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Luft Gab to Hans-Ulrich Rudel's ground personal

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    Luft Gab to Hans-Ulrich Rudel's ground personal

    The following two docs i purchased from Militaria-Berlin.

    And here comes the research on it:

    In most cases Luft GABs were awarded to members of Flak- or Paratrooper-units or soldiers of the Luftwaffen fielddivisions. ‘Cause the awarding conditions were adequate to the IAB: The participation on assault attacks on at least three different days with infantry or artillery weapons. So this badge was not really made for pilots or aircraft mechanics.

    But Flieger and later Gefreiter Heinrich Stock was obviously a member of the ground personal of an aircraft squadron. He served in the III. group of Stukageschwader 2 „Immelmann“, together with the most successful Stuka pilot of the war – Hans-Ulrich Rudel.

    So supposably in Rudels book „Mein Leben in Krieg und Frieden“ (p.50) we find the explanation, how Gefreiter Stock came to his Luft GAB.

    In winter 1941/'42 the III. group retreated to Dugino (200 kilometers west Moscow) cause of a soviet counter attack and constructed their airfield.

    Rudel, later commander of the III. group, just received his KC, when mid of January 1942 sudden soviet troops were heading towards the own airfield and no forces of the Heer standing aside to defend it. Out of the ground personal of the Stukageschwader and neighboring units a brigade group was formed to affront the enemy. The combat fights took several days with more than one counter attack from the Germans. Rudel and the other Stuka crews supported the defenders with air attacks and bombings close to the own airfield. Finally the enemy withdrew and a Panzer unit of the Heer saved the position.

    Rudel about the ground personal: "Unsere Luftwaffensoldaten haben sich bei Beginn des Krieges ihre Verwendung in dieser Form bestimmt nicht vorgestellt." Und: "Teilweise stehen unsere braven Techniker nachts im Graben, mit Karabiner und Handgranate in der Hand und am Tage betreuen sie wieder ihre Maschinen."

    The Luft GAB was donated about two month after these incident.

    From another source than Rudels book, I know that the application for the awarding of the Luft GABs for the described actions, started in late may 1942.

    So I’m sure that both awarding to Heinrich Storck , the IC in march and the Luft GAB in august 1942 (quite early for a Luft GAB!) are the results of the combat/defence actions in January 1942 in Dugino.

    Signed are the docs by the way by the former commanding officers of the VIII. Fliegerkorps, to which the Stukageschwader 2 “Immelmann” belonged:

    Generaloberst, later Generalfeldmarschall, Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen (Träger des Spanienkreuzes in Gold mit Brillanten / KC: 10.05.1940 / OL: 17.07.1941)
    Generalleutnant, later General der Flieger, Martin Fiebig (KC: 08.05.1940 / OL: 23.12.1942)

    Hope you like the docs and found my little research interesting.
    Attached Files

    #2
    WOW! Very nice and thanks for posting! I am not studied in Award doc's so can't say if OK but these are really a great centerpiece to a Luft display if good!!!!! Great job!
    Kev

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      #3
      Thx for your comment, Kev!

      Comment


        #4
        Nice to be able to put a reason for an award to a set of great documents.
        Jeff

        Comment


          #5
          Great research there and congrats
          Jonathan

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