Unteroffizier Werner Otto August " " Bendfeldt . from Hamburg) (d. ) My father, Werner Bendfeldt, received a certificate in memory of his time with Kampfgeschwader 1 "Hindenburg" signed by Major (and Commander) Manfred von Cossart. His rank was "Unteroffizier", which is equivalent to Corporal in the RAF and Staff Sergeant in the USAF. Dad was with this unit from March 1944 until August 1944. According to my research (which I have just begun) this unit was flying over the Eastern front (Poland, Belorussia, Prussia) during this period, until severe fuel shortages brought their activities to a halt. At some point during his time in the Luftwaffe he was in a plane that was shot down in action, I believe over the Mediterranean. He survived but with severe burns to his arm and some facial injuries. I don't know anything else about his war service except he was a trained mechanic (having served an apprenticeship with Daimler-Benz) when he joined the Luftwaffe in 1939 at age 18. He took many, many photos while he was in the air force - of his comrades, various planes, airfields, girlfriends, and so forth. I have an original copy of his discharge notice - an English document (he was in the British sector) but with German typing. I also have another certificate clearing him of any Nazi inclinations and recategorising him, dated 1949. After the war he met and married my mother and they emigrated to Australia, where they ran a corner store for many years in Western Sydney. Dad later became an opal miner at Lightning Ridge. He died in 1974.
I have begun researching in earnest now that I am recovering my German language skills. I was born in Australia but German was my first language. However, I had not spoken it regularly since I was 5 year old! Am now doing an intermediate class and loving it, and finding I am finally able to decipher all the wonderful historical documents I inherited.
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