Luftwaffe units

Schütze Ludwig Hieringer first served with the RAD before completing his basic training with 11. Kompanie Fallschirmjäger-Ausbildungs-Regiment 1 from the beginning of September to the end of November 1943. He then served with 8./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 1 in defensive fighting in central Italy from the beginning of December 1943. Killed in action by shell splinter wounds to his head and lungs near S.Lorenzo on 11 September 1944. Qualified for the Fallschirmschützenabzeichen and awarded the Luftwaffe-Erdkampfzeichen and EK II.

Obergefreiter Hermann Totz volunteered for service with the Luftwaffe in October 1941. After completing his basic training with Regiment General Göring 3. Ersatz-Batterie Utrecht in January 1942 he served with Regiment General Göring 2. Wachkompanie until February 1943 and then other training and replacement units with Regiment Hermann Göring until August 1943 protecting the ground forces and naval and military facilities in the occupied territories against attacks from England. He then briefly served with 11./Flakregiment Hermann Göring before transferring to 6./II. Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 2 Hermann Göring in October 1943. Promoted to Obergefreiter in November 1943. No awards recorded.

Pionier Konrad Schmidt did his basic training with Ersatz-Regiment Division Hermann Göring 8./Panzer-Pionier-Kompanie in Utrecht, Netherlands from July to August 1943 and then served with 3./Fallschirm-Panzer-Pionier-Bataillon Hermann Göring (in Germany until November 1943) until the end of May 1944. Awarded Verwundeten-Abzeichen in Schwarz after he suffered shell splinter wounds to his back and thigh on 16 February 1944. Went missing in action in Valmossfora, Italy, on 29 May 1944.

Obergefreiter Aloysius Konrad did his basic training with 4./schwere Flak-Ersatz-Abteilung 64 in Kassel-Wolfsanger from October to December 1941 and was then transferred to 5. Batterie (Genesendenzug) schwere Flak-Ersatz-Abteilung 64 until the beginning of February and 5. Batterie Flak-Sammelbatterie schwere Flak-Ersatz-Abteilung 64 until the beginning of March 1942. He then served with 5. Batterie Flakabteilung 291 and participated in defensive fighting in the Wolchow area until Christmas day 1942 when he suffered from first and second degree frostbite to both feet. Following his assignment to Ersatzbatterie/schwere Flak-Ersatz-Abteilung 64 until the end of March 1943, he served with 1. Batterie leichte Flakabteilung 861, taking part in a course at the Flak- und Nahkampfschule of I. Flakkorps in April 1943. Awarded the Ostmedaille and Tätigkeitsabzeichen der Flakartillerie. Killed by an exploding mine on 28 January 1944 in Stary Daschew, 25 km north of Gaissin, Ukraine.

San.Unteroffizier (and later Fahnenjunker) Max Gerleve completed his basic training as an airman in March 1940, then trained as a medic before serving with various medical units in Germany until February 1942. He then served on the Eastern front until the end of October 1943, during which time he was in combat areas (mit Feindeinwirkung) for 209 days. He then studied medicine until the end of October 1944 when he transferred to Fallschirm-Sanitäts-Abteilung 2, 2. Fallschirmjäger-Division. Awarded the Ostmedaille.

Oberjäger (and later Unteroffizier) Kurt Gast volunteered to serve as an airman and first trained as an aircraft mechanic in early 1940. He saw active service and was wounded in Belgium and France before training as a paratrooper and completing his jump training in Wittstock in January 1941. He remained with a training unit until February 1942 when he transferred to Stab I./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment. 5 and later 3./Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 5. Wounded in Tunisia on 18 January 1943 and then served with Fallschirmjäger-Ersatz-Bataillon Koch until March 1944. Discharged to the reserve from Münster training and replacement office in May 1944. Qualified for the Fallschirmschützenabzeichen and awarded the Verwundeten-Abzeichen in Schwarz.

Leutnant Karl-Hermann Wasow volunteered for service with the Luftwaffe and was accepted as a Fahnenjunker in August 1941. He served with motorised signals units in North Africa and Russia from March to August 1942 and from May to August 1943, respectively. After training as an aircraft radio operator he then served with other signals units attached to night fighter and fighter units in Germany and Denmark from October 1943 until August 1944. He then transferred to Fallschirm-Armee-Oberkommando in Nancy, France and served with III./Fallschirm-Artillerie-Regiment 5 before transferring to II./Fallschirm-Artillerie-Regiment 3, seeing action with 3. Fallschirmjäger-Division in the Ardennes as part of operation Wacht am Rhein. Killed in action while serving with Fallschirm-Artillerie-Regiment 7, 7. Fallschirmjäger-Division in Keppeln just south of the Reichswald in the Lower Rhine area during the Anglo-Canadian offensive on 19 February 1945. Awarded the Italian Kriegserinnerungsmedaille.

Obergefreiter Josef Rupprecht completed his basic training with III./Luftgau-Nachrichten-Regiment 13, 19. (Ersatz-)Kompanie in June 1941 and then served throughout the war on the Eastern front with 3./Ln.Tel.Bau-Abt. z.b.V 5 until March 1942, and then Ln.Rgt. 10, which later became Ln.Rgt. 110. Discharged from service on 2 May 1945. Awarded the Ostmedaille and the rumänische Errinerungsmedaille "Kreuzzug gegen den Kommunismus".

Unteroffizier Heinrich Brauer served with 5. Luftwaffen-Feld-Division, Artillerie-Abteilung 2. Batterie from October 1942 to July 1943, and then with the Nachschubkompanie of the same division until November 1943 performing security duties and on active service in the Crimea and Caucasus. He spent the rest of the war with various replacement and training units in Germany until he joined 553. Volks-Grenadier-Division in March 1945. No awards recorded.

Gefreiter Ludwig Senft trained as a radio operator with leichte Flak-Ausbildungs-Abteilung 39 from the end of April to the beginning of July 1942 when he joined leichte Flak Abteilung 684 in air defence duties in Germany. In September 1942 he transferred to 3. Reserve-Flakabteilung 521 and then to 3./Artillerie-Regiment 12 (L), 12. Luftwaffen-Feld-Division as it was forming at Truppenübungsplatz Bergen near Celle in November 1942. He then trained as a combat engineer when he transferred to 1./Pionier-Bataillon 13 (L), 13. Luftwaffen-Feld-Division as it was forming at Truppenübungsplatz Fallingbostel in December 1942. This division served with 18. Armee, Heeresgruppe Nord, Wolchow and was incorporated into the army as 13. Feld-Division (L), XXVII. Korps, 18. Armee, Heeresgruppe Nord, Ladoga in November 1943. This division was disbanded and its elements merged with 12. Feld-Division (L) to create a new type infantry division in April 1944. As part of this fusion, he transferred to 3./Pionier-Bataillon 12 (L) at the beginning of May 1944. The Soviet offensive to drive a wedge between army groups north and centre started on 22 June 1944, with the frontal attack against Heeresgruppe Nord beginning the next day. He was killed in action near Plaudisi, Lettland on 19 July 1944 during the heavy defensive fighting across the entire width of the front between the Düna and Narwa. Awarded the EK II and Sturmabzeichen.

Gefreiter Wilfried Gantner volunteered to serve with the Luftwaffe in March 1941 and was found to be suitable for aircrew or paratrooper duties in May when he joined (A.) Flieger-Ausbildungs-Regiment 24 in Moravia. He remained with aircrew training units until September when he was assigned to the staff of the pilot school in Wiener Neustadt. By November 1942, the Luftwaffe was combing out units to raise regiments for the field divisions needed to cover the growing manpower shortages on the Eastern front. Gantner was transferred to Luftwaffen-Jäger-Regiment 27 as it was forming at Truppenübungsplatz Gross-Born in November 1942. After being briefly assigned to Luftwaffen-Jäger-Regiment 21, he transferred to Luftwaffen-Jäger-Regiment 25, 13. Luftwaffen-Feld-Division as it was forming at Truppenübungsplatz Fallingbostel in December 1942. At the beginning of January 1943, he was sent to the Eastern front. In February the division was assigned to the I. Army Corps of Army Group North and replaced 121. I.D. in its positions on the Wolchow in the Tschudowo-Dymno-Spasskaja Polist area where Gantner was killed at the beginning of March. No awards recorded.