties in Diamonds, and the only holder of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds (the highest-scoring ace of World War II, Erich Hartmann, also held the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds — but his Oak Leaves weren't gold). He was also promoted to Oberst at this time. He was the only foreigner to be honored with Hungary's highest decoration, the Golden Medal for Bravery...

Rudel also mentioned five times in the Wehrmachtbericht (27 March 1944, 28 March 1944, 3 June 1944, 6 August 1944, 10 February 1945)...

After the war, Rudel for a time moved to South America where he became a close friend and confidante of the Argentine president Juan Perón, and Paraguay's dictator and Third Reich admirer Alfredo Stroessner. Even missing one leg, he remained an active sportsman, playing tennis, skiing, and even climbing the highest peak in the Americas, Aconcagua (6,962 meters or 22,841 feet). He also ascended the second highest volcano on Earth three times, the Llullay-Yacu in the Argentine Andes (6,739 meters or 22,109 feet). During his stay he became an acquaintance of notorious Nazi doctor, Josef Mengele...

In addition, Rudel's input was used during the development of the A-10 ground attack aircraft...


Source :
http://www.pilotenbunker.de/Stuka/Rudel/rudel.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Ulrich_Rudel
http://www.boinaslava.net/manstein/hans ... -rudel.jpg
http://snyderstreasures.com/albums/albu ... _Rudel.jpg

[Adam Carr]

Sounds like a nasty piece of work. Also a good example of the "decoration inflation" that devalued the meaning of all these trinkets during the war.

[AlifRafikKhan]

I think it's not that simple. Apart from his fanatical believe in Nazi, you must admit that he has achieved a' 'tremendous' job as a soldier, regardless to what he fought for...