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Kühl, Dr.jur., Ernst

Date of birth:
March 18th, 1888 (Breslau/Silesia, Germany)
Date of death:
February 2nd, 1972 (Münster/North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany)
Nationality:
German (1933-1945, Third Reich)

Biography

Ernst Kühl achieved a total of about 400 operational sorties during the Second World War.

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Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:
1939
1939 Spange zum Eisernes Kreuz 2er Klasse 1914
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:
1940
1939 Spange zum Eisernes Kreuz 1er Klasse 1914
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Major
Unit:
Kommandeur II. / Kampfgeschwader 55
Awarded on:
December 20th, 1941
Luftwaffe Ehrenpokale für besondere Leistungen im Luftkrieg
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Oberstleutnant der Reserve
Unit:
Kommandeur II. / Kampfgeschwader 55
Awarded on:
August 21st, 1942

Award 1/85.
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Oberstleutnant der Reserve
Unit:
Kommodore Kampfgeschwader 55
Awarded on:
October 17th, 1942
Awarded for the outstanding leadership of his Gruppe and later Kampfgeschwader on the Eastern front, as well as his personal achievements over the course of 230 sorties. In this time his units flew mostly on the southern sector of the Eastern front, flying a number of missions against targets at Stalingrad in 1942.

620th Award.
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Oberst der Reserve
Unit:
Kommodore Kampfgeschwader 55 "Greif"
Awarded on:
December 18th, 1943
Ritterkreuz mit Eichenlaub
Awarded for the continued successes of his Geschwader up until he gave up command of the unit on 08.08.1943. In this time he and his men had flown transport missions to Stalingrad, attacked the tank factory at Gorki and the refineries at Saratov, and participated in support of Operation Citadel in July 1943. Particularly noteworthy was the Geschwader’s support of the II. SS-Panzer-Korps on the 07.07.1943 near Gremutschi and Krassaja, where his pilots flew 178 missions against targets as close as 200 metres away from friendly lines.

By the time of his reception of the Oakleaves Kühl had also reached a personal mission count of 314, a remarkable achievement given his age.

356th Award.
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:
April 11th, 1944
Wehrmachtbericht
Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Awarded on:
June 24th, 1944
Wehrmachtbericht

Sources

  • Photo 1: Wilco Vermeer
  • - THOMAS, FRANZ & WEGMANN, GÜNTER, Die Eichenlaubträger 1940-1945, Biblio-Verlag, 1997.
    - Die Ordensträger der Deutschen Wehrmacht (CD), VMD-Verlag GmbH, Osnabrück, 2002
    - Kwasny A., Kwasny G., Die Eichenlaubträger 1940-1945 (CD), Deutsches Wehrkundearchiv, Lage-Waddenhausen, 2001
    - Fellgiebel W.P., Elite of the Third Reich, The recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross 1939-1945: A Reference, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003, ISBN 1-874622-46-9
    - Patzwall K., Scherzer V., Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941-1945, Geschichte und Inhaber Band II, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2001, ISBN 3-931533-45-X
    - Patzwall K.D., Der Ehrenpokal für besondere Leistung im Luftkrieg, Studien zur Geschichte der Auszeichnungen, Band 6, Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, Norderstedt, 2008, ISBN 978-3-931533-08-3
    - Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945

Photo