Who is the RK officer?

[Adriano Baumgartner]

For me too this is the wing of a Ju 87 D...
He seems to have the DLV Glider C Badge below...am not familiar with the Hungarian Award on the right side; but for me he "looks like" to either:
1- Hauptmann Karl Janke (7./St.G. 2)
2 -Hauptmann Wilhelm Kaiser (III/St.G. 2) - although the sole photo of Kaiser I saw do show him rather younger..albeit an Oberleutnant.

NOW researching onto the FANTASTIC LW Officers list of De Zeng we do have a very possible candidate (phisically and Geographically - being at Bulgary):
A - Hauptmann Helmut BODE...

A.

[Adriano Baumgartner]

OBS: Seems the wound badge not the DLV Glider Badge...I zoomed it now...sorry for mistake

[NoNo01]

Gentleman.


The soldier with the DKiG i would identify as Kurt Lau 1./St.G 2 (SG 2), DKiG 18.3.43, RK 6.4.44.

[Chris Goss]

It does look like Lau and Alfred Price was in touch with Bode which is where this came from so a possibility

[Maciej Góralczyk]

He was also identified as Lau by Martin Pegg in his book 'Luftwaffe Ground Attack Units 1939-45'. However, Mr. Pegg used a cropped photo (coming from Hans Obert) where only Lau and the soldier with wine bottle are visible.

[Chris Goss]

Lau got the DKiG in Mar 43 with 1./StG 2 by which time Bode was with the LW Mission to Bulgaria. I can see no mention of Bode being wounded unless Matti can help?

[NoNo01]

Reagrding LW Officer Career Summaries Bode was already Major when Lau received the DKiG.

The RK holder on the picture is a Hauptmann.

[Chris Goss]

It has been suggested that next to Lau is Fw Erwin Hentschel which would confirm the unit as being I./StG 2 but none of the Gr Kdr post March 43 when Lau had the DKiG had the RK. It cannot be Hptm Alwin Boerst as he was awarded the DKiG in June 1942

[Komet163]

So wearing a Bulgarian pilots badge JU 87 and interestingly no Cross in Gold ?

[NoNo01]

What about Hans-Joachim Lehmann ?
He is mentioned in some sources (deZeng IV/Stankey LwOCS and Obermaier-Ritterkreuztäger Stuka) as "acting Gruppenkommandeur" (m.d.W.d.G.b.) somewhere between 1.Oct.42 and May 43.


Schoene Gruesze