Horst Carganico

On July 26, 1942, Colonel General Jürgen Stumpff, the commander of the 5th Air Fleet wrote the Luftwaffe Personnel Department with an enclosure on a recommendation for preferential promotion to captain (and requesting Carganico be made the permanent commander of the 2nd Group, 5th Fighter Wing [Jagdgeschwader 5]), in which he stated:

“First Lieutenant Horst Carganico – official date of rank of September 1, 1940 – is being recommended for preferential promotion to captain.  Engaged at the battle front of Northern Finland, with short interruption, from the beginning of the Eastern Campaign, he proved his heartfelt preparedness for engagement full of unbridled courage in 50 aerial victories.  This officer, who was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross for fighter engagement on the Murmansk Front, has demonstrated excellent skills in the operations of the fighter squadron under his command, in addition to his personal courage and daring in combat.  His fighter group has accomplished a total of 604 kills.  First Lieutenant Carganico has been tasked with the acting leadership of the 2nd Group, 5th Fighter Wing since May 18, 1942.  During this time until now, in his capacity as acting group commander, he has personally scored six aerial victories, and the group under his command has 164 kills.  In view of his demonstrated accomplishments as a group leader, his appointment to command the 2nd Group, 5th Fighter Wing is also being requested.”  (Luftwaffe Efficiency and Promotion Reports for the Knight’s Cross Winners)

Following combat with USAAF four-engine bombers on May 27, 1944, Carganico was killed when his Bf 109 G-5 hit high tension cables while attempting a forced landing near Chevry, France.  He was credited with 60 victories in 600 missions, including six victories over the Western Allies.  Carganico was buried in the military section of the Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf in Berlin.

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Albert Forster

Albert Forster, SS-Obergruppenführer, born July 26, 1902 in Fürth/Bavaria, Gauleiter for Danzig and Danzig – West Prussia, member of the Reichstag, winner of the Knight’s Cross of the War Service Cross, convicted of war crimes in Poland in 1947, executed by hanging February 28, 1952 in Warsaw, nicknamed: “Bubi”: on Heinrich Himmler and the Aryan race:

“If I looked like Himmler I would not talk about race!”  (2,000 Quotes From Hitler’s 1,000-Year Reich)