.. A very rare image of Gefr. Helmut Kofler, seen here third left, with fellow instructors. Kofler was born 22 May 1923 in Vienna. Having served as an instructor he was posted to 3./JG 77 in late 1944 but was reported MIA/KIA during the Bodenplatte operation on 1.1. 1945. The other pilots in this image were almost certainly also posted to a front JG.
Many school instructors were sent to the front towards the end of the war; for example, several arrived at JG 53 around September 1944.
Via Jochen Prien; "Just a quick note concerning your blog – Kofler was not a Gefreiter in your photo but a Fähnrich acc. to the verso. Although you cannot see this in the photo itself, it is clearly visible there that he at least holds the rank of an Uffz. if you take a look at his epaulette. Fhr. and Uffz. are equivalent ranks with the difference that the Fhr. will become an officer in due course.."
Via Jochen Prien; "Just a quick note concerning your blog – Kofler was not a Gefreiter in your photo but a Fähnrich acc. to the verso. Although you cannot see this in the photo itself, it is clearly visible there that he at least holds the rank of an Uffz. if you take a look at his epaulette. Fhr. and Uffz. are equivalent ranks with the difference that the Fhr. will become an officer in due course.."
