Wolfgang Schneiderhan (born 26 July 1946) is a German

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

who served as

Inspector General of the Bundeswehr Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

from 2002 to 2009.

Military career

Born in

Riedlingen Riedlingen () is a town in the district (''Kreis'') of Biberach, Baden-Württemberg, in the south-west of Germany. It is one of the destinations of the Upper Swabian Baroque Route. Riedlingen has approximately 10,000 inhabitants. Geography ...

, Schneiderhan entered military service on 4 April 1966 as officer cadet (Panzerdivision, Heer). On 1 October 1968, he was promoted to

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

. While serving in the Bundeswehr, Schneiderhan was awarded several medals, both in Germany and abroad. On 27 July 2002, he was promoted to General and was appointed Chief of Staff for the Bundeswehr, the highest-ranking military post in the German armed forces. Before his appointment, he served as director of planning in the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in state ...

Resignation

On 26 November 2009, he tendered his resignation as Inspector General after allegations were made against him of a

cover-up A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to conceal evidence of wrongdoing, error, incompetence, or other embarrassing information. Research has distinguished personal cover-ups (covering up one's own misdeeds) from relational co ...

relating to the 4 September 2009 Kunduz airstrike in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

. The strike was against two fuel tankers that had been hijacked by the

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

but also resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians. Schneiderhan was alleged to have failed to provide full information about the incident for several days after the incident maintaining that no civilians had been caught in the strike. The then Defence Minister, Franz Josef Jung, also played down the possibility of civilian casualties. A video taken by the American

F-15 Eagle The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American Twinjet, twin-engine, all-weather Air combat manoeuvring#Tactics, tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States ...

fighter bomber involved in the airstrike was leaked to the newspaper ''

Bild ''Bild'' (or ''Bild-Zeitung'', ; ) is a German tabloid newspaper published by Axel Springer SE. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday; on Sundays, its sister paper '' Bild am Sonntag'' ("''Bild on Sunday''") is published instead, which ...

'' and is said to have clearly depicted civilians in the target area. Schneiderhan's resignation came on the same day as that of Peter Wichert, one of the two then-serving Secretaries of State in the Defence Ministry. The combined resignations were described as Germany's "biggest military shake-up in more than two decades" and have been claimed as proof that the defence ministry actively suppressed information about the incident. Jung tendered his resignation as Minister of Labour and Social Affairs on 27 November 2009 because of this affair.

Family

Schneiderhan is married to Elke (née Speckhardt). He has two daughters and three sons.NATO biography
/ref> The general is the nephew of violinist Wolfgang Schneiderhan. Since November 2014 he is the vice-president of German War Graves Commission.

Honours and awards

Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellec ...

- Golden Cross of Honour of the Bundeswehr * JOR_Order_of_the_Millitary_Merit_GC

- Grand Cordon of the Order of Military Merit (Jordan) * EST_Order_of_the_Cross_of_the_Eagle_1st_Class_BAR

- Eagle's Cross, First Class (

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

) *

- Grand Officer of the

Order of the Crown (Belgium) The Order of the Crown (french: Ordre de la Couronne, nl, Kroonorde) is a national order of the Kingdom of Belgium. The Order is one of Belgium's highest honors. History The Order was established on October 15, 1897 by King Leopold II in his ...

AUT_Honour_for_Services_to_the_Republic_of_Austria_-_5th_Class_BAR

- Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver with Star for Services to the Republic of Austria * Legion Honneur Officier ribbon

- Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

(

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

) *

Ordre_national_du_Merite_Officier_ribbon

- Officer of the

National Order of Merit An order of merit is conferred by a state, government or royal family on an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. Order of merit may also refer to: * FIFA Order of Merit, for significant contribution to association football * PDC ...

(

) *

- Commander of the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight u ...

(

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

) *

- Grand Officer of the

Medal of Merit Several countries award a military or civil medal called Medal of Merit: * Medal of Merit (Czech Republic) * Medal of Merit (Denmark) * Medal of Merit of the Dominican Woman * Medal of Merit of the National People's Army (East Germany) * Medal of ...

, First Class, of the Ministry of Defence (

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

)

References

External links

on BMVg website

, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Schneiderhan, Wolfgang 1946 births Living people People from Riedlingen Generals of the German Army Grand Officers of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg Recipients of the Badge of Honour of the Bundeswehr Recipients of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Military Order of the Cross of the Eagle, Class I Inspectors General of the Bundeswehr