Hey .... how about a Spanish Civil War arena/plane set? :D

[Arlo]

Lev Shestakov

Upon graduating from military college in 1936 he applied for combat in Spain, joining a Spanish Republican Air Force fighter squadron in 1937. Flying Polikarpov I-16s he claimed eight solo victories and 31 collaborative (shared) victories gained in 90 sorties during the Spanish Civil War.

Shestakov joined 69 IAP in September 1939, and was at the time one of the most famous Soviet aces.

At the time of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Shestakov was serving with 69 IAP (Fighter Aviation Regiment) on the Odessa front, and became the Regiment Leader on 16 July 1941. During the battle for Odessa 69 IAP pilots achieved 94 air victories. The losses inflicted on the Romanian Air Force above Odessa in 1941 by Shestakov's fighter pilots compelled the Romanian High Command to withdraw its entire air force from the Eastern Front.

At the end of 1941 69 IAP received the LaGG-3 to replace the outdated I-16 and relocated to the Stalingrad area. Over the next three years he held other commands in various regions, including Stalingrad.

On 9 August, Shestakov was engaged by fourteen Bf 109s of II./JG 77 escorting He 111s of KG 27. 69 IAP claimed nine Bf 109s shot down without loss (II./JG 77 reported one damaged Bf 109E)

Shestakov eventually flew more than 200 missions during the war, took part in 32 aerial combats and was credited with 26 kills before being killed in action on 13 March 1944.

On 13 March 1944 (other sources state 12 March), he intercepted German bombers but was never seen again.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Shestakov

[Arlo]

Mario Bonzano

(Translated)

In July 1938 he volunteered to fight in the Spanish Civil War in the dell 'files Aviation Legionnaire , taking over command of the 18th Squadron [3] of the XXIII Fighter Group [3] the 30th of the same month. The January 8, 1939 gave the command of the 18th Squadron Captain Vexio Mezzetti, to assume command, within the XXIII Group, an experimental Squadron [4] fitted with 12 monoplanes from fighter Fiat G.50 Lightning . [5] At the end of this operating cycle had to his credit a victory and 14 in collaboration ascertained, [3] and and had been decorated with a third silver medal for military valor. Back in Italy, July 18, 1939 assumed, with the rank of Major , the command of the 20th Fighter Group Terrestrial , belonging first to the 51st Fighter Wing Terrestrial , and then to the 56th Fighter Wing Earth . [6] At the entrance in the war of ' Italy, on June 10, 1940 his department [7] is deployed on ' Rome-Ciampino airport South . [6] at the command of their department, framed in the Italian Air Corps (CAI) , he took part in the battle of Britain . [6] The 45 fighter Fiat G.50 Lightning took part in free and fighter escort operations bombers Fiat BR20 Cicogna . [6] his return department at home in April 1941, to be transferred to North Africa during the ' summer of that year. [8] in Libya the 20th Group performed 4,103 hours flight in a war zone, knocking down 38 enemy aircraft and destroying another 12 on the ground, [9] and returned to his homeland in March 1942 for refitting with modern hunting Aermacchi C.202 Folgore . [8] For an action of Sidi El Barrani followed in September 1941, which brought down two enemy aircraft, he was awarded the fourth silver medal for military valor. He remained commander of the department until May 12, 1942, when it was replaced by Major Gino Callieri. Promoted to lieutenant colonel, August 4, 1942 was awarded the honor of Knight of the Military Order of Savoy . [10] After the ' armistice of 8 September 1943 he joined the Italian Social Republic , entering the newly established file Republican National Aeronautics . He held the post of clerk to the Services and Materials Airports until the end of the conflict, being particularly popular with German allies for his skills.

Along with Ugo Drago and Duilio Fanali would be credited with 15 knockdowns achieved between the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War, [1] seventh result between the pilots of the Royal Air Force . [11]

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Bonzano

[Arlo]

Zarauza Manuel Clavero

(Translated)

Born in Santoña ( Santander ) in 1917 , in 1934 he volunteered for military aircraft where two years later the Spanish Civil War began.

After a course at the School of pilots of Santiago de la Ribera ( Murcia ), he won the title of sergeant and went on to fly a Polikarpov I-15 "Chato". At the end of 1937 he was assigned to the 3rd Squadron Moscas based at the Carmolí . Shortly after he moved north, distinguishing himself in the battles of Bilbao and Santander. In December of that same year he was in command of the 4th Squadron Chatos , which participated in the Battle of Teruel. During the fighting at Teruel, he played a prominent role at the head of his unit, which was his first major performance in combat. Upon competition, months later, he took over command of the "Group 21" interceptor squadron and actively took part in the Battle of the Ebro . This made ​​him one of only three Spanish pilots in the area who were part of the interceptor group. This unit also actively participated in the campaign of Catalonia and he was promoted to the position of commander, meritoriously. When the front at Catalonia withdrew, Zarauza decided to take refuge in France with his plane to prevent falling into Francoist hands, being interned in the concentration camp of Argelès-sur-Mer .

He later managed to move to the Soviet Union and became a Colonel of the Soviet Air Force (VVS), and flew in Kharkov ( Ukraine ) along with other Spanish pilots. With the onset of World War II he was evacuated to the rear and only later did he participate in military operations. In of October of 1942 he died in Baku while performing aerobatics with another plane. He had at least 10 victories during the Civil War.

https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_Zarauza_Clavero

[Arlo]

Joaquín García-Morato y Castaño

Joaquín García-Morato y Castaño, 1st Count of Jarama (4 May 1904 – 4 April 1939) was the leading Nationalist fighter ace of the Spanish Civil War. He is credited with 40 air victories, four gained while flying Heinkel He 51s and 36 with the Italian Fiat CR.32.[1]

An accomplished prewar pilot (he served in Morocco, fighting Berber guerrillas during the Rif War), excelled in aerobatics, and instructed instrument flying. He was on holiday in England when the Civil War broke out. Hastening home to join the Nationalist cause, he gained his first victory on 12 August 1936 in a Nieuport-Delage 52, shooting down one of three Vickers Vildebeest over Antequera. He then flew one of the first Heinkel He 51s received from Germany. Flying this aircraft, on 18 August, he shot down a Republican NiD 52 and a Potez 540. He downed another NiD 52 on 2 September. He then began flying an Italian Fiat CR.32, shooting down another NiD 52 on 11 September: it was his fifth victory.[1] Then he formed the Patrulla Azul ("Blue Patrol") of three CR.32 and during the early autumn 1936 he added six more aircraft of French manufacture, plus a British built Hawker Fury, to his score. He gained his 12th victory on 5 November (a Potez 540), followed by his first kill of a Soviet-built Polikarpov I-15 fighter.[1] On 13 January 1937, he managed to shoot down two Tupolev SB-2 bombers - that outperformed the Fiat in terms of speed - attacking them from a superior height: they were his victories number 16 and 17.[1]

Morato achieved 40 credited victories over Republican aircraft,[2] gained in 1,012 hours of operational flying.[1] The only time he was shot down was on 3 October 1937, by a novice pilot he was training. [2]

Shortly after the war, on 3 April 1939, he was performing low aerobatics for newsreel cameras, when his Fiat CR.32 crashed, killing him. [1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joaqu%C3%ADn_Garc%C3%ADa_Morato

[Oldman731]

Flying this aircraft, on 18 August, he shot down a Republican NiD 52 and a Potez 540. He downed another NiD 52 on 2 September. He then began flying an Italian Fiat CR.32, shooting down another NiD 52 on 11 September: it was his fifth victory.

I don't think I'd want to fly a plane called a Nid.  I mean, just the name suggests doom...

- oldman

[Arlo]

I don't think I'd want to fly a plane called a Nid.  I mean, just the name suggests doom...

- oldman

lol!

[Arlo]

Harold Edward Dahl

Born in Champaign, Illinois, Dahl graduated from flying school at Kelly Field on 28 February 1933 and joined the U.S. Army Air Corps as a Second Lieutenant. His commission ended in 1936 due to gambling and subsequent court convictions. He then became a commercial pilot, but again gambling forced him to escape to Mexico.

Dahl piloted charter and cargo flights carrying material for the Second Spanish Republic, as Mexico was one of the very few distant countries to support the Spanish government. He was told about the good salary paid for mercenary pilots and so he joined Spain under the name of Hernando Diaz Evans, Evans being his mother's maiden name. He reported nine kills in this unit, though only five were ever confirmed.

During the reorganization of the Fighter Squadrons in May 1937, Dahl was posted to a squadron with a large variety of nationalities. Frank Glasgow Tinker said that this made it very hard for a pilot to coordinate his place in the group during fighting. It seems that this was the case on June 13 of that year, where he was surprised by enemy planes and was shot down and taken prisoner.

Initially sentenced to death, there were some diplomatic movements to free Dahl. His first wife Edith Rogers, a known singer of impressive beauty, was said to have visited Francisco Franco herself to plead for his life. This story later became the basis of the 1940 movie Arise, My Love. He remained in prison until 1940 and then returned to the United States. After he and Edith Rogers divorced, he accepted another mercenary job, this time with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and served during World War II. He trained RCAF pilots for combat in Europe at an airfield near Belleville, Ontario. It was here that he met his second wife Eleanor Bowne, the daughter of the richest man in Belleville. After the war, he was accused of stealing decommissioned equipment from the RCAF.

Around 1951, Dahl joined the airline Swissair and lived in Switzerland. In 1953 he was caught smuggling gold with his girlfriend and was expelled from the country, an event that compelled his second wife to divorce him. Back in Canada, he became a cargo pilot flying DC-3s when on 14 February 1956 he was killed during a crash in bad weather.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Edward_Dahl

Dahl is second from left, front row.

Dahl front left (Tinker front right)

[Arlo]

Sergey Gritsevets

Sergey Gritsevets was born in 1909 Barautsy, Minsk Governorate (in present-day Brest Region, Belarus) in a peasant family of Belarusian ethnicity[1] In 1931, Gritsevets joined the army, where he completed pilot training at an Orenburg military school in 1932 and further air combat training in 1936 at a pilot school in Odessa. In spring of 1938 Gritsevets volunteered to go to China, where he was involved in combat against Japanese forces attacking Wuhan and credited with two or three kills in a fierce 30 minutes air battle in which a total of 21 Japanese airplanes were downed. Gritsevets flew a Polikarpov I-15 biplane or I-16 monoplane.

Later the same year, Gritsevets volunteered to serve in the Spanish Civil War; he stayed there until the end of 1938, when all Soviet pilots were recalled. Flying an I-16, he claimed 30 victories in Spain, for which he received his first Hero of Soviet Union together with a Gold Star on 22 February 1939.

On 29 May 1939 a group of 48 experienced pilots, including Gritsevets, were sent to Mongolia to function as the backbone of a newly established air force to replace the former, which earlier had suffered a crippling defeat at the hands of Japanese forces and been decimated by NKVD arrests. Here Gritsevets was involved in several counts of actions with Japanese planes. On 26 June, during the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, Gritsevets landed his I-16 alongside his commanding officer, Major V. Zabaluyev, whom an engine failure had forced down deep in hostile territory, 60 kilometers behind enemy Japanese lines. Zabaluyev climbed into Gritsevets airplane and together they escaped. For this, and other heroic action during the conflict, he was awarded a second Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union 29 August 1939. All in all Gritsevets claimed 11 downed Japanese airplanes during this time.

On 12 September 1939 Gritsevets and 20 other pilots were sent back to Ukraine in preparation of the invasion of Poland on 17 September 1939. Gritsevets was killed on the 16 September 1939 in an accident in Bolbasovo near Vitebsk, wherein his airplane was rammed by another while taxiing in preparation for take off.[2]

Gritsevets is credited with downing 42 enemy planes before he died in an aviation accident in 1939, two of them while flying biplanes. He was awarded the Hero of Soviet Union (twice), the Order of Lenin (twice), the Order of the Red Banner (twice) as well as a Mongolian order he received in Ulan Bator before returning.

A monument in his honour was later erected in his birth town of Baranovichi.

In his book Polikarpov I-15, 1-16 and 1-153 Aces, Mikhail Maslov writes:

"During his service in Spain, from 10 June to 26 October 1938, when all volunteer pilots were recalled to the USSR, Gritsevets commanded 5 Escuadrilla de Caza and then the whole group of I-16s. Having claimed a single kill over a Japanese aircraft attacking Hangchow on 29 April 1938, Gritsevets then volunteered for combat in Spain. Here he flew 88 sorties and fought in 42 aerial battles, and according to legend he shot down no fewer than 30 enemy aircraft. However, this tally probably reflects the total claimed by the unit whilst under his command because Gritsevets always stressed that enemy aircraft shot down should be credited to the unit as a whole, rather than to the individual. Nevertheless, official reports credit him with seven personal aerial victories in Spain.

"In any case, Snr Lt Gritsevets was judged to be a distinguished fighter pilot, and on 22 February 1939 he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. That summer he became a squadron commander with 70th lAP and participated in the Khalkhin Gol campaign, where he increased his personal score by 12 more kills. On 23 August Gritsevets performed the heroic act of landing his 1-16 on the steppe amid enemy troops to rescue his CO, Maj V Zabaluev, who had been forced to bail out 60 kilometres behind Japanese lines. Six days later Sergey Gritsevets was again honoured with the Hero of the Soviet Union Star, bur he was killed in a flying accident at Bolbasovo airfield on 16 September 1939."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Gritsevets

[Arlo]

Pavel Rychagov

For five years, Rychagov was an ordinary fighter pilot, building up skills before becoming commander of an aviation squadron in Kiev Military District. In 1936, he was awarded the Order of Lenin for exemplary service; he was also amongst the first Soviet volunteers to fight in the Spanish Civil War.[1]

The most intense part of Rychagov's career as a fighter pilot came in the Spanish Civil War. On October 28, 1936, Rychagov, leading a group of 15 Soviet pilots flying 25 Polikarpov I-15 aircraft, landed in Cartagena, Spain. A few days later, a further group of 10 pilots and 15 aircraft arrived in Bilbao.[5] Rychagov's fighter group saw their first action on November 4. On that day, they shot down two Junkers Ju 52s and two Fiat CR.32s over Madrid, while no losses were reported among the Soviet pilots. During the next two days, Rychagov's pilots claimed 12 more victories, at the cost of two aircraft lost.[5]

However, on 16 November, Rychagov was shot down over Madrid by Fiat CR.32s,[5] and four days later the number of combat-ready Soviet aircraft in the area had dropped to 15. Seven had been lost in combat, two had been forced to land, and one was undergoing repair.[5] Rychagov, however, stayed on to fight into the spring of 1937. In December 1936 and January 1937 two more shipments of 30 Polikarpovs I-15s arrived in Spain, allowing the formation of a complete combat unit of four I-15 squadrons.[5] By the end of the war, Rychagov's fighter group claimed 40 victories overall.[1]

He returned to the Soviet Union in 1937 for a short time, where he was promoted to Brigadier General at the young age of 26. In 1938, he led another group of volunteers to China, where he participated in several skirmishes with the Japanese.[1]

In December 1939, he was promoted to the rank of Major General; he was also appointed Commander of the 9th Air Force Army. He directed operations in the Winter War against Finland.[1]

In May 1940, a third Order of the Red Banner was presented to Rychagov. He was promoted to Lieutenant General several months later.[1]

By 1940, Rychagov was a member of the top administration of the Air Force. He was appointed Head of Red Army Air Force Administration and became a member of the Red Army Chief Military Council, a predecessor of the Stavka. Eventually, he was appointed Commander of the VVS on 28 August 1940, succeeding Yakov Smushkevich.[1][2][3]

Shortly before Operation Barbarossa, Rychagov was removed from the position of Commander of the VVS as part of the purge of the Red Army in 1941, to be replaced by Pavel Zhigarev.[2][3] This was the result of a Politburo inquiry into the high accident rate in the Air Force. Furthermore, in May 1941, a German Junkers Ju 52 landed in Moscow, undetected by the ADF beforehand, leading to massive arrests among the Air Force leadership.[6] In the case of Rychagov specifically, he was punished for referring to Soviet planes as "flying coffins".[4]

Rychagov was tortured and executed on 28 October 1941 along with his wife.[4] Others who were executed that day included 20 other Soviet officers (including Rychagov's predecessors in the VVS, Yakov Smushkevich and Aleksandr Loktionov),[7] Rychagov was exonerated posthumously in 1954.[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavel_Rychagov

[Arlo]

Alexander Stepanovich Osipenko

Osipenko was born at Tursevo Kula, in what is now Finland prior to the First World War. In 1918 he was living with his family in Smolensk and in 1929 joined the Soviet Air Force, rising to the position of squadron leader in 1937.[1]

In January 1938 Osipenko went to Spain to service with the Spanish Republican Air Force. He flew with the 1st Escuadrilla de Caza, and was a successful fighter pilot, though his record is contradictory. One source credits him with 17 individual and 34 shared aerial combat victories[2] making him the most successful Soviet pilot of the conflict. On his return to the Soviet Union Osipenko was made Hero of the Soviet Union.

At the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War in June 1941 Osipenko was a divisional commander on the Southern Front; he rose to Corps commander in September 1943 and also served as deputy commander of the countries fighter air defence.

After the war he served in various posts until his retirement in 1954, after which he held several academic posts connected with aviation.

Alexander Osipenko died on 22 July 1991 in Moscow.[1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Stepanovich_Osipenko

[Arlo]

Wolfgang Schellmann

Wolfgang Schellmann started his combat training as one of the select few German pilots at the Lipetsk fighter-pilot school in the Soviet Union. After his return and upon the official announcement of the new Luftwaffe, he was given command of the new 2./JG 135 squadron, in March 1935. Two years later, on 19 December 1937, Oberleutnant Schellmann took over command of the 1st Staffel of Jagdgruppe 88, in the "Condor Legion", fighting in the Spanish Civil War. Over the next year he became one of the leading aces in the theatre with 12 victories, second only to Werner Mölders.[1]

Upon his return to Germany he was awarded the Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords and Diamonds (Spanienkreuz in Gold mit Schwertern und Brillanten) and promoted to Hauptmann (Captain). He then served on the Stab (Headquarters) flight of the newly formed IV Gruppe of the Jagdgeschwader 132, gaining command experience. Over the next year, it was renamed I./JG 331, then finally I./JG 77. At the outbreak of war in September 1939, he led this unit in the invasion of Poland, then afterward took up an administrative post for a short term, in the headquarters of Luftflotte 2.

On 15 December 1939, the now Hauptmann Schellmann, was made Gruppenkommandeur of the newly formed II./Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" (JG 2—2nd Fighter Wing), but he only scored his first victory in World War II after the invasion of France, on 15 May 1940. By the end of the campaign he had amassed six further victories. Scoring another victory on 18 July in the Battle of Britain, on 3 September he was promoted to Geschwaderkommodore of JG 2 "Richthofen" as part of Göring's policy to replace the 'Old Guard' fighter commanders with young lions like Werner Mölders (JG 51), Adolf Galland (JG 26), Günther Lützow (JG 3) and Hannes Trautloft (JG 54).

On 18 September, he was awarded the 'Ritterkreuz' for his 23 victories (including the 12 in Spain). The presentation was made by Göring at the headquarters of the Befehlshaber der Wehrmachts in den Niederlanden (Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht in the Netherlands), General der Flieger (General of the Flyers) Friedrich Christiansen, at Wassenaar near The Hague on 19 September. That day, both Schellmann and Günther Lützow, Geschwaderkommodore of Jagdgeschwader 3 (JG 3—3rd Fighter Wing), were so honored.[2]

A month later he made way for the charismatic Helmut Wick (at the time in a 3-way battle with Galland and Mölders, as top-scoring pilot) and moved to take command of JG 27. Promoted to Major, he led this Geschwader into the Balkan campaign in Spring 1941, scoring a 24th victory in Greece (20 April 1941), before the unit was pulled out, to central Poland in June, to prepare for the invasion of the Soviet Union.

On 22 June 1941, Major Schellmann was probably the highest profile German casualty of the opening day of Operation Barbarossa. Schellmann's Messerschmitt Bf 109-E (Werknummer 4189—factory number) was rammed by an I-153 Chaykahe piloted by a Lt Kuzmin just after he had shot down his 25th victim, an I-16, near Grodno. Kuzmin was killed in the collision but Schellmann managed to bail out over Soviet territory but was never seen again. It was believed that while attempting to make his way back to German lines he was captured and later killed by NKVD troops.[3][4]

Wolfgang Schellmann scored 25 victories in 150 missions (including 12 over Spain), and was posthumously promoted to Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant Colonel).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Schellmann

[Arlo]

Andrés García La Calle

Born in Sestao (Biscay), in Spain, he started his career in 1929 as an NCO after having got his license in a private aero club. He saw action immediately on the break of the civil war flying with all outdated planes for the time, like the Nieuport Ni-52 Delage, the Hawker Fury, the Loire 46 and the Dewoitine 371 where, nevertheless, he scored his first 3 victories. He was so promoted to Lieutenant.

Near September 1936 upon the arrival of the more modern soviet fighters Polikarpov I-15(Chato) and Polikarpov I-16 (Mosca) he participated in the first squadrons organized by the Russians, defending Madrid and contributing to the endurance of the city despite the terrorist air bombing attacks against civilians by German and Italian units. In November of the same year he took command as Captain of the 1st Fighter Squadron, organized now under Spanish control. It became known as the ‘Lacalle Squadron’, composed of 25 planes, the leader and another 6 groups of 4. One of these groups included only American pilots, and was named the ‘American Patrol’. The most prominent of them Frank Glasgow Tinker has left a detailed description on the character of Lacalle, in his book Some Still Live. The other 3 were Albert Baumler, Harold Evans Dahl and Benjamin Leider, who was killed early in the squadron's career. (Note : Leider was a true volunteer that refused extra payment for his services). Lacalle was very young for his duties (Tinker called him ‘The Kid’), almost careless as a child when driving a car but extremely skilled while flying a plane. Tinker was amazed that Lacalle scored victories flying the very difficult Ni-52. As a leader, Lacalle was careful not to expose his fighters to unnecessary risks - as he knew how difficult it was to replace them - but when the duty called he was ready to fight under any conditions.[2]

During the Battle of Jarama Lacalle demonstrated the effectiveness of his squadron by making multiple ground attacks to support closely the republican troops, and was thus nicknamed ‘The hero of Jarama’. During the Battle of Guadalajara he ordered his planes to fly under very poor visibility conditions that surprised the Italian attackers; their columns stuck on the roads to Madrid were decimated. End of 1937 he was promoted to Major, and was sent to Russia for advanced training. On his return he was promoted to Lt. Colonel, and given the task of reorganizing all the fighter units. Most of his pilots in the ‘Lacalle Squadron’ led these new fighter groups. Lacalle himself was officially credited with 11 confirmed victories at that time, but this number might have been as high as 21. The possible reason for the discrepancy was that the mercenary American pilots in his unit were highly paid for their salaries and extra for their kills (US$ 1,000 at 1936), while the Spanish pilots were receiving some 10 times less salary and no money for any kill. Lacalle was intentionally not keen in confirming any claims except the very obvious ones and so it went for his own kills.[2]

By the end of 1938 Lacalle found himself in an extremely hard position, desperately running out of equipment, material, planes, and mainly experienced pilots. He led the very last fighter operations after the Battle of the Ebro with only 30 fighters against some 550 of the combined German and Italian planes under Franco.

On February the 6th, 1939, Lacalle left from the Vilajuiga airfield for the Francazal aerodrome near Toulouse in his last I-16 fighter, leading a great part of the planes of the Spanish Republican Air Force to France so that they would not fall in the hands of the enemy. However, immediately upon landing Lacalle was arrested by the French authorities and was interned in the Argelès-sur-Mer concentration camp located near Perpignan, until he was able to escape to Mexico. He died in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, in 1980.[1]

Lacalle was awarded three medals for his service, and wrote a book on the civil war, titled : ‘The myths and the truth’, Mitos y Verdades.[3]

His son is the Dominican-Mexican actor Andrés García.

[Arlo]

Otto Bertram

Born in Wilhelmshaven on 30 April 1916, Betram joined the Luftwaffe in 1935. His brothers, Hans and Karl, were already serving with the Luftwaffe.

Bertram joined the Condor Legion in March 1938, supporting Franco's Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. During the course of the war, Bertram, a leutnant, claimed nine victories flying with 1./Jagdgruppe 88, becoming one of the most successful fighter pilots in that conflict. On 4 October 1938, he was shot down by a Republican I-15 fighter. After bailing out he was taken prisoner of war. For his accomplishments in Spain he was awarded the Spanish Cross in Gold with Diamonds.

On 26 October 1939, Bertram was appointed Staffelkapitän of 1./JG 2. Now an oberleutnant, Bertram claimed his first aerial victory of World War II on 20 April 1940, when he downed a Morane 406 fighter over Saint-Avold, flown by future French ace Sgt. Chef Antoine Casenobe. However, the claim was not confirmed. In total, he claimed four victories during the Battle of France, although he was forced to crashland after gaining two victories on 19 May 1940. He returned to his unit unhurt.

Bertram led 1./JG 2 during the opening phases of the Battle of Britain. He claimed seven Royal Air Force (RAF) fighters downed in five days between 2 September 1940 and 6 September with the unit. On 26 September 1940, he was promoted to hauptmann and appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 2. He claimed two further victories with the unit, two RAF Bristol Blenheim twin-engine bombers shot down near Le Havre on 9 October, to record his 21st and 22nd victories.

On 28 October 1940, Bertram was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for 13 victories in World War II and was banned from further combat flying and ordered to return to Germany. Both of his brothers who were also serving in the Luftwaffe had recently been killed in action. Hans, Gruppenadjutant of I./JG 27, was shot down over England in September 1940, and Karl, a nightfighter pilot with 9./NJG 1, was killed when he crashed his Bf 110 west of Kiel following an engagement with a RAF bomber on 28 October.

Bertram, as the sole surviving brother, was hence excused from further combat duty. He was to spend the remainder of the war in administrative posts or training units. He served at the Jagdfliegerschule 5 at Wien-Schwechat for the rest of 1940 and into 1941. He was Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 101 from 6 January 1943 to 30 April 1944. From February 1945, promoted to major, Bertram was Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 6, a position he held until the end of the war.

Bertram joined the Bundeswehr after the re militarisation of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1956. He held various positions in the Bundeswehr including that of press officer. Promoted to Oberstleutnant he served as an military attaché in Belgium and Luxembourg.

Bertram died in Freiburg im Breisgau, at the age of 70.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Bertram

[Arlo]

Herbert Ihlefeld

Herbert Ihlefeld (1 June 1914 – 8 August 1995) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator during the Spanish Civil War and World War II, a fighter ace credited with 132 enemy aircraft shot down in over 1,000 combat missions. He claimed nine victories in the Spanish Civil War, and during World War II, 67 on the Eastern Front and 56 on the Western Front, including 15 four-engined bombers and 26 Supermarine Spitfires. He survived being shot down eight times during his 1,000 combat missions.

Born in Pinnow, Ihlefeld volunteered for military service in the Reichswehr of the Third Reich in 1933.[Note 1] Initially serving in the Heer (Army), he transferred to the Luftwaffe (Air Force) in 1935. Following flight training, he was posted to Jagdgeschwader 132 "Richthofen" (JG 32—132nd Fighter Wing) in 1937. He volunteered for service with the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War where he was assigned to 2. Staffel (2nd squadron) of Jagdgruppe 88 (J/88—88th Fighter Group). From February–July 1938, he claimed nine aerial victories, two remained unconfirmed. For his service in Spain he was awarded the Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords.

Following service in Spain, Ihlefeld was posted to I. (Jäger) Gruppe (1st fighter group) of Lehrgeschwader 2 (LG 2—2nd Demonstration Wing), the unit was later redesignated to I. Gruppe of Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing). With this unit he participated in the Invasion of Poland and Battle of France. During the height of the Battle of Britain on 13 September 1940, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross after 21 aerial victories in World War II. Ihlefeld, who had been appointed Gruppenkommandeur (group commander) of I. Gruppe of JG 77 in September 1940, fought in the aerial battles of the Balkan Campaign. He was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery and spent eight days in Yugoslav captivity before he was rescued by German ground forces. During Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union. There, after 40 aerial victories of World War II, he was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves on 27 June 1941. Ten months later, following his 101st aerial victory of the war, Ihlefeld was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves and Swords on 24 April 1942.

On 22 June 1942, promoted to Major (major), Ihlefeld was appointed Geschwaderkommodore (wing commander) of Jagdgeschwader 52 (JG 52—52nd Fighter Wing). He was injured in combat on 22 July 1942 and after convalescence, he was given command of Jagdfliegerschule 3 (3rd Fighter Pilot School), which was later redesignated to Jagdgeschwader 103 (JG 103—103rd Fighter Wing). On 21 July 1943, he was tasked with leadership of a high flying de Havilland Mosquito intercept unit called Jagdgeschwader 25 (JG 25—25th Fighter Wing) in Defense of the Reich. This unit failed to achieve its objective and was disbanded in late 1943. Ihlefeld was then assigned to the Stab (headquarters unit) of the 30th Fighter Division before he briefly commanded Jagdgeschwader 11 (JG 11—11th Fighter Wing) in May 1944. On 20 May 1944, he took command of Jagdgeschwader 1 Oesau (JG  1—1st Fighter Wing) and participated in Operation Bodenplatte. In the final weeks of the war, the Geschwader was equipped with the Heinkel He 162, a single-engine, jet-powered fighter aircraft. Ihlefeld died on 8 August 1995 in Wennigsen, Lower Saxony.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Ihlefeld

[Arlo]

Reinhard Seiler

Seiler was born on 30 August 1909 in Rawitsch, in the Province of Posen at the time a Prussian province in the German Empire and now in Poland.[1] He joined the fledgling Luftwaffe in 1935. After completing his pilot training, he was sent to Spain with the Condor Legion, and served from 1938–1939 with 2./JGr 88 (2nd Squadron of Jagdgruppe 88). During that time he established himself as one of the top aces in the Condor Legion, returning to Germany with 9 victories, and in June 1939 he was awarded the Spanish Cross in Gold with Diamonds.

After his return, on May 1939, he was appointed the Staffelkapitän (Squadron leader) of the newly established 1./Jagdgeschwader 70 (JG 70—70th Fighter Wing) based near Nürnberg, being declared operational in July 1939.[Note 1] As war opened in September 1939 it was kept back on Home Defence duties. Soon after, on 15 September, the Gruppe was re-designated I./Jagdgeschwader 54 (JG 54—54th Fighter Wing)—with Seiler's unit now renamed 1./JG 54—and transferred to the Western Front to cover the southernmost region of the French border. He scored his first victory of the war on 10 January 1940, shooting down a French reconnaissance Potez southwest of Freiburg.[2] He scored a second victory on 7 April west of Strasbourg. However he scored no further in the subsequent Battle of France, when his unit covered the Panzer advance through the Ardennes forests and later over the Dunkirk bridgehead. Pulled out early, back to occupied Netherlands as the campaign wound down, I./JG 54 was then one of the first units to re-occupy the Pas de Calais, in early August 1940 in anticipation of the upcoming Battle of Britain. On a bomber escort mission over Dover on 5 August 1940 Oberleutnant Seiler scored his third victory (a Spitfire), but was bounced by a Hurricane squadron, shot down and severely injured. Taking to his parachute over the English Channel, he was rescued and hospitalised, but was out of action for over 6 months.[3]

Promoted to Hauptmann (Captain) in December, he returned to his command of 1./JG 54 in the spring of 1941, as the Luftwaffe prepared for the upcoming invasion of Russia - Operation Barbarossa. JG 54 was tasked with providing the fighter cover for Army Group North and its advance toward Leningrad. On the opening day of the campaign (22 June 1941) he shot down 3 aircraft, thereby doubling his score, and as his unit leap-frogged to new airbases across the Baltic States over the next few weeks his score continued to rise. By the end of September, he had 33 victories and his unit had finally settled down, establishing itself at Siverskaya, (about 60 kilometers (37 mi) south of Leningrad). He had been awarded the Ehrenpokal on 20 August recognising his leadership and combat success.

With the loss of Arnold Lignitz on 30 September (shot down over Leningrad), Hauptmann Seiler was assigned to command III Gruppe (also based at Siverskaya), as Barbarossa entered its critical phase. Despite surrounding the city, it could not be taken so Hitler decided instead to besiege it. For the next three years, JG 54 would stay, essentially, encamped outside the city interdicting the supply lines and intercepting the frantic attempts of the Russians to lift the siege in offensive after offensive.

Seiler himself remained as Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 54 for nearly one and a half years. He was awarded the German Cross in Gold on 15 October then the Knight's Cross on 20 December 1941, having flown 200 missions. In spring 1942 Geschwaderkommodore (Wing Commander) Hannes Trautloft had the idea for fighter interceptions of Soviet night-harassment raids on moonlit nights. A great success, they claimed 56 victories for no losses. Seiler was the most successful pilot in these missions, scoring 16 night-victories between March and June 1942[4] and he was also promoted to Major in June. Throughout 1942, JG 54 continued to cover the north: the Leningrad siege and Demyansk fronts. In December though, Seiler took his III./JG 54 to Smolensk in the centre, and then soon after in early 1943 rotated back to the west as part of Adolf Galland's mis-guided plan to swap units between the western and eastern fronts in exchange for I./Jagdgeschwader 26 (JG 26—26th Fighter Wing).[5]

Re-equipping instead onto Bf 109G-4s, they spent 6 weeks on the Channel Front. Unused to operating at higher altitudes and in large formations, JG 26 Geschwaderkommodore Josef Priller refused to declare the unit ready for operations. Finally in March, they were transferred back to Oldenburg in northern Germany for further training and to stay on Defence of the Reich duties. Fittingly perhaps, with the unit's first successes on 17 April, unit commander Seiler scored his one and only Viermot (4-engine bomber) kill. However, he was already under orders to return to the Leningrad Front, as on 15 April he had been made the new Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 54, flying the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. He was replacing the phenomenally successful Hans Philipp who had just become the 2nd pilot to reach 200 victories, and who was himself being rotated back to Germany for Reich Defence command duties.

Unseasonably bad weather limited operations for the next few months and then all attention was turned to the main 1943 offensive - Operation Zitadelle against the Kursk salient. Seiler's I./JG 54 was transferred in June to Orel to join the fighter cover over the northern attack. On the opening day of the offensive, 5 July, he scored 5 victories to take his tally to 97. The following day he scored a further two kills. Eager to reach the magic 'century', he chased and shot down an Airacobra of 30th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (30 GIAP). However immediately afterward he was himself shot and forced to bail out badly wounded over enemy territory east of Ponyri, midway between Orel and Kursk.[6] He was the 44th Luftwaffe pilot to achieve the century mark.[7] Although rescued by German troops and sent back to the Reich for successful hospital treatment, he was declared unfit for further combat duties.

In recognition of his long service and command in JG 54, he was awarded the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross on 2 March 1944. Later in the year, on 8 August, he was appointed Geschwaderkommodore of the fighter-pilot training unit Jagdgeschwader 104 and served in this position until it was disbanded on 28 April 1945, just days before the end of World War II.

Released in 1946, Reinhard Seiler died on 6 October 1989, at the age of 80, in the town of Grafengehaig near Kulmbach, in Bavaria. Over approximately 500 missions, he was credited with 109 air victories, including 9 in Spain and just 4 in the west. The remaining 96 victories were scored over the Russian Front.

Awards

Spanish Cross in Gold with Swords and Diamonds (6 June 1939)
Iron Cross (1939)
2nd Class (20 January 1940)[8]
1st Class (30 July 1940)[8]
Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (20 August 1941)[9]
German Cross in Gold on 15 October 1941 as Hauptmann in the 1./Jagdgeschwader 54[10]
Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves
Knight's Cross on 20 December 1941 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Jagdgeschwader 54[11][12]
419th Oak Leaves on 2 March 1944 as Major and Gruppenkommandeur of the I./Jagdgeschwader 54[11][13]
Mentioned in the Wehrmachtbericht

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinhard_Seiler