Werner Mölders

[Becker]

Hi,

Does anyone have the complete promotion list of Werner Mölders. I can't find it anywere. It would be a great help for me.

Rens

[Enrico Mölders]

Hi,

following is a list of the main medals Werner received


Spanische Medalla de la Campana
Spanische Medalla Militar
Spanienkreuz mit Schwertern in Gold mit Brillanten

Frontflugspange für Jäger in Gold mit Brillanten
Flugzeugführer- und Beobachterabzeichen in Gold mit Brillanten
Verwundetenabzeichen in Bronze

Eisernes Kreuz zweiter Klasse
Eisernes Kreuz erster Klasse

Ritterkreuz 29.05.1940
Eichenlaub 21.09.1940
Schwerter 22.06.1941
Brillanten 15.07.1941

bye Enrico

[Enrico Mölders]

Chronologie der Beförderungen von Werner Mölders

01.03.1934 Leutnant
? . ? .1937 Oberleutnant
01.10.1938 Hauptmann
19.07.1940 Major
25.10.1940 Oberstleutnant
20.07.1941 Oberst


Bye Enrico

[PzrMeyer]

Perhaps a dumb question, Enrico, bit are you related? How?

PS For what it is worth, I located Wener Molders' grave at the Invalidenfriedhof in Berlin, at one time their Arlington, now forgotten and in disrepair. Very interesting fo those who want to locate the resting places of some of Germany's forgotten heroes.

[Enrico Mölders]

Hello,

Werner's grandfather and my grandfathers grandfather were brothers.
But they never met each other because after the dead of werners father in 1915 they moved to Berlin while my grandfathers family stayed in Essen ( Ruhrgebiet not far from Gelsenkirchen ( birthplace of Werner ).

An intressting and funny anecdode perhaps. My grandmother which served as a Luftwaffen Nachrichtenhelferin ( at that time she wasn't yet married with my grandfather ) was stationed near Wissant ( Street of Dover ) in 1940 were Werner's Jagdgeschwader also were stationed while the 'Battle of Britain' and she met and spoke a couple of times to him.


bye Enrico

[JEROME Georges]

Just a mention :

I come to buy the original first edition of 1941 of the book

Mölders und seine Männer

edited by Oberstlt Fritz von Forell

and published by Steierische Verlagsanstalt Graz.

numerous and interesting pics of this famous pilot.

best

Georges

[k-pp]

Georges, is a book like that expensive?

My grandfather's Flaktransportbatterie operated with Moelders's Jagdgeschwader during the summer of 1941 against the Soviets. He was very proud of that.

[Enrico Mölders]

Hi,

on E-bay you can still buy those book and it's not very expensive if you don't want one of the first releases.

At the moment I don't know if there exists a english translation but in german there are every day books available on Ebay regarding Werner Mölders.

Bye Enrico

[k-pp]

Thanks for the suggestion Enrico - I'll have a go at this e-bay thing at the weekend.

[tigre]

Hello to all ; rescuing the thread with a little contribution.....................

Werner Mölders tells about his life.

All my youth was marked by the early death of my father, who died in 1915 (as a reserve Officer during WWI) when I was two years old, at that time my brother Victor was a year and a half younger than me. My mother then aged 26 years took care of her four children. Following the death of my father we moved to the soil of my mother in Brandenburg a. d. (on) Havel. I went to school there and started my Abitur. One of my uncles introduced me to the passion for hunting (which would bring him so successful as an aviator later).

When I finished my Abitur in 1931, the Luftwaffe did not exist yet, but I wanted to be a soldier so the news came that the Infanterie Regiment 2 incorporated Officer Candidates. In April 1931 I went to Allenstein to start my recruiting. Thus began my training as a grenadier and I am grateful here to Unterfeldwebel Schimanek.

Sources: Der Adler. 15 Oct 1940.
Der Adler. 29 Oct 1940.
Mölders und seine Männer . Fritz von Forell.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; more follows.....................

Werner Mölders tells about his life.

In the German Army.

At the end of my recruiting time I was transferred to Rastenburg. One year later in April 1932 I was promoted to Fahnenjunker-Unteroffizier and went on to a rifle company in Allenstein. In October 1932 I went to the War College in Dresden under the leadership of Hauptmann v. Wolckamer und Kirchensittenbach.

There at the War College I experienced the January 30, 1933 when the Führer was appointed as German Chancellor. After successfully completing the Army War College in Dresden in July 1933, I was assigned to Pionier Bataillon 1 in Königsberg. I was assigned then to the School of Engineers in Munich together with other 14 officers; in the Starnberger-See I learned to drive the assault boats and the pneumatic dinghies also, as well as rafts and pontoons. From there I have good memories of two officers who did a very good job Oberleutnant Reissinger and Hauptmann Geiger.

Sources: Der Adler. 15 Oct 1940.
Der Adler. 29 Oct 1940.
Mölders und seine Männer . Fritz von Forell.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; more follows.....................

Werner Mölders tells about his life.

I‘m "Unfit for flight."

At that time began running among us, the young officers, the news that Germany would restore its military air power. We were asked as volunteers for learning to fly, those words were wind to my sails. I applied immediately and was subjected to medical examination, where I was declared unfit for flight. But my decision to fly always pushed me and I presented myself to a new test that told me: partial fit for flight. With this new resolution I went to the School of Air Transport at Kottbus.

Sources: Der Adler. 15 Oct 1940.
Der Adler. 29 Oct 1940.
Mölders und seine Männer . Fritz von Forell.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[der alte Landser]

Mölders was a fine example of selfless service, no doubt about it. It is just a shame that the BMVg decided to strip his name from JG 74.

Regards, Mark

[tigre]

Hello to all ; more follows.....................

Werner Mölders tells about his life.

But when subjected to a new flight test my first symptoms worsened and when I flew with the instructor, I suffered headaches and dizziness, so again I was on my hind legs. But my group leader, Fliegerkapitän Fruhner verified the instructor’s judgement and flew with me, that flight evolved so well that I did not suffer any of the above symptoms and from there my instruction was developed smoothly. So to be unfit for flight, I became one of the best students of the course.

The best part was that out of 65 students no one suffered a flight accident during the course. To close our course, which ended with the C-2 Schein (certificate), we made the game of Icarus, where I played of Icarus, there were present Generalfeldmarschall Milch, Generaloberst Udet and General der Flieger Christiansen. Generalfeldmarschall Milch found our presentation so good that he conceded to Leutnant Peterson and to me a trip to Greece on the Lufthansa.

Sources: Der Adler. 15 Oct 1940.
Der Adler. 29 Oct 1940.
Mölders und seine Männer . Fritz von Forell.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; more follows.....................

Werner Mölders tells about his life.

Then I was transferred to a bombing and aerial observation school; there I flew aircraft such as He 45 and He 46 as well as W-34 and Ju 52. With the proclamation of the Luftwaffe in March 1935, I was appointed as lieutenant in the force. Upon completion of my flight time I was transferred again to a group of dive bombing which was in training at Schleißheim near Munich for a period of three months. We flew there on aircrafts like the FokkerD-13 and the Ar 64 and 65.

During our practice in diving attack we raised to about 5000 meters and from there sharply dived to the ground. Once I landed with the wings rather distorted and I vowed never to dive almost vertically as it is very ugly when a plane loses its ears in the air. Then I went to Geschwader "Immelmann" in Schwerin, in that city I spent the time as a young lieutenant.

Sources: Der Adler. 15 Oct 1940.
Der Adler. 29 Oct 1940.
Mölders und seine Männer . Fritz von Forell.

Cheers. Raúl M .