nice photo album featuring Arado 196 pilot Ofw. Günther Kurth and his Seeaufklärungsgruppe 126 crew on Crete. Includes his first victory confirmation credit slip - a Beaufighter downed on 01 June 1944 - and a newspaper clipping recalling the action.
" .. a bold feat of arms by our Arado crews - an Arado 196 recce Staffel on Crete claim four Beaufighters shot down. Our crews had flown cover tirelessly throughout the day over a German convoy steaming north of Heraklion ...(.....) but during the early evening of Thursday a raid at altitude by a large formation of bombers protected by fighters was followed moments later by an attack from 18 Beaufighters. Within a matter of minutes four Beaufighter torpedo bombers were shot down, three plunging into the sea and the fourth breaking off trailing a banner of smoke and crash-landing on the coast..(..) Several more sustained heavy damage resulting in the enemy attack being broken up...(...) time and again the German machines covering the German ships parried the attacks despite the enemy machines' far superior firepower and speed....."
Another clipping features post-war
Flottilenadmiral Paul Kriebel, Kurth's wartime
Staffelchef. Kriebel was shot-down twice and achieved the
Frontflugspange in Gold for more than 300 combat sorties. He ended the war with the rank of Hauptmann beim
Fliegerführer Ostsee. Post-war he flew Gannets and became Kommodore of
Marinefliegergeschwader 'Graf Zeppelin' in Nordholz
