Belz, Josef (Kampfgruppe z.b.V. 500)
- Date of birth:
- September 28th, 1909 (Kindelsdorf/Silesia, Germany)
- Date of death:
- November 2nd, 1944 (Groß-Schiemanen/East Prussia, Germany)
- Buried on:
- German War Cemetery Bartosze
Grave: UNK. - Nationality:
- German (1933-1945, Third Reich)
Biography
Awards:
May 10th, 1940: Jugosl..Gold.Verd. Medaille.
Do you have more information about this person? Inform us!
Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Oberleutnant (Flying Officer)
- Unit:
- Flugzeugführer, Kampfgruppe zur besonderen Verwendung 500, Luftwaffe
- Awarded on:
- December 23rd, 1942
“Oberleutnant Belz has exhibited a true hero’s spirit during the operation to resupply Stalingrad, one which continues to bring about heavy losses. He has flown more operations than any other pilot in his Staffel, and his exceptional flying abilities have enabled him to complete missions to Stalingrad despite the presence of extremely difficult weather conditions. This fearless display of duty has inspired the crews of both his Staffel as well as the Gruppe at large. He has braved both anti-aircraft gun barrages as well as hostile fighter attack, all while never losing his calm confidence and unshakeable determination. He has remained the victor in both day and night operations against the enemy, icy conditions and horrible weather. This is creditable to the fact that he embodies a true soldierly disposition by never thinking of himself, but instead only the mission at hand. Oberleutnant Belz has rendered distinguished service himself while simultaneously giving courage to those who would otherwise have fled. His personal achievements are quantifiable. The effects of his inspiring conduct for the effectiveness of his Gruppe are, by contrast, incalculable.
The Gruppe therefore requests that this exemplary officer be awarded the Knight’s Cross in recognition of his unparalleled achievements as both a pilot and soldier.”
By this time Belz had flown a total of 140 sorties (including 12 to the Stalingrad pocket), counted as 204 front flights.
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Rank:
- Oberleutnant (Flying Officer)
- Unit:
- Staffelkapitän
- Awarded on:
- January 11th, 1943
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Awarded on:
- November 3rd, 1942
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Awarded on:
- November 1st, 1942
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Awarded on:
- November 1st, 1941
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Awarded on:
- August 29th, 1941
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Awarded on:
- May 10th, 1940
Pilots Badge
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Period:
- Second World War (1939-1945)
Sources
- Photo 1: Andrew Straube
- Photo: Andrew Straube via www.Death-Cards.com
- - FELLGIEBEL, W.P., Elite of theThird Reich, Helion & Company Limited, Solihull, 2003.
- MÖBIUS, INGO & HUß, JÜRGEN, Stille Adler, Eigenverlag Ingo Möbius, Chemnitz, 2019.
- BArch RH 7/293
- Die träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eiserne Kreuz 1939 - 1945
Looking for reliable information or news facts about WW2? Do you want to create your own battlefield tour to sights of wars from the past? Or are you interested in war medals and their recipients? TracesOfWar.com tells you more!
More information
© STIWOT, 1999-2024. All rights reserved. Privacy statement, cookies, disclaimer and copyright