AR banner
Back to Top


The Kracker Luftwaffe Archive: Axis Powers Pilots and Crew




Search Tips  •   Bio & Memorabilia  •   Check Spelling Names in Database  •   Luftwaffe Awards  •   Axis Pages  •   Sources
V1.01 Data derived from many sources. Perfection is our goal: Corrections and Additions are encouraged and requested. Please Email us

35,000+ Entries in Database (as of October 2025): largest in the world
The only authorised publication of the Kracker Luftwaffe Archive: anything else has been stolen and infringes my copyright.
Please email us any photos you have. We will acknowledge you in the database unless requested otherwise.
This is a non-political research resource. The authors of this material do not condone hatred in any form,
neither do they support oppressive and despotic regimes or political systems. See our Statement
In some cases you can see a pilot's extended record of victories in date order from our Luftwaffe Victories database
To see a list of German WW2 Aces consult German WW2 Aces Database
Click an image to expand. Click Luftwaffe Awards for explanations. Scroll to the right to see all the data.

Major enhancements and additions are being made to the Archive by Christian König and Dave Drury.

See a sample search

There is a rogue group of copyright infringers who have stolen a much earlier version of my data - from at least 10 years ago - and have the affrontery to publish that, along with using my name, on their poorly researched website. They claim this is the 'original' Kracker Archive, a ridiculous claim since my Archive has been in a state of continuous development for over 30 years and nobody - NOBODY - has the original. They have no right to use my name or my data and readers who come across this nonsense should do nothing to encourage theft of this nature. I am outraged by this blatant theft and misrepresentation of my lifetime's work. The ONLY person I have ever authorized to publish my data and use my name is Kelvin Youngs, who earned my trust and respect many years ago and is authorized by me to publish my work on whichever website he organizes, currently this being its present home at the highly respected Aircrew Remembered.

 
3-character Searches are now supported

If you need help, EMAIL us with name and database to search and we will perform the search manually for you.

MAJOR SEARCH AND SORT ENHANCEMENTS: You can now search on Unit such as 3/SG-1, 5./JG 51. Note that some sources used to develop this Archive date back 3 decades and may not have been consistent: you should try various options. For example 5./JG 51 may have been encoded as 5/JG 51 or 5./JG-51. You can also search on aircraft types such as Me 109, P-47.

YOU CAN SORT ON COLUMNS WHERE YOU SEE THE UP OR DOWN ARROW ↑ ↓

Enter Your search conditions and click Search This

These are the results of your search:

You searched for: “niedens AND julius”

#Pilot/Crew
SORT (↑)		RankBornPlaceScore
SORT (↑)		UnitsAircraftAwards*************Notes*************PhotoLinksAuthorComments
1 Niedens, JuliusUffz18/12/19Blagoveshchensk, Russia4./ KGr z.b.V. 1 Posen (03-04/42 Demyansk), 16./KG z.B.V. 1 (-04/43), 13./ TG 1 (renamed, 05/43-01/45)Ju-52/3m "G6 + ??" (-1943), He-111 "1Z + ??" and Savoia-Marchetti SM-82 "1Z + ??" (in 1944/45)
Deutsches Kreuz - Gold (04/01/45)

EP (29/09/44)


EK 1 (09/06/43) & 2 (21/04/42)

Transport Operational Clasp in Gold (22/10/42) with pendant "400" (01/12/44)

Winterschlacht im Osten 41/42 medal (18/03/43)

1 October 1938 Commemorative Medal (Sudentenland medal)

Africa Ribbon
Julius was not the pilot but a Fliegerschütze i.e. gunner. He received the DKiG for the high number of survived combat missions (at least approx. 150+). According to known documents and pictures he flew missions in Russia (Demyansk cauldron with KGrzbV Posen (a school unit ordered to help out), Africa, Greece, Italy and in the Reich from 03/42 to 01/45. On the picture in front of the Acropolis in Greece the pilot of his crew was an experienced Fw or OFw. KG z.b.V. 1 was renamed to TG 1 in May 1943, while his IV Gruppe oF TG 1 was dissolved in the end of 01/45. The document of the Transport Operational Clasp in Gold with 400 pendant (12/44) was signed by Gruppenkommandeur Major Karl-Heinz Schütte. He was shot down several times: once near Belgrade in the Balkans where he was found unconscious hanging in chute from the trees, it took 3 months to get back to the front after hospital stay from concussion. Once he had to land in water with his chute near a small airport at Odessa on the Black Sea. Another time they had to ditch off Sicily on a 20th of April but he was rescued after 16 hours in the sea. Near the end of the war he had to chute again in the Balkans where he and 3 others had to hide in the woods and finally mafe their way to Berlin by train. Out of fear of Partisans they buried their medals. Finally he was taken POW by the Russians. He escaped one of the biggest POW camps (140.000 POWs) after swimming across the River Elbe.There is a good probability that he was the Gunner of Knights Cross Holder OFw Paul Zebhauser. His father Johann was a Christian missionary who was later sentenced to a labor camp & never seen again. Julius mother and her 5 kids (including Julius) fled from Blagoveshchensk to China which is across the border river Amur. There was a book written about this called ‘5 brothers in 4 countries’. They later ended up in Hamburg, Germany around 1938-39. After the war Julius emigrated to the United States on the steamer "Homeland" in 1952. He deceased in 1985 in California, his wife Gisela (born 26/06/26) followed him on 14/05/05 in Sonoma, CA. Source: Kevin Plume, his grandson.


Niedens 2nd from left


Niedens 1st from right


(Images courtesy Kevin Plume - relative )


Images courtesy Kevin Plume - relative

Archive Report with imagesCKönig

Results 1 to 1 of 1.



Wer vor der Vergangenheit die Augen verschließt, wird blind für die Gegenwart. Richard von Weizsäcker

All site material (except as noted elsewhere) is © 2012 - 2026 Aircrew Remembered and owned or managed by us
and should not be used without prior permission.