Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Axel von Blomberg (1908 – 15 May 1941) was an officer in the German Air Force (''

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

'') before and during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He is best known for the role he played during the Anglo-Iraqi War.

Biography

Blomberg was a son of

Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...

Werner von Blomberg Werner Eduard Fritz von Blomberg (2 September 1878 – 13 March 1946) was a German general and politician who served as the first Minister of War in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1938. Blomberg had served as Chief of the ''Truppenamt'', equivalent ...

. He was part of a German military mission to the Kingdom of Iraq which had the cover name " Special Staff F" ( ''Sonderstab F''). ''Sonderstab F'' was commanded by

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

('' General der Flieger'') Hellmuth Felmy, and Blomberg had the task of commanding a Brandenburgers reconnaissance group that was to precede " Flyer Command Iraq" ('' Fliegerführer Irak''). He was also given the task of integrating ''Fliegerführer Irak'' with Iraqi forces in operations against the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

.Lyman, p. 63 As part of the latter, he was to raise a German-led Arab Brigade (''Arabische Brigade'') in Iraq from the thousands of

volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

available from Iraq, from

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, from

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

, from

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, and from throughout the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

. Before Blomberg could accomplish any of his tasks, he was killed. On 15 May 1941, Blomberg was sent to

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

to make arrangements for a council of war with the Iraqi government. The council was planned for 17 May. However, Blomberg was killed by friendly fire from Iraqi positions. His Heinkel 111 bomber was shot at from the ground as it flew low on approach and Blomberg was found to be dead upon landing.

Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blomberg, Axel 1908 births 1941 deaths Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Iraq Luftwaffe personnel killed in World War II Friendly fire incidents of World War II Military personnel killed by friendly fire Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1941

Biography

See also

Notes

References