Kurt “Kuddel” Ubben was born on 18 November 1911 at Dorstadt in Harz. He joined the navy in 1931 undertaking his training on the sailing ship “Gorch Foch”. In 1935, Ubben transferred to the Luftwaffe and, by 1938, was serving with the Küstenjagdstaffel Kiel. At the outbreak of World War 2, Oberfeldwebel Ubben was serving with 5./JGr 186. The unit was destined to be based aboard the German navy’s aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin, at that time still under construction. He participated in air operations supporting the invasion of Poland in September 1939. He gained his first aerial success when he shot down a Dutch Fokker D XXI fighter over Holland on 10 May 1940. In June 1940, Ubben transferred with II./JGr 186 to Norway where the unit was based at Stavanger. On 5 July, II./JGr 186 was absorbed into III./JG 77 when it became obvious that the Graf Zeppelin would not be completed for some time. On 22 July, Ubben was appointed Staffelkapitän of 8./JG 77. By the end of 1940, 8./JG 77 was stationed on the Channel front. The unit transferred to take part in the invasion of the Balkans in early April 1941. Ubben claimed an RAF Hurricane fighter shot down in the Lamia area of Greece on 19 April. However, Ubben’s Bf 109 was badly damaged in the engagement necessitating a forced-landing behind Allied lines. He was rescued by a Fieseler Fi 156 Storch flown by a colleague of his unit, which landed and flew him back to his base. Ubben also performed many ground attack missions and fighter-bomber attacks against Allied shipping around the coasts of Greece and Crete. On 22 May, Oberleutnant Ubben and Oberleutnant Wolf-Dietrich Huy (40 victories, RK-EL) attacked the Royal Navy’s Force “C” between the islands of Kythera and Antikythera. Both were successful in gaining hits on the British battleship “Warspite”. He also claimed a British Motor Torpedo Boat sunk during this period. Ubben participated in the invasion of Russia in June 1941. He claimed his 20th and 21st victories on 25 July. He was awarded the Ritterkreuz on 4 September for 32 aerial victories, 26 aircraft destroyed on the ground and 15 tanks destroyed. On 5 September 1941, Hauptmann Ubben was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 77. He achieved his 50th victory on 19 October. Ubben shot down four Russian aircraft on 9 December (58-61). He was awarded the Eichenlaub (Nr 80) on 12 March 1942 for 69 victories. When III./JG 77 was transferred to North Africa, Ubben had 92 victories to his credit. He continued his success in the new theatre gaining his 100th and 101st victories on 14 January 1943. In October, Ubben led III./JG 77 to Rumania where it was tasked with the aerial protection of the Ploesti oilfields from the increasing Allied bombing attacks. Major Ubben was appointed Kommodore of JG 2 based in France on 10 March 1944, replacing Oberstleutnant Egon Mayer (102 victories, RK-S, killed in action 2 March 1944). On 27 April 1944, Ubben engaged USAAF fighters near Fere-en-Tardenois. In the ensuing combat, Ubben was shot down in Fw 190 A-8/R2/R6 (W.Nr. 680 113). He baled out but his parachute failed to open either due to insufficient altitude or an improperly fastened harness.
    “Kuddel” Ubben was credited 111 victories in approximately 500 combat missions. He recorded 90 victories over the Eastern front. Included in his total is one four-engined bomber and seven P-38 twin-engine fighters.
 

No	Date	Time	A/c Type	Unit	Location / Comments
1	10.5.1940	6:50	Fokker D XXI	5./JGr 186	De Kooi
2	19.4.1941	11:20	Hurricane	8./JG 77	Lamia area / Hurricane of 33 Sqn, RAF
3	22.6.1941	18:58	I-16	8./JG 77	-
4	26.6.1941	10:45	DB-3	8./JG 77	-
5	26.6.1941	10:51	DB-3	8./JG 77	-
6	26.6.1941	11:02	DB-3	8./JG 77	-
7	26.6.1941	14:47	DB-3	8./JG 77	-
8	4.7.1941	16:08	SB-3	8./JG 77	-
9	4.7.1941	18:37	SB-3	8./JG 77	-
10	8.7.1941	18:23	DB-3	8./JG 77	-
11	8.7.1941	18:25	DB-3	8./JG 77	-
12	8.7.1941	18:27	DB-3	8./JG 77	-
13	10.7.1941	11:13	I-153	8./JG 77	-
14	10.7.1941	11:16	I-153	8./JG 77	-
15	10.7.1941	11:18	I-153	8./JG 77	-
16	11.7.1941	12:39	MiG-3	8./JG 77	-
17	21.7.1941	12:38	I-61	8./JG 77	-
18	22.7.1941	12:32	I-61	8./JG 77	-
19	25.7.1941	19:40	I-153	8./JG 77	-
20	25.7.1941	19:43	I-153	8./JG 77	-
21	27.7.1941	15:42	I-153	8./JG 77	-
-	27.7.1941	-	I-16	8./JG 77	not confirmed
22	31.7.1941	12:53	I-16	8./JG 77	-
23	31.7.1941	17:00	Potez 25	8./JG 77	-
24	5.8.1941	17:55	I-16	8./JG 77	-
25	5.8.1941	18:03	I-16	8./JG 77	-
26	11.8.1941	15:48	I-16	8./JG 77	-
27	13.8.1941	8:48	I-5	8./JG 77	-
28	17.8.1941	17:05	Seversky	8./JG 77	-
29	22.8.1941	11:00	I-15	8./JG 77	17692
30	29.8.1941	7:05	DB-3	8./JG 77	-
31	30.8.1941	18:45	I-153	8./JG 77	-
32	1.9.1941	17:41	DB-3	8./JG 77	-
33	1.9.1941	17:53	I-16	8./JG 77	-
34	2.9.1941	-	Pe-2	8./JG 77	-
35	4.9.1941	5:55	DB-3	8./JG 77	-
36	5.9.1941	5:35	I-16	8./JG 77	-
37	26.9.1941	16:00	I-153	8./JG 77	-
38	29.9.1941	11:02	R-10	8./JG 77	-
39	1.10.1941	-	I-16	Stab III./JG 77	Perekop
40	2.10.1941	11:52	MiG-3	Stab III./JG 77	-
41	3.10.1941	14:30	MiG-3	Stab III./JG 77	-
42	9.10.1941	15:08	MiG-3	Stab III./JG 77	Chaplinka
43	9.10.1941	15:14	MiG-3	Stab III./JG 77	Chaplinka
44	9.10.1941	15:16	MiG-3	Stab III./JG 77	Chaplinka
45	10.10.1941	6:15	Il-2	Stab III./JG 77	3784
46	10.10.1941	6:30	MiG-3	Stab III./JG 77	-
47	11.10.1941	14:05	Pe-2	Stab III./JG 77	3622
48	18.10.1941	-	LaGG-3	Stab III./JG 77	-
49	19.10.1941	12:52	LaGG-3	Stab III./JG 77	-
50	19.10.1941	16:12	I-15	Stab III./JG 77	-
51	20.10.1941	16:08	LaGG-3	Stab III./JG 77	-
52	22.10.1941	9:10	Il-2	Stab III./JG 77	-
53	23.10.1941	-	I-15	Stab III./JG 77	-
54	4.11.1941	15:08	I-153	Stab III./JG 77	-
55	6.11.1941	-	MiG-3	Stab III./JG 77	-
56	6.11.1941	-	Il-2	Stab III./JG 77	-
57	7.12.1941	-	I-16	Stab III./JG 77	-
58	9.12.1941	-	I-15	Stab III./JG 77	-
59	9.12.1941	-	I-15	Stab III./JG 77	-
60	9.12.1941	-	I-16	Stab III./JG 77	-
61	9.12.1941	-	DB-3	Stab III./JG 77	-
62	23.2.1942	-	I-15	Stab III./JG 77	-
63	23.2.1942	-	MiG-3	Stab III./JG 77	-
64	24.2.1942	-	LaGG-3	Stab III./JG 77	-
65	25.2.1942	-	LaGG-3	Stab III./JG 77	-
-	26.2.1942	-	I-16	Stab III./JG 77	not confirmed
66	2.3.1942	-	Il-2	Stab III./JG 77	-
67	5.3.1942	-	I-16	Stab III./JG 77	-
68	9.3.1942	-	I-153	Stab III./JG 77	-
69	12.3.1942	-	I-153	Stab III./JG 77	-
70	8.6.1942	-	I-153	Stab III./JG 77	-
71	11.6.1942	-	Il-2	Stab III./JG 77	-
72	12.6.1942	-	LaGG-3	Stab III./JG 77	-
73	18.6.1942	-	MiG-1	Stab III./JG 77	-
74	24.6.1942	-	Yak-1	Stab III./JG 77	Yak-1 of 6 GIAP, VVS-ChF
75	5.7.1942	-	Il-2	Stab III./JG 77	-
76	5.7.1942	-	Il-2	Stab III./JG 77	66 823
77	5.7.1942	-	Yak-1	Stab III./JG 77	-
78	6.7.1942	-	I-16	Stab III./JG 77	-
79	6.7.1942	-	LaGG-3	Stab III./JG 77	-
80	9.7.1942	-	E/a	Stab III./JG 77	-
81	14.7.1942	-	E/a	Stab III./JG 77	-
82	9.9.1942	-	Il-2	Stab III./JG 77	-
83	10.9.1942	-	Yak-1	Stab III./JG 77	-
84	12.9.1942	-	LaGG-3	Stab III./JG 77	-
85	14.9.1942	-	Il-2	Stab III./JG 77	-
86	15.9.1942	-	Yak-1	Stab III./JG 77	-
87	20.9.1942	-	P-40	Stab III./JG 77	-
88	20.9.1942	-	LaGG-3	Stab III./JG 77	-
89	21.9.1942	-	Yak-1	Stab III./JG 77	-
90	22.9.1942	-	LaGG-3	Stab III./JG 77	-
91	25.9.1942	-	Yak-1	Stab III./JG 77	-
92	30.9.1942	-	Yak-1	Stab III./JG 77	-
93	3.11.1942	-	Hurricane	Stab III./JG 77	-
94	7.11.1942	16:20	Hurricane	Stab III./JG 77	61/66/4
95	11.12.1942	-	P-40	Stab III./JG 77	-
96	13.12.1942	-	P-40	Stab III./JG 77	-
97	15.12.1942	10:56	P-40	Stab III./JG 77	81/6/1
98	10.1.1943	8:40	Spitfire	Stab III./JG 77	W Tamet
99	13.1.1943	-	P-40	Stab III./JG 77	-
100	14.1.1943	11:15	P-40	Stab III./JG 77	43893
101	14.1.1943	16:25	P-40	Stab III./JG 77	51281
102	18.1.1943	14:22	P-38	Stab III./JG 77	22112
103	27.1.1943	-	P-40	Stab III./JG 77	-
104	4.2.1943	15:10	P-38	Stab III./JG 77	85682
105	8.2.1943	12:49	P-38	Stab III./JG 77	95673
106	8.2.1943	13:01	P-38	Stab III./JG 77	95751
107	15.2.1943	12:01	Spitfire	Stab III./JG 77	20km SW Sidi Bou Zid
108	24.6.1943	9:55	P-38	Stab III./JG 77	81593/04 Ost
109	24.6.1943	10:15	P-38	Stab III./JG 77	7039/04 Ost
110	10.8.1943	-	P-38	Stab III./JG 77	-
111	1.10.1943	1155	B-17	Stab III./JG 77	04 195/14 Ost

 Victories : 111
Awards : Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (9 December 1941)
                Ritterkreuz (4 September 1941)
                Eichenlaub (12 March 1942)
Units : JGr 186, JG 77, JG 2