Color Album of Kampfgeschwader 2 (KG 2)

 

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