Who is the highranking Lw-Officer?

[byron-]

Hi Forum,

Attached 2 pics from the visit (1942/1943) of a highranking Lw-Officer in the Fliegerhorst Gadura on the island of Rhodes.

Who is he?

Interesting is the plane He 111 with the emblem of K.G. 100.

Byron

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Hello Byron,
I am not blind (believe me!)...but have I see a Ritterkreuz mitt Oak Leaves on his neck? Who as OC of Bomber Forces South at that time? Maybe a good start to start checking...
Yours
A. S. Baumgartner

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Byron,
I was checking the LW Bomber Pilots RK list and found a picture which looks very similar to that of your airman:
Major Gerhard Kollewe, Kommandeur II.(K)/LG 1, who was awarded the Eichenlaub on the 12th August 1942.

Maybe...maybe he went to the award cerimony with a KG 100 machine...I saw a picture of Major Walter Nowotny flying aboard a similar Heinkel He 111 (from another Squadron, obviously) going back to the Eastern Front, after being awarded the Diamonds...(a famous picture indeed, with Nowotny on the nose of the Heinkel).
Enclosed a close look at Major Kollewe (which looks very similar indeed to your airman).
Yours
Adriano S. Baumgartner

[byron-]

Dear Adriano,

Yes, there is some similarity on the first picture with Major Gerhard Kollewe, but the officer on the pic is a General (look at the trouser) and much older than Kollewe.

regards

Byron

[byron-]

Hello friends,

i think we have now the General. He is:
01.01.43-17.05.43: Gen. der Lw. Otto Hoffmann von Waldau, 17.05.43 (+ exident) nördl. Saloniki




Kommander of "Luftwaffenkommando Südost" visiting Rhodes 04.1943


Byron

[Adriano Baumgartner]

Byron,Congratulations! Really amazing! Do you have any information about the death of this General and his early career? For which feats was he awarded the RK? Did he die on active service (flying)?I am happy for you, really.All the bestAdriano S. Baumgartner

[byron-]

Thanks Adriano,

take a look here
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Hoffmann_von_Waldau

and here http://www.geocities.com/~orion47/WE...LDAU_OTTO.html

Byron

[Gianandrea Bussi]

On 30 novembre 1942 Gen. von Waldau visited Gadurrà in order to give EK to the italian torpedo bomber pilots based there: perhaps the picture had been taken on that day.

Gianandrea

[byron-]

Τhanks Gianandrea,

this is a very possible explanation, at that time he was the Kdr. of the X. Fl.Korps.

Byron