Full medal write up
Award documents and flugbuch (logbook) to Fliegerschützen (Air Gunner) Gefreiten Karl Stelzer, who served with 7/Kampfgeschwader 55 "Greif" during 1941. During his service, as the crew of Heinkel 111’s , he took part in 20 combat missions to targets in England and Ireland during the Blitz, April-May 1941. Many targets including multiple to London, Plymouth, Liverpool and Birmingham. Transferred to Russia, he took part in two missions on 22 June, which was the first day of Operation Barbarossa, before being shot down on 11 July 1941 on his 39th combat mission.
Award documents to Gefreiten Karl Stelzer:
a) Award document for the Iron Cross 2nd Class, dated 21 April 1941, with original signature of General der Flieger Ritter von Greim
b) Award document for the Fliegerschützen (air gunners badge), dated 30 April 30 1941, with facsimile signature of Lieutenant General Kastner.
c) Award document for the Frontflugspange für Kampfflieger in Bronze, dated 10 May 1941, with original signature of OU Kommodore Kosch
d) Award document for the Iron Cross 1st Class, dated 11 May 1941, with original signature of
Field Marshal Sperrle
e) Group photograph of Luftwaffe flight crew
f) Photograph of a pilot at the controls of a Heinkel 111
g) Two photographs of Heinkel 111’s in flight, one for an attack in Russia, dated 30 June 1941
h) Two photographs of Hitler and an SS Officer dated and signed 1938
i) Flugbuch with a total of 139 flights, including 39 combat missions
Details in brief extracted from Flugbuch:
Flights start on May 28, 1940, flying in a variety of types; Junkers 52 and 86, FW58’s etc, then moving onto Heinkel 111’s. His first bombing mission being an attack on Bristol, England, on 8 April 1941, noting they returned on 1 engine. The following four days were missions to other targets in England; Portsmouth, Birmingham, Birmingham again and Bristol. His next mission was on 16 April, this time London, returning to London on 17, 19 and 20 April. Further missions against English and Irish targets continued with Plymouth on 22 and 28 April, Liverpool 3 May, Belfast 4 May, Liverpool 5 May, Liverpool 6 May, Liverpool 7 May, Sheffield 8 May, London 10 May and Birmingham 16 May. Logbook has various notations to most of these mission entries. A total of 20 Missions during the Blitz.
From 22 June, Stelzer moved bombing missions in Russia, flying two missions on 22 June, which was the day Operation Barbarossa started. He would take part in a further 17 bombing missions to targets in Russia between then and 11 July 1941 when his Heinkel was shot down during a raid on Klemensow. This was his 39th combat mission. This final flight and a training flight are written out in a different hand, signed dated and stamped by his squadron leader. Apparently Stelzer returned to Germany from Russian captivity, years after World War II.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kampfgeschwader_55
A fine group, worthy of detailed research.