Geschwaderkommodore Walter Bradel
With
a starting price of 8,500 euros, the photo album offered at the link
below was compiled by a veteran of 9.Staffel / III.Gruppe /
Kampfgeschwader 2 (KG 2) and according to the seller contains some 42
wartime colour images. The album is dedicated to the former
Staffelkapitän of 9./ KG 2 and later Geschwaderkommodore Major Walter
Bradel (1911-1943). Features bucolic scenes taken at Soesterberg
(Holland) 1940, Villacoublay, and Paris (France 1941). A number of the
photos feature Oberleutnant (later Hauptmann) Walter Bornschein
(1914-1944) including the latter's Ritterkreuz award ceremony and
celebrations, views of the Staffelhund "Strolch", the Bornschein crew
shortly before a sortie and in-flight, various images of a captured
Short Stirling (forced to make an emergency landing on 4 June 1943,
repaired, made flight-worthy and repainted with KG 2 codes according to
the album caption) The last images are perhaps the most interesting,
depicting the up-turned Dornier 217 in which Walter Bradel was killed.
During the night of 4 May 1943 to 5 May Angriffsführer England ordered a
consolidated attack on Norwich. Involved were 43 aircraft from KG 2
under the command of Bradel, who was airborne from Soesterberg. The
attack force was augmented by aircraft from II./KG 40 and 36 Ju 88s of
KG 6. Bradel's Do 217 K was attacked by a British nightfighter, and
suffered engine damage. Pilot Leutnant Ernst Andres was eventually
forced to attempt an emergency landing near Landsmeer, Amsterdam. The
aircraft was 80% damaged and Bradel was killed when the aircraft
over-turned. Album can be viewed in Dortmund before committing to buy
according to the seller's blurb:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Farbfotos-Luftwaffe-hohe-Ordenstrager-9-KG-2-Flugzeug-Plane-Beuteflugzeug-Camo-/321246746758?pt=Militaria&hash=item4acbcc5886
Walter Bradel (left) and Walter Bornschein (right)
Walter Bradel
Source :
http://www.aircrewremembered.com/KrackerDatabase/?s=100&q=baumbach,%20werner&qand=&exc1=&exc2=&search_type=&search_only=
http://falkeeins.blogspot.com/2013/11/photo-album-9-kg-2-kommodore-walter.html
From left to right: Generalleutnant Max Pfeffer (Kommandeur 297. Infanterie-Division), General der Infanterie Friedrich "Fritz" Koch (Kommandierender General XXXXIV. Armeekorps), and Generalmajor Siegmund Freiherr von Schleinitz (Kommandeur 9. Infanterie-Division). The picture was taken in June 1941 during Unternehmen Barbarossa (German invasion of Soviet Union). The location is in Krystynopol, Ukraine.
